On this page:

• Our expert testers
• How we choose what we test
• How we test turntables
• Scoring

Our expert testers and listening panel put the latest turntables through rigorous testing to rate wired and wireless sound quality, ease of use, and how well they work in real life. We also measure the rotational accuracy of the turntable, the tracking force of the cartridge and how easy it is to use.

Our expert testers

Our testers have years of expertise in testing audio equipment and, unlike most reviewers, we don’t rely on one individual’s perception to rank products. Instead we use a listening panel of three people who have shown that they can consistently rank products for their sound quality.

How we choose what we test

For our most recent turntables test, we selected a range of models priced between $150 and $1000 – enough to deliver a reasonably good level of quality without breaking the bank. We also selected a couple of models that cost over $1000, to see what extra money can get you.

How we test turntables

Since our first turntable test in 1975, we’ve used the same Technics SL-1200 MK2 as our reference system.

Listening quality (wired)

To test sound quality we use a listening panel who assess each turntable using rock and pop music passages. The turntables are connected with cables, and speakers are positioned about two metres away from the listeners, with the panel assessing the overall quality of the sound.

Some have changed slightly over time as vinyl wears down during each test and eventually needs to be replaced. We always aim to select music from the same artist or near identical genres. Examples include “Breathe” by Pink Floyd, “Industrial Disease” by Dire Straits and “Hey” by the Pixies.

Listening quality (wireless)

We introduced a Bluetooth audio assessment in our 2023 test. Turntables are connected via their Bluetooth output to an AudioEngine B1 Bluetooth Music Receiver, which is plugged into an amplifier that connects to the speakers used in our wired test. These speakers are connected to the amplifier with physical cables.

Our panelists listen to one of the tracks used in the wired assessment to compare the wireless audio quality. This is only applied to recently tested models that support Bluetooth output. Results don’t contribute to the ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating.

Ease of use

We focus on ease of use because using a turntable is very hands-on compared with other music-playing devices. We assess the initial set-up of the turntable out of the box, including attaching the platter, belt, and any adjustments that are needed before operation. Operational aspects we assess include speed selection and cueing a track. We also look at the thoroughness of the instruction manual.

Technical score

Our tester assesses the difference between the claimed and measured figures for tracking force, rotational speed and frequency response using calibrated reference LPs.

Scoring

We give every turntable a ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating so you can see at a glance which models are the best performers. This overall score is made up of:

• listening quality (wired) score (60%)
• technical score (25%)
• ease of use score (15%).

We recommend turntables with a ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating of 75% and above. We also list any important features and specifications to help you compare models and decide which one is right for you.

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A small speaker with big potential

This baseball-sized mini smart speaker is now officially Apple’s top ambient sound offering, after the recent decision to drop the original HomePod (which is still available for $469 “while stocks last”).

But for the price of a single original HomePod, you can buy three $149 HomePod Minis and create a stereo pair plus one to spare for another room. Distributing several of them around the house not only gives you the helpfulness of Apple’s Siri digital assistant in any room, it also provides room-to-room intercom.

Each Mini can also act as a smart home hub. This means you can use a HomePod Mini to control various smart devices that work with Apple’s HomeKit home automation protocol.

For example, you can ask Siri to turn the lights on or off or change colours, lock doors, adjust the temperature, or set a “scene” which can invoke multiple smart devices at once with a single command. Of course, all this will depend on the HomeKit compatible devices you have in your house. 

Apple revealed this year at its annual developers convention that the upcoming iOS15 update will bring a bunch of new features to HomeKit, which will in turn make the HomePod Mini smart hub more useful.

Each HomePod Mini can answer your spoken queries and commands via Siri, which can recognise up to six separate voices. 

Pair them up for Apple TV speakers

You can use a pair of HomePod Minis as stereo speakers for your TV, but unlike the original HomePod, you can’t make them the default speakers until the release of TVOS 15 (due this month). As well as having HomePod Mini as the default speakers for an Apple TV 4K, you can control it via spoken Siri requests without having to use the Apple TV remote. 

If you have an Apple TV HD model, you can still use a pair of HomePod Minis as stereo TV speakers, but not as the default. Just do a long press on the Apple TV remote’s TV button and click the AirPlay icon from the pop-out menu onscreen, then select the HomePod Mini speakers that you’ve set up. 

Your selection will be remembered if you put the Apple TV to sleep using the remote, but since they’re not the default speakers for the Apple TV, the setting won’t survive a full powering down. However, it’s simply a matter of a couple of clicks of the Apple TV Remote to select them again. 

If you have an Apple TV, a pair of HomePod Minis can be a good alternative to a soundbar. In our test of portable wireless speakers, the HomePod Mini achieved a very good ÌÇÐÄVlog Expert Rating and was a Recommended model. In that test we scored it as good for classical and pop music and speech, but only OK for jazz. However, that was with a single speaker – pairing two of them up in stereo mode via the Home app delivers a significant sound boost.

Your own home intercom system

Software updates have given the HomePod Mini new tricks. They can now talk to each other so you can use them as a room-to-room or whole-home intercom system. You can broadcast a message to all Minis in the home or target just one, and everyone can easily respond by voice. 

The Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers also have intercom ability, but Apple has upped the ante with remote intercom capability – you can even send messages to home from your car if you have Apple CarPlay. Intercom also works with iPhone, iPad, AirPods and Apple Watch. If you don’t feel like audio commands, you can also send an intercom message by typing it into Apple’s Home app. 

As with most things Apple, security is a big focus and most processing is now done on the device rather than sending it off to Apple servers, and it’s encrypted first if anything is sent to the cloud, such as HomeKit Secure Video from your security cameras.

You probably won’t always want to control the speaker by voice, and if it’s within reach you can use the touch-sensitive dome top to play/pause music, adjust the volume, go to the next or previous track or call up Siri.

Note that the HomePod Mini works over single band (2.4GHz) Wi-Fi only and while compact, it’s not truly mobile. There’s no battery, unlike many compact Bluetooth speakers, so it needs mains power (or a good-sized USB-C power bank if you’re away from mains power). The USB-C cable is permanently connected to the speaker itself, but plugs into the supplied USB-C power adapter at the other end.

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What is it?

A collaborative home product design between Ikea and Sonos, the Symfonisk is a table lamp with a wireless speaker from Sonos incorporated into the base. The Symfonisk  is designed to work as part of a home network, not as a personal speaker, with Wi-Fi support but not Bluetooth. This means you need to connect the lamp to the home network to play music, not connect with Bluetooth directly using your smartphone. For this reason the Symfonisk makes more sense as part of a larger Sonos home speaker environment. 

The base of the Symfonisk has controls for volume and skipping tracks and the Sonos app provides extensive control for iPhone and Android smartphone owners. 

It supports AirPlay 2 for Apple devices and can access music streaming services including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Deezer and Tidal. 

A bright idea from Ikea and Sonos

Pair two Symfonisks and get stereo sound for the room. If you have a home cinema setup using the Sonos Soundbase or Playbar then you can add a pair of Symfonisk lamps at each corner of the room to create a multi-speaker solution.

Place the lamp anywhere in your home to enjoy music wirelessly. Ethernet cable support ensures that you can also get uncompressed and high quality audio without interruptions.

The performance and functionality of the Symfonisk speaker is very similar to the Sonos One SL which is priced exactly the same as the Symfonisk, making the Ikea speaker lamp even better value.

Some users may decide that no mic support is a positive rather than negative feature, as it removes any privacy issues. However this means the Symfonisk is not a smart speaker and won’t accept voice assistant queries on its own.

Fortunately, you can sort of make it a smart speaker/lamp by putting in a smart light with an E14 fitting and use your smartphone to change the colour, dim the lamp or turn it off and then control the speaker through voice commands on your smartphone using the Sonos app.

How does it sound?

Considering the size and price, the speaker performance compares favourably with other small wireless speakers on the market with clear sound for vocals and bright detail on pop tracks. The bass is a bit subdued and you can make adjustments to the treble to suit your preference. While you can push the volume quite loud, it can get boomy at the highest setting.

There is a handy remote that Ikea sells for $20 that allows you to play/pause music tracks and change volume with the touch of a button. It looks like a hockey puck and can also control any of the other Sonos speakers you may have in the home.

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On this page:

• What do independent record stores offer?

A record may be cheaper in an overseas store than locally, for example – until you factor in the shipping to Australia, and the exchange rate. Meanwhile, wn independent retailer may be more expensive than the internet, but the customer service will usually be superior. Your choice depends on what you really want out of your vinyl habit. 

We looked at the cost of buying a Beatles reissue on vinyl in various online and big-name physical retailers, as well as independent stores.

Prices listed are the cheapest we could find at the time of writing. This includes cheapest available standard shipping option to our office in New South Wales. Some retailers and individual sellers offer express and/or registered shipping for an extra fee.

The album

• Band: The Beatles
• Album: Abbey Road
• Released: 2012
• Version: 180 gram reissue, black vinyl.

Should I buy vinyl online?

Pros

• Usually the cheapest option for buying new release and second-hand records. 
• Provided you’re buying vinyl from a country where the exchange rate works in your favour. 
• Many sites also offer a broad selection of rare or limited releases, albeit for a premium price.
• Can save money with combined shipping

Cons

• Some online sellers, including major businesses and independents, don’t always provide high quality shipping.
• Records can arrive damaged.
• The same goes for individuals selling off their personal collections via sites such as eBay. Contacting the seller can be difficult at times too, making recourse difficult. 
• Shipping costs can really add up, particularly when you’re buying from overseas.

Although is known as an auction website, many businesses run a digital shopfront through the service. Auctions still take place, however, so you may be able to snap up a good deal on eBay if you get lucky. Not only can you source records from cheaper markets, you also have the chance to pick up albums or limited pressings (e.g. coloured vinyl) that may not have been released in Australia.

In both cases, you run the risk of receiving damaged records due to sub-par packaging, plus your music can take weeks to arrive if it’s coming from overseas.

• Lowest price we found: $31.95. Shipping: $6.95.ÌýTotal: $38.90
• Pros: Comparatively cheap. Can save on shipping costs by combining purchases.
• Cons: Shipping time; longer if purchasing from overseas. Shipping can be expensive. Possible damage in transit. Can be difficult to return records if damaged or incorrect. Seller may be difficult to contact too.

Amazon

Records are one of thousands of products sold by this massive online retailer, and due to its size,  will likely be a bit more reliable than some of the sellers on eBay or Discogs. For example, the odds of receiving a poorly packed, damaged or incorrect record aren’t quite as high. However, shipping time is still a factor to consider.

• Lowest price we found: $28.00. Shipping: $9.99.Ìý°Õ´Ç³Ù²¹±ô:Ìý$37.99
• Pros: Comparatively cheap. Can save on shipping costs by combining purchases. Better chance of secure packaging.
• °ä´Ç²Ô²õ:ÌýShipping time; longer if purchasing from overseas. 

Discogs

is a massive online music database that also has an built-in marketplace similar to eBay. The only difference is its sole focus on music, making it a haven for collectors. Most sellers are pretty savvy to this, however, so you’re going to have a hard time finding any particularly good deals on Discogs, especially once you factor in shipping. Like eBay, you also run the risk of damage during shipping.

• Lowest price we found: $24.95. Shipping: $10.00. Total: $34.95  
• Pros: Can save on shipping costs by combining purchases. Many rare records available.
• Cons: Shipping time; longer if purchasing from overseas. Shipping can be expensive. Possible damage in transit. Can be difficult to return records if damaged or incorrect. Seller may be difficult to contact.

Major retailers

Pros

• Can theoretically offer lower prices than independent stores, as they can afford to buy in bulk.
• Option to buy online or in store.
• Can also buy online and pickup in store or at warehouse for free.
• Shipping is typically cheaper than online merchants.
• Easier to return damaged or faulty goods.
• Can inspect record and packaging prior to purchase

Cons

• Can be expensive (some retailers are capitalising on the ‘vinyl revival.’)
• Often  limited to big name and mainstream artists.
• Smaller bands and genres rotate with varying availability.
• May not be able to locate specialised, rare or niche artists and pressings.

Note: shipping cost not included if you shop in store. Listed cost of shipping applies to Australian addresses only. Some items can be purchased online then picked up in store.

JB Hi-Fi

is the main Australian retailer in the vinyl market. The large number of bricks and mortar stores gives you the option to buy over the counter, or place an order and pickup in store (in some cases) and easily make a return if need be. Just don’t expect to find a broad range of artists unless you head to a large, central metropolitan store.

• Price: $29.99. Shipping: $5.95. Total for buying online: $40.94
• Pros: Large company; opportunity to buy in bulk, which can mean cheaper records and shipping. Online and physical stores.
• Cons: Online costs and stock may not match those in physical stores (e.g. prices may be tied to online-only sales). Tend to regularly stock big name and mainstream artists, but smaller bands and genres rotate with varying availability.

Sanity

Once an entertainment staple in shopping malls across the country, presence in major cities isn’t quite as strong as it used to be. However, you can still find smaller stores in suburban and regional centres, and a website as well. Like JB Hi-Fi, their focus leans towards big name artists, with far fewer independent/unsigned bands than JB Hi-Fi carry. However, they do stock music from most genres.

• Price: $34.99. Shipping: $4.95 (economy). Total for buying online:Ìý$54.94
• Pros: Large company; opportunity to buy in bulk which can mean cheaper records and shipping. Online and physical stores. More stores in regional and suburban areas.
• Cons: Online costs and stock may not match those in physical stores (e.g. prices may be tied to online-only sales). Tend to regularly stock big name and mainstream artists, but smaller bands and genres rotate with varying availability. Smaller presence in city centres.

What do independent record stores offer?

These are small businesses that specialise in music, usually with one or two locations per city and the occasional store in different states. Some sell a broad range of music, memorabilia and collectables from a variety of artists, while others mostly focus on particular genres, such as dance, jazz or heavy metal. 

Pros

• Likely to find rare records from large and small artists in these stores.
• If you’re after a record that isn’t in stock, these stores can usually track it down. 
• Odds of poor quality shipping are quite low compared to web-based stores
• Option to buy online, in store, or online for free in store pickup
• Independent store staffers are usually passionate about music and may be more knowledgeable than major retailers and online stores. 
• Handy if you’re looking for music advice, as they can point you to bands similar to those you enjoy that you may not have heard of. 
• Also likely to build up a good relationship with regular customers, which can lead to perks such as sneaky discounts or first preference on releases when new records arrive. 
• Most are in the buying market as well, so you can sell your old records or pick up some cheap second hand pressings, as well as a few collectable items if you’re lucky.

Cons

• This level of customer service comes at a cost. You’ll often pay more at an independent than you would online or in a major retailer.
• These stores also can’t afford to have as much stock on hand as somewhere like JB Hi-Fi. 
• May not always be able to just walk in and pick up exactly what you’re after.
• Limited number of stores (possibly one location).

Note: These are a small sample of the range of stores and prices across Australia. We’ve included these because they’re established, well-known stores. The pros and cons listed above apply generally to each store, which is why we’ve only included the price and location. Shipping costs, obviously, are not included if you shop in person. Listed cost of shipping applies to Australian addresses only. Some items can be purchased online then picked up in stores.

(Sydney)

• Price: $34.98. Shipping: $10.00. Total: $44.98

(Sydney)

• Price: $32.99. Shipping: $4.99. Total: $ 37.98

, Melbourne

• Price: $44.99. Shipping: $13.40. Total: $58.39

, Brisbane

• Price: $34.95. Shipping: $14.00. Total: $48.95

Record fairs

Every few months, independent stores and small-time sellers gather their wares into a central location for a one big record fair – and they’re not for the faint-hearted. Row after row of crates overflowing with vinyl are packed into community centres, school gyms and other such venues, giving enthusiasts and hard core collectors the opportunity to dig through thousands of records in a day.

People often flock to these events in the pursuit of discount records and good deals on ultra-rare collectibles, as many sellers offer “fair only” specials. But they’re also a good opportunity to browse collections from stores that you may not have visited before. 

That said, some stands will sell records for the same price as their bricks and mortar location, while others may slightly bump up the cost for the event. You may even find a few stands pushing bootleg versions for a similar cost, and like most markets, record fairs are a mostly cash-in-hand affair. This can make returns difficult down the line, so it pays to be aware of what you’re buying.

All in all, record fairs are usually good fun, if somewhat exhausting. Browsing massive collections, or “crate-digging” as it’s often called, while chatting to fellow vinyl enthusiasts can be an enjoyable experience, especially when they introduce you to artists you may not have listened to in the process. 

To find out about record fairs in your area, have a look online or check community centres, public libraries and so on for any notices.

Which option works for you?

Shopping online will usually yield the best deals, but there are risks involved with shipping, and the returns process can be a hassle. If you know where to shop, however, you can find the same album at local bricks and mortar stores for a slightly higher price, which also guarantees a quality product and a straightforward returns process if necessary.

In terms of physical stores in Australia, major retailers like JB Hi-Fi can usually provide the best price. However, you’re probably not going to get the same level of customer service, specialisation music expertise and relationship with staff as you would in a small independent store.

At the end of the day, vinyl is expensive no matter where you shop, simply because it’s big, bulky, heavy, and delicate, which all contributes to extra shipping costs. The cost of record pressing is expensive too, and you’ll find that most albums are manufactured overseas, which adds more to the overall cost – particularly when the exchange rate isn’t too good. 

New-release music is almost always much cheaper on other formats. Currents, for example, costs around $19.99 on CD from big-name retailers, and $16.99 on iTunes. So if you’re interested in buying records, be prepared to pay a premium for new albums – but if you’re on a smaller budget, you can always trawl op-shops and online for bargains, rare treasures, and forgotten favourites, for the true record-collector experience.

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Before you begin

Clear a big working space that you can occupy for extended periods. Conversion takes place in real-time, which means 25 minutes worth of music will take 25 minutes to record. Next, make sure the turntable’s tone arm is weighted and that anti-skate and tracking force are set correctly to ensure optimum sound quality. Also, if your records are looking a little worse for wear, give them a good clean-up. See ‘Should you clean your records?’ in our Turntable buying guide.

What you’ll need

• 1x turntable with stereo audio output or inbuilt stereo audio cable (these are usually red and white).
• 1x PC or Mac with an audio IN port. This is sometimes called line IN (Not sure if your computer has Line IN? See step two under Connect your turntable to your computer).
• 1x copy of the free program Audacity. You can .
• 1x amplifier or receiver, preferably with a phono IN port and stereo audio OUT port (usually labelled REC). If your amp doesn’t have a phono IN port, you may need to buy a phono preamp or turntable with an inbuilt preamp. NOTE: Although we will use the term amplifier for the rest of this tutorial, a receiver can perform the same task in its place. Receivers include a built in radio, which is the only difference. 
• 1x stereo audio cable to connect your turntable to the amp/receiver. If your turntable has an inbuilt cable, you won’t need one of these.
• 1x stereo audio to 3.5mm stereo cable or 1x stereo audio cable with 3.5mm stereo converter. This will connect your amp/receiver (stereo end) to your PC or Mac (3.5mm end). The 3.5mm end must be able to record in stereo. Check the pin, if it has two black lines it will record in stereo. If it has one, it will record in mono, which is not suitable.

Do I need to buy a preamp?

If your turntable and amplifier do not have an inbuilt preamp, you will need to purchase an external one. These range in price from around $150 to as much as $25,000! The following setups may or may not require a preamp, and those that do probably don’t really call for a model that pushes into the tens of thousands. 

To check whether your home hi-fi has a phono preamp:

• Amplifier/receiver: look for a port called Phono on the back of the unit. This is a special port designed for turntables with an inbuilt preamp. These are standard on units that pre-date CD and fairly common on older units built after CD became the standard format. Modern amps vary, except for high-end models which usually include Phono IN.
• Turntable: check the manual. Older turntables generally don’t include an inbuilt preamp, as this feature was common in home amplifiers. It’s much more common in new models, however, it can be difficult to determine whether these turntables use industry-standard equalisation or cheap knockoffs, particularly in low-cost models.

If your amplifier has a phono input, or your turntable has an inbuilt preamp, you will not need to buy an external one. If your turntable doesn’t have a preamp, and your amplifier doesn’t have a phono input, you will need to purchase a preamp. Note that if your turntable has an inbuilt preamp, do not connect it to the phono input, as this will unnecessarily apply equalisation twice. In this case, either plug your turntable into another port, or turn off the turntable preamp, either option is fine.

For more information, see our Turntable buying guide.

Connect your turntable to your computer

1. Create a folder to save your audio files to as you edit. WAV files are quite large, around 30mb per track, which means an entire album can be 300MB or bigger. Make sure you have enough space on your hard drive before starting.
2. Connect your turntable to your amp’s phono input using the stereo audio cable. Next, connect the amp to your computer using the stereo to 3.5mm cable, by plugging the stereo end into the amp’s OUT port, and the 3.5mm end into the computer’s IN port.

My computer doesn’t have line IN.

Some desktops and laptops don’t include a line IN port, but there are a few workarounds:

• Purchase a line IN to USB convertor or USB soundcard. They vary in price depending on the build and audio output quality.
• Try the microphone port. Many computers combine line IN and microphone IN into a single port. They automatically detect the device that’s been plugged in and adjust internal audio settings accordingly. Unfortunately there’s no way of telling whether this feature is included on your computer without recording test audio and giving it a listen.

If your computer has mic IN and line IN ports, do not use the mic port to record your audio. The equalisation settings are different from audio IN, and aren’t suited to recording music. This can lead to poor quality digitised audio.

Identify the turntable

1. Right-click the Audio icon in the Taskbar next to the clock, click Recording devices. Look for a device with Line In in the description, right-click it and select Set as Default Device to ensure that your PC will only record audio from the turntable.
2. Right-click it again and click Properties followed by the Advanced tab, then click the dropdown menu underneath Default Format. Here, select 2 channel, 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality), click Apply then close the windows and return to your desktop.

Set up the software (Audacity)

1. Open Audacity and go to Transport > Rescan Audio Devices. This will tell Audacity to detect your turntable.
2. Look for four dropdown menus towards the right side of the Toolbar, and click the second dropdown menu, that’s adjacent to MME. The second toolbar will display a list of input devices. Select the option that includes Digital Audio (S/PDIF) in the title. The surrounding text will vary depending on your computer and turntable model. If this isn’t available, select the first available option then follow the steps in Test the settings. If the waveform doesn’t appear, stop recording and pick another option from the dropdown menu.
3. If your computer still can’t detect the turntable, check the connection using the steps in Identify the turntable and Rescan Audio Devices again.

Identify the waveform

1. Digital audio is visualised as a long blob with a series of vertical spikes protruding from the top and bottom. This is called a waveform (pictured). The thicker the blob, the louder the volume and vice versa.
2. Spikes indicate high peaks, such as cymbal crashes, and low bottoms. Flat, thin lines indicate silence. These are usually a good identification point for the beginning and end of each song.

Test the settings

1. Now it’s time to check for interference. First, press record (the red circle towards the top left corner of the screen), turn on your record player but do not start playing the record. Let Audacity record silence for around 20 seconds.
2. Click the waveform, press play and listen for interference such as buzzing. This can be caused by poorly shielded electronics in the vicinity of your record player. If you do hear interference, locate the source by turning off surrounding electronics and running test recordings until it disappears.
3. If there’s no interference, delete the audio file and repeat step one, but play the record this time. After 20 seconds, stop recording, then listen to the audio on your computer. If you’re happy with the sound quality, delete the test file and get ready to digitise the entire album.

Convert your record

1. ±Ê°ù±ð²õ²õÌýrecord in Audacity then play the album as normal to begin digitisation. The conversion takes place in real-time, which means 25 minutes of music will take 25 minutes to record.
2. When side A is finished, flip the record over and repeat the above step to record side B, but don’t stop Audacity from recording.
3. When side B is finished, stop recording in Audacity and remove your record. You should see one big waveform in Audacity. Click it, press play and listen to a short sample to check for prominent errors.

Adjust the volume

You may find that the volume is quite low on the initial recording. If that’s the case, follow these steps to boost it. 

1. Go to Effect > Amplify to open the Amplify window.
2. Audacity should automatically generate an ideal amplification level, but you can increase/decrease this by moving the slide bar. However, Audacity won’t let you increase the volume beyond the point of damaging the audio, unless you tick Allow clipping. We don’t recommend this.
3. °ä±ô¾±³¦°ìÌýPreview to check the volume. When you’re happy with the settings, click OK to apply.

Clean up the sound quality

1. Now it’s time to clean up the digital audio. The first step is to potentially apply RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) equalisation. This is an industry sound quality standard for phonograph records (including vinyl) which has been in place since 1954. Some record players include inbuilt RIAA equalisation in the preamp, which means digitised files sourced from these players do not require an additional RIAA application in Audacity. Check the instruction manual of your record player for any RIAA information. If it’s absent, you may need to apply RIAA equalisation.
2. First, press Ctrl + A to highlight the waveform, then go to Effect > Equalization, click the dropdown menu next to Select Curve, click RIAA, then OK to apply the equalisation.
3. Listen to a few tracks for around 10 to 20 seconds each. If you’re happy with the sound quality, leave the RIAA in place. If you preferred the sound before applying RIAA equalisation, press Ctrl + Z to undo the setting. It’s up to you, and your ears, as to whether you want to use RIAA or not.
4. Next step is to remove clicks and pops. Go to Effect > Click Removal to set the click/pop limitations. Threshold detects clicks. A lower number will increase the detection sensitivity, but pushing it too far can cause Audacity to start removing elements from the music, damaging the sound quality. Spike width is similar, except a higher number equals greater sensitivity. Play with these settings and press Preview to hear a sample. Once you’re happy with the level of sensitivity, click OK to apply the settings.

Save the tracks to your computer

1. Unless you want to export an entire album as one long digital audio track (you won’t), you’ll need to export each song individually. First, find the start point of a song in the waveform, left-click it, then highlight the waveform until you reach the end point of the song by holding the left mouse button and dragging it to the right.
2. Once it’s highlighted, go to File > Export Selected Audio, locate the folder you want to save it to, enter a file name then click the Save as type dropdown menu (bottom of the window) and pick WAV (Microsoft) signed 16-bit PCM. Then click Save to open the metadata window.
3. Here, enter the artist name, track title, album title and track number then click OK to export the track.
4. Check for errors by playing the WAV file from start to finish.
5. Repeat these steps for each track.

What about MP3?

It’s best to export files in lossless WAV quality, but Audacity can export to MP3 as well, which is a compressed format suitable for portable music players such as iPods and smartphones. Audacity doesn’t include an MP3 encoder due to licensing restrictions, but you can download one called LAME through Audacity for personal use. 

Follow the Cut up and export steps (above), but select MP3 Files from the Save as type dropdown instead of WAV, then click Save. After you enter the metadata, a Locate LAME window will open. Click Download to open an online guide by Audacity, which shows you . Note that LAME isn’t available for free in all territories. Restrictions are outlined in Audacity’s legal disclosure.

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