The Acoustic Research early model turntables were magnificent achievements when they were released in the early 1960s. Sonically, they were ahead of their time thanks to excellent engineering. They look very nice in an understated way, and can still produce some pretty solid performance. Compared to something a little further on chronologically, an XA or an XB won’t stand up as well to a Thorens belt drive (TD-125 and beyond), but it will still provide the user with a great deal of listening enjoyment. This turntable makes our best vintage turntables list because it is such a hallmark table, but it won’t provide a listening experience anywhere near the LP12. Also, the tonearm on these turntables are awful and need replacing.
