Every week someone comes into the shop and asks me whether they should buy a new turntable. Nine times out of ten, my answer is no. What they’ve got is probably fine — they just need to upgrade one or two components. The difference a good cartridge or a decent mat can make is genuinely startling, and you can do it for a fraction of what a new deck costs.

Here’s where to put your money in 2026, ranked roughly by impact-per-dollar.

Cartridge and Stylus: The Single Biggest Upgrade

If you’re still running the cartridge that came with your turntable, this is where to start. Factory-fitted cartridges are almost always the cheapest option the manufacturer could bundle in. Replacing it transforms the sound.

Nagaoka MP-110 ($180-$220 AUD): This has been my go-to recommendation for years, and nothing in 2026 has changed that. It’s warm, detailed, tracks well, and doesn’t demand a perfectly set-up arm to sound good. If you’ve got an Audio-Technica LP120, a Pro-Ject Debut, or anything in that price range, this cartridge will make it sound like a much more expensive deck.

Audio-Technica VM95ML ($200-$250 AUD): If you want a bit more detail and you’re willing to be more careful about alignment, the microline stylus on this thing is remarkable for the money. It digs deeper into the groove and pulls out nuances the MP-110 smooths over. The trade-off is it’s less forgiving of worn records — surface noise is more apparent.

Budget option — Audio-Technica VM95E ($80-$100 AUD): If you’re on a tighter budget, this is still a massive step up from most stock cartridges. It’s not as refined as the two above, but it’s clean, balanced, and well-built.

Fitting a new cartridge isn’t hard but alignment matters. If you’re not confident, bring your headshell into the shop and we’ll set it up for you. Bad alignment can damage records, so it’s worth getting right.

Platter Mat: Cheap and Effective

The rubber or felt mat that came with your turntable is usually doing the bare minimum. A better mat can improve sound, reduce static, and even help with speed stability on lighter platters.

Cork mat ($25-$40 AUD): Cork is my preferred material for most setups. It deadens vibration without adding weight, reduces static (which means less dust), and looks good. There are dozens of options on eBay and specialist shops. You don’t need to spend big here.

Leather mat ($40-$70 AUD): A bit warmer sounding than cork, and heavier, which can help with lighter platters. The added weight provides a touch more inertia. I’ve been using a leather mat from a Melbourne maker for about three years and I’m not going back.

Skip the acrylic mats if your platter is already acrylic. They’re designed for metal platters. Doubling up on acrylic doesn’t help and can actually create resonance issues.

Phono Preamp: The Hidden Bottleneck

If your turntable has a built-in phono preamp and you’re using it, try an external one. The built-in stages on most entry and mid-range decks are mediocre at best. An external preamp can reveal detail your turntable has been capturing all along but your preamp has been masking.

Art DJ Pre II ($80-$100 AUD): Ridiculously good for the money. It’s meant for DJs but works perfectly for home listening. Clean, low-noise, and it’ll outperform the built-in preamp on anything under $800.

Rega Fono Mini A2D ($180-$220 AUD): A step up in quality and it includes a USB output if you want to digitise records. Rega’s phono stages are consistently well-reviewed for good reason — they’re transparent and well-engineered.

Make sure you switch off the built-in preamp on your turntable when using an external one (most have a switch on the back). Running through both will sound terrible.

Record Clamp or Weight: Underappreciated

A record weight or clamp pushes the record flat against the platter, improving contact and reducing resonance from warped or slightly uneven vinyl. It’s one of those things you don’t think will make a difference until you hear it.

Basic record weight ($30-$60 AUD): Look for something around 300-400 grams. Too heavy and you’ll strain your motor; too light and it’s doing nothing. There are plenty of solid options in this range — machined aluminium weights on eBay work fine.

Don’t use a weight on suspended sub-chassis turntables (like a Linn LP12) — the added mass can mess with the suspension tuning. Clamps are the better option for those decks.

What I’d Skip

Isolation feet and platforms: Unless you’ve got a specific vibration problem (turntable on a wobbly surface, near speakers, on a suspended floor), fancy isolation platforms are a solution looking for a problem. Put your turntable on something solid and heavy first. A thick shelf on a wall mount costs $40 and does more than a $300 isolation platform.

Fancy cables: If your existing RCA cables aren’t damaged, don’t replace them expecting a sound improvement. The difference is marginal at best and imaginary at worst.

The Upgrade Order

If I had $300 to spend and a stock entry-level turntable, here’s exactly what I’d do:

1. Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge (~$200)
2. Cork platter mat (~$30)
3. Art DJ Pre II phono preamp (~$90)

That’s $320, give or take, and it’ll make your $400 turntable sound like an $800 one. Genuinely. The improvement is not subtle.

Come in and have a listen if you don’t believe me. I’ve got a demo setup in the shop where you can A/B the difference. Seeing is believing — or hearing, rather.