Who would have thought that the turntable category would be going from strength to strength in the 21st century? For the 2025 What Hi-Fi? Awards, the number of winners in the best turntables category has increased from five to seven, such is the quality of performance and value available across a spectrum of prices.
Let's start off with Rega, which leads the pack with three wins. When we tested the excellent Planar 3 RS Edition at the very start of the year, we knew immediately it would be knocking the standard Planar 3/Nd3 – which had just won the Product of the Year for turntables at the 2024 Awards – off its perch.
The RS Edition borrows material technology from its higher-end siblings, includes a step-up cartridge and the Neo Mk2 power supply as standard, and improves upon its iconic sibling in every way when it comes to sound quality to become our new winner in the £750-£1000 price range.
We say in our review: “There is a confidence and effortless quality to the way this turntable sounds compared with the standard Planar 3; the RS Edition locks every detail, every instrument, every vocal into place in an assured way that is admirable and wholly enjoyable.”
Sitting just under it in the best turntable £500-£750 bracket, is the Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2 – but with some very specific upgrades. The Debut Evo 2 on its own is a lovely turntable, available in 10 very appealing finishes, and delivering a sweet, smooth and refined sound with a fluid way with music.
But switch its basic sub-platter for the Alu Sub-Platter, and add the High Power it 2 power supply upgrade, and we get significant gains in authority, weight, dynamic punch and greater subtlety throughout. You can absolutely buy the Evo 2 on its own and get a good performance; add the upgrades, though, and you get a great performance at its price.
Pro-Ject and Rega both have a turntable-win apiece at more affordable prices: the Planar 1 is once again the winner in the £300-£500 bracket, while the long-running, budget Primary E is still managing to fend off newer, affordable rivals (even from within Pro-Ject) at under £300 simply by delivering the basics so well.
We need to highlight another accomplishment here: this is the Primary E's eighth win in a row since we first reviewed it in 2018. As a starter turntable, it remains unbeaten.
Rega's step-up Planar 6 may have won a What Hi-Fi? Award before, but this year it takes its trophy with the new Nd7 moving-magnet cartridge. This new package wins the £1000-£2000 bracket.
Heading into the more premium price ranges, we have two spectacular new winners. After an absence from our turntable winners list last year, Technics returns with a splash – the superb SL-1300G turntable may take build and design cues from the legendary SL-1200 model, but it is stripped of any DJ trappings and instead this direct-drive record player is designed for pure hi-fi performance.
It's a dynamic and incredibly stable turntable, whose performance is “full-bodied, nicely layered and delivered with class-leading slam”.
And finally, if you have big bucks to spend and are looking for ultimate vinyl replay (before heading into five-figure territory), our winner in the best turntable over £3000 category is the Vertere DG-X. This is the third generation of Vertere Acoustics’ “entry-level” turntable, and all three generations have won a What Hi-Fi? Award.
This latest DG-X model is the brand's most sophisticated and powerful performer yet, without losing any of the energy and pizzazz that we love so much. Its stunning, eye-catching design is complemented by innovative engineering, while its hugely entertaining performance delivers on rhythm, dynamics and insight like no other. In terms of sheer enjoyment and musical cohesion, the DG-X is a stunning record player.
All seven turntables are winners in their own right, and no matter your budget and whether you are a die-hard vinyl fan or a complete novice, we think you will be delighted with any of these turntables in your home music system.
MORE:
See all our What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025 winners
Our guide to the best turntables across all budgets
Streaming hi-fi systems from Arcam, NAD, and Ruark make their mark at the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025
