Maybe you've always been interested in building a setup for listening to LPs and 45s, or maybe you're just looking for an upgrade. Look no further—these are our favorites. If you buy something using our links, we may earn a commission. wired.trib.al/OBgBg1Y 1/8
If you only plan to occasionally spin records or you're tight on cash, the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT with Bluetooth is a great option. It easily pairs with Bluetooth speakers or you can plug it into a stereo to get the best audio. wired.trib.al/ovlhsfz 📸: Audio Technica 2/8
The Fluance RT81 sounds great, but it’s also beautiful. The wood-grain body and shiny metal components absolutely ooze class even though it sells for a still-manageable price and comes with a built-in phono preamp. wired.trib.al/nzwLQUO 📸: Fluance 3/8
The Rega Planar 1 offers premium components and will last you decades with proper care. There's a special motor that reduces music-muddying vibrations, and a high-mass spinning platter to keep your record stable and rumble-free. 📸: Rega wired.trib.al/7fL67NA 4/8
The clear, acrylic platters and bright colors of U-Turn's Orbit Plus may not appeal to everyone's taste, but the unit does showcase many of the biggest trends in turntables: great sound, sleek design, & a (relatively) affordable price. wired.trib.al/OMcEqFg 📸: U-Turn Audio 5/8
If you've got oodles of cash and no desire to mess with a separate amp, phono stage, and turntable, this behemoth from McIntosh is what you're looking for. It features an onboard tube preamp and solid-state power amp stage. wired.trib.al/jahezrQ 📸: MacIntosh 6/8
Read the full article to see the full list of our current favorite turntables along with some helpful tips and accessories. wired.trib.al/OBgBg1Y 7/8
Get your first year of WIRED for less than $1 a month and get unlimited access to our longform features, buying guides, and tech news. wired.trib.al/y56Mi3d 8/8
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SCOOP: Edward Coristine (“Big Balls”), Luke Farritor, and Ethan Shaotran were part of the original DOGE crew. They were brought in under short-term “special government employee” status. Supposed to be temporary. Spoiler: it’s not. wired.com/story/big-ball…
As of May 31 (Coristine & Farritor) and April 10 (Shaotran), the trio officially became full-time federal employees. Their roles at the General Services Administration (GSA) are now permanent.
According to documentation viewed by WIRED, they each maintain their “senior advisor” titles.
Their pay? GS-15 for Coristine & Farritor, one of the highest government salary grades. Shaotran’s at GS-14—just one step below. wired.com/story/big-ball…
In fact, federal workers from at least six agencies tell WIRED that DOGE-style work is escalating in their departments, and Trump himself said in a press conference today that “Elon's really not leaving.” wired.com/story/doge-elo…
Members of Musk’s early DOGE team, including Luke Farritor and Gavin Kliger, have met with a number of departments and agencies in recent days, seemingly continuing business as usual, WIRED has learned.
Over the last week, federal workers have been asked to urgently review contracts across the government, and sources say the pressure to slash contracts has drastically increased in recent weeks. wired.com/story/doge-elo…
NEW: Tulsi Gabbard, now the US director of national intelligence, used the same easily cracked password for different online accounts including a personal Gmail account and Dropbox over a period of years, leaked records reviewed by WIRED reveal. wired.com/story/tulsi-ga…
The password associated includes the word “shraddha,” which appears to have personal significance to Gabbard: This year, WSJ reported that she had been initiated into the Science of Identity Foundation, which ex-members have accused of being a cult. wired.com/story/tulsi-ga…
Security experts advise people to never use the same password on different accounts precisely because people often do so. As director of national intelligence, Gabbard oversees the 18 organizations comprising the US intelligence community.
DOGE is knitting together data from the Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, and IRS that could create a surveillance tool of unprecedented scope. wired.com/story/doge-col…
The scale at which DOGE is seeking to interconnect data, including sensitive biometric data, has never been done before, raising alarms with experts who fear it may lead to disastrous privacy violations. wired.com/story/doge-col…
“They are trying to amass a huge amount of data,” a senior DHS official tells WIRED. “It has nothing to do with finding fraud or wasteful spending … They are already cross-referencing immigration with SSA and IRS as well as voter data.” wired.com/story/doge-col…
American police are spending hundreds of thousands on Massive Blue’s unproven and secretive technology that uses AI-generated online personas designed to interact with and collect intelligence on “college protesters,” “radicalized” political activists, and suspected traffickers.
Massive Blue calls its product Overwatch, which it markets as an “AI-powered force multiplier for public safety” that “deploys lifelike virtual agents, which infiltrate and engage criminal networks across various channels.”
404 Media obtained a presentation showing some of these AI characters. These include a “radicalized AI” “protest persona,” which poses as a 36-year-old divorced woman who is lonely, has no children, is interested in baking, activism, and “body positivity.”
The audit covers DOGE’s handling of data at several Cabinet-level agencies, including:
–the Departments of Labor, Education, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services
–the Treasury
–the Social Security Administration
–the US DOGE Service (USDS) itself wired.com/story/gao-audi…
It's being carried out after congressional leaders’ requests and is centered on DOGE’s adherence to privacy and data protection laws and regulations.
A Congressional aide said the requests followed media reports on DOGE’s incursions into federal systems. wired.com/story/gao-audi…