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Our absolute favorite kids’ audio player, the Yoto Player is a multi-tasking kid’s music player, podcast player, mini-radio, and storybook reader that is bursting with kid-friendly features. It—and the Yoto Player Mini—also stood out as being the two best grow-with-them options for audio players that kids would truly use from ages 3 to 12. For us, reliable means a turntable that's a fantastic all-rounder and good value for money. With that in mind, you can't go wrong with the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo that sits at the top of our list of the best turntables, with an expansive, detailed sound and impressive specs. If you’re missing the days of the mixtape and want to expose your kid to that kind of magic, you’re going to like the Jooki. It was our favorite choice for listening to music and for budding audiophiles. Our one complaint with the Yoto Player and the Yoto Player Mini are confusing controls. They aren't marked in any way, so they take a dip into the online directions and a bit of trial and error. I found them to be annoying the first month of owning the Yoto, but six months in I'm feeling like a pro. This might be the best in the list for high-performing audio and specs, but it isn’t the prettiest or most elegant model. This turntable is designed to look like a turntable, albeit a nicely constructed and finished one. A hefty, smoothly finished chassis is topped by a tactile aluminium plinth.
An 8-hour charge may sound great, but—for my family—it's about a 12-hour ordeal to travel to visit family. Since our kid will either listen (or forget to turn off his device) during this travel time, we need a device with over 10 hours of battery life. Nothing is worse than an audio player dying mid-way through a story. Trust us on this one. Consider the content selection But if by reliable you mean sheer toughness, then the Technics SL-1500C needs to under consideration, because it's built like musical tank. What makes a high-quality turntable?You don't want to manually change the speed: You'll have to move the belt between the upper and lower pulley if you want to do this, which is a slight annoyance. The world of kids’ audio has come a long way since the days of sitting on the floor with a Fisher-Price record player. Today it's hard to find such easy entertainment that kids can use independently and securely, while also giving them a break from their screens. Finally, what do you want to listen to? If you're looking for high-end audio that sounds exactly as intended, you might want to try a newer turntable. If you want a more gravelly sound and don't mind sacrificing some quality, use the old turntable you already have. You’re expecting wireless to match wired: It sounds better hard-wired, no two ways about it. But that's always going to be the case. It was a hard choice. Almost all of the players we tried had their own strengths but, the robust book library and dynamic usability of the Yoto Player
One of the most vital things to look for when you’re shopping for a new vinyl player is how well damped it is.Damping is essentially the method by which manufacturers combat vibrations – whether internal or external. They do this through the use of different motor configurations, and through the use of various components. You don’t have a proper shelf to put it on: Those feet will suppress some vibration, but they’re not miracle-workers.It needs a sturdy place to live. This futuristic-looking audio player was up against some seriously stiff competition. What set it apart as our must-have choice, however, was that it seems to do everything—and it does it well—and that it has the best selection of content of all the audio players we tested. If you're an audiophile that can notice the subtle differences and nuances of the devices you're playing music on, you need a high end turntable.You’ll also have to manually queue records, which isn’t a deal breaker by any means but may put off anyone looking for a fully automatic player. If that's you, the Denon DP-300F (also in this guide) is a great choice for a fully automated vinyl experience. It sounds fantastic. It doesn’t matter the sort of music you like to listen to either, the Debut Carbon Evo laps it up. In our testing we noted that every circumstance delivers a detailed and revealing listen, able to focus on the minutiae even as it describes the complete picture completely convincingly. It has all the warmth and weight the vinyl format is famous for, but it doesn’t get bogged down – instead it simply motors along in the most natural way imaginable. Beyond the initial setup, kids needed to be able to work these music players and story-telling devices on their own. Once the adults got things up and running, we gave the audio players to the kids and observed how easy it was for them to use them and work through each of their features. Hi, I’m Janelle Randazza, and I’m a parenting writer at Reviewed, where I've reviewed everything from water guns to kids' bikes.
It is not a great option for vinyl newcomers; it requires more knowledge to set up properly than the entry-level turntables on this list (try the Audio-Technica model in number two instead). But if you’re ready to take your record collecting and listening to the next level, the Marantz TT-15S1 is the perfect companion. In our review, we surmised: "Taken as a whole, the Marantz offers budding audiophiles the chance to chase higher fidelity without having to buy a turntable that costs as much as a car." The Denon DP-300F is a gorgeous turntable that sounds just as good as it looks. As we wrote in our review: "If all you want is to listen to your records and not have to worry about queueing, premature needle wear or digitizing your records, the Denon DP-300F should be at the top of your list. Its features get you listening to your vinyl records as soon as possible, instead of having to fiddle with complicated components and manual queueing." Because the Tonies are so beautifully crafted and attractive to kids, we experienced little testers taking them for outings around the playroom. We can see this being a problem: It’s hard to keep your hands off of them, so we recommend storing them on a high shelf. Primarily a kids' music player, this device is a sturdy little beast and truly feels indestructible. Unlike all of the other kids' music players and kids' audio players tested, the Jooki does not have any pre-loaded content. Instead, it allows you to create and upload either Spotify or MP3 playlists to “tokens” or figurines. The figurines are geared towards little kids, while the tokens are great for older kids. We like that the tokens are compact and portable and resemble keychain tiles. If you're willing to spend a little more, then the Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 is our high-end option. This futuristic, fantastic-looking turntable brings you a balanced and insightful sound, as well as modern connectivity options. In contrast, the Fluance RT81 is a mid-range option with no-frills but a great sound for the price.The Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT is our top budget choice, and an excellent option for beginners. Setting it up is fairly straightforward, but does require some assembly. You can use it with a wired connection to speakers or headphones, or wirelessly via Bluetooth. With a built-in phono equalizer function, Audio-Technica says that you can use the AT-LP60XBT without a “phono amplifier or connectable equipment with a built-in phono amplifier”. You can also use it with your own external phono amplifier if you prefer. You tend to play unmastered records: If a record is poorly mastered, you're going to hear every single little bit of detail of it.
You want the ultimate audio experience: Sound is great here, but not perfect. For a more detailed, immersive experience you'll need to look elsewhere. Then again, if you want a more high-end performance from the get-go, take a look at the Pro-Ject Carbon Evo at the top of our guide. But, as we wrote in our review: "If you want a turntable that just works, looks good, and can be upgraded later, the Fluance RT81 is the turntable for you." You want high-end styling and build: We like how this turntable looks, but it doesn't feel particularly luxe or well-built.Belt-driven turntables are going to be a lot quieter and offer higher fidelity than their direct drive brethren, as direct drive turntables have a motor that is directly connected to the platter. However, there are some great direct drive turntables out there, so don’t write them off just yet. The appeal of these portable speakers is simplicity. Were they easy to use? Could children figure them out without the aid of an adult? The easier one of these gadgets was for kids to use on their own, the higher they ranked in our testing. To round things out, we also consulted parents. An informal poll told us that parents wanted an audio player that, first and foremost, kids could use themselves with minimal adult assistance and supervision. If there is anything we learned in our research, it's that parents are desperate for technology that they feel is safe and that doesn’t require a ton of setup, supervision, safety features, or troubleshooting. The Tester
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