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Investing in a store-bought or pre-owned record player lets music fanatics and casual listeners alike transport themselves to an era before CDs or digital music streaming. With Gen Z ditching streaming for physical media like vinyl records, some youngsters (or Boomers who want a reminder of their childhood ) may want to build their own retro audio setup.

A custom record player requires new or salvaged parts, or a mix of both. If you choose the new route, brands like u-turn Audio offer a range of personalized turntable styles, from the Orbit Basic , which sells for $249 to $329, to the Orbit Theory , which sells for $999 to $1,609. Pricing varies depending on whether you choose a built-in preamp and, in the latter case, the cartridge type.…