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Best Bang-for-Your-Buck Turntable 2025 - Robb Report
Classic Turntable Design with the Best of Today's Technology
Inspired by turntables of the past, the new feature-packed Classic turntable from Music Hall was built with the best of today’s technology to deliver unbeatable performance for anywhere near the price. The Classic is a two-speed, belt-driver turntable with a built-in phono preamp, a pre-installed phono cartridge, semi-automatic operation (auto-lift and power off), and a dark walnut wood veneer finish.
Award-Winning Performance
The Classic grabbed the Best Bang-for-Your-Buck Turntable Award 2025 from the Robb Report.
"Dipping one’s toe into the vinyl water needn’t cost a fortune. The Music Hall Classic is a real turntable – not a toy – weighing 15 pounds, with an attractive walnut veneer plinth. Its belt-driven aluminum platter uses a felt mat, and the semi-automatic tonearm lifts at the end of a record. The arm features a removable headshell, fitted with a Music Hall Spirit moving-magnet cartridge."
"Importantly, the switchable built-in phono preamp allows the Classic to plug straight into a line-level input of any system so equipped."
Built-in Phono Preamp for Plug 'n Play Convenience
Most turntable require that you plug them into a dedicated 'Phono' input on your preamp, integrated amp, or receiver. However, the majority of preamps, integrated amps, and receivers don't have a dedicated 'Phono' input. So, with most other turntables, you need to have your own phono preamplifier to plug your turntable into, and then you plug the preamp into your other gear.
The Classic saves you that expense and hassle by incorporating a built-in phono preamp. This lets you plug it directly into any standard line-level input on your preamp, integrated amp, or receiver and it's ready to play. That's all there is to it.
Well, not quite all. One cool feature of the Classic is that you can bypass the preamp. That means, if you happen to have a dedicated phono preamp on hand that you would like to use instead, be Music Hall's guest. This is also a nice feature in case your amp or preamp already has a dedicated 'phono' input.
"It Won't Leave You Wishing You'd Spent More"
"I like this thing, a lot. It's just plain nice, and makes engaging music that's enjoyable for hours on end," reports Ed Kobesky, positive-feedback.com, April 7, 2022.
"Perhaps most appealingly of all, it doesn't sound or look inexpensive, and won't leave you wishing you'd spent more in any reasonable system it's likely to be used with. That's pretty rad for $649, and further proof that the gulf between entry level gear and much more expensive stuff continues narrowing at a faster pace than ever."
Built-in Electronic Speed Control for LPs and 45s
The Classic doesn't just do a great job with your LPs. It plays those golden oldies singles from bygone eras and any other vinyl recorded at 45 rpm. A built-in electronic speed control circuit ensures the electronic accuracy for playback just the way the recording was meant to sound. A simple push of a button on the chassis lets you choose either 33-1/3 rpm or 45 rpm.
Simple Set-up!
The Classic isn't one of those turntables that takes a long time to set up before you can start listening to music. On the contrary, it's nearly ready to go right out of the box, needing only a few adjustments to get you off and running. The belt comes pre-mounted to the platter, making installation a snap.
"A Must-Audition… a Delight to Use"
"I Music Hall’s Classic lives up to the company’s well-earned reputation of providing high-performance turntables for not a lot of money," reports Brian Kahn, futureaudiophile.com, June 12, 2023 Just a few minutes from opening the box, you can be enjoying the warm, slightly forward but well-formed midrange that is captivating."
"As plug’n’play as a ’table can be, the Classic is a must-audition," observ es Thom Moon, soundstageaccess.com, June 1, 2020. "It’s a delight to use, and its included Music Hall Spirit cartridge extracts maximum information from the groove. And if your suite of electronics lacks a phono stage, no worries – the Classic’s will do the trick. All in all, the Classic has the makings of… a classic"
Includes Music Hall Melody Cartridge
A high quality Music Hall Spirit cartridge is pre-mounted and precision-aligned. It's a nice $100-value sounding moving magnet cartridge with a diamond stylus, and it works beautifully with the Classic's uni-pivot tonearm with removable headshell for easy cartridge replacement.
Auto-Lift and Power-Off Feature
And speaking of the tonearm, the Classic is a semi-automatic turntable featuring auto tonearm lift and shut-off at the end of record playback. In other words, when your LP is done playing, the tone arm raises off the record and the power goes off. Not only is this very convenient for armchair listening, but it also helps save wear on your record stylus. This is a great feature we used to see on some turntables in the past, and it's great that Music Hall brought in back for the Classic.
Hinged Dust Cover Included
A clean turntable is a happy turntable, so Music Hall goes the extra mile with the Classic. A hinged dust cover keeps your Classicprotected from dust, dirt, and other airborne debris when not in use.
Also included are adjustable vibration damping feet and a felt platter matt.
