Music Hall MMF-5.1SE Turntable (Style-O-Phile, Under $1,000)

Much to the delight of Baby Boomers and pedantic audiophile soothsayers, vinyl is back in a big way. Which means two things: your husband/boyfriend/son/whoever was right about keeping those stacks of wax instead of selling them at a garage sale, and; he's going to need something to play them on. If budget isn't an issue but top-shelf sound with a nod to style are, then we recommend Music Halls's MMF-5.1SE, a $995 special edition of the 5.1 with a distinctive rosenut veneer upper plinth. As any vinyl connoisseur will tell you, good sound is not only about using a great cartridge (in this case an included Goldring GL-2400), a consistent, steady platter and a well-balanced tonearm, but eliminating vibration from all those moving parts. The 5.1SE has dual plinths with proprietary dampers in between; the lower plinth supports the motor and pulley system while the cushioned upper plinth holds only the tonearm, so vibration doesn't transfer between them. Perhaps best of all for those intimidated by a little elbow grease, setup is remarkably simple for such a sophisticated system, taking just a few minutes from unboxing to waxing nostalgic about your wax tracks.