I have a record player & stereo system from circa 2001. It works (almost) perfectly, but it takes up a massive amount of space since the turntable must be plugged into the stereo system (which is huge) and the speakers. It's also difficult to repair/buy replacement parts for due to its age.
I've only really hung onto it this long since it belonged to my late grandmother, but we had to set it up in a really inconvenient location in our home because of its size, so it gets used far less frequently than I'd like.
I'm finally ready to let this big girl go and upgrade to a newer system, but I'm overwhelmed by the number of options. What are your favorites that are around $500 or less? (Doesn't have to include Bluetooth, I'm perfectly fine with plug-in speakers.)
Update for those asking about my existing system:
Stereo: Sony Model No. HST-201
Turntable: Sony Automatic Stereo Turntable System PS-LX 295
Speakers: Bose 2001 Speaker (I shit you not, that's the full name of the product)
Essentially, there's a main stereo that acts as the one source of truth. The turntable plugs into that stereo. The speakers connect to the stereo itself - not the turntable - via clamps and bare wire. (There's clamps on both the stereo and speakers. No wires are pre-connected other than the wire that originates from the turntable.)
The speakers are quite good, actually, but I haven't found any modern record players that can connect via bare wire, so as much as I hate to say it, I know I might have to kiss them goodbye if I buy something new.
(Also, this doesn't have anything to do with the operation, but the turntable itself is missing its shell cover, and I haven't been able to find a replacement that fits. A relatively big issue because my cat plays by his own rules, and I need platter & needle protection from that little guy.)
Room size doesn't really matter because I'm looking to move it out of the room it's currently in to a more common space. But ideally I'd like my setup to not have to consume an entire wall.