Awesome Turntables

If you can believe it, Chrysler once made a car with a record player. But skipped records while driving meant it didn’t last long. Nik from Supercar Blondie brought back the idea. Only this time, he turned the oversized wheel on a Mercedes Brabus G-Wagon into the turntable and hung an arm and stylus out the window to play some Beethoven.

Compact discs use a laser to read data and convert that to music. Vinyl records, on the other hand, use a needle to pick up vibrations. Artist Tee Ken Ng used a laser pointer to do something else with a record, exposing a glow-in-the-dark record to laser light as it spun on a turntable. He made some more complicated patterns in this second video.

Scratching records on a turntable takes a bit of practice to even get the basics right. In this video from Wired, DJ Shortkut shows us just how far you can take the art of turntablism by gradually ramping up the difficulty level. He does a great job explaining each technique, so it serves as an excellent tutorial too.

Enjoy a complete vinyl listening experience with Mbeat’s turntable system. It has a solid metal platter with resonance damping and a factory-installed cartridge, comes with a pair of 18W speakers, and can also send music wirelessly via Bluetooth. Save 20% off the regular price in The Awesomer Shop.

If you place a billiard ball on a spinning turntable, you’d think it would quickly slide off its edge. But as science educator Steve Mould shows us, the ball hangs on much longer than you’d expect. The physics at work here are truly fascinating, especially given how other objects leave the surface so quickly.

In the 1980s, Audio-Technica sold a portable record player called the Sound Burger. Now it’s back, with Bluetooth connectivity and a USB-C charging port. It can play 33-1/3 and 45 RPM LPs and singles using a spring mechanism that maintains pressure between the stylus and the record. A 60th-anniversary limited edition.

This kit from Teenage Engineering and designer/musician Yuri Suzuki lets you create your own low-fi vinyl records. Once assembled, connect an audio source to its 3.5mm jack, place a 5″ vinyl blank on the turntable, and start it spinning to record monophonic sounds. Records 4 minutes a side @ 33 RPM or 3 minutes @ 45 RPM.

This adorable little turntable doesn’t play tiny vinyl records, but it does let you listen to music from your smartphone via its internal speaker and a Bluetooth wireless connection. It measures just 4″ L x 4″ W x 1.8″ H and comes in either white or yellow.

This unique turntable deftly blends modern and retro design. In addition to its belt-drive turntable, it has a built-in clock with a vintage Nixie tube display. It has a built-in speaker and supports 33, 44, and 78 record playback speeds. It’s also got an RCA output for connecting to an external amplifier and can be used as a Bluetooth speaker.

Author and audiophile Gideon Schwartz follows up the excellent Hi-Fi with a visual history of turntables and vinyl recordings. The 264-page hardcover includes hundreds of images of turntables, their stories, and the rise, fall, and rebirth of the medium.

We dig the trapezoidal 1950s styling of this retro record player. Like other Crosley turntables, it’s portable and has built-in speakers, but we think it looks best parked on its matching legs. It also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker and has an AUX input for connecting external audio sources.

Backing into traffic from a driveway or parking pad can be challenging and downright dangerous with fast-moving vehicles. Irish company Driveway Turntables solves this problem with their in-ground turntable system, which can automatically turn a car around, so it’s facing forward on your way out.

Most DJs are solo artists or back other band members, but DJ Fong Fong and Mart One like to perform together on the same mixing deck and turntables. Watch and listen as they absolutely slay this live mix of the UZ track Trap Sh*t V18 and the Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock classic It Takes Two.

Canada’s Dum Audio is on a mission to provide high-fidelity analog sound at an accessible price. The system includes a perfectly matched turntable, 100-watt-per-channel amplifier, and stereo speakers, each in a stylish veneered MDF wood enclosure. The components are available individually as well.

Tired of looking at the same view, day after day? Perhaps you should do what Vojin Kusic did, and build a house on top of a turntable. He constructed this unusual house in northern Bosnia so that his wife could always enjoy a different view. It can spin as slow as one rotation per 24 hours to a dizzying one rotation every 22 seconds.

LEGO Technic expert The Brick Wall shows off a neat machine that uses motors, gears, magnets, and a turntable to allow tiny RC LEGO cars to drive around its surface. After rigging it up to drive with one vehicle, they upgraded it to become a two-player racing game. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s now a four-player version.

Enjoy the natural sound that only vinyl records can produce with this high-quality turntable. It’s has a metal alloy platter, an adjustable weight tonearm, and a factory-aligned moving magnet cartridge. In addition to wired outputs, it’s got a Bluetooth transmitter and a USB connector for recording to your PC.

Ideal for smaller spaces, Wrensilva’s elegant audio cabinet is made from walnut wood with an ebonized oak grille and packs an audiophile-grade turntable, pre-amp, a Bang & Olufsen ICEpower class D amplifier, and 2-way bass-reflex speakers. In addition to playing vinyl, it can play music via Sonos wi-fi streaming and Bluetooth.

Vinyl records are all the rage thanks to their warm, analog sounds. But if you’re going to go retro, why not go vintage? ROKR’s 424-piece kit gives you everything you need to build your own hand-cranked gramophone. A centrifugal governor helps maintain the record’s speed, and it can play 33s, 45s, and 78s.

Looking for a unique, personalized gift? Kentucky artists The Davidson Workshop creates these wooden art pieces that look like record players. Each one comes engraved with the lyrics to a song of your choice, along with a custom message in the center of the wooden record sitting on its platter. Measures 13″ w x 9″ h x 1″ d.

Whether you own a collection of records you haven’t played in a while, or you’re just hopping onto the vinyl bandwagon, this Altec Lansing turntable is a good place to start. It’s got a 3-speed belt drive, built-in stereo speakers, and Bluetooth streaming. Save 50% in The Awesomer Shop.

Victrola’s turntable audio system features linen-wrapped wooden enclosures for both its record player and stereo speakers. It offers 50-watts of amplification, and can play vinyl at 33 1/3, 45 and 78 speeds. You can also stream music to its speakers via Bluetooth. It’s also available in oak and white variants directly from Victrola.

Add a touch of fun to your office with this clever Scotch tape dispenser that looks like a tiny record player. It features a weighted base with woodgrain details, and a silver tone arm that doubles as a tape cutter. Buy two, and set up a desktop DJ booth.