PLATTER & PLINTH

The Best Turntables for 78 RPM Records

Five decks that publish a third speed — and the part nobody tells you about, which is that the speed is the easy half and the stylus in the box is cut for the wrong kind of groove.

By Stephen V.Last updated How we pick

The verdict

The best turntable for 78 RPM records is the Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB: it is the cheapest deck here that publishes 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM, it has an adjustable counterweight so a heavier 78 pickup can be balanced properly, it has a removable headshell so that pickup can live on a second shell and be clipped on in a minute, and its USB output means a shellac side can be archived while you listen to it. It is for the person who inherited a box of 78s and wants to hear them and keep them. If the 78s are a small part of a hi-fi system, the Fluance RT87 is the only deck in its range with a third speed and publishes the best figures here. If the job is archiving rather than listening, the Denon DP-450USB records to a USB drive with no computer in the chain at all. One warning applies to all five: every stylus in these boxes is cut for modern microgroove records. Audio-Technica’s own 78 cartridge publishes a 3.0 mil conical tip at 4.5 to 5.5 grams, against 0.3 x 0.7 mil at 1.8 to 2.2 grams for the elliptical two of these decks ship with — which is exactly why a counterweight is on the requirement list and a third speed on its own is not enough.

A 78 is not a smaller, faster LP. It is a different object: usually shellac rather than vinyl, pressed with a much wider groove, and made for a machine that no longer exists. Two things follow from that, and almost every page about “turntables that play 78s” covers only the first one.

The first is the speed, and it is genuinely a filter. Most turntables sold today publish two speeds. The decks on this page publish three, which is why they are here — and in the Fluance range, exactly one model out of six does. The second is the stylus, and it is the part that decides whether the record survives the experience. A stylus cut for a microgroove LP is narrower than a 78’s groove, so it rides in the bottom of that groove rather than on its walls: you hear the damage and the dirt rather than the music, and you are tracking a wide groove with a tip that was not shaped for it.

So this page ranks on four published things: whether 78 RPM is actually in the specification; whether the arm has a counterweight, because a wide-tip 78 pickup has its own tracking force and a fixed arm cannot be set to it; whether the headshell comes off, because that is what makes owning two styli practical rather than theoretical; and whether the deck can digitize, since most people who own 78s own them for the recordings rather than the format. Prices are live on each button and dated.

How this is funded: we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we recommend, and we’ll tell you plainly when to skip one. Full disclosure.

Quick picks

Every deck here publishes 78 RPM in its own specification — that is the entry requirement for this page, not a feature we inferred. Figures come from the maker’s published table or the listing cited under each deck, read on the date shown there. Prices are live and dated on each button. We have not heard these decks and we have not played a shellac record on any of them; here is exactly what we do instead.

#ProductBest forPrice
1
Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB

Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB

The tinkerer's deck: a direct-drive, fully manual turntable with adjustable tracking force, anti-skate, selectable pitch and a USB output for digitizing records. It ships with the VM95E elliptical and a switchable preamp, so it's ready to play and ready to grow.

Best overall
$349.00 · View on Amazon

$449.0022% off

Price as of October 6, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

2
Fluance RT87

Fluance RT87

Fluance's flagship, and the first of its decks where the published figures move rather than just the fittings: a dual-plinth chassis that puts the motor on a separate lower platform, a one-piece carbon-fiber arm with 6 mm of VTA adjustment, a 22 mm 4.1 lb acrylic platter, 0.06% wow and flutter, 71 dB signal-to-noise and a third speed. Same 2M Blue as the RT85, on a substantially better machine.

Best hi-fi deck with 78
3
Denon DP-450USB

Denon DP-450USB

The most complete record-digitizing deck we can find: one-touch USB-A recording straight to a thumb drive with no computer involved, three speeds including 78 RPM, a weighted belt-driven platter and a curved tonearm with auto lift and stop at the end of a side. It is expensive for what it is, and it is also the only deck here that will archive a shellac 78 without a laptop.

Best for archiving
$799.00 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 6, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

4
Audio-Technica AT-LP5X

Audio-Technica AT-LP5X

The grown-up direct-drive Audio-Technica: a J-shaped tonearm modeled on the brand's 1960s designs, a removable AT-HS6 headshell, the AT-VM95E cartridge and three speeds including 78 RPM. It is fully manual and aimed at listeners rather than DJs, which is exactly what separates it from the LP120X.

Best for swapping styli
$599.00 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 6, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

5
Numark PT01 Scratch

Numark PT01 Scratch

A battery-powered portable with a built-in speaker, a scratch slide switch and a class-compliant USB interface for recording. It is a tool for portablist DJs and for digitizing odd-format records anywhere, not a hi-fi deck — but within that brief nothing else at the price does the job.

Best portable
$169.00 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 6, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

The picks in full

#1Best overall

Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB

The tinkerer's deck: a direct-drive, fully manual turntable with adjustable tracking force, anti-skate, selectable pitch and a USB output for digitizing records. It ships with the VM95E elliptical and a switchable preamp, so it's ready to play and ready to grow.

Strengths

  • Direct drive with high torque — instant speed and a stable, DJ-style platter
  • USB output records vinyl straight to a computer
  • Full manual control: counterweight, anti-skate, pitch, and three speeds including 78 RPM

Trade-offs

  • Fully manual — no auto return
  • Heavier and larger than the belt-drive decks; overkill if you only ever play at home casually
DriveDirect drive
OperationManual
CartridgeAudio-Technica AT-VM95E (elliptical)
Built-in preampYes — switchable
Speeds33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM
USB outputYes

Note. 78 RPM plus USB makes this the obvious deck for archiving older records, but note that true 78s need a dedicated stylus — the stock elliptical is cut for modern microgroove records.

Specifications read from the manufacturer / product listing, on October 5, 2026. “Not published” means the maker does not state that figure.

#2Best hi-fi deck with 78

Fluance RT87

Fluance's flagship, and the first of its decks where the published figures move rather than just the fittings: a dual-plinth chassis that puts the motor on a separate lower platform, a one-piece carbon-fiber arm with 6 mm of VTA adjustment, a 22 mm 4.1 lb acrylic platter, 0.06% wow and flutter, 71 dB signal-to-noise and a third speed. Same 2M Blue as the RT85, on a substantially better machine.

Strengths

  • Dual-plinth construction isolates the spindle, platter and tonearm from the motor and electronics on a separate lower plinth
  • One-piece carbon-fiber straight tonearm, 230 mm effective length, with 6 mm of VTA adjustment and a removable H-4 headshell
  • Fluance publishes 0.06% wow and flutter and 71 dB signal-to-noise — its best figures on both counts — plus 78 RPM, which no other Reference deck offers

Trade-offs

  • Costs meaningfully more than the RT85 while shipping the same Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge
  • Still no built-in phono preamp, so the external stage is an additional purchase
  • 21 lb and 16.5 inches wide with a 6.3-inch height envelope — measure the shelf, and the dust cover's swing above it
DriveBelt drive
MotorDC motor with servo controller, bottom-plinth mounted on 7-point silicone isolation
OperationManual
CartridgeOrtofon 2M Blue (nude elliptical)
PlatterAcrylic, 12 in, 4.1 lb (1.85 kg), 22 mm
TonearmStatic balanced straight, one-piece carbon fiber, 230 mm effective length
VTA adjustmentYes — 6 mm
HeadshellH-4 bayonet mount — removable
Built-in preampNo — separate phono preamp required
Wow and flutter0.06%
Signal to noise71 dB
Speeds33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM
PlinthDual plinth, isolator-separated
Weight21 lb (9.5 kg)

Note. The RT87 is also sold with an Audio-Technica AT-VM95ML micro-linear cartridge instead of the 2M Blue at the same list price. The figures above are Fluance's for the deck; the cartridge choice changes the character, not the chassis.

Specifications read from the manufacturer / product listing, on September 3, 2026. “Not published” means the maker does not state that figure.

#3Best for archiving

Denon DP-450USB

The most complete record-digitizing deck we can find: one-touch USB-A recording straight to a thumb drive with no computer involved, three speeds including 78 RPM, a weighted belt-driven platter and a curved tonearm with auto lift and stop at the end of a side. It is expensive for what it is, and it is also the only deck here that will archive a shellac 78 without a laptop.

Strengths

  • One-touch USB-A recording to a drive — no computer, no recording software
  • Semi-automatic: the arm lifts and playback stops at the end of a side
  • Supports both MM and MC cartridges, and plays 78 RPM shellac

Trade-offs

  • Costs roughly twice what a computer-based USB deck does
  • Semi-automatic only — you still cue the arm at the start of a side
DriveBelt drive, weighted platter
OperationSemi-automatic (auto lift and stop)
DigitalOne-touch USB-A recording
Cartridge supportMoving magnet and moving coil
Built-in preampYes — built-in phono equalizer
Speeds33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM

Note. The USB-A recording writes to a drive you plug into the deck itself. That is the whole point of the price premium — if you are happy running a cable to a laptop, the AT-LP120XUSB does the same job for far less.

Specifications read from the manufacturer / product listing, on August 11, 2026. “Not published” means the maker does not state that figure.

#4Best for swapping styli

Audio-Technica AT-LP5X

The grown-up direct-drive Audio-Technica: a J-shaped tonearm modeled on the brand's 1960s designs, a removable AT-HS6 headshell, the AT-VM95E cartridge and three speeds including 78 RPM. It is fully manual and aimed at listeners rather than DJs, which is exactly what separates it from the LP120X.

Strengths

  • J-shaped tonearm with a removable AT-HS6 headshell makes cartridge swaps trivial
  • Ships with the elliptical AT-VM95E, whose stylus upgrades snap straight on
  • Three speeds including 78 RPM for shellac and early pressings

Trade-offs

  • Fully manual — no auto return, no auto lift
  • Costs meaningfully more than the AT-LP120XUSB without adding USB
DriveDirect drive, low-noise motor
OperationFully manual
TonearmJ-shaped, AT-HS6 removable headshell
CartridgeAudio-Technica AT-VM95E (dual moving magnet, elliptical)
Built-in preampYes — switchable phono/line output
Speeds33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM

Note. The removable headshell is the underrated feature here: it turns a cartridge change from a fiddly alignment job into a two-minute swap, which matters if you plan to keep the deck for a decade.

Specifications read from the manufacturer / product listing, on August 11, 2026. “Not published” means the maker does not state that figure.

#5Best portable

Numark PT01 Scratch

A battery-powered portable with a built-in speaker, a scratch slide switch and a class-compliant USB interface for recording. It is a tool for portablist DJs and for digitizing odd-format records anywhere, not a hi-fi deck — but within that brief nothing else at the price does the job.

Strengths

  • Runs on six D batteries or AC — genuinely portable, with a carry handle
  • Class-compliant USB interface records to a Mac or PC with no drivers
  • Three speeds including 78 RPM, plus RCA and headphone outputs

Trade-offs

  • Built-in speaker and portable cartridge are nowhere near hi-fi standard
  • Tracking force is not adjustable in the way a hi-fi deck's is — not the deck for a treasured pressing
DriveBelt drive, portable chassis
PowerAC adapter or 6 D batteries (not included)
DigitalClass-compliant USB recording interface
OutputsRCA, headphone, built-in speaker
Speeds33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM
IncludedCartridge, removable slipmat, dust cover

Note. Buy it for portability and scratching. If it is going to sit on a shelf and play albums, a $180 automatic like the AT-LP60X will treat your records far better and sound far better doing it.

Specifications read from the manufacturer / product listing, on August 11, 2026. “Not published” means the maker does not state that figure.

The stylus problem, in full

Every deck on this page ships with a stylus intended for modern records. The AT-LP120XUSB and AT-LP5X ship an Audio-Technica AT-VM95E elliptical; the Fluance RT87 ships an Ortofon 2M Blue; the Denon takes a moving-magnet or moving-coil cartridge of your choosing; the Numark ships a portable cartridge built for scratching. None of those is a 78 stylus, and no amount of speed selection changes that.

How much wider is not a guess, because Audio-Technica publishes both figures. Its AT-VM95E — the cartridge fitted to the AT-LP120XUSB and the AT-LP5X — carries a 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical stylus. The AT-VM95SP, the 78 RPM member of the same VM95 series, carries a 3.0 mil conical one. That is an order of magnitude of tip width, and it is why a 78 played with a microgroove tip sounds noisier than the record actually is: the stylus is riding where the dirt and the wear live rather than on the groove walls that carry the signal.

The second published figure is the one that decides which turntables can do this at all. Audio-Technica states 4.5 to 5.5 g, 5.0 g standard vertical tracking force for the AT-VM95SP, against 1.8 to 2.2 g for the VM95E. More than double. A deck whose tonearm has no counterweight cannot be set to 5 grams, which rules out every fixed-arm automatic no matter what its speed selector says, and a 6.1 g cartridge has to be inside the arm’s supported cartridge-weight window — for the AT-LP120XUSB, Audio-Technica publishes 3.5 to 8.5 g, so it fits. This is the whole reason the ranking above is what it is.

Two honest notes on that part. We do not rank it, and we are not going to pretend otherwise: we hold no verified retail listing for the AT-VM95SP or its AT-VMN95SP stylus, so it is named and cited here from Audio-Technica’s own published table rather than sold. And read the fitment line carefully — Audio-Technica describes the AT-VMN95SP as the replacement stylus for the AT-VM95SP cartridge, not for the VM95 family in general, so this is a whole second cartridge rather than a stylus you snap into the body you already own. Which brings us straight to the headshell.

Why a removable headshell matters more here than anywhere else

On most turntables a removable headshell is a convenience. On a deck that plays two incompatible formats it is close to a requirement, because the alternative is unscrewing, rewiring and realigning a cartridge every time the record changes format. The AT-LP120XUSB and AT-LP5X both use the universal half-inch AT-HS6 pattern; the Fluance RT87 uses an H-4 bayonet shell that also comes off as an assembly. Buy a second shell, mount a 78 pickup on it once, and switching formats becomes a ten-second job. Our headshell guide covers what fits what, and our cartridge setup guide covers doing the mounting once, properly.

Archiving is usually the real reason

Most 78s are not reissued, and a lot of them are not streamable anywhere. That makes digitizing the point of the exercise far more often than it is with LPs, and it is why three of these five decks have a digital output. The AT-LP120XUSB and AT-LP120XBT-USB send audio to a computer over USB; the Denon DP-450USB writes to a USB-A drive plugged into the deck itself, with no computer and no recording software involved; the Numark PT01 Scratch is a class-compliant USB interface in a portable chassis, which is the only one of the five you can take to someone else’s attic. The workflow for all of them is the same, and it is in our guide to recording vinyl to a computer. If the collection is the whole project, our USB turntable picks rank these decks on capture rather than on speed.

Clean first, and clean differently

A 78 that has been in a loft since the 1950s is carrying half a century of dust in a groove wide enough to hold it. Cleaning before the first play does more for the result than any deck on this page — our record cleaning kit picks and cleaning routine cover the method. Two things are worth checking on any product before it touches shellac: whether the maker lists 78 among the record sizes it fits, and what the fluid actually contains. Those are both published facts rather than folklore, and they are the reason the Spin-Clean appears below rather than one of the machines.

Who should not buy a 78-capable deck

Anyone who does not own 78s. The third speed is free on the decks here because of how their motors are built, but it is not free as a buying criterion: it rules out the entire Fluance Reference range except the flagship, every Audio-Technica automatic, and most of our beginner picks. If the shellac is a maybe rather than a shelf, buy the deck that suits the records you actually play — our main turntable picks are organized that way.

What a 78 collection also needs

The deck is the easy half of this purchase. These two are the parts people discover afterwards.

The part that makes a 78 stylus practical

Audio-Technica AT-HS6 Universal Headshell

Audio-Technica AT-HS6 Universal Headshell

A spare universal half-inch headshell, so a wide-tip 78 pickup can live pre-mounted and the change is a clip rather than an alignment job. Only works on an arm with a removable headshell.

$35.98 · View on Amazon

$39.008% off

Price as of October 6, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

Washing a shellac record

Spin-Clean Record Washer Kit

Spin-Clean Record Washer Kit

Its own listing names 78s among the record sizes its snap-in rollers fit, and describes the concentrate as alcohol-free. Those are the two lines worth reading before any shellac disc goes into a bath.

$79.99 · View on Amazon

$99.9920% off

Price as of October 6, 2026. #ad How we’re funded

Frequently asked questions

Can you play 78 records on a modern turntable?

Only if its specification lists 78 RPM, and even then only properly with the right stylus. A two-speed deck cannot be made to play a 78 at the correct pitch. A three-speed deck will play one, but the microgroove stylus it ships with is narrower than a 78's groove, so it sits lower in the groove than the record was cut for. The complete answer is a three-speed deck plus a dedicated wide-tip stylus.

What is the best turntable for 78 RPM records?

The Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB, for most people. It publishes 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM, it has an adjustable counterweight so a different pickup can be balanced correctly, it takes a removable half-inch headshell so a 78 stylus can live pre-mounted, and it has a USB output for archiving. The Fluance RT87 is the better-measuring deck and the Denon DP-450USB is the better archiver.

Do I need a special stylus for 78s?

Yes, and the published numbers show why. Audio-Technica's AT-VM95E, fitted to two of the decks here, has a 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical stylus; its AT-VM95SP, the 78 RPM cartridge in the same series, has a 3.0 mil conical one and is published at 4.5 to 5.5 g tracking force against the VM95E's 1.8 to 2.2 g. A microgroove tip in a 78 groove rides the wrong part of the groove wall, so you get more surface noise and more wear. We do not rank the SP cartridge - we have no verified retail listing for it - so it is cited here rather than sold.

Are 78s made of vinyl?

Usually not. Most 78s are shellac-based compounds, which behave differently from vinyl: they are more brittle, and they are not the same material the modern cleaning fluids and brushes were designed around. That is why the two checks worth making on any cleaning product are whether the maker lists 78 among the sizes it handles and what is actually in the fluid.

Which Fluance turntable plays 78s?

The RT87, and only the RT87. Fluance publishes 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM for it, and the rest of the Reference range publishes two speeds. The RT85N's own table explicitly states 33 1/3 and 45 RPM with no 78.

Can you digitize 78s without a computer?

Yes, with the Denon DP-450USB. It records one-touch to a USB-A drive plugged into the deck, with no computer and no recording software in the chain, and it publishes 78 RPM among its speeds. Every other digitizing route on this page runs to a computer over USB.

Is a direct-drive turntable better for 78s?

Not because of the format. What matters for a 78 is that the speed exists, that the arm can be balanced for a different pickup, and that the headshell comes off. Three of the five decks here are direct drive and two are belt drive, and the belt-drive Denon and Fluance are the better archiver and the better-measuring deck respectively. Our belt versus direct guide covers the general case.

Will a 78 damage my stylus?

Playing one with a microgroove stylus is harder on the tip than normal playback, because the tip is loaded against a groove it does not fit. The bigger risk is to the record, which is the thing that cannot be replaced for a few dollars. If you only have a handful of 78s and no dedicated stylus, the right answer is to have them transferred rather than to play them repeatedly.

Sources

  • Audio-Technica — AT-VM95SP, the VM95-series 78 RPM cartridge — The part that makes a 78 playable rather than merely spinnable, with the maker's complete table read live on this date. Published: stylus shape "3.0 mil conical" against the AT-VM95E's 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical; vertical tracking force "4.5-5.5 g (5.0 g standard)", which is more than double the VM95E's 1.8-2.2 g and the reason a fixed-force tonearm cannot run one; output voltage "2.7 mV (1 kHz, 5 cm/sec.)"; mounting "Half-inch"; cartridge weight "6.1g"; stylus construction "Bonded round shank"; cantilever "Aluminum pipe"; channel separation "NA"; replacement stylus "AT-VMN95SP". Audio-Technica's own description: "This VM95 Series cartridge with 3.0 mil conical stylus fits half-inch mount turntables. While this cartridge is designed to play 78 RPM mono records, it is, nevertheless, a stereo cartridge". NOT ranked on this site: we hold no verified retail listing for it, so it is named and cited rather than sold (accessed October 6, 2026)
  • Audio-Technica — AT-VMN95SP replacement stylus — The stylus half of the same part, and the fitment line that matters: Audio-Technica describes it as a "3.0 mil conical replacement stylus for these cartridges: AT-VM95SP" — the SP cartridge specifically, not the whole VM95 family. Read live on this date. Future runs: do NOT write that the SP stylus drops into a VM95E or VM95C body; the maker names one cartridge (accessed October 6, 2026)
  • Audio-Technica — cartridges for 78 / shellac / SP records — The maker's own product category for the format, confirming that 78 playback is treated as a distinct cartridge requirement rather than a speed setting. Used to support the central claim of the 78 RPM roundup: the third speed is the easy half of that purchase (accessed October 6, 2026)
  • Audio-Technica — AT-LP120XUSB user manual, full published specification — The complete published table, re-read in full on this date (this manual was previously cited on this site only for the deck's dimensions). Turntable: type "Direct drive", motor "DC servo motor", "3-speed, fully manual operation" at 33-1/3, 45 and 78 RPM, die-cast aluminum platter, starting torque "> 1.0 kgf.cm", braking system "Electronic brake", wow and flutter "< 0.2% WRMS (33 RPM) at 3 kHz", signal-to-noise "> 50 dB", output PHONO "4 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec" and LINE (MM) "240 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec", phono pre-amp gain "36 dB nominal, RIAA equalized". Tonearm: "Static balanced S-shaped tonearm", effective length 230.5 mm, overhang 16 mm, maximum tracking error angle "Less than 3", stylus pressure adjustment range "0 to 4 g", applicable cartridge weight range "3.5 to 8.5 g". Cartridge and headshell: AT-VM95E, VM type, 47,000 ohms recommended load, 4.0 mV output, "0.3 x 0.7 mil bonded elliptical stylus", aluminum pipe cantilever, tracking force range "1.8 to 2.2 g (2.0 g standard)", cartridge weight 6.1 g, headshell AT-HS6 at 9 g including lead wire, headshell overhang adjustment "+/- 5 mm". USB function "16 bit 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz USB A/D, D/A selectable", computer interface "USB 1.1 Compliant". General: 452.0 mm (17.80") x 352.0 mm (13.86") x 141.6 mm (5.57"), 8 kg (17.6 lbs) without dust cover, 2.75 W, replacement stylus AT-VMN95E, replacement headshell AT-HS6, with a stylus target light, USB cable and RCA audio cable in the box (accessed October 5, 2026)
  • Audio-Technica — AT-LP120XUSB user manual — The published dimensions and weight of the deck that decides the footprint question on this page: 452.0 mm (17.80 in) wide x 352.0 mm (13.86 in) deep x 141.6 mm (5.57 in) high, 8 kg (17.6 lb) without the dust cover. At 17.80 in across it is wider than the Fluance IB40's published 17.13 in footprint limit and wider than the 17 in zaZen I platform (accessed September 11, 2026)
  • Audio-Technica — AT-VM95E cartridge — Manufacturer specs: 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical stylus on an aluminum cantilever, 4.0 mV output at 1 kHz / 5 cm/sec, 1.8-2.2 g tracking force (2.0 g standard), 20-22,000 Hz, 20 dB channel separation at 1 kHz, half-inch mount, AT-VMN95E replacement stylus, and the maker's own statement that "all VM95 Series share the same body" so the stylus "can be replaced with any of the six interchangeable AT-VMN95 replacement styli". Re-read on the access date below, which corrected a tracking-force range previously noted here as 1.8-2.3 g (accessed September 26, 2026)
  • Audio-Technica — VM95 Series cartridges — The shared-body VM95 range and its interchangeable stylus upgrade path (accessed July 24, 2026)
  • Fluance — RT87 Reference dual-plinth turntable, published specifications — Manufacturer specification table: dual plinth, motor on 7-point silicone isolation, 33 1/3 / 45 / 78 RPM, 0.06% wow and flutter, 71 dB S/N, acrylic platter 1.85 kg / 22 mm, one-piece carbon-fiber straight arm 230 mm with 6 mm VTA adjustment, removable H-4 headshell, Ortofon 2M Blue, no built-in preamp, 9.5 kg (accessed September 3, 2026)
  • Fluance — RT85N Reference turntable, published specifications — Manufacturer specification table: 0.07% wow and flutter, 68.5 dB weighted S/N, acrylic platter 1.56 kg / 16 mm, static balanced S-type aluminum arm 224 mm / 21.1 g, H-4 bayonet headshell 9 g, Nagaoka MP-110 with a 0.4 x 0.7 mil superfine polished elliptical bonded diamond, no built-in preamp, 7.6 kg (accessed September 3, 2026)
  • Denon — DP-450USB specifications — Manufacturer specs: belt drive, DC servo motor, 33 1/3 / 45 / 78 RPM, wow and flutter 0.1% WRMS, S/N 62 dB, static balanced tonearm, 220 mm effective length, 0-4.0 g stylus pressure range, MM cartridge, USB type A version 2.0 recording (accessed September 1, 2026)
  • Audio-Technica — Identifying the correct headshell for your turntable — Manufacturer guidance on headshell mounts, fitment and which tonearms accept a removable headshell (accessed August 19, 2026)
  • Library of Congress — Caring for and cleaning grooved discs — Preservation guidance on cleaning and storing records to prevent damage (accessed July 24, 2026)
  • Crutchfield — How to choose the right turntable — Buying-guide reference on drive type, cartridges, preamps and setup (accessed July 24, 2026)

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