Looking for a portable record player

I have recently started collecting records and I am looking for a cheap portable record player that isn't too pricey and is good enough to play new thicker records with out them sounding slow any suggestions ?

iPTUSB
https://www.ionaudio.com/products/details/ipt-usb

Don't buy. Those are all crap and will spoil your records.

Elukkae
Don't buy. Those are all crap and will spoil your records.

Nah. It is a portable turntable and it does its job. Hasnt done any harm to any record I have played on it (so far).

With vinyl gear you unfortunately get what you pay. In these under-$200 players, that is cheap spherical sapphire needle (instead of diamond) which ploughs through grooves like sandpaper, assisted by non-adjustable needle weight in the range of 5 grams. You might not see the damage but play a new record on that "turntable" 20 times and then compare it on a proper system (not any plastic junk player) to a fresh copy, I can guaratee you'll hear audible distortion and high end loss.

dusty-lee
Nah. It is a portable turntable and it does its job. Hasnt done any harm to any record I have played on it (so far).

The harm it's doing is not visible (at first). The stylus on that thing is grinding your grooves to dust, though, whether you can hear it or not. Not recommended for anything more than records you find completely disposable.

I completely agree with Elukkae and MJG196.
I doubt that a truly portable unit that isn't low quality even exists.

Its good for dirty records, thrift store finds, or for a few quick plays to check out some records.
I am kinda skeptical about the noticeable wear it would give in 20 plays though..but yeah it could be so.

Friends don't recommend cheap record players!!!
We just love our vinyl too much😊

I had the chance to try out one of those Crosley portable turntables last week. You know, the sort they sell in chain stores for $100.

The tonearm stuck to the vinyl like a magnet, and it actually skipped through the tracks. Thankfully it was not my vinyl being played. And of course the speakers were built into the device, and were a very small step up to what you would hear farting from your smartphone.

Sad to know that these cheap pieces of shit are what many newcomers to vinyl get as their first experience.

If that was my first experience of vinyl, I would think "fuck that, I'll stick to mp3".

If you let go the "portable", which really does rule out any decent players, you can build a quite good - and reasonably good looking - system around these: https://uturnaudio.com

Looking at those Orbits, I probably wouldn't dip below the Special, mainly because of the cartridge selection.

Decent looking machines.

https://www.amazon.com/Record-Runner-RR-15LMGR-RECORD-RUNNER/dp/B0166MWOPE

^ oh man. A whole new universe of plastic junk players.

Sombunya
Looking at those Orbits, I probably wouldn't dip below the Special, mainly because of the cartridge selection.

Decent looking machines.

I sure like Ortofon Red. But even the cheapest Orbit has an AT CN5625 cartridge, which is on a different level than any cartridges of those cheapo portables.

Elukkae
I sure like Ortofon Red. But even the cheapest Orbit has an AT CN5625 cartridge, which is on a different level than any cartridges of those cheapo portables.

I have to agree. I think the cart on an $89 Crosley would cost about $5 to replace. (can opener)