The challenge is knowing what to look for. A turntable has more variables than most other hi-fi components, and a few of them are genuinely expensive to fix. The goal of this guide is to tell you what matters, what does not, and how to make a confident decision on a used purchase.
Belt drive or direct drive: which should you choose?
This is the first question most people encounter, and it gets more debate than it probably deserves. The short answer is that both drive types work well when implemented properly, and the quality of execution matters far more than the fundamental topology.
In a belt drive turntable, the motor sits to one side of the platter and drives it via a rubber belt. The belt acts as a vibration buffer, preventing motor noise from feeding into the platter and the stylus. The vast majority of classic British hi-fi turntables are belt drive: Rega, Linn, Pro-Ject, Thorens. These are quieter by design, easier to isolate from vibration, and at the high end represent some of the finest turntables ever made. The trade off is that belts age and stretch, and need occasional replacement. This is a very inexpensive service that takes minutes.
In a direct drive turntable, the platter sits directly on the motor spindle. There is no belt to age or slip. The motor holds the platter at a precise, consistent speed, and this consistency is one reason direct drive decks are so widely used in broadcast and professional settings. The Technics SL-1200 and SL-1210, perhaps the most famous direct drive turntable ever made, have been in continuous production in various forms since 1972 for exactly this reason. The potential downside is motor vibration coupling to the platter, but in a quality direct drive deck this is engineered out to a level that makes it essentially inaudible. A used Technics SL-1200 MkII in good condition is one of the most compelling arguments in the entire used turntable market.
Do not let the belt vs. direct drive argument be a distraction. Focus instead on the things that actually determine whether a specific used deck is worth buying.
Check the bearing first
The main bearing is the single most important component in any turntable. It is what the platter spins on, and its condition determines the noise floor of the entire system. A worn bearing introduces a low frequency rumble that is mixed directly into your music at every play. Unlike most other turntable problems, a badly worn bearing is expensive to address.
Checking the bearing is straightforward. Remove the platter and spin the sub-platter or bearing spindle by hand. It should rotate smoothly and silently, decelerating gradually with no wobble and no grinding or rough sensation. Then lift the platter back on and listen with the stylus raised and your ear close to the deck. You should hear very little. Any rumble, grinding, or rough mechanical noise at this point indicates a bearing issue worth investigating before you buy.
A slightly dry bearing, one that has not been oiled in some years, can sometimes be restored with the correct bearing oil. A genuinely worn one typically cannot. Ask the seller when the bearing was last serviced and whether it has ever been replaced.
Inspect the tonearm carefully
The tonearm carries the cartridge across the record, and its bearings need to move with very low friction in both the horizontal and vertical planes. On a used deck, tonearm bearing condition is worth checking before anything else.
With the cartridge mounted and the anti skate set to zero, the arm should travel freely across the record surface with almost no resistance. If you gently push it horizontally and it moves sluggishly or binds at certain positions, the horizontal bearings may have developed friction. Vertical movement can be checked by gently rocking the headshell up and down. There should be essentially no play, and no binding.
Also check the headshell and cartridge mounting. On many used turntables, the cartridge has been swapped or remounted multiple times, and the mounting bolts or the headshell threads can wear. A cartridge that wobbles in its mount cannot be aligned properly, regardless of how much care you take.
Finally, inspect the tonearm tube for damage. Even minor dents or cracks can affect the resonant properties of the arm and alter its effective mass, which in turn affects how well it partners with a given cartridge.
The belt: cheap to replace, useful as a signal
On a belt drive turntable, the condition of the belt tells you something about how the deck has been looked after. A perished, cracked or noticeably stretched belt suggests the deck has not been serviced recently. This is not a reason to walk away: a new belt for most turntables costs less than ten pounds and fitting it takes minutes. But it is a useful data point about the seller's relationship with the equipment.
If possible, run the deck before buying. Listen for motor noise with the stylus raised (see the bearing section above), and check the speed using a strobe disc or a strobe app on your phone. Most quality turntables should hold speed within a fraction of a percent. Drift or wow, the cyclic wavering in pitch, usually indicates a worn or slipping belt, which is easily fixed. Flutter, a rapid irregular variation, can point to motor or bearing issues that are harder to address.
The cartridge: treat it as a bonus, not a feature
Most used turntables arrive with a cartridge already mounted. This sounds like a good thing, and sometimes it is. But the value of a mounted cartridge is genuinely difficult to assess without knowing its history, and a stylus with significant hours on it is not just poor sounding. It is potentially damaging to your records.
A stylus is a tiny diamond tip on a thin cantilever. Over time, the diamond wears flat and the cantilever loses its compliance. A worn stylus drags in the groove rather than tracking it cleanly, which abrades the record permanently with each play. No amount of careful listening will protect your records from a worn stylus.
The practical advice is this: if the seller can tell you how old the cartridge is and roughly how many hours it has been used, and if those hours are modest, the cartridge may have real value. If the history is unknown, budget for a replacement stylus or a new cartridge as part of your cost of ownership. For many entry to mid level cartridges, a replacement stylus is available for less than the cost of a new cartridge and restores performance to new condition. For higher end cartridges, the manufacturer or an independent specialist can retip the existing stylus.
Brands worth seeking out on the used market
A few names appear repeatedly in discussions of used turntables for good reason. These are decks with strong engineering, readily available parts and service, and a track record of long-term reliability.
Rega Planar 1, 2 and 3 (and their predecessor P-series equivalents) are the most consistently recommended entry to mid range used turntables in British hi-fi. The tonearm design is Rega's own and is very good at its price point. The company is still trading in Southend on Sea and parts are available. A Rega Planar 3 in good condition is a serious piece of equipment.
Linn Sondek LP12 is the most upgradeable turntable ever made and one of the most argued about. It has been in continuous production since 1973 and every component can be replaced or upgraded. A used LP12 needs to be assessed carefully for service history and setup quality, but a properly maintained one represents a long term platform rather than a one off purchase. Linn dealers can service any LP12 regardless of age.
Technics SL-1200 and SL-1210 MkII represent perhaps the best value proposition in the entire used turntable market. They are extremely well built, electronically reliable, and the direct drive motor holds speed with a consistency that most belt drive decks cannot match at the same price. Used examples in good condition are widely available. The MkII ran from 1979 to 2010 and there are many thousands on the market.
Thorens TD-160, TD-150 and TD-125 are classic German engineering from the 1970s, available for modest money used and fully serviceable. The sub chassis suspension design on the TD-160 is elegant and still sounds very good through a quality phono stage.
Pro-Ject Debut series offer a more recent entry point. Well made, sensibly priced used, and with a growing ecosystem of upgrades including better tonearms and improved platters.
What does not matter as much as you might think
The dustcover. Cracked or discoloured dustcovers are common on older decks and affect price more than performance. They can be replaced, but if you do not need them for the dust protection, do not let a damaged cover put you off an otherwise excellent turntable.
Minor cosmetic marks on the plinth. Scratches and small chips on the plinth surround are cosmetic. The acoustic performance of the plinth is what matters, and unless there is structural damage, surface marks change nothing.
The original accessories. Turntables change hands many times and original boxes, weight clamps and alignment gauges often disappear along the way. Their absence is not a quality indicator.
Buying from a specialist vs. a private seller
A private seller can offer good value, but you are relying entirely on their honesty and their knowledge of what they are selling. Many private turntable sellers genuinely do not know whether the stylus is worn, whether the bearing has been oiled in ten years, or whether the belt needs replacing.
Buying from a specialist dealer means the deck has been listened to, checked, and is covered by a warranty. At 2nd Hand Hifi, every turntable is tested before listing and backed by a six-month warranty. That assurance is worth something, particularly on a component where the difference between a well-maintained and a neglected example can be significant.
Browse our current turntable stock at 2ndhandhifi.co.uk
For the dedicated enthusiast
If you are already past the basics, here is where turntable setup gets genuinely technical.
Cartridge alignment: the four variables. Correct cartridge alignment requires setting four parameters, not one. Overhang is the distance the stylus extends beyond the spindle when the arm is at its null points. Azimuth is the angle of the cartridge body relative to the record surface, viewed from the front. VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle) is the angle of the stylus cantilever relative to the record surface, viewed from the side. Zenith (or stylus rake angle on some alignment tools) is the rotational position of the stylus tip in the groove, viewed from below. Most cartridge setup discussions focus only on overhang. Azimuth errors introduce channel imbalance and crosstalk. VTA errors alter tonal balance. Zenith errors produce asymmetric distortion at the groove walls. A cartridge correctly mounted on all four parameters sounds audibly different from one set up with overhang alone.
Tonearm effective mass and cartridge compliance. Every tonearm has an effective mass (measured in grams) and every cartridge has a compliance rating (measured in micro-metres per milliNewton). These two values interact to create a resonant frequency. The resonant frequency of the arm cartridge system should fall between 8 and 12 Hz. Below that range and it may be excited by record warps. Above it and the resonance begins to encroach on audible bass frequencies. For most Rega tonearms (medium effective mass), medium-compliance cartridges are the correct match. For a Technics SL-1200 tonearm (medium high effective mass), a lower-compliance MC cartridge is often better suited than a high compliance MM.
Anti-skate. As the tonearm travels across the record, the friction between stylus and groove creates a force pulling the arm inward toward the label. Anti-skate applies a counterforce to keep the stylus centred in the groove and applying equal pressure to both groove walls. Incorrect anti-skate results in one channel being tracked more heavily than the other, causing asymmetric distortion and uneven stylus wear. A rough check: with the stylus raised, position the arm over a blank section of disc and observe whether it drifts consistently inward or outward. It should drift very slowly in either direction. A stylus force gauge is the most accurate tool for verifying VTF (Vertical Tracking Force) at the same time.
Linn LP12: what to check specifically. On an LP12, the sub chassis suspension is set by three springs whose tension and alignment affect both speed stability and tonal character. A correctly set suspension should allow the sub chassis to bounce evenly when pressed at the centre, with no rocking or rotation. The armboard should sit level relative to the plinth. The motor board position determines belt tension and is critical to speed stability. The bearing housing contains the main bearing oil, which should be changed periodically. All of these checks are straightforward for a Linn specialist and genuinely affect how the deck performs. An LP12 that has never been professionally set up often sounds unremarkable. The same deck after a full service and setup is a different experience entirely.