Where you place your record player matters a lot. It’s important to place the turntable on a completely flat surface; use a level to be absolutely sure. If the furniture is level but your floor is not, you may need to relocate your setup.
Choose a table or cabinet that’s a solid material, well-constructed, and therefore won’t vibrate much. Vibration causes the needle to skip and prevents it from running smoothly along the grooves of a record, resulting in a distortion of the sound. When the entire purpose of listening to an album on vinyl is to hear it clearly and accurately, it’s worthwhile to take this seriously.
Avoid placing any decor or items that might cause vibration on the same surface as your record player. It looks nice, but ultimately muddles the clarity you’re looking for on vinyl.
It’s best to position your vinyl setup and speakers directly toward where you’ll be listening, for example, pointed at the couch in a living room (if possible). The reason this is ideal is that the sound waves are less abstracted when they reach your ears.