Audio Technica at-Lp60 Turntable

Product Information

With bluetooth connectivity, the turntable can be connected to wireless speakers or headphones without a signal cable. Which might be a neat feature. First up, I installed a fresh stylus and in doing so learned that not all AT3600 styli are equal. Aftermarket styli may well be cheaper, but they’re not all equivalent in quality to the AT original. One example produced a horrible grainy scratching sound in one channel that was thoroughly unpleasant to listen to, and probably wasn’t doing much for the record either. Interestingly a genuine stylus had a longer exposed cantilever than the aftermarket stylus, and the suspension on the aftermarket stylus was also more compliant. I installed a genuine AT stylus which was a huge improvement. Here we are then with part two of our AT-LP60 test. In this instalment we’ll play one side of a record a total of 50 times as in the original test and assess the damage, if any, the LP60 will cause.

Recording from vinyl is a simple process too. Files can be ripped as 16-bit/44.1kHz or 48kHz WAVs by connecting your PC or laptop to the turntable’s USB type B output, then using the supplied Audacity software to process them. And here is the surface noise after 50 plays on the GPO: https://www.audioappraisal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Surface-Noise-after-50-Plays.mp3 While the standard version of the AT-LP60 does not come with Bluetooth connectivity, there is a version that does. The AT-LP60BT.The LP120, on the other hand, does not come in a version that features Bluetooth connectivity. At least not at the time this article is written. 14. USB Functionality Most records made post 1960 will however be either 33 or 45 so for regular vinyl collectors the 78 RPM function will rarely or never be used. 7. Drive / Motor The large plastic gear engages with the central spindle during start/stop operations and is cycled by the rotation of the platter. There isn’t much going on here besides the spindle itself and the single-speed motor pulley. the LP-60x's new 3.25mm stereo output; the phono/line switch turns on the built-in phono preamp (left), the included audio cable that connects turntable to your audio ouput (right) So there is a few more parts to assemble and a few more steps involved in setting up the LP120 compared to the LP60. If you are tech savvy this will be no problem. But for super non-techies, it might be wise to ask someone for help. Or choose the LP60. 11. Reverse Play

This same chassis, manufactured by the Chinese turntable OEM outfit Hanpin, has been used in many a turntable over the years. They mostly come from brands such as Sony, Aiwa, Kenwood and Pioneer to name a few, who wanted to re-introduce a low-cost turntable during the decline of the vinyl format but didn’t want to go to the effort and cost of designing a new model themselves. Most of them have full automatic operation and a good number share the phono preamp, with variations in platter material, USB and Bluetooth functionality, pitch control etc. They are all basically identical however, and it’s probably fair to assume that their sales figures over time are heading towards millions of units if they haven’t long surpassed that already. Suffice it to say that there are a lot of them out there, and probably a good few still spinning records. It's not that the turntable is defective. It's that, with no screens, it's hard to get both systems in the right mode at the right time. Our best results occurred after already having the speaker in pairing mode when holding the pairing button down on the turntable. The turntable's Bluetooth button will start flashing various colors. You need to get past the three purple blinks to a single purple blink, then lift your finger and the button will flash red and blue, then blink openly blue once it's found the speaker you've put in pairing mode, and finally shine solid blue when it's successfully paired. Mind you, I followed this exact routine with the same speakers multiple times with several failed attempts, but eventually I got there, and once you're paired, this annoyance can basically be forgotten about. Audio-Technica claims that any speaker that supports the SBC codec and A2DP profile should have no issues pairing with the AT-LP60-BT. There’s really no reason to buy the LP60BT ahead of the standard LP60 if you’re not going to use its wireless connectivity, so I paired it via Bluetooth to a Denon DRA-100 network receiver that was connected through its pre-outs to my main hi-fi system. We also see a few more parts of the automatic mechanism as well as the arm’s lateral pivot bearing which is primitive but does the job. Given the number of small parts at play here, and the relative complexity in its assembly, it does beg the question as to whether a higher quality manual turntable could be manufactured for a similar price.Of course, the AT-LP60XBT can also be operated just like a regular turntable with a traditional wired connection. Either way – wired or wireless – you get outstanding audio with the ease of automatic operation controlled by front-panel start, stop and tonearm lift buttons.

Connects wirelessly to devices with Bluetooth® wireless technology (powered speakers, headphones, stereo receivers), or to wired audio systems and powered speakers via included dual RCA output cable Bringing Audio-Technica’s legendary quality and audio fidelity to the wireless realm with this Fully Automatic Bluetooth® Turntable System.

The turntable also offers a built-in switchable phono/line preamp that allows connection to a stereo system equipped with either a phono or line-level input. This is a feature that does not come as standard on the LP60. But there is a USB version of the LP60 whitas well. The AT-LP60USB. 15. Colors If you are on the search for a new affordable turntable, then two of the models that probably show up most often when you browse the internet are the AT-LP60 and the AT-LP120 from Audio-Technica. If you want to do some scratching or practice to become a DJ, the LP120 is the one to choose. With DJ features like pitch control and a high-torque direct-drive motor the LP120 will work perfectly for both scratching and music listening. The LP60 and the LP120 differ in many ways. But when it comes to popularity, it is hard to place one over the other. They are both huge successes with lots of fans and have been so for many years. It is very hard to think of a turntable that overcomes these two in popularity.