The resurgence of vinyl records as a medium for listening to music has been one of the most fascinating tech and entertainment stories of the past two decades. As physical media demand has dwindled, vinyl has thrived, passing CD sales in 2022 for the first time since 1987, with 41 million records sold compared to 33 million discs. Yes, CDs are still selling that well. And those figures don’t include the used/secondhand market, which is particularly big for vinyl.
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Whether you’re in it for the large packaging suitable for display, the ritual of playing records, genuinely thinking vinyl sounds better, or all of the above, old-school records are still big business, with record pressing plants constantly at full capacity.
If the sound quality and overall experience are your priority, setting up a proper hi-fi stereo system with a high-quality turntable is the way to go. There are various ways to do this, much of which comes down to budget, personal preference, and what kind of gear you already have. If you already have a receiver or amp — or access to a good deal on a used one — then you want passive speakers that the amp in question can drive. The same approach applies if you’re building a stereo as part of a larger home theater. But if you’re starting from scratch, you might be better off buying powered speakers with built-in amps and inputs.
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With all this in mind, let’s look at what the hi-fi experts have deemed the best speakers.
