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Today's high-quality turntables put the primary emphasis on performance, and they can deliver wonderfully satisfying results, even for listeners on a tight budget. The Pro-Ject Debut III perfectly fits the bill for that last crowd, delivering solid performance with essentially turnkey setup at an affordable price.

If you're hankering to extract a little more from your grooves and don't mind dealing with a more complex setup, Roksan's Radius5 with its Corus Black tonearm is a good choice. This 'table's attractive, eye-catching design is a pleasure to gaze upon, and its exceptional pitch and rhythmic abilities get right to the essence of the music in a way that will bring you hours of listening pleasure.

For the true connoisseur, the V.Y.G.E.R. Baltic M with the SME Model 312 tonearm and the Sumiko Pearwood Celebration II cartridge, while much more expensive, shows what can be achieved when cost isn't a restriction. Its stunning industrial design and fine construction make a great impression, and its big, powerful sound will perfectly complement a top-notch system.

Now, more than any time in the last 20 years, people are rediscovering their favorite music through good old-fashioned LPs, and perhaps we can put to rest the notion that these records appeal only to the lunatic-fringe audiophile or the terminally trendy hipster. If you're ready to take the journey, any of these turntables will open the door to your dusty LP collection and the many new records being issued today, or open a new window of transparency on the records you may already be listening to. All that's left is for you to decide how far you want to go, and then head out for a spin.