#James if u see this I can’t edit the tags I don’t mean it Like That

[griancraft]

Cries so hard I throw up I love the two of them so much

[delicatebluebirdruins]

the last hours spoilers below the cut

thoughts as i read Chain of Thorns so spoilers duh and it got long so under a read more (also as a safety measure against spoilers and tumblr tags not working) feel free to chat with me about it

In april i will change the tags to something more general (I say April because not all versions of the book are out yet I think Italy doesn’t get their editions until March so)

James honey tell your Dad.

Matthew fight me and get help outside of Cordelia asking you not to drink in Paris

did i mention how much i hate the misunderstanding of chain of iron? yeah still hate it... quick moment

much better

honest about his love for Grace for the love of god Cordelia

Matthew is not keeping to his promise is he? one way or another he is up to something and I don’t like it

23 lmao Will same Magnus i can’t believe it either and lmao James “I haven’t not since last Thursday“

why is Grace arrested? was she arrested? I very vaguely recall her admitting to the shenagins

i love Kamala by the way I hope she goes back to her true name... what was the letter

Lucie is up and atom

*through gritted teeth* what good reason? to dislike Allistair? *eyes twitch*

Thomas’s note *clutches heart* I want to watch that scene in 10 things i hate about you again but also lmao i think the message would get to who its addressed to

Tatiana can fight me... poor Grace

oh Malcolm

Jessamine mention!!!!. finally adults knowing what do. Aww Will singing to James in rusty welsh

back to Matthew and Cordelia *grits teeth* ohh poor faeirie having to deal with this shit. Cordelia admitting that Matthew and Allistair don’t like each other and I loathe it, I loathe her not defending her brother

MADAME DOROTHEA???? oh the waking up theme is back (Madame channeling Elias). wow fun

Malcom don’t steal food... I feel uncomfy please for the love of god grab the poker and impale me with it... Dad has arrived

No you won’t conquer the pain in Paris Matthew. It wouldn’t be that easy to overcome pain WITHOUT THE ONES CAUSING YOU PAIN

.... the truth will out with the Herondale family reunion (Tessa is there we just don’t see her as she’s yelling at Malcolm) and Magnus being upset at not being asked for help as he is the warlock they usually annoy first lmao i love him

73 yes be proud of Jesse “the last bulwark of Englishman under stress. Tea? he suggested“ lol Malcolm

ah the letter Kamala found was blackmail... towards Charlotte maybe?

80 laughing hysterically

Jem is here.... Allistair! i knew the note would be read

97 Matthew are you sure you’re not a idiot

a good plan i suppose... good old Ezekiel

Alexander Bridge (another song coming on)

110 FINALLY SOME DEMONS... fuck off both of you (also I thought Matthew got bitten by the demon?)

Aw Kit/ Christopher best boy

yay back to this hell and now James is here (also looked at later at art so accidently spoiled myself to some dark haired guy wearing a crown)

Thomas I love and LMAO Will and Magnus best bros

I knew Matthew was lying... can i bang Cordelias head off a wall? Oh James... Eugenia! I missed you baby

I don’t wanna go back to Cordelia... yes it was as painful as expected

Matthew shut up. James use your fucking words

Magnus I love you... I wish I was Balios right now

Jesse’s “helpful fellow called brother Zachariah“

Cordellia is annoying me

tell it like it is Allistair they are idiots

@ James (image id: GIF of the Genie from Aladdin in front of white board reading tell her the truth)

I love you Allistair and Risa never leave me with these three again (Magnus, Efffie and Eugenia as well)

Oh Christopher I love you, Thomas yay

actual footage of Cordelia getting Allistair into the carriage

image id: dog on a leash being dragged text around it reading “um no/no mean no/ do not want/ heard you say vet/ wow no/ such abuse/ um wtf r u doing/ not wow/ so forceing“ end id

185 Cordelia and Matthew not planning on saying anything yet why

good idea Allistair and plans on how to find out who is being blackmailed. hatred of ducks is a noble cause

BRIGDET I LOVE YOU

Will is being great embarresing James and scolded by Tessa for quoting Charge of the Light Brigade at the table

I like Jesse I think, lemon drops? lemon drops

Albert Pangborn is great... Lucie you’re making me feel cold and Cordelia i know you are going through it but why

With Jesse and Lucie I am kinda hoping for a Pushing Daisies scenario

Oh Kamala why lie to yourself... Poor Grace kinda... 231 happy place Christopher and Alistair talking about books and languages (showing their brain works)

new day

Jesse spill the beans?

yay back with Cordelia *sigh*... poor Jesse.... No Cordelia you do not know what you saw you are a coward who is certain what you saw was the whole truth and nothing but the truth

would love to see the full evil vanity set it has to exist I won’t accept other wise

i do like Hypatia and Jesse is great... Hi Winston and Ari and Aratia is pretty so back to calling her this then

poor Oscar he is such a good boy

James good with words? I am not so sure

I am scared of Tatiana... but also every single time (image id: screenshot from Lion King 2 Simbas Pride song My Lullaby)

Beliel is making zombies apparently

so close yet so far... lmao Effie

308 if you spoke to your wife you’d know... I thought Letty be possessed good job me

312 Christopher deserves the world honestly. Go on Grace do the things

aww Mama Tessa, never shut up Thomas you’re great to be with. aw Mama Sona... the fear of god that Malcolm just experiences is priceless and relatable

laughing at the things like the weapons tree

parents what to do? oh chatting and we came so close. Also Esme i love you

Anna and Ari finally got that dance

FOR FUCKS SAKE this is the bad place... no its not Alistair and Thomas almost kissed but got interupted by Cecily screaming

FUCK OFF TATIANA AND EVERYONE LISTENING TO HER

it would also cast more suspicion to be honest

pick up a rock or something Cordelia, poor baby Alex and I DO NOT TRUST this

poor denzins of the Cornwall Institute

Alistair was not wrong and not to bring up lion king 2 again but not one of us? fits kinda well

FUCK YOU CHARLES!!!! FUCK OFF BRIDGESTOCK

go on Ari, Jem is bae and I love you guys

Charles might be the one being blackmailed and yes he is a pompous git

Lucie saw Edom I think

please not on the staircase think of your back it would hurt i imagine

what did the door knob do to you (reread that section oh it was jammed) still poor door knob

yeah big bath tubs for the win (dream home item big bath tub and swimming pool if i can’t live by the sea/ sea where it is private then i will have to make do)... oh no the adults are leaving

poor Effie can’t wait to see her opinions on everything

also side note last book James was pracitcally begging Cordelia to top him will that make a return?

aww Grace and here is Tatiana of course who i can’t wait to see die... what is going on

come Matthew tell them, James told them about Grace its your turn

Christopher is too good for this world

Matthew fight me (i was actually warming to him and now its two steps back)

lets go help Charlie. Go on Alistair (update i’ve been tabbing as i go and i am running out of pinks)

I love them feeling about conflicted about Grace and her actions... Grace is here and lets go zombies (or guys from black cauldron?)

there is so much kissing and so many characters

and lets go face Tatiana.. oh wow possession is every where apprently

go on Lucie do what needs to be done which is summon RUPERT buddy I missed you

Grace why are you following your “mother”... hi Lilith

CHRISTOPHER NO

I saw this picture in the run up it is really cool (side note i do like the illustrations my favourites being the blackstairs beach kiss in queen of air and darkness though- also if TWP does not start with the Clace wedding that we have two full chapters of I will sue)

Tatiana is dead? yay... but Christopher no

poor lady under the milkcart... poor people being possessed by Beliel

oh wow Beliel is... yeah this is a lot

James is going with Beliel, and Beliel took Matthew as well good grief

Lmao the title for the next chapter is Intermission: Grief

what if the escape route is a lie? what if its a trap?

new day?

490 Winston is a pretty bird, Oscar what is it puppy? oh it was planned thank god

girl talk time and James/ Matthew being in Edom is so funny to me for some reason

thomas watering the fairchild plants, watered my plants and cleared my skin

Carstair siblings rise!

Jessamine you good?

sup Lilith... if beliel dies by Cordelia’s blade this is strange wording

I love Jesse and Graces dynamic actually

yes destroy the wound

Anna what’s up?... good point

finally the truth comes about Matthew part 2/ bye Carbos it was fun I will remember you next time I read TMI

I want Christopher back (564 I ran out of pink)

They did! they got the fire messages working! I am so proud

oh Lucie, hi Filomena and are we going to be told this plan?

ahh Beliel wants to crown himself and all I can think is this image

Image id: Queen Elizabeth the 2 and text from christopher eccleston reading “parasite in chief in her idiot hat“

Go on Charlie *pumps fist*

I love you Eugenia

Statues attack and I am out of green tabs

stay safe everyone... Lucie what do?... aw Anna and Ari

Bridget is god and you can’t change my mind

I did think that wording was strange... bye Lilith see you later

herongraystairs mention... JEM YOU ARE OWED A FAVOR FROM BELIEL I have so many questions like does he still have it in SoBH? will he have it TWP? is this thing something I kinda remember being Ghosts of the Shadow Market? (its been awhile okay)

Aw Alastair I forgot you were blonde for a bit... good for you bud

oh so this is how the things got in the coffin like the gun Christopher made for James :(... I hope the locksmith recovered the bullet from it

Alastair the best big brother

(I didn’t put this in my physical notes so I don’t know where it fits in but i am so glad Matthew told his family)

666 Malcolm is here for a chat and it went well

OSCAR GOT A MEDAL!!!

Eugenia remains the best...  croquet lmao yes

image id: screenshot of Pall Mall scene from Bridgerton season 2

I like the ending

bonus story: love you Jem... I cannot imagine why people would be twitchy at seeing the robes of Silent Brothers (and I wonder if they feel the same?)... the ghosts made me tear up

random thoughts

- too many characters having povs just made it not work for me? especially when a few of them know things that others don’t (like the Gracelet and the fallout)

- Matthew grew on me which surprised me with how much he irritated me during Choi heck I downright hated him. And the same goes for Grace and Anna

- I don’t think I will ever like the love triangle

- scared for Charlotte and her pregnancy is going to be fun

- I wished we could have seen the trials for Wessa and Jesse (and other random scenes)

- because of things do i think we could potentially have something in between TLH and TMI? yes yes i do (i say things because its just the vibe I got from finishing it. I’ll get a better idea when i reread)

hello people who made it to the end of this long ass post go treat yourself with something nice

[proserpina-magnus]

☘️ - NSFW alphabet

James Potter if haven't done one

This is a little choppy but I hope you enjoy it! Mwah.

James Potter NSFW Alphabet

Reader: tried to keep it as nb as possible )

Warning: pure smut and no editing

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Super comforting and he’s really affectionate. He loves to massage your back (which will probably lead to another round). And he does that cute thing where he’d rub his nose against yours. He’d cover you in blankets and literally would hand feed you if he could. He basically forces you to drink water as well.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He loves your thighs, he likes placing his hands on them and laying in between them.

He likes his stomach since he’s worked really hard on it over the last couple of years with quidditch.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He will wear a condom only if you want, but he’d much prefer to go without. He’s pull out game is strong as fuck and he usually cums over your ass or thighs, sometimes even stomach.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

James wants to do collaring and he’s been fascinated and keeps daydreaming about being your good boy or having the opposite and getting you a collar that says “daddy’s _____” (preferred nicknames like girl or boy, etc).

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He’s pretty experienced without actually have experience, he wants first times to be important so he was actually waiting for the right one (which happened to be you). He can definitely find his way around your body with ease, who knows how he knows how to do it.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Missionary, he likes have your knees over his shoulders and takes his sweet time making the moment last as long as possible.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

He’s a sap so he try’s not to be humourus, he wants the sex to be romantic and he can’t risk turning you off with one of his lame dad jokes.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

It’s a mess, he’s tried to shave it, comb it, trim it, it’ll just grow back. It definitely matches his head hair.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Like said before, James wants the sex to be romantic. He likes holding your hand and kissing your shoulder’s and lips until they're rosy. He just wants to take care of you.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Pretty often, he gets stressed sometimes so he’ll just get out a quick wank before heading to class in the morning or late at night.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

He has a ton, d/s is very present and the roles switch between you both often. Power play is a must and he has a big thing for bondage, he loves all the different knots and shapes, he thinks the ropes look pretty against your skin. There’s others like makeup, he weirdly finds it attractive when mascara runs down your cheeks.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Usually in his dorm, he prefers to have his time and spend every second admiring and taking care of you. He rarely would want to do something out of order and he needs a quick notice before trying a new location. He usually promises you he’ll satisfy you later if you become needy during class or at hogsmeade.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Everything, fuck me eyes go along way for him. Sometimes you don’t even mean to get him going and he’s rushing you up to his dorm. He likes the uniforms too, he’d purposely mix up your robes or house ties just so people would know you’d belong to a certain wizard.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He’d like spanking to a minimum, but the second he sees blood he freaks out. Even bruises make him worry and he’d begin to cry and kiss over it, promising you he’d never mean to hurt you and he’d be super careful next time.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He prefers receiving it, since he likes the stability of cumming down your throat. But if he’s subby he’s prefer to give you pleasure, he just wants to please you.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Depends, sometimes after a quidditch game (depending if he won or lost) he’d take it out on you, rough and fast sex was a must so he could released all of his pent up tension. But then he’d get really soft and gentle to soothe over the rough behaviour. If he’s subby, he’ll let you control everything.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Personally he doesn’t like it, a quick blow job in between classes is alright with him or even a quick fuck in the showers in the changing rooms, but he prefers his time and he’d rather have you all to himself for a few hours.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Not necessarily, he likes boundaries so you both talk over them often and he’d just do whatever was in the green zone. Sometimes if he’s being a hard dom he’ll try a risky move, wait for you reaction and depending on that he’ll keep it up or drop it immediately.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Oh boy… he’s not the Gryffindor quidditch caption for nothing. He’s athletic, charming, and a golden retriever boyfriend. He definitely can go for 4 or 5, depending on his mood and on time, since it doesn’t take much to make him cum.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He doesn’t, he’s a bit embarrassed but he definitely isn’t opposed to watching you play with yourself. He actually loves mutual masterbation and he enjoys watching you show him all the things that make you feel good.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He hates teasing you but loves when you tease him, every little look or if you grab his arm for protection, he’s creaming in his pants. Whenever you whisper in his ear, even if it isn’t sexual, he’s gulping and fixing his trousers.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Subby James moans a lot, he whines and whispers and he likes to talk. But more dominant James groans and whispers cusses (which is the only time he rarely swears because he hates cuss words).

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He enjoys morning sex way to much, he likes the sunlight beaming in and the slow and groggy movements due to being sleepy, he loves the little whines and enjoys the cold air from the morning cooling off his hot skin.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

A solid nine inches, come on he’s James Potter. He’s quite proud of it too, smirking whenever he see’s a tummy bulge or even when you have trouble standing after sex.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

It’s high to the extreme, he never knew how horny he truly was until he began to date you. Every day he wanted to take you to his dorm and try new things, he wanted to be cocooned in between your legs.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

If he’s had a long day, it doesn’t take long. He’s a gentleman so he’ll kill you to sleep before he passes out, but sometimes you’d get back from the bathroom and see him sprawled out, a big grin on his face.

--

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[tsumusamu]

asks :D

sorry i took so long to answer these! i just put them in one post so i wouldn't spam too much

Um I read both your series recently and I just wanted to tell you omg I love them so much I couldn’t put down my phone I got so invested into it and if it’s not a bother if you could add me to the tag list for Amorentia and Call you mine🥺💜👉👈

of course! it’s not a bother! i’m happy to hear you’re enjoying the series! <3

hello, i just want to ask if you have any haikyuu fic recommendations (preferably abt bokuto or atsumu)? Or know any other acct/s that write them? im currently on a fic hunt and i just want some writing that’s as good as yours 🤧

hi there! honestly i havent read many haikyuu fics as of late but alkhale on ao3 is probably my favorite author of all time. they have explicit fics but their rated t fics are just as good. i admire them so much!!

I LOVE UR WRTING omgosh am looking forward to the next part of call you mine SO MUCH u have no idea !!! heheh take ur time will be patiently waitinggg <3 take care!!!

i’m so happy you like my writing it means so much! you take care as well ok <3

My emotions went everywhere!! can you add me to the Call you mine taglist please?😆

Of course!

Omg omg omg I really enjoyed the most recent chapter of ‘call you mine’!! I know you were stressed about writing/publishing it but GIRLL IT WAS AMAZING AND HEART-WRENCHING - and it was a great read! Keep up the awesome work, and I’m looking forward to seeing reader and Atsumu’s interactions in the future like UGH MY HEART. PLEASE, YOU LOVE BLINDED IDIOTS. Take care, lovely!! <3 stay healthy and get some good many hours of sleep! :)) 

GLAD THAT YOU ENJOYED IT!! yes i dont think it was my best work but i will do my best to keep writing in the future! they are such idiots that i felt myself cringing so hard while writing LOL </3 i will take care of myself and i hope you do too!!!

can I be tagged in the next update of Call you mine? 

yes!

you are such a talented writer and i just love “call you mine”. i saw that you apologised for making part 4 12k words long, but honestly write as much as you want to bc we all need as much of this series as we can get. (btw i saw that you said you don’t know when you’ll post the next update, but i kid you not when i say that i’ll check your blog daily to see if you’ve posted another part of the series and to check our your other content as well 🤭) 

YES HAHA sorry i do get really long winded sometimes hence the huge chapter that i posted a few weeks ago LOL the last chapter will be even longer so prepare for that....... sorry abt my inconsistency that i cant tell you when i’ll update next but thank you for being so patient and supportive!!

could i be added in the taglist of both atsumu fics 🥺

yup!

i am speed

and would love to be added to your general taglist whenever you update any of your fics!! thanks🤍

of course! <3

can i be tagged for the call you mine 🥺 

yes i’ll tag you :)

i’m in love with the hogwarts haikyuu au! i think it’s an amazing idea that needs more stories

ME TOO ANY HOGWARTS AU HAS ME GOING INSANE I THINK IT’S ONE OF THE MOST ENTERTAINING AUS TO BOTH READ AND WRITE. i will definitely be writing more hogwarts haikyuu in the future!!

i forgot to add to that last post that what you’re writing is wonderful and amazing and can’t wait for part 4!

thank you so much for your support!

call you mine is such a masterpiece, you’re such an amazing fucking writer (like the plot and everything???? GENIUS) and i can’t wait for the next update sndnkejdh 

AHHH ANON thank you im so happy that you liked call you mine uiefdiasifua im currently working on the update rn thanks for being patient!!

Hi i was the ao3 reader who discovered you and wanted to drop by and say i am sooo excited to read your latest chapter!!! i also wanted to say I love LOVE major love your hogwarts au fic! idk if you know james potter but you probably do seeing as you made an au but atsumu reminds me soo much of young james potter!! i read some fics of james potter and i find him and atsumu so alike in a a way i would love if you could do more takes on your hogwartsau!!! i could send you the links if you want!!

OMGJOIJAI I hadnt even thought of it that way?? now that you mention it james and atsumu in my story do seem to have some similarities but i hope i didnt make atsumu too much of a dickhead D: i will definitely be writing more for hogwarts haikyuu!

can i mayhap get added to your general taglist? your writing is AMAZING, never fails to send me into the stratosphere from how good it is.

sure thing! i’m happy you’re enjoying my work thank you for your message <3 pls dont stay too long in the stratosphere though it’s kinda hard to breathe up there LOL

hiii!!! can you please add me to call you mine taglist?? 

for sure!

IM SO EXCITED FOR PART 5 OF CALL U MINE AHHHHHHHHH

I HOPE IT WILL LIVE UP TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS!!

Hello!!! Can I please be added to the Amortentia and Call you Mine taglist please? ❤️❤️ I think about them all the time, Atsumu brain rot for life!

Also super hyped for your upcoming Osamu fic! You’re amazing, I hope you’re not too stressed! Stay hydrated and get enough sleep you wonderful human being ✨✨✨❤️❤️

YES OF COURSE U CAN AND ATSUMU BRAINROT FOR ME 24/7 AS WELL. i hope i’ll be able to finish that osamu fic soon aaa thank you for being patient <3 please take care of yourself as well!

Will ch.5 be the last chapter of Call You Mine?

yes!

i just wanna say 'call you mine' is 10/10. your writing? *french kiss* i love how you go into detail - we see both atsumu's reader p.o.v - it gives depth to the characters! it's so realistic too. reader's hesitance is very valid - like how can you be sure of atsumu's feeling, when he's getting his dick wet everyday LOL! thank you for writing this, i am enjoying it so much! <3

HDSUUFHASUHF ANON PLS AHHH IM SO HAPPY THAT UR ENJOYING IT and also atsumu will get his dick wet one last time in the final part... u will see ;)

HELLO AMORTENTIA AND CALL YOU MINE ARE SO NICE im gonna cry my favorite tropes + one of them is a hogwarts!au + your writing 🥺❤️

HELLO HELLO THANK U FOR READING MY WORK!!!

i can’t wait for part 5 of call you mine. this series of yours is literally so GENIUS

i really hope that it will be satisfying!! thank you for your kind message!

I wanted to say that your writing is absolutely perfect. The way you capture these characters I’m truly speechless, and each chpt it just gets better and better 😭😭💛 could I ask to be added to the call you mine taglist? Truly, thank you for ur amazing writing !!!! 😭

AHHHH IM LITERALLY BLUSHING... THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENTS IM T___T yes of course you can be added to the taglist and thank you for reading my work!

ALSO YOUR TAKE ON TSUMU IS GOLDEN. IT IS CLASS. PERFECTION. GRACE. I CANT EVEN EXPLAIN. Anywayz CATCH ME CRYING OVER CALL YOU MINE TSUMU AND Y/N 🥲😭💛

PLS ATSUMU IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER I ABSOLUTELY LOVE WRITING MY TAKE ON HIM. IM HAPPY TO HEAR THAT YOURE ENJOYING THIS TSUMU. AND YES... CALL YOU MINE TSUMU AND Y/N LITERALLY DRIVE ME CRAZY THEY R SO DUMB BUT I CRY WHILE WRITING THEM

Hi there! I love your Call You Mine atsumu x reader fic so much, it’s so well written! Would it be possible for me to be added to the taglist please?

thank you! and yes you can be added!

hi, just caught up with call you mine! i know this might be an odd comment on it but i'm currently going through a similar situation with my best friend as reader is (gray area, we haven't talked in a while) and reading both of their perspectives really brought me comfort. anyway thank you for writing it :)

ooo wow :O i really hope the situation you’re in gets resolved soon im wishing you good luck!! im happy that my writing was able to give you comfort <3 thank you for reading and supporting my writing!

your video edits are just *chefs kiss* my friends and I have been laughing at them for days in our gc and have even inspired memes of our own 😅 hope to see more them, they’re too good istg sending you love from three art school kids from Europe 🥺💕✨

??!#())(!@ OMG HAHAHA i would love to see some of the memes you guys came up with LOL sending love right back at you <3

hi love !! can i be added your gen tag list if you have one?

yes, i’ll add you!

Hello! Sorry for the bother but I’m suck a HUGE fan of your smau! And I’m talking about “Call You Mine” it’s so good and depressing...but that isn’t the point! I know you are busy with something else but I would like to ask if it’s be alright if I made a small fic about that story? If not, that is completely fine and understandable!

Thank you for your time and cya next time!!

yup yup that series comes with an angst tag for a reason! you’re not being a bother don’t worry! i would prefer for no fics to be made based off of the story, i’m sorry :( but thank you for asking!

I just discovered your blog and I love your writing so much.

I was wondering if I could be added to the tag list for call you mine with atsumu x reader? This story hurts me so much and it's written so well.

Thank you and have a nice day 🧡

hi! thank you for supporting my writing! yes you can be added to the taglist and im sorry it hurts </333 hope you have a nice day too bb

When do you think the next part of amortentia will be up? It’s my favorite series 😫 (no rush though!!!!)

hmmm im really not sure unfortunately :(

Sorry to bother, but I literally went through every part of Call you Mine just now AND I LOVE EVERY BIT OF IT. Oh my goodness it hurts how much I love it. The friendship and the unspoken love for each other that leads to a long yearning for each other is literally my fanfic bread and butter. ITS SO DARN GOOD and I felt like I needed to tell you that. Anyways, I hope you are having an amazing week, you’re taking care of yourself, you’re safe and healthy! Thank you for what you do! 🤗

IM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT YOU LOVE IT. GENUINELY. KNOWING THAT PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING MY WORK MAKES ME SMILE SO BIG. THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME YOUR THOUGHTS. please take care yourself as well, and thank you for your ask!

Hi! I recently saw your atsumu x reader fic on ao3 (Call you mine) and I haven't read it yet but I've seen others talk about it on tumblr so I was wondering if I could be added to a tag list for that fic (if you have one ofc). Feel free to ignore this ask if you don't have one or it's full!

yes i can add you the taglist! i hope you’ll enjoy the fic whenever you decide to read it! <3

[larryshorcrux]

Fake It Til You Make It

JILY CHALLENGE | @ginevrashorcrux vs @lilypcttr  social media!AU + “After a misunderstanding with his fans, james begs lily to be his fake girlfriend until this all blows over. which includes posting cute instagrams together and doing all the couple challenges.”

(nothing like waiting till the last second! I’m so sorry this took forever but its up!)

                     ----------------------------------------------

James' fans were some of his favorite people in the world. But sometimes, he really wanted to punch them in the face. This is one of those times.

 It all started with one, stupid youtube video from one, stupid Sirius Black. At the time it seemed like a good idea. Do a 'boyfriend tag' video with your best friend, who is like a brother to you, as a joke.  And it was a good idea because both boy's view count and subscriber count went up by the hundreds.

 It wasn't a good idea, however, when everyone thought that it was true and thought Sirius Black and James Potter are actually dating.

 "Sirius, this is not funny! How am I ever going to get a hot girlfriend if everyone thinks we're shagging?" James asked his best friend. Sirius just kept laughing, infuriating James to the point that he stormed out of their shared flat.

 James needed to do something and he needed to do it fast. He started brainstorming ideas on his walk to the park when a buzzing from his pocket startled him from his thoughts. He took out his phone and saw it was a text from Lily Evans as well as a picture from her of a photoshopped James and Sirius in a very compromising position.

 From Lily Evans

why didn't u tell me u guys wer dating??? and why didn’t u tell me ur sextape leaked too?!?

 To Lily Evans

ha ha

 To Lily Evans

very funny. nothing is going on i swear. that vid was supposed 2 be a joke and its gotten way out of control

 From Lily Evans

well have fun tryin 2 fix this mess  good luck, ur going 2 need it :*

 James rolled his eyes as he sat down on a park bench. He scrolled through twitter only to be bombarded with tweets about his a Sirius' relationship. And, much to his annoyance, a tweet from Sirius Black himself confirming it.

 @padfootproductions:we r sorry that we hid this so long. we just cant hide our dying love for one another, it was really taking a toll on our relationship :////// ly baby @jamespotter_official

 @jamespotter_official:@padfootproductions fuck off m8

 James needed to do something fast. Sirius' tweet only added fuel to the fire. As he was thinking of ways to fix this problem (and to kill Sirius for creating this whole problem), a man and woman jogged past him, giggling and shooting lovesick glances at one another.

 'That's it,' James thought. 'I just need a fake girlfriend! And I know exactly who can help.'

 "I will absolutley not help you, James," said a very mad Lily Evans. "Why not?" James pouted. He needed this. There's only so many photoshopped pictures of himself and Sirius and only so many fanfictions he can read before going insane. It needed to be stopped.

 "Because, I will not be dragged into this mess that has nothing to do with me," She said. As an after thought, she added, "Also, it's kind of a funny situation to witness."

 James groaned and smacked his head on the table. "Lily, please! I'll do anything. I just need you to be my fake girlfriend for like three months, pretend we've been dating for five already, take some cute pictures, film some cute videos, then we can 'break up' and we can go our separate ways. Please, I'm begging you."

 "What's in it for me?" Lily asked. "You get to say you're dating me," James said cockily. Lily reached over the table and smacked him in the head. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Fine, I'll bring you coffee for a month, on me."

 "I want you to edit my videos," Lily smiled. "What?! You post three times a week! I'll never have time to edit my own!" James exclaimed.

 Lily gathered her things and stood up. "Good luck, James." The man groaned and quickly stood up. "I'll edit your videos for a month."

 "Four months."

 "Two months."

 "Fine, but I'm still expecting that coffee, too." Lily sat back down and James smiled in relief. "You're a saint, Lily Evans, did you know that?"

 "I try," she smirked.

"This better work, Potter," Lily grumbled as she hit 'post' on Instagram. "It will, I promise!"

 Within seconds there were hundreds of comments under her picture, all along the lines of "OMG I CANT BREATH" or "I SHIP IT HJBDUJ".

"I can't believe it, they're actually buying this," the redhead murmured in astonishment. "Quick take a snapchat with me," James told her.

  "Lady love, James? Really?" Lily asked, not looking at all amused. "What? I have to make it believable," James said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Fine, whatever," Lily said rolling her eyes.

In the weeks that followed James and Lily's 'relationship' being made public, all thoughts of James and Sirius actually dating seemed to die down, thankfully. The young 'couple' would make it a point to take really cute pictures or to hold hands anytime they were out in public together.

Also in the weeks that followed, James and Lily seemed to get too close for two people who were just friends. Suddenly, Lily missed when she was not with James and suddenly, James found he was longing to hold Lily's hand when he couldn't. There was tension between them, and both knew it was obvious. Remus, Sirius, and Peter would never admit it, but they have been placing bets on when the two would finally realize that they were more than just friends. Unbeknownst to them, James and Lily were also placing bets in their own heads as to which of the two would crack first.

"You know," James mused one day. "We haven't filmed a video together yet in our three months of dating."

"James, we are not actually dating. Must I keep reminding you?" "You're just so beautiful, my Lily flower. I can't resist your charm," James smirked. Lily rolled her eyes, but James swore he saw a hint of a blush blooming on her cheeks.

"Fine," Lily said, going to gather her camera from her bag. "You tweet asking people to send us questions," she called over her shoulder as she set up her equipment.

@jamespotter_official: Shooting a q&a with the one and only @evanslily send us some questions !!! Use #jilyquestiontime

 Within seconds, James' feed was bombarded with questions. Lily sat back down and began the intro to her video.

"Hello, beautiful people! Today I am joined with my lovely boyfriend, Mr. James Potter," Lily said, adding a little gesture towards James at the end. James smiled and waved at the camera, waiting for Lily to continue. "We asked you guys to tweet us some questions so let's dive straight in!" Lily leaned in closer to James to have a look at his phone screen. Not knowing what came over him, he placed a hand on her thigh. She jumped a little bit, not expecting that at all, and asked what he was doing. "Just playing it up for the cameras," he shrugged. Lily covered her face with her hair and looked back at his phone screen, not liking what his touch was doing to her body.

 "So we have a question from @youtube_lovin_1234. It asks, 'When did you two meet?' Ah that had to be vidcon. I want to say 2015?" James asked, looking for Lily for confirmation. "2016," Lily corrected. "Close enough," James said.

 "This one," Lily continued. "Is from @padfoots_paws. Interesting name. It reads, 'who is stronger? (asking this as an excuse to see James' biceps. #sorrynotsorry)."

 "Well, if you insist," James smirked, flexing his bicep and smiling into the camera. Wanting to get him back for the hand on the thigh incident, Lily reached out a hand and began feeling James' muscles. "Don't we all want to make excuses just to see James' biceps?" Lily asked. She turned back to James so she could look for more questions and noticed he was blushing. THE James Potter was blushing because of her. She smirked and let him choose another question.

 "This next question comes from @little_lindsey. 'Who is the better kisser? Prove it.'"

Both youtubers looked at each other and gulped. "James, we don't have to-" Lily started. "No we really don't," James interrupted.

"But maybe we should-"

"I mean we haven't kissed at all for the viewers-"

"You're right I think we should-"

The two quickly became flustered and looked away from each other. "Ok, let's go back to acting really flirty and I'll edit all of this out," James suggested. Lily nodded and faced the camera. Suddenly, James and Lily were acting cool and confident, as if that whole exchange never happened.

"James likes to think he is, but I am clearly better," Lily said very matter-of-factly. James rolled his eyes and responded with, "Keep telling yourself that, love."

"Well, let's let the viewers decide. Let us know in the comments who you think is better," Lily said.

James and Lily found themselves face to face, more nervous than ever. Both have wanted to do this for the past three months and now they finally had the chance. So why is it so hard?

"Ok, here we go for the totally fake kiss," James gulped.

"That means absolutely nothing," Lily confirmed.

Not knowing what came over him, James put one hand on Lily's face and the other in her hair, wasting no time in kissing her. Lily gasped a little, but placed her hands on his chest, kissing back with just as much vigor. Deciding to take control of the situation, Lily licked James' lips, begging for the permission she already knew she had

When their tongues met, Lily couldn't help but fist James' hair, causing the latter to let out a loud moan. This seemed to snap the two back to reality. They quickly pulled away, trying to fix their disheveled appearances.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," Lily confessed. James only nodded, eyes wide. "I think this video can be finished later," he said, grabbing Lily's hand and leading her to his room. 

That day, their relationship actually became official. Actually, it became official about 5 times that night.

[santiagostyle]

U kno what plot twist ill only ask u for all the even numbers this time!!! Unless any of the odd ones involve music bc i know those are the ones u rly wanna answer so

MARK THE DAY KIDS JO IS BEING NICE TO ME

anyway this is a hella long post lmao s o r r y

2. name your favourite books; why are they your favourite books and do they affect your writing?

my all time favourite is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee which like,, I feel like it doesn’t really affect my writing but it definitely reignited my love for literature which I guess consequently led to me getting back into writing??

also the A to Z of You and Me by James Hannah literally ripped out my heart and stomped on it and I’m seriously pretty sure I finished it within a few hours of starting it. That one probably does affect my writing because it’s very angsty but also in terms of style it’s pretty fragmented which is kinda the direction I tend to go in so!!!

I’m yet to make it past the first chapter but the style of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is,,, everything 

not technically a book but I’m a theatre major so ofc i’m gonna include a play!!! 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane ripped my heart out, tore it to pieces, threw it on the ground and stomped on it (also side note it took me a solid week and a half to recover from watching it performed live). the style is so abstract and disjointed and strange and fragmented but it’s so so perfect and absolutely heartbreaking (also big ass trigger warning if you’re thinking about looking it up)

ALSO i got about halfway through before life got in the way so I didn’t get the chance to finish it but I absolutely adore the style of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and like,,, fun fact I’m actually related to him so ???? i guess writing runs in the family ????? and yeah there are some small parts of that book that I read and thought ‘this sounds like something i would write’ just because i feel like we have pretty similar styles4. why do you like writing? what inspired you to put paper to pen?

I guess I haven’t ever really been happy just living one life or doing one thing at a time so,,,, I write 6. tag any writers that you want to collab with!

hoooooo boy um ?? literally ?? everyone??? but specifically @elsaclack @startofamoment @kasuchi @peraltiagoisland and my girl @johnnydora but for real i wanna write with EVERYONE 8. how many wip do you currently have? which one is your favourite as of the moment?

HA HA HA HA HA for real I literally have like,,, 4 Big Major Fics in the works and then like 11-12 little drabble things also in progress (and by in progress I mean I’ve thought about them and done absolutely nothing else)10. describe your writing in five sentences or less.

sentences suck imma do dot points

- I can’t write chronologically and the beginning of a story is usually the last thing I do

- I have a tendency to write ‘moments’ as opposed to actual full fledged stories if that makes sense? like I find it so much easier to write little ‘scenes’ or slices of life so i often use quite a few time jumps because i find it so difficult to write the stuff that occurs in between big moments

- i always spend so much time and so many words describing the littlest details because those are what i think are most important 

- literally everything i write has a song associated with it and i can’t write without music 

- i either use really long super flowery descriptive sentences, or sentences with like 3 words in them. there is no in between 

12. what do you associate with each of your stories? with your writing in general?

I mean I’ve only published two (2) things on here/ao3 so far but like I mentioned before the music thing so I suppose i associate particular songs with each of my stories?

but also like in general all of my writing comes from a really intense emotional place and like, even if I’m unsure of how my?? mental state?? is doing at a particular time, it comes through in my writing. so if i suddenly only wanna write fluff i know i’m doing okay, whereas i kinda have to be sad to write something angsty like the hellfic14. write a personal history/mini autobiography/author description that you don’t mind sharing.

smol anxious tina fey wannabe spends too much time crying in her room thinking about so many stories while putting off actually writing 16. three pieces of other’s writing that people need to read to understand your inspirations and you?

alright i know like everyone and their dog has already read it but foR REAL @elsaclack‘s sleepwalking changed my goddamn life alright it was literally everything i had ever wanted in a fic and i am still Shooktd to this day okay frick

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho is also a book that is very important to me and I think everyone should read it 

Neighbourhood Watch by Lally Katz is the first play that actually made me cry just by reading it (like, I didn’t see it live, I cried reading the actual text) because god there’s so much emotion and so many issues that it deals with that are very close to my heart and it reminded me a lot of some people I’m very close to so!!!!18. make a playlist for people to listen to if they want to understand you.

AIGHT I DON’T HAVE TIME TO DO AN ACTUAL PLAYLIST RN BUT I’M GONNA EDIT THIS LATER AND ADD A LINK BUT FOR NOW HERE ARE SOME OF MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE SONGS:

America - XYLØ

Young Blood - The Naked and Famous

Go Bang - PNAU

Sucker - Peaches

Raspberry Beret - Prince

Salvation - The Cranberries

Hero - Regina Spektor

Caught - Florence + The Machine

Time (Video Version) - Stray Dogg & Devendra Banhart

Leaving the City - Joanna Newsom

September 22nd - Brock Berrigan

Havana - Camila Cabello

Queen of Peace - Florence + The Machine

Regular Touch - Vera Blue

Here I Lie - Marika Hackman

Maneater - Nelly Furtado 

Kiwi - Harry Styles

Shut Up and Dance - WALK THE MOON

Baby I Call Hell - Deap Vally

Motel - Meg Myers20. describe your writing life in one sentence. 

I have been writing since I could hold a pen, and telling stories since before then22. your favourite characters to write and why.

oBVIOUSLY JAKE AND AMY but like I think I find Jake just a tiiiiiny bit easier to write because I’m always talking about Amy, like, externally??24. name one fact about yourself that you want your readers to know about you.

for real i’ve literally been writing since i could hold a pen. my mum still has ‘books’ i wrote when i was 3 about the adventures of my teddy bear lmfao26. what are your writing goals for the week? for the month? for the year? how many words/poems do you write per week?

HAHAHAHH WELLLLLL i was meant to be doing nanowrimo this month but then some Things happened so it hasn’t really gotten done. my biggest writing goal at the moment is to make some soliddddd progress on the hellfic (it’s all planned and a lot of the next chapter is written i just,,, can’t make the words work atm) so!!!

also i pretty much write when i have ideas?? which is,,, not often unfortunately

[guitarsun40-blog]

Turntable Kitchen’s Guide To The Best Record Players & Turntables

Several years ago, we put together a post about how to select the perfect turntable for your home. This was based on my own personal experience, hours and hours of online research, and even more time visiting hi-fi shops and experimenting with different turntables and setups.

We did make a recommendation for our favorite turntable at the time but what I’ve come to realize in the years since is that there is no one size fits all “best turntable” to satisfy all budgets and all consumers. Different people want different features and, obviously, different people have different budgets.

For that reason, we’ve decided to revisit that theme in a more comprehensive way to highlight what we believe are the best record players based on numerous criteria. In order to come up with our categories I’ve taken in mind the most common requests that I’ve seen over the years and used that to create our categories: Best High End Record Player, Best Record Player For Under $500, Best Record Player For Under $100, and Best Record Player Under $100 With Built In Speakers.

In making our selections, we’ve considered 50 total turntables. That list includes specific turntables I’ve been asked about, the turntables that we own in our home, and numerous turntables that I’ve experimented with directly. If you’re wondering, we have no less than seven permanent turntables in our home. Three of them are used weekly or better and have each been used for hundreds of hours of, ahem, “testing.”

In addition to testing each of these turntables ourselves, we’ve read dozens of other sites’ recommendations and reviews (The Wirecutter, What Hi-Fi?, Tech Radar, and actual customer reviews on Amazon) taking all of that feedback into account when preparing our own recommendations. My goal is to save you time by doing the research for you.

As a side note, if you’re wondering, we currently have a Pro-Ject Classic SB turntable set up in our living room (this is my favorite turntable I’ve ever owned/listened to). We have a Gramovox Floating Record Player set up in our bedroom (we use this one when listening to records quietly after putting the kids to bed). And we have a U-Turn Orbit Special set up in our media room (a.k.a. my office) that I use during the day while working. We also have a Crosley Executive and ION Max that we use for events and for when we want something portable.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that for our guide we use the terms record player and turntable interchangeably in the post. I think most people use the words interchangeably as well although, technically, I believe the difference is that a record player is typically thought of as a standalone unit (plug and play) whereas a turntable is often a component in a larger home audio system.

Best High End Turntable / Record Player

Our Top Choice: Pro-Ject The Classic SB Turntable ($1499)

This one was easy for me. The Classic SB is one of the cleanest, clearest, highest-performing record players I’ve ever listened to. Period. And, from a visual perspective, I absolutely love the beautiful wooden base. It’s available in your choice of Eucalytpus, Rosewood or Walnut . Style matters, and this one absolutely hits the mark for my taste.

More importantly, it’ll make your records sing like never before. It offers crisp, clean sound separation (i.e. instruments all sound crisp and distinct from one another) and offers exceptional performance whether you’re listening to Spoon’s Gimme Fiction, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN., James Blakes’ self-titled, or Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain.

A few features worth highlighting, aside from the wooden base, include the Sumiko Blue Point No. 2 cartridge, electronic speed control, a Leather It mat, and an included Clamp It. The bottom line? I’ve listened to many high end turntables with significantly higher price tags that can’t beat The Classic SB. As Steve C. explained in a comment on Music Direct, “It’s a beautiful turntable and the sound is exquisite. Pro-Ject has taken the award-winning Classic and added so many features that I don’t know how it can be sold for $1,500.”

If you can live without some of the frills (such as the electronic speed control, Sumiko cartridge, leather mat, etc) the standard edition of the Pro-Ject Classic is available for $400 less ($1099). If you can afford the extra cash though, the upgraded cartridge and electronic speed control alone are worth the money.

Get our recommendation, the Pro-Ject Classic SB, from Amazon.

Runner Up: Clearaudio Concept ($1800) 

The Clearaudio Concept is an absolute monster of a turntable. The sound production and performance are every bit the equal to The Pro-Ject Classic SB.

So why is this the runner up? Three reasons. First, I personally prefer the wood base of the Classic to the more modern style of the Concept. Second, the Concept is $300 more but didn’t provide a significantly better listening experience in my tests. Finally, I’ve read a great many reports to suggest that the magnetic bearing arm is very susceptible to footfall and skipping problems. Basically, this means that if you have wood floors, for example, the vibrations from walking in the vicinity of the turntable can cause it to skip. To get around this you’ll need a wall mount or concrete base. Any turntable is susceptible these issues but the Concept appears to be a little more susceptible than most.

Still, if you have the money to spend and prefer the aesthetic, it’s a beautiful sounding turntable. This review from Joe A. on Needledoctor pretty much sums it up, “It’s dead silent in operation, has a clear, agile sound that seems to pick the details right out of the mix without sounding thin or bright. One point to keep in mind when setting up the ‘table (and this may be due to the magnetic bearing arm) is that it is most definitely sensitive to footfalls.”

Get the Clearaudio Concept now from Amazon.

Best Record Players / Turntables For Under $500

Option 1: U-Turn Orbit Plus / U-Turn Orbit Special ($479)

I absolutely love the U-Turn Orbit. As noted above, it’s the turntable I use in my office and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a turntable in this price range. From a design perspective, I love the solid wood plinth and acrylic platter of the Special. More importantly, from an audio perspective, it’s a total champ. As Donald S. explained in a comment on Amazon, “There is zero motor noise, cartridge sounds clear, and this heavy platter has no resonance or feedback, even with very loud bass drum passages (Rush). It also looks beautifully made.”

My only gripe is that the belt does get stretched out easily if you move the belt by hand at all and you need to move the belt regularly if you go back and forth between 33rpm and 45rpm records. Aside from that, this turntable looks great and sounds great. And I’m happy to heartily recommend it to anyone.

Get the U-Turn Orbit Special from Amazon.

Option 2: Pro-Ject Debut Turntable ($399) 

The Debut line was our own entryway into audiophile turntables and it’s a widely loved deck. I’d rate the audio performance as slightly inferior to the U-Turn Orbit Special but if you add on a couple of optional upgrades such as an acrylic platter, Pro-Ject Speed Box, and so forth, it’s pretty much on par (or, arguably, better) than the U-Turn. After more than 8 years with my Pro-Ject I can also say I’ve not had the same issues with the belt that I’ve experienced with my U-Turn.

Thus, the Pro-Ject is a great option if you’d rather save a little money up front and then upgrade some of your components over time. Unless you pick up the Speed Box, you’ll still have to move the belt to switch between the 33rpm and 45rpm, but I’ve found that the belt packaged with the Debut maintains it’s elasticity much better. In a review on Amazon, GB says, “This turntable presents an unbeatable value for any audiophile. Sure, this is an entry-level piece, but you will be amazed how clear and crisp those records will sound.”

Get the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon from Amazon.

Best Turntable / Record Player For Under $100

Winner: Audio-Technica AT-LP60 ($99) 

What I like about the Audio-Technica is that it’s fully automatic and includes a switchable phono pre-amplifier. That built-in pre-amp means that, along with a pair of speakers, it’s ready to go straight out of the box. What’s better though is that it’s still compatible with higher end equipment since you can switch the pre-amp off if you have a nicer piece of gear to use instead.

The sound quality is also very impressive for a turntable in this price range which is more than enough to satisfy many listeners. Yes, it’s not nearly as impressive as the Pro-Ject Debut or U-Turn Orbit in terms of sound quality, but it’s much cheaper.

Here’s a summary from Amazon reviewer Scolfaro, “All I can say is wow. Super clean, full sound from the preamp in the unit, very good signal to noise ratio (barely audible hissing and crackling between tracks, not really perceivable when there’s any kind of music going on). Let’s see if it runs this well over time, so far I’m very impressed.”

Get the Audio Technica ATLP-60 from Amazon for $99.

Best Budget Turntable / Record Player Under $100 with Built In Speakers

Let me preface this by saying I’m not aware of any turntable by any manufacturer with high performing built-in speakers. You’re just not going to get audiophile sound out of a built-in speaker (unless you’re looking at $3k+ pieces).

There are a few turntables with built-in speakers (the Gramovox Floating Record Player comes to mind) that are more than a couple of steps above your laptop’s speakers but even then I’d highly recommend getting a pair of good bookshelf speakers at a minimum to get the best experience. So I’ll preface this section by saying this: if you’re really looking for a hi-fi experience, your best option on a budget is to start with the best pair of book shelf speakers you can afford and a budget turntable with a built-in preamp to go with them. You can always upgrade to a nicer turntable down the road.

With that said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a inexpensive turntable that is plug-n-play with built-in-speakers just for casually listening to your favorite records. In fact, for quite a few people I’ve spoken with over the years – this is the best option for them. In addition to the turntables we’ve mentioned above, we also own both a Crosley Executive and an ION Max and we use them both. Which is the best option for you really depends on your taste.

Option 1: Crosley Executive ($79.99) 

One of the things I really like about the Crosley Executive Portable Turntable with Bluetooth is how portable it is. You can bring it with you anywhere you have a power outlet or battery pack.

We’ve brought it out to the backyard so we can play records while grilling out and also to Turntable Kitchen events when showcasing our own releases. The faux-leather exterior is quite handsome and the speakers are better than you’d expect for such a reasonably priced unit. Plus, thanks to the built-in Bluetooth, you can always pair it with any Bluetooth speaker if you want to step up your game.

Amazon reviewer angeredmanatee says, “As someone who has spent months searching for a cool record player and didn’t want to fish out the big bucks this is a definitely worth the money!”

You can grab the Crosley Executive turntable from Amazon.

Option 2: ION Max ($78.02) 

We also have an ION Max in our home and it’s been the budget turntable of choice from several of our friends. What we like about it is the “natural wood finish” and overall stylish design.

It’s less portable than the Crosley Executive and lacks the Bluetooth feature, however, the built-in speakers offer better sound quality and it’s arguably the better turntable (bonus features aside). Even better it’s also available in a glossy piano black color that’s also quite nice but, more importantly, is available for a mere $44.99 from Amazon at the time of writing. That’s by far the best deal I’ve seen on a budget turntable making this an easy recommendation for someone on a budget.

As Amazon reviewer Kells explains, “I love this turntable  . . . I wanted something simple, plug it in, turn it on and not have to deal with speakers or a receiver. This one fit the bill.”

You can grab the ION Max from Amazon.

Tips For Selecting Your Own Turntable

Not interested in any of the ones I recommended above?  Maybe you just want to hit eBay to buy a vintage turntable. No worries, here are some tips to help you select your own. Note: This section originally appeared (with some small edits) in our original turntable guide.

Belt-drive vs. Direct-drive

I recommend belt-drive turntables particularly for beginners. If you aren’t a DJ, the advantages of direct-drive turntables are insignificant, but there are disadvantages – especially if you aren’t ready to dive into the high-end market (and even then, I generally recommend belt-driven turntables).

This is because direct-drive turntables can transmit noise from the motor and bearing to the stylus, which means the sound produced isn’t as clean as it could be.  Many direct-drive turntables also can have issues related to speed that cause pitch variations in playback (a.k.a. wow and flutter). Conversely, the belt on a belt-driven turntable absorbs vibrations that may otherwise be picked up by the stylus.

I’m not arguing that direct-drive turntables are bad! They’re not. It’s just that the technology is often more expensive meaning you’re going to pay more for the same quality of sound production. However if you’re buying a vintage piece or find a deal then by all means go with the direct drive turntable.

Built-in amplifiers

First, let me say that I have no intention of getting deep into a discussion of preamps, integrated preamps, and amplifiers.  There is a lot to cover on the topic, and I want to keep this about selecting a turntable.  However, when selecting a turntable, you’ll need to decide whether you want to purchase a turntable with a built in preamp or not.

I’m going to try to keep this as straightforward as possible, which means I’m glossing over a lot of stuff here. With that said, here is the basic gist of it: without a preamp, the output from your turntable won’t be loud enough to be picked up through normal stereo equipment/speakers.

Personally, I don’t like turntables with built-in amplifiers and I’d rather buy my own.  With a built-in preamp you are stuck with the quality of the preamp built-in to the turntable, which probably isn’t very good.  Audiophile equipment generally won’t include that option anyway. However, buying a turntable with a built-in preamp saves you the cost of having to buy a separate preamp.

Thus, the bottom line is this: if you are on a tight budget, go with a turntable with a built-in preamp; if you are going middle of the road on a system you can improve over time, I’d recommend buying a separate integrated amp (combines the preamp and amplifier)(hint: you may find cheap “vintage” equipment on eBay to get you started); and if you are looking to build the perfect system you’ll probably want to go with a separate preamp, amplifier, turntable, and phono-in.  As I mentioned above, I started my system with a Cambridge Audio Azur 340A integrated pre-amp, a Cambridge Audio phono-in, and a pair of PSB speakers.

If you’re looking for preamps, speakers, or phono stages check out this older guide we’d prepared about building a turntable stereo system with some still relevant recommendations: https://www.turntablekitchen.com/2014/10/turntable-kitchens-top-6-recommended-turntable-systems/

Source: https://www.turntablekitchen.com/2018/09/best-record-players-turntables/

[peaparker]

WHAT I’M WRITING TAG

I was tagged by the suuuuper cool @james-mcallowance and thanks so much for tagging me I swear I was bored out of mind so this gave me sonething to do

Gif sets: I have like 16 ideas for gifsets that I come up with at like 3 in the morning there’s one I wanna make with a steven universe quote so that’s cool. even though I suuuuuuuck at gifs anyways yeah

fics: i really wanna kinda write some cherik fics of maybe a multi chapter one but I don’t have any ideas for an actual plot sooooooo yeah that’s pretty much all that’s going on in the fic department. I think will start something soon maybe possibly ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Imaginesss: I’m SUPER excited about this bc I’m making an xmen imagines blog pretty soon. It’s pretty much already made I just haven’t written anything yet soo im going to get on that speedy fast,, I hope it succeeds much like this one. the imagines might be trash bc I can’t write but we’ll see.

 Video edits: I wanna get into video edits (again) I was into video edits a while back but it stopped when agents of shield went on hiatus and since it’s gonna be on hiatus for like year I want to maybe make some cherik ones. im really broke and can’t afford super fancy smancy editing thingys so we’ll see what free trials and movie maker can do :D

Thankssss

this is like a weird tag because everyone isn’t working on somethins soo if i tag u and like u dont like have an work in progressessesese i mean that’s pretty chill

but anyways i tag: @ikeracity, @w-ild ( i rly want to expose u), @wafflerine, and if like anyone else wants so do it like cool i tag u because i’d love to see what ur working on

[whoareurl]

commissions! CLOSED 25/10/17

hello friends!! on the advice and encouragement of the lovely @headcold-canon i have decided to try my hand at commissions. i used to think only visual artists did commissions but @nnatto has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me. (btw pls commission nnatto!! their writing is !!!)

My writing here is tagged acefic on here so you can see my past stuff but I’ve also been known to write long things on the blue hell site.

shit i will write for

yuri on ice, free, haikyuu, voltron, death note, harry potter, a darker shade of magic (but i haven’t read the third book yet so if you spoil it for me i’ll fuckin cut you), pride and prejudice, avengers, brooklyn 99, james bond etc.

this is just a list of stuff i like right now and is by no means conclusive. i’ve been into other things in the past (like sherlock, supernatural, doctor who etc.) and there are a lot of miscellaneous books/movies i’ll happily write for so if you want something specific just ask!

i’m happy to write canon or au stuff

if you have OCs, i’m happy to try my hand at them too but pls bear in mind you’re gonna have to give me quite a bit of info on them or they might end up being ooc and that would suck!!

fetish-related stuff

i can write full kink stuff or just general h/c or whump stuff. it’s up to you. but i can’t write smut. i can write sensual scenes and sex as long as you’re okay with the main focus being on the fetishy side rather than the smut side.

i’ll write illness or allergy stuff, whatever you want. i’ll write pretty much any symptom you want, including period cramps. i can also write most pairings BUT i won’t erase canon lgbt rep (e.g. i won’t write viktor/mila). if you want more serious illness let me know.

i don’t mind writing emeto, mess, or angst if that’s what you want but i generally won’t write those things unless you specify.

if there’s anything you don’t like/don’t want, please tell me!!

shit i won’t write

non con

underage stuff (aged up stuff is ok though)

ddlg

homophobia/transphobia in the yoi universe

I WILL NOT WRITE YOU ANYTHING IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN (18)

rates

$10/1000 words with an additional $5 charge for every 5000 words. this is because planning a 5k fic takes more work than five separate 1k fics u feel?

other shit

i will always ask if i can post ur thing but if you want to keep it for yourself that’s totally valid since you did pay me for it omg. if you’re cool with me posting it, let me know if you’d rather i left your name out of it.

i’ll start writing once you pay me but i will say right now that i will NOT begin working on anything before May 19th because i have finals.

also i’d like to do ko-fi raffles like kit and nnatto if enough people are kind enough to support me so if you want to buy my a ko-fi that’d be gr8

EDIT: i removed my paypal because i’m gonna start using invoices (just to keep myself in check and everything legally protected and such) so please don’t sent me money if you still have the old email because I’ll send it back

[raviposting]

most hated fandom?

HA. HAAAAAA. HAAAAAAAAAAAA. Okay, this is going to be me salting quite a lot because there are about three that are tied because I hate them…so…damn..much - but, ofc, everything will be slashed so no one can come at me bc I’m staying in my damn lane. Cool? Cool. 

And of course, this is not meant to shade every single person in these fandoms. Saying this includes every single person in fandom is a ridiculous assumption to make. I follow people from each, and they’re lovely wonderful people. When I say fandom, I’m talking about the community, not every individual in that community. I’m going by my personal experience, with the fandom that I have seen.

Edit: WOW this got too long for only 3 fandoms so it’s under a read more sorry if you’re on mobile bud (and, uh, if you love any of these fandoms). 

The Cl/exa fandom. It remains the first fandom that I’ve actively hated without being a part of fandom or ever watching the show. I followed a lot of The 1.00 people, and fandom seemed really sweet at the time, but sometime around season 2 I noticed a lot of my Cl/exa followers being horribly racist, biphobic, or just overall shitty (about three kept saying B/ellamy had white male privilege and I really had to double check because I was sure he was a POC and ofc, the actor is, so that was fun). There were also people hating on Desi fans who pointed out how L/exa’s brownface + bindi (and yes, yes, the “helm of awe” thing I get it but that paired with her brownface doesn’t exactly pair well) or considered it “just her having dirt on her face!!!” or “she’s just tan!” really bothered me (esp when one of those same people reblogged an AU where she’s the child of D/rogo & D/any where - Drogo is a POC man so which is it?? Is she a white woman in brown face or not because bud you can’t have both.) The full on moment I hated fandom, though, was when L/exa died. I was sympathetic up until every single wlw ship I followed was filled with L/exa dying. I really don’t need that, especially with the constant “LESBIAN KILLED BY A BULLET” trope being applied to D/elphine who 1. Showed up later on in the season perfectly fine and 2. Is B I S E X U A L. There was constant bi-erasure (one post in particular called K/orrasami lesbians and when it was pointed out that they were both bi the response was that they knew but meant lesbian as in wlw like???? What?????). And that, that was the exact moment when I finally went through my dash and unfollowed a shit load of awful Cl/exa fans and now I only have about 3-5 that I follow because they’re nice, point out problematic aspects, and/or are just generally non-shitty people. 

The DC.TV fandom, specifically the Error & Supe/rgirl fandom. The Sup/ergirl fandom was fine the first season, but it’s especially broken down the second season. Constant erasure of James from the white femslash fandom like!!! How fun!!! And, of course, there’s the Error fandom - they were extra fun. I ship Ol*icity and somehow the fandom managed to lessen my love for them with their misogynistic hatred of La/urel!! Not to mention their real life hatred of KC and shipping Stem*ly together and trying to say that they’re having an affair in real life because that’s not gross at all!!!! And honestly, while I shit on the Ol*city fandom a lot, the entire fandom is gross - I’ve seen the L/aurel fandom slut shame Fel*city and I understand not liking her character, but I don’t like the slut shaming, and I especially hate when people want her to die graphically, because she is a Jewish character and people really need to think about the implications that they give off when they write posts about wanting her to die or make posts with Feli/city dolls where the head is chopped off or she’s bloody af like please criticize the character but don’t be shitty and forget that she’s a Jewish character too, and please don’t be misogynistic.

And I didn’t really get on about them but honestly??? Fl/ash fandom can be shitty too, esp with the ones who have their White Faves, and the Sn*wbarry vs West*llen nonsense. Sn*wbarry fandom can be transparently racist at times, and it’s ridiculous, esp when they’re called out on excluding I.ris or Ci.sco from posts. Ship what you want - I’m not gonna rag on anyone for shipping Sn*wbarry - but please don’t try to pretend like this ship wasn’t founded in racism, like the second CP was cast for I.ris fandom didn’t go “oh….you know what…..Dan/ielle’s character looks…more suitable for B.arry….”. That doesn’t mean that YOU’RE racist, but that’s where the ship came from, and I dislike the fact that people act like that didn’t happen. And - I am part of the We/stallen fandom (kind of) and I like it, but I do have to admit the fandom can be too aggressive at times, and goes overboard on people who multiship or don’t ship We/stallen. I understand there are racist issues with most of the people fandom has had to deal with on the tag, but I’ll see people attacking people who want to get along or congratulated us, or simply immediately accusing them of being racist and like, fam, wyd? Don’t do that, be better than that. 

WHILE WE’RE HERE I feel like most of the annoying parts of the LOT fandom comes from F/larrow but they’re still a part of L.OT and the biphobia that comes from there (esp from the C.aptain C.anary fandom - which, I still ship the ship, but come on fandom be less annoying). 

The majority of the S/ansa fandom. I love S/ansa. She’s my favorite female character ever. However, a large part of her active fandom irritates me. What are Sa/nsa (who is 11-16 depending on the timelines) biggest ships? Her with P/etyr (middle aged man), with T/yrion (middle aged man, who she was forced into a marriage with), with J/on (her adopted brother and biological cousin), and with Sa/ndor (a middle aged man who she’s terrified of). People try to pass it off like they were shipping these with no problem because of Sophie being legal, but these ships were very large when Sophie was starting out as S/ansa - aka when she was 13. And, the ship was incredibly popular in the book fandom, meaning that fans read about an 11 year old girl interacting with middle aged men and thought, “yes, let’s ship her with them”. People try to excuse them and say it’s because “it’s how it works in GOT” but honestly I think that’s an excuse to just ship their pedophile ships - and when they ship J*onsa, it completely ignores Jo.n’s place as a S/tark and acts as if him being adopted does not make him S/ansa’s true brother, which real-life adopted fans have seen from the J*onsa fandom and have found hurtful. It’s so shitty and normalizes abusive ships or relationships with a power-imbalance, and it’s horrible that people see this character, call themselves fans, and yet still ship her in the most unhealthy relationships.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1149

Monday, January 30, 2017

 It's the Chinese Year of the Rooster folks and there's a cock in the White House. We are living in interesting times indeed. I am trying my best not to get riled up by the d-bag but it's difficult. The empathy I feel for others means I cannot ignore the affect the changes have on everybody. I just hope we all get through these difficult times relatively unscathed.

 I'm going to have a fun Sunday on February 5. I'll be at the Walkley Arena for the Capital Trade Show where my partner Chris and I will be flogging old comic books. Then it's Super Bowl 51 with two gun slinging quarterbacks. I am cheering for a high scoring affair.

 Civil War II: The Oath #1 - Nick Spencer (writer) Rod Reis, Raffaele Ienco, Szymon Kudranski & Dono Sanchez-Almara (art) VC's Chris Eliopoulos (letters). Didn't see that coming. While it makes sense to appoint Captain America as the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (again) the surprise is that I don't think it's Steve Rogers under the mask. I don't particularly like the new political landscape that the Marvel U is headed towards but it does make for some easy enemies for the good guys to fight with. Nick put in a lot of rah, rah patriotism in this book so it was a tough slog trying to get through it but the payoff at the end is worth it.

 Kamandi Challenge #1 - Part One: Dan Didio (writer) Keith Giffen (pencils) Scott Koblish (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Clem Robins (letters) Part Two: Dan Abnett (writer) Dale Eaglesham (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Clem Robins (letters). He's the last boy on Earth and he's going on a wild adventure to find his parents. One of Jack Kirby's creations is getting a round robin of comic book creators to excite fans like never before. Each part of the story will be done by a different team that will end with a cliffhanger that the next team must find a way to resolve. I have a nagging feeling that this stunt has been done before but I can't remember when so I'm going to tag along to see who does what. I'm not a fan of Kamandi but I want to see who all are going to be involved on the creative side.

 Loose Ends #1 - Jason Latour (writer) Chris Brunner (art) Rico Renzi (colours). The cover says that this 4-issue mini is a southern crime romance. They got that right. We're looking at a trailer dwelling war vet whose friend gets him mixed up in running drugs. You can expect that the vet and the friend get into a heap of trouble and they do. I like how Sonny and Rej each wind up where they do at the end of this first issue so you bet I'm going to keep reading. Not much romance so far but I'm sure Jason will get to that.

 Star Wars #27 - Jason Aaron (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Yay Yoda. Root for him I will.

 Batgirl #7 - Hope Larson (writer) Chris Wildgoose (art) Mat Lopes (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Part 1 of "Son of Penguin" introduces Ethan Cobblepot and I don't care if there is no reference to him anywhere else in the DCU because he's going to be a great adversary for Barbara Gordon. I like how Chris draws her older than Rafael Albuquerque did. This is going to be fun.

 Briggs Land #6 - Brian Wood (writer) Mack Chater (art) Lee Loughridge & Jeremy Colwell (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). I really like Grace Briggs. The risks that she is taking will hopefully keep her people safe. Brian has crafted a story fit for cable TV.

 Totally Awesome Hulk #15 - Greg Pak (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Nolan Woodward (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Greg continues to feature heroes of the Asian persuasion in this story about Amadeus hanging out with Jake Oh, Kamala Khan, Cindy Moon, Shang-Chi, and Jimmy Woo. It does play on some stereotypes but I think it's okay because they're true for these guys.

 Odyssey of the Amazons #1 - Kevin Grevioux (writer) Ryan Benjamin (pencils) Richard Friend (inks) Tony Washington & Tony Avina (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). This 6-issue mini has a lot of women but not a wonder one in sight. Kevin features Diana's sister Amazons in a tale worthy of Homer. If you like classic sword and sorcery, you'll like this.

 Dead Inside #2 - John Arcudi (writer) Tony Fejzula (art) Andre May (colours) Joe Sabino (letters). The plot thickens like congealed blood and murder suspects start to emerge. Linda has plenty to deal with inside the prison but she's surprised when she gets home after work by a sight I did not expect to see. This mystery is crazy good.

 Inhumans vs. X-Men #3 - Charles Soule & Jeff Lemire (writer) Javier Garron (art) Andres Mossa & Jay David Ramos (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). There are three more issue to this mini but it seems to me that Charles and Jeff have already come up with a solution to the Terrigen cloud that would end the war. The mutant Forge has built a machine that can collect the Terrigen gas and compress it into a solid in this issue. Wouldn't that solve the problem of the gas killing the mutants? Works for me.

 Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #6 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Howard Porter (art) Alex Sinclair (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). All is well that ends well. Both teams join forces to defeat Eclipso and Max Lord is at the mercy of Amanda Waller. Batman sees the light and gathers another team together to fight evil forces. Get ready for a new Justice League of America #1 hitting the racks on February 22. DC is sure spreading Bats pretty thin these days.

 Skybourne #3 - Frank Cho (writer & artist) Marcio Menyz (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). The identity of the bad guy was a nice surprise. I like Frank's comic books because they're simple stories about good versus evil that are beautifully drawn.

 Hulk #2 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Nico Leon & Dalibor Talajic (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Waiting for Jennifer to Hulk out is one of the things I like about the new book. She has a lot more self control than I have. The scary thing about the eventuality of her losing control is that this new Hulk will be an uncontrollable creature of rage but we'll have to wait and see what happens. Until then I'm enjoying Jen's life so far.

 Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #13 - Robert Venditti (writer) V Ken Marion (pencils) Paul Neary & Dexter Vines (inks) Alex Sollazzo (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Now that the planet Xudar has been saved, what now? It's time for a bedtime story that's what. This is a nice interlude issue before we launch into the next story. I've been enjoying this team book now that my loyalty to the Avengers has waned. We'll see if Robert can keep me hooked with his next adventure.

 Saga #42 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Fiona Staples (art) Fonografiks (letters). And fade to black. No, really. It's hiatus time again but this issue didn't leaving me screaming profanities about the long wait until the next issue hits the racks. There is a new character introduced who I will be very interested to find out more about.

 Doctor Strange #16 - Jason Aaron (writer) Chris Bachalo with Cory Smith (art) Al Vey, John Livesay, Victor Olazaba, &  Tim Townsend (inks) Antonio Fabela & Java Tartaglia with Chris Bachalo (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Dormammu is finally going to get his chance to kill Doctor Strange after he has been weakened by his fight with the Empirikul. Jason does find a neat way to save Stephen however. The next bit of nastiness involves someone close to the Doc. Oboy.

 Wonder Woman #15 - Greg Rucka (writer) Liam Sharp (art) Laura Martin (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). Part 1 of "The Truth" finds Diana in a mental hospital. How she got there has yet to be explained but I'm sure I can handle it.

 Punisher #8 - Becky Cloonan (writer) Laura Braga with Iolanda Zanfardino (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). That little old lady toting the double barrelled shotgun from last issue is named Ethel. She looks scary but she's not what you think. The change in art took some getting used to but it isn't bad enough to make me bench this book. I do have a couple of complaints though. If you're going to call a motorcycle a Harley, don't show what looks like a BMW logo on the gas tank. Also, draw the bad guy from the chest up when Frank says that he opened up his guts, not a full body shot that clearly shows an abdomen without any wounds at all. I don't know if the art had to be rushed after Steve Dillon passed away unexpectedly but that's just shoddy editing.

 Action Comics #972 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Stephen Segovia (pencils) Art Thibert (inks) Ulises Arreola (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Trust Dan to come up with a non-violent way to stop Lex from being executed by the bad guys. It also served to show what possible futures are in store for this new Superman. DC has managed to revive my interest in this iconic character.

 Daredevil #16 - Charles Soule (writer) Goran Sudzuka (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). We find out why Daredevil put out a hit on himself to lure out Bullseye. There's some soul searching this issue which leads into the next storyline. I liked how Charles sets it up.

 Detective Comics #949 - James Tynion IV & Marguerite Bennett (writers) Ben Oliver & Szymon Kudranski (art) Ben Oliver, Gabe Eltaeb & Hi-Fi (colours) Marilyn Patrizio (letters). The finale of "Batwoman Begins" is a very good prelude to Batwoman's solo book which hits the racks on February 15. It looks like James and Marguerite are going to have a Raymond Reddington and Agent Keen thing going on between Kate and her dad. That's got me interested.

 Infamous Iron Man #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Brian must have a thing for mother and son stories. He did it in International Iron Man where he introduced Tony's biological mother. Now he's showing us Victor's mom. I really do believe that Doom has reformed and I hope he stays a good guy.

 Spider-Man/Deadpool: Monsters Unleashed - Joshua Corin (writer) Tigh Walker (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The boys save Toronto eh.

 Thanos #3 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Mike Deodato (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's the Imperial Guard of the Shi'ar versus Thanos. A perfect opportunity to give a history lesson on the life of the Mad Titan.

 Spider-Woman #15 - Dennis Hopeless (writer) Veronica Fish (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Jessica subdues the new Porcupine and finds out who put the hit out on her friend Roger. Now she's gunning for the Hobgoblin but he's protected by an army of super villains. I hope little Gerry doesn't become an orphan.

[appletable80-blog]

Turntable Kitchen’s Guide To The Best Record Players & Turntables

Several years ago, we put together a post about how to select the perfect turntable for your home. This was based on my own personal experience, hours and hours of online research, and even more time visiting hi-fi shops and experimenting with different turntables and setups.

We did make a recommendation for our favorite turntable at the time but what I’ve come to realize in the years since is that there is no one size fits all “best turntable” to satisfy all budgets and all consumers. Different people want different features and, obviously, different people have different budgets.

For that reason, we’ve decided to revisit that theme in a more comprehensive way to highlight what we believe are the best record players based on numerous criteria. In order to come up with our categories I’ve taken in mind the most common requests that I’ve seen over the years and used that to create our categories: Best High End Record Player, Best Record Player For Under $500, Best Record Player For Under $100, and Best Record Player Under $100 With Built In Speakers.

In making our selections, we’ve considered 50 total turntables. That list includes specific turntables I’ve been asked about, the turntables that we own in our home, and numerous turntables that I’ve experimented with directly. If you’re wondering, we have no less than seven permanent turntables in our home. Three of them are used weekly or better and have each been used for hundreds of hours of, ahem, “testing.”

In addition to testing each of these turntables ourselves, we’ve read dozens of other sites’ recommendations and reviews (The Wirecutter, What Hi-Fi?, Tech Radar, and actual customer reviews on Amazon) taking all of that feedback into account when preparing our own recommendations. My goal is to save you time by doing the research for you.

As a side note, if you’re wondering, we currently have a Pro-Ject Classic SB turntable set up in our living room (this is my favorite turntable I’ve ever owned/listened to). We have a Gramovox Floating Record Player set up in our bedroom (we use this one when listening to records quietly after putting the kids to bed). And we have a U-Turn Orbit Special set up in our media room (a.k.a. my office) that I use during the day while working. We also have a Crosley Executive and ION Max that we use for events and for when we want something portable.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that for our guide we use the terms record player and turntable interchangeably in the post. I think most people use the words interchangeably as well although, technically, I believe the difference is that a record player is typically thought of as a standalone unit (plug and play) whereas a turntable is often a component in a larger home audio system.

Best High End Turntable / Record Player

Our Top Choice: Pro-Ject The Classic SB Turntable ($1499)

This one was easy for me. The Classic SB is one of the cleanest, clearest, highest-performing record players I’ve ever listened to. Period. And, from a visual perspective, I absolutely love the beautiful wooden base. It’s available in your choice of Eucalytpus, Rosewood or Walnut . Style matters, and this one absolutely hits the mark for my taste.

More importantly, it’ll make your records sing like never before. It offers crisp, clean sound separation (i.e. instruments all sound crisp and distinct from one another) and offers exceptional performance whether you’re listening to Spoon’s Gimme Fiction, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN., James Blakes’ self-titled, or Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain.

A few features worth highlighting, aside from the wooden base, include the Sumiko Blue Point No. 2 cartridge, electronic speed control, a Leather It mat, and an included Clamp It. The bottom line? I’ve listened to many high end turntables with significantly higher price tags that can’t beat The Classic SB. As Steve C. explained in a comment on Music Direct, “It’s a beautiful turntable and the sound is exquisite. Pro-Ject has taken the award-winning Classic and added so many features that I don’t know how it can be sold for $1,500.”

If you can live without some of the frills (such as the electronic speed control, Sumiko cartridge, leather mat, etc) the standard edition of the Pro-Ject Classic is available for $400 less ($1099). If you can afford the extra cash though, the upgraded cartridge and electronic speed control alone are worth the money.

Get our recommendation, the Pro-Ject Classic SB, from Amazon.

Runner Up: Clearaudio Concept ($1800) 

The Clearaudio Concept is an absolute monster of a turntable. The sound production and performance are every bit the equal to The Pro-Ject Classic SB.

So why is this the runner up? Three reasons. First, I personally prefer the wood base of the Classic to the more modern style of the Concept. Second, the Concept is $300 more but didn’t provide a significantly better listening experience in my tests. Finally, I’ve read a great many reports to suggest that the magnetic bearing arm is very susceptible to footfall and skipping problems. Basically, this means that if you have wood floors, for example, the vibrations from walking in the vicinity of the turntable can cause it to skip. To get around this you’ll need a wall mount or concrete base. Any turntable is susceptible these issues but the Concept appears to be a little more susceptible than most.

Still, if you have the money to spend and prefer the aesthetic, it’s a beautiful sounding turntable. This review from Joe A. on Needledoctor pretty much sums it up, “It’s dead silent in operation, has a clear, agile sound that seems to pick the details right out of the mix without sounding thin or bright. One point to keep in mind when setting up the ‘table (and this may be due to the magnetic bearing arm) is that it is most definitely sensitive to footfalls.”

Get the Clearaudio Concept now from Amazon.

Best Record Players / Turntables For Under $500

Option 1: U-Turn Orbit Plus / U-Turn Orbit Special ($479)

I absolutely love the U-Turn Orbit. As noted above, it’s the turntable I use in my office and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a turntable in this price range. From a design perspective, I love the solid wood plinth and acrylic platter of the Special. More importantly, from an audio perspective, it’s a total champ. As Donald S. explained in a comment on Amazon, “There is zero motor noise, cartridge sounds clear, and this heavy platter has no resonance or feedback, even with very loud bass drum passages (Rush). It also looks beautifully made.”

My only gripe is that the belt does get stretched out easily if you move the belt by hand at all and you need to move the belt regularly if you go back and forth between 33rpm and 45rpm records. Aside from that, this turntable looks great and sounds great. And I’m happy to heartily recommend it to anyone.

Get the U-Turn Orbit Special from Amazon.

Option 2: Pro-Ject Debut Turntable ($399) 

The Debut line was our own entryway into audiophile turntables and it’s a widely loved deck. I’d rate the audio performance as slightly inferior to the U-Turn Orbit Special but if you add on a couple of optional upgrades such as an acrylic platter, Pro-Ject Speed Box, and so forth, it’s pretty much on par (or, arguably, better) than the U-Turn. After more than 8 years with my Pro-Ject I can also say I’ve not had the same issues with the belt that I’ve experienced with my U-Turn.

Thus, the Pro-Ject is a great option if you’d rather save a little money up front and then upgrade some of your components over time. Unless you pick up the Speed Box, you’ll still have to move the belt to switch between the 33rpm and 45rpm, but I’ve found that the belt packaged with the Debut maintains it’s elasticity much better. In a review on Amazon, GB says, “This turntable presents an unbeatable value for any audiophile. Sure, this is an entry-level piece, but you will be amazed how clear and crisp those records will sound.”

Get the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon from Amazon.

Best Turntable / Record Player For Under $100

Winner: Audio-Technica AT-LP60 ($99) 

What I like about the Audio-Technica is that it’s fully automatic and includes a switchable phono pre-amplifier. That built-in pre-amp means that, along with a pair of speakers, it’s ready to go straight out of the box. What’s better though is that it’s still compatible with higher end equipment since you can switch the pre-amp off if you have a nicer piece of gear to use instead.

The sound quality is also very impressive for a turntable in this price range which is more than enough to satisfy many listeners. Yes, it’s not nearly as impressive as the Pro-Ject Debut or U-Turn Orbit in terms of sound quality, but it’s much cheaper.

Here’s a summary from Amazon reviewer Scolfaro, “All I can say is wow. Super clean, full sound from the preamp in the unit, very good signal to noise ratio (barely audible hissing and crackling between tracks, not really perceivable when there’s any kind of music going on). Let’s see if it runs this well over time, so far I’m very impressed.”

Get the Audio Technica ATLP-60 from Amazon for $99.

Best Budget Turntable / Record Player Under $100 with Built In Speakers

Let me preface this by saying I’m not aware of any turntable by any manufacturer with high performing built-in speakers. You’re just not going to get audiophile sound out of a built-in speaker (unless you’re looking at $3k+ pieces).

There are a few turntables with built-in speakers (the Gramovox Floating Record Player comes to mind) that are more than a couple of steps above your laptop’s speakers but even then I’d highly recommend getting a pair of good bookshelf speakers at a minimum to get the best experience. So I’ll preface this section by saying this: if you’re really looking for a hi-fi experience, your best option on a budget is to start with the best pair of book shelf speakers you can afford and a budget turntable with a built-in preamp to go with them. You can always upgrade to a nicer turntable down the road.

With that said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a inexpensive turntable that is plug-n-play with built-in-speakers just for casually listening to your favorite records. In fact, for quite a few people I’ve spoken with over the years – this is the best option for them. In addition to the turntables we’ve mentioned above, we also own both a Crosley Executive and an ION Max and we use them both. Which is the best option for you really depends on your taste.

Option 1: Crosley Executive ($79.99) 

One of the things I really like about the Crosley Executive Portable Turntable with Bluetooth is how portable it is. You can bring it with you anywhere you have a power outlet or battery pack.

We’ve brought it out to the backyard so we can play records while grilling out and also to Turntable Kitchen events when showcasing our own releases. The faux-leather exterior is quite handsome and the speakers are better than you’d expect for such a reasonably priced unit. Plus, thanks to the built-in Bluetooth, you can always pair it with any Bluetooth speaker if you want to step up your game.

Amazon reviewer angeredmanatee says, “As someone who has spent months searching for a cool record player and didn’t want to fish out the big bucks this is a definitely worth the money!”

You can grab the Crosley Executive turntable from Amazon.

Option 2: ION Max ($78.02) 

We also have an ION Max in our home and it’s been the budget turntable of choice from several of our friends. What we like about it is the “natural wood finish” and overall stylish design.

It’s less portable than the Crosley Executive and lacks the Bluetooth feature, however, the built-in speakers offer better sound quality and it’s arguably the better turntable (bonus features aside). Even better it’s also available in a glossy piano black color that’s also quite nice but, more importantly, is available for a mere $44.99 from Amazon at the time of writing. That’s by far the best deal I’ve seen on a budget turntable making this an easy recommendation for someone on a budget.

As Amazon reviewer Kells explains, “I love this turntable  . . . I wanted something simple, plug it in, turn it on and not have to deal with speakers or a receiver. This one fit the bill.”

You can grab the ION Max from Amazon.

Tips For Selecting Your Own Turntable

Not interested in any of the ones I recommended above?  Maybe you just want to hit eBay to buy a vintage turntable. No worries, here are some tips to help you select your own. Note: This section originally appeared (with some small edits) in our original turntable guide.

Belt-drive vs. Direct-drive

I recommend belt-drive turntables particularly for beginners. If you aren’t a DJ, the advantages of direct-drive turntables are insignificant, but there are disadvantages – especially if you aren’t ready to dive into the high-end market (and even then, I generally recommend belt-driven turntables).

This is because direct-drive turntables can transmit noise from the motor and bearing to the stylus, which means the sound produced isn’t as clean as it could be.  Many direct-drive turntables also can have issues related to speed that cause pitch variations in playback (a.k.a. wow and flutter). Conversely, the belt on a belt-driven turntable absorbs vibrations that may otherwise be picked up by the stylus.

I’m not arguing that direct-drive turntables are bad! They’re not. It’s just that the technology is often more expensive meaning you’re going to pay more for the same quality of sound production. However if you’re buying a vintage piece or find a deal then by all means go with the direct drive turntable.

Built-in amplifiers

First, let me say that I have no intention of getting deep into a discussion of preamps, integrated preamps, and amplifiers.  There is a lot to cover on the topic, and I want to keep this about selecting a turntable.  However, when selecting a turntable, you’ll need to decide whether you want to purchase a turntable with a built in preamp or not.

I’m going to try to keep this as straightforward as possible, which means I’m glossing over a lot of stuff here. With that said, here is the basic gist of it: without a preamp, the output from your turntable won’t be loud enough to be picked up through normal stereo equipment/speakers.

Personally, I don’t like turntables with built-in amplifiers and I’d rather buy my own.  With a built-in preamp you are stuck with the quality of the preamp built-in to the turntable, which probably isn’t very good.  Audiophile equipment generally won’t include that option anyway. However, buying a turntable with a built-in preamp saves you the cost of having to buy a separate preamp.

Thus, the bottom line is this: if you are on a tight budget, go with a turntable with a built-in preamp; if you are going middle of the road on a system you can improve over time, I’d recommend buying a separate integrated amp (combines the preamp and amplifier)(hint: you may find cheap “vintage” equipment on eBay to get you started); and if you are looking to build the perfect system you’ll probably want to go with a separate preamp, amplifier, turntable, and phono-in.  As I mentioned above, I started my system with a Cambridge Audio Azur 340A integrated pre-amp, a Cambridge Audio phono-in, and a pair of PSB speakers.

If you’re looking for preamps, speakers, or phono stages check out this older guide we’d prepared about building a turntable stereo system with some still relevant recommendations: https://www.turntablekitchen.com/2014/10/turntable-kitchens-top-6-recommended-turntable-systems/

Source: https://www.turntablekitchen.com/2018/09/best-record-players-turntables/

[appletable80-blog]

Turntable Kitchen’s Guide To The Best Record Players & Turntables

Several years ago, we put together a post about how to select the perfect turntable for your home. This was based on my own personal experience, hours and hours of online research, and even more time visiting hi-fi shops and experimenting with different turntables and setups.

We did make a recommendation for our favorite turntable at the time but what I’ve come to realize in the years since is that there is no one size fits all “best turntable” to satisfy all budgets and all consumers. Different people want different features and, obviously, different people have different budgets.

For that reason, we’ve decided to revisit that theme in a more comprehensive way to highlight what we believe are the best record players based on numerous criteria. In order to come up with our categories I’ve taken in mind the most common requests that I’ve seen over the years and used that to create our categories: Best High End Record Player, Best Record Player For Under $500, Best Record Player For Under $100, and Best Record Player Under $100 With Built In Speakers.

In making our selections, we’ve considered 50 total turntables. That list includes specific turntables I’ve been asked about, the turntables that we own in our home, and numerous turntables that I’ve experimented with directly. If you’re wondering, we have no less than seven permanent turntables in our home. Three of them are used weekly or better and have each been used for hundreds of hours of, ahem, “testing.”

In addition to testing each of these turntables ourselves, we’ve read dozens of other sites’ recommendations and reviews (The Wirecutter, What Hi-Fi?, Tech Radar, and actual customer reviews on Amazon) taking all of that feedback into account when preparing our own recommendations. My goal is to save you time by doing the research for you.

As a side note, if you’re wondering, we currently have a Pro-Ject Classic SB turntable set up in our living room (this is my favorite turntable I’ve ever owned/listened to). We have a Gramovox Floating Record Player set up in our bedroom (we use this one when listening to records quietly after putting the kids to bed). And we have a U-Turn Orbit Special set up in our media room (a.k.a. my office) that I use during the day while working. We also have a Crosley Executive and ION Max that we use for events and for when we want something portable.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that for our guide we use the terms record player and turntable interchangeably in the post. I think most people use the words interchangeably as well although, technically, I believe the difference is that a record player is typically thought of as a standalone unit (plug and play) whereas a turntable is often a component in a larger home audio system.

Best High End Turntable / Record Player

Our Top Choice: Pro-Ject The Classic SB Turntable ($1499)

This one was easy for me. The Classic SB is one of the cleanest, clearest, highest-performing record players I’ve ever listened to. Period. And, from a visual perspective, I absolutely love the beautiful wooden base. It’s available in your choice of Eucalytpus, Rosewood or Walnut . Style matters, and this one absolutely hits the mark for my taste.

More importantly, it’ll make your records sing like never before. It offers crisp, clean sound separation (i.e. instruments all sound crisp and distinct from one another) and offers exceptional performance whether you’re listening to Spoon’s Gimme Fiction, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN., James Blakes’ self-titled, or Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain.

A few features worth highlighting, aside from the wooden base, include the Sumiko Blue Point No. 2 cartridge, electronic speed control, a Leather It mat, and an included Clamp It. The bottom line? I’ve listened to many high end turntables with significantly higher price tags that can’t beat The Classic SB. As Steve C. explained in a comment on Music Direct, “It’s a beautiful turntable and the sound is exquisite. Pro-Ject has taken the award-winning Classic and added so many features that I don’t know how it can be sold for $1,500.”

If you can live without some of the frills (such as the electronic speed control, Sumiko cartridge, leather mat, etc) the standard edition of the Pro-Ject Classic is available for $400 less ($1099). If you can afford the extra cash though, the upgraded cartridge and electronic speed control alone are worth the money.

Get our recommendation, the Pro-Ject Classic SB, from Amazon.

Runner Up: Clearaudio Concept ($1800) 

The Clearaudio Concept is an absolute monster of a turntable. The sound production and performance are every bit the equal to The Pro-Ject Classic SB.

So why is this the runner up? Three reasons. First, I personally prefer the wood base of the Classic to the more modern style of the Concept. Second, the Concept is $300 more but didn’t provide a significantly better listening experience in my tests. Finally, I’ve read a great many reports to suggest that the magnetic bearing arm is very susceptible to footfall and skipping problems. Basically, this means that if you have wood floors, for example, the vibrations from walking in the vicinity of the turntable can cause it to skip. To get around this you’ll need a wall mount or concrete base. Any turntable is susceptible these issues but the Concept appears to be a little more susceptible than most.

Still, if you have the money to spend and prefer the aesthetic, it’s a beautiful sounding turntable. This review from Joe A. on Needledoctor pretty much sums it up, “It’s dead silent in operation, has a clear, agile sound that seems to pick the details right out of the mix without sounding thin or bright. One point to keep in mind when setting up the ‘table (and this may be due to the magnetic bearing arm) is that it is most definitely sensitive to footfalls.”

Get the Clearaudio Concept now from Amazon.

Best Record Players / Turntables For Under $500

Option 1: U-Turn Orbit Plus / U-Turn Orbit Special ($479)

I absolutely love the U-Turn Orbit. As noted above, it’s the turntable I use in my office and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a turntable in this price range. From a design perspective, I love the solid wood plinth and acrylic platter of the Special. More importantly, from an audio perspective, it’s a total champ. As Donald S. explained in a comment on Amazon, “There is zero motor noise, cartridge sounds clear, and this heavy platter has no resonance or feedback, even with very loud bass drum passages (Rush). It also looks beautifully made.”

My only gripe is that the belt does get stretched out easily if you move the belt by hand at all and you need to move the belt regularly if you go back and forth between 33rpm and 45rpm records. Aside from that, this turntable looks great and sounds great. And I’m happy to heartily recommend it to anyone.

Get the U-Turn Orbit Special from Amazon.

Option 2: Pro-Ject Debut Turntable ($399) 

The Debut line was our own entryway into audiophile turntables and it’s a widely loved deck. I’d rate the audio performance as slightly inferior to the U-Turn Orbit Special but if you add on a couple of optional upgrades such as an acrylic platter, Pro-Ject Speed Box, and so forth, it’s pretty much on par (or, arguably, better) than the U-Turn. After more than 8 years with my Pro-Ject I can also say I’ve not had the same issues with the belt that I’ve experienced with my U-Turn.

Thus, the Pro-Ject is a great option if you’d rather save a little money up front and then upgrade some of your components over time. Unless you pick up the Speed Box, you’ll still have to move the belt to switch between the 33rpm and 45rpm, but I’ve found that the belt packaged with the Debut maintains it’s elasticity much better. In a review on Amazon, GB says, “This turntable presents an unbeatable value for any audiophile. Sure, this is an entry-level piece, but you will be amazed how clear and crisp those records will sound.”

Get the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon from Amazon.

Best Turntable / Record Player For Under $100

Winner: Audio-Technica AT-LP60 ($99) 

What I like about the Audio-Technica is that it’s fully automatic and includes a switchable phono pre-amplifier. That built-in pre-amp means that, along with a pair of speakers, it’s ready to go straight out of the box. What’s better though is that it’s still compatible with higher end equipment since you can switch the pre-amp off if you have a nicer piece of gear to use instead.

The sound quality is also very impressive for a turntable in this price range which is more than enough to satisfy many listeners. Yes, it’s not nearly as impressive as the Pro-Ject Debut or U-Turn Orbit in terms of sound quality, but it’s much cheaper.

Here’s a summary from Amazon reviewer Scolfaro, “All I can say is wow. Super clean, full sound from the preamp in the unit, very good signal to noise ratio (barely audible hissing and crackling between tracks, not really perceivable when there’s any kind of music going on). Let’s see if it runs this well over time, so far I’m very impressed.”

Get the Audio Technica ATLP-60 from Amazon for $99.

Best Budget Turntable / Record Player Under $100 with Built In Speakers

Let me preface this by saying I’m not aware of any turntable by any manufacturer with high performing built-in speakers. You’re just not going to get audiophile sound out of a built-in speaker (unless you’re looking at $3k+ pieces).

There are a few turntables with built-in speakers (the Gramovox Floating Record Player comes to mind) that are more than a couple of steps above your laptop’s speakers but even then I’d highly recommend getting a pair of good bookshelf speakers at a minimum to get the best experience. So I’ll preface this section by saying this: if you’re really looking for a hi-fi experience, your best option on a budget is to start with the best pair of book shelf speakers you can afford and a budget turntable with a built-in preamp to go with them. You can always upgrade to a nicer turntable down the road.

With that said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a inexpensive turntable that is plug-n-play with built-in-speakers just for casually listening to your favorite records. In fact, for quite a few people I’ve spoken with over the years – this is the best option for them. In addition to the turntables we’ve mentioned above, we also own both a Crosley Executive and an ION Max and we use them both. Which is the best option for you really depends on your taste.

Option 1: Crosley Executive ($79.99) 

One of the things I really like about the Crosley Executive Portable Turntable with Bluetooth is how portable it is. You can bring it with you anywhere you have a power outlet or battery pack.

We’ve brought it out to the backyard so we can play records while grilling out and also to Turntable Kitchen events when showcasing our own releases. The faux-leather exterior is quite handsome and the speakers are better than you’d expect for such a reasonably priced unit. Plus, thanks to the built-in Bluetooth, you can always pair it with any Bluetooth speaker if you want to step up your game.

Amazon reviewer angeredmanatee says, “As someone who has spent months searching for a cool record player and didn’t want to fish out the big bucks this is a definitely worth the money!”

You can grab the Crosley Executive turntable from Amazon.

Option 2: ION Max ($78.02) 

We also have an ION Max in our home and it’s been the budget turntable of choice from several of our friends. What we like about it is the “natural wood finish” and overall stylish design.

It’s less portable than the Crosley Executive and lacks the Bluetooth feature, however, the built-in speakers offer better sound quality and it’s arguably the better turntable (bonus features aside). Even better it’s also available in a glossy piano black color that’s also quite nice but, more importantly, is available for a mere $44.99 from Amazon at the time of writing. That’s by far the best deal I’ve seen on a budget turntable making this an easy recommendation for someone on a budget.

As Amazon reviewer Kells explains, “I love this turntable  . . . I wanted something simple, plug it in, turn it on and not have to deal with speakers or a receiver. This one fit the bill.”

You can grab the ION Max from Amazon.

Tips For Selecting Your Own Turntable

Not interested in any of the ones I recommended above?  Maybe you just want to hit eBay to buy a vintage turntable. No worries, here are some tips to help you select your own. Note: This section originally appeared (with some small edits) in our original turntable guide.

Belt-drive vs. Direct-drive

I recommend belt-drive turntables particularly for beginners. If you aren’t a DJ, the advantages of direct-drive turntables are insignificant, but there are disadvantages – especially if you aren’t ready to dive into the high-end market (and even then, I generally recommend belt-driven turntables).

This is because direct-drive turntables can transmit noise from the motor and bearing to the stylus, which means the sound produced isn’t as clean as it could be.  Many direct-drive turntables also can have issues related to speed that cause pitch variations in playback (a.k.a. wow and flutter). Conversely, the belt on a belt-driven turntable absorbs vibrations that may otherwise be picked up by the stylus.

I’m not arguing that direct-drive turntables are bad! They’re not. It’s just that the technology is often more expensive meaning you’re going to pay more for the same quality of sound production. However if you’re buying a vintage piece or find a deal then by all means go with the direct drive turntable.

Built-in amplifiers

First, let me say that I have no intention of getting deep into a discussion of preamps, integrated preamps, and amplifiers.  There is a lot to cover on the topic, and I want to keep this about selecting a turntable.  However, when selecting a turntable, you’ll need to decide whether you want to purchase a turntable with a built in preamp or not.

I’m going to try to keep this as straightforward as possible, which means I’m glossing over a lot of stuff here. With that said, here is the basic gist of it: without a preamp, the output from your turntable won’t be loud enough to be picked up through normal stereo equipment/speakers.

Personally, I don’t like turntables with built-in amplifiers and I’d rather buy my own.  With a built-in preamp you are stuck with the quality of the preamp built-in to the turntable, which probably isn’t very good.  Audiophile equipment generally won’t include that option anyway. However, buying a turntable with a built-in preamp saves you the cost of having to buy a separate preamp.

Thus, the bottom line is this: if you are on a tight budget, go with a turntable with a built-in preamp; if you are going middle of the road on a system you can improve over time, I’d recommend buying a separate integrated amp (combines the preamp and amplifier)(hint: you may find cheap “vintage” equipment on eBay to get you started); and if you are looking to build the perfect system you’ll probably want to go with a separate preamp, amplifier, turntable, and phono-in.  As I mentioned above, I started my system with a Cambridge Audio Azur 340A integrated pre-amp, a Cambridge Audio phono-in, and a pair of PSB speakers.

If you’re looking for preamps, speakers, or phono stages check out this older guide we’d prepared about building a turntable stereo system with some still relevant recommendations: https://www.turntablekitchen.com/2014/10/turntable-kitchens-top-6-recommended-turntable-systems/

Source: https://www.turntablekitchen.com/2018/09/best-record-players-turntables/