Rankings of the "best turntables" last only as long as the model they recommend. The mistakes that lead to buying the wrong one, however, have been the same for twenty years—and they don't depend on which model comes out this year. We see them repeated in stores every…

Mistake 1: Comparing turntables by price alone

This is the most costly mistake, and almost no one notices it in time. A turntable alone doesn't make sound: it needs a cartridge and a phono preamplifier. Two models that cost the same in the shop window can have very different destinies, because one arrives fully assembled and the other not.