If you’ve had your turntable for a while and you’re looking for an upgrade you might be in luck if your turntable supports component upgrades rather than just swapping out the whole record player. (Note: many entry level record players are not upgradeable unfortunately, this blog post will outline most of the turntables that we sell which are upgradeable but if you’re not sure give us a call or email at [email protected])
Slipmats / Platter Mats:
The slipmat on your record player will likely be a felt mat, this is actually a carry over from DJ turntables where the felt mat allows the record to spin freely from the platter of the turntable in effect allowing the record to “slip” when a DJ scratches or back cues a record.
However before you go removing your felt slipmat remember this still is required to protect your records from the platter surface. But you can replace your platter with a different material, these won’t necessarily be an upgrade but more of a “sidegrade” ; each mat has different characteristics. Note: you should also ensure that whatever mat you are changing to is the same thickness as your previous mat.
Cork Mats:
These reduce static and can reduce resonance. They are also an inexpensive alternative platter mat material meaning they are the most common choice for people looking to change mats. We sell 2 thicknesses of cork mats:
Project Cork-It Mat: 1mm thick, designed to work with Project turntables or other turntables with this mat thickness Link To Purchase Project Cork-IT
3mm Cork Mat: Designed to work with turntables that have thicker standard mats Link To Purchase 3mm Cork Mat
Rubber Mats:
These mats also reduce static but are a heavier weight than cork or felt, this combined with the extra grip they have provides greater isolation and further reduction of vibrations. These mats however are often thicker than other platter mats meaning you will need a turntable that already has a thicker mat or has VTA adjustment (this is a more advanced upgrade and should only be done by professional technicians).
Hybrid Cork / Rubber Mat:
These mats are a combination of the above two mats and many audio enthusiasts claim that they give a result that is better than a cork or rubber mat on its own.
Link To Purchase Hybrid Cork Rubber Mat
Carbon Fiber Mat:
This is the most unique out of all of the replacement platter mat materials, the goal of these is to decouple your records from the turntable to reduce unwanted vibrations, resonance and distortion. Also carbon fibre mats should reduce static charge from your records.
Stylus Upgrades:
Drop In Upgrades:
These stylus upgrades will fit directly onto your existing cartridge making them easy, quick and cost effective
Turntables with OM cartridges:
This includes: Project Essential 3, Project Primary E, Project E1, Project T1 & Project A1
On these turntables you can upgrade to any stylus in the OM series as per below:
Link To Purchase OM10 / HiFi10
If you would like to purchase a Hifi 30 or 40 stylus please contact us and we can special order these for you
Turntables Fitted with 2M Red / Project Pick-It Pro (2M):
This includes: Project Debut Carbon, Project Debut Carbon Evo, Project Debut Pro
On these turntables you can directly upgrade to the 2M Blue which has better tracking, dynamics, resolution and openness compared to the 2M Red, this is also a minor upgrade from the pick it pro, though some may consider it a “side-grade” as their quality is similar but with different sound profiles.
Turntables with ATVM95 Cartridges:
This includes: Audio Technica Atlpw40wn, Audio Technica Atlpw50pb, Audio Technica At-lp120x, Thorens TD102A, Thorens TD202, Thorens TD402DD
These turntables can be upgraded to higher end models in the VM95 range such as:
AT-VM95EN (Nude Elliptical)
AT-VM95ML (Microlinear)
AT-VM95SH (Shibata)
We do not stock these styli but can special order them in for you upon request.
Cartridge Swap Upgrades:
The upgrades are more complex and can require further adjustments however these give you the greatest level of freedom as swapping out the entire cartridge means you can fit styli that aren’t compatible with the cartridge originally fitted to your record player.
Goldring’s E series are a set of high-quality entry level moving magnet cartridges which have received glowing reviews from audio enthusiasts across the globe. Their styli and cartridges are designed and handmade in the UK using their over 100 years of industry expertise gained across 3 generations.
They are a fantastic upgrade for most entry and mid-range turntables with standard half inch mounts and carry a classic British sound profile.
To purchase your very own Goldring Stylus and Cartridge Click Here
Ortofon 2M Bronze and 2M Black:
Despite also being in the 2M series these styli have a different cartridge to the 2M Red and Blue meaning that an entire cartridge swap is needed. However for the effort you get the benefit of an upgrade to a nude fine line and nude shibata stylus respectively, the bronze and black cartridges are intercompatible so if you chose to go with the bronze you can swap out the stylus to the black later on without a cartridge replacement.
Link To Purchase 2M Bronze Cartridge + Stylus
Link To Purchase 2M Black Cartridge + Stylus
DJ Cartridges:
If you have a direct drive turntable like the Audio Technica At-lp120x with a removable headshell you can upgrade to a DJ cartridge and stylus which will give you the ability to scratch and back cue.
We stock Ortofon’s DJ line of styli across a range of price points, the concorde lineup is designed to directly replace your headshell whereas the OM Pro S and VNL cartridges are designed to be fitted to an external headshell.
Link To Purchase Concorde Styli and Carts
Link To Purchase VNL Styli and Carts
Platter Upgrades:
If you own a project Debut Carbon, Debut Carbon Evo or Debut Pro you can upgrade your standard metal platter to the Project Acryl-IT Platter.
Unlike metal platters, where you will need to place a felt mat between record and platter to damp metal resonance, you can put your record directly on the acrylic surface, with nothing in between. Acryl-IT is able to improve overall performance significantly!
Adding a Record Puck is recommended when using the bare acrylic platter.
We can also order in Acrylic platters that fit other models of project turntables if you want.
Link To Purchase Project Acryl-IT
Phono Stage Upgrades:
Every turntable setup includes a phono stage somewhere in the mix, sometimes this is built into the turntable, the amplifier or even your speakers. Using an external high quality phono stage can greatly improve the sound quality of your setup and add more depth and nuance to your listening experience.
The Project Tube Box S2 Phono Stage uses Vacuum tubes for it’s phono amplification, this results in a full and relaxed laid back sound which is often described as “warm” and compliments the analog sound that is inherent with vinyl records.
Purchase The Project Tube Box S2 Phono Stage Here
Or check out our blog post on phono stages
Isolation Upgrades:
The entire goal of a record player is to convert the grooves of a vinyl record into small vibrations that can then be turned into bigger vibrations that you can hear (sound waves). This means that any external vibrations can be picked up by your record player’s stylus causing feedback, this is especially common if you have your turntable on the same platform as your speakers. An easy fix is to place your turntable on an isolation platter, this decouples it from the surface it is sitting on and thus stops these unwanted vibrations from affecting your stylus’s ability to do its job.
Purchase an Isolation Surface Here
Setup Component Upgrades:
If you’ve read everything above and still want more then it may be time to replace your turntable, there are only so many upgrades you can do to a turntable and eventually you will reach its upper bound of performance at which point moving to a higher end model is the only remaining upgrade.
You can also look into upgrading your speakers or amplifier as a record setup is only as good as its weakest link.
If you are looking to swap out your turntable, speakers or amp check out our ultimate audio buyers guide where we have a breakdown of every piece of audio gear we sell, or
flick us an email at [email protected] or a call at 0800 GROOVY and someone from our audio team will be happy to help!