An album, all the way through.

Streaming is infinite and forgettable. Vinyl is finite and intentional: you choose a record, clean it, cue it, and sit with it for 22 minutes a side. A fully automatic turntable with a built-in preamp removes the fiddly setup — connect it to powered speakers and you're listening in ten minutes. After that, care is the craft: a carbon-fibre brush before every play keeps pops and crackle down.

• Buy automatic first: the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X starts and stops itself — no cueing anxiety for beginners.
• Built-in preamp matters: it lets you plug straight into powered speakers or a soundbar you already own.
• Brush before you play: 10 seconds with an anti-static brush is the difference between warmth and crackle.
• Buy records slowly: one beloved album a month beats a crate of filler you'll never flip through.