AUDIO TECHNICA AT-LP60, how bad is it?

James_Dean

Active Member
My friend has one of these. He's not a serious audiophile and needed something simple to use, relatively compact and with a built in preamp to keep costs down. The warranty of a new one was also appealing. That said, how bad is it compared to a vintage table/cart/preamp all adding up to the same price? I already have some ideas of the answer :scratch2:
 
A new turntable selling/shipped for under $100 isn't going to be considered by most people to be audiophile in sound/performance and if poorly designed/constructed could even damage the records being played. Chances of finding a vintage turntable and seperate preamp for under $100 isn't going to be easy for someone that has no knowledge of turntables but if found the sound/performance of a vintage turntable/preamp IMO could be superior to the AT-LP60. It might be debatable by some but the threshold for a new turntable with acceptable performance is in the neighborhood of $400. Some even feel the threshold is closer to $1,000 for a new turntable that meets all standards and from there the sky is the limit. In general it all goes back to "you get what you pay for".
 
A new turntable selling/shipped for under $100 isn't going to be considered by most people to be audiophile in sound/performance and if poorly designed/constructed could even damage the records being played. Chances of finding a vintage turntable and seperate preamp for under $100 isn't going to be easy for someone that has no knowledge of turntables but if found the sound/performance of a vintage turntable/preamp IMO could be superior to the AT-LP60. It might be debatable by some but the threshold for a new turntable with acceptable performance is in the neighborhood of $400. Some even feel the threshold is closer to $1,000 for a new turntable that meets all standards and from there the sky is the limit. In general it all goes back to "you get what you pay for".

I've heard it, it isn't offensive sounding, fairly respectable. That said, it sold at the retail store for around $180 :no: Still, something has to be said for it's ease of use and built in preamp. For a person that doesn't have time to fiddle with vintage stuff it does provide a solution
 
JD: Both my parents and one of my neighbours have Sony variants that are very similar to the AT (just without the integrated phono stage and USB anlog to digital converter). My impression: Those "toy class" tables surely aren't anything I'd recommend to a hifi fan, but considering the sheer plastic craptasticness of these thingies the sound actually isn't that bad at all. So I'd think for Joe Average the quality should be pretty ok, no problemo... However, problem is that many consumers won't know in advance, what quality level they are going to be happy with in the longer run - and in that case, those tables aren't a good idea for the lack of any adjustment capabilities and upgrade potential.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
I checked Ebay for prices and a couple were BIN with free shipping $65-$75. Wonder what it costs wholesale, $25?
 
I helped a friend of mine pick out a turntable as a gift for another friend of mine. She didn't have much time (about four days), knew nothing about turntables and need a solution with cart, preamp, table etc. all ready to go. I thought about vintage but I didn't have time to put something together for her in that short of time. That was before I amassed a tt collection. The store had a used one but it was bpc JVC linear tracking or something and looked in rough shape. So I suggested the Audio Technica as seemingly the only solution. I talked them down to throw in the tax and it came to $175 or $180. That was the top end of the budget. Then I got home and saw them for $70 shipped online :no: But, I stand by the recommendation, I had very little time and it did fit the need perfectly.
 
JD: Both my parents and one of my neighbours have Sony variants that are very similar to the AT (just without the integrated phono stage and USB anlog to digital converter). My impression: Those "toy class" tables surely aren't anything I'd recommend to a hifi fan, but considering the sheer plastic craptasticness of these thingies the sound actually isn't that bad at all. [Emphasis added] So I'd think for Joe Average the quality should be pretty ok, no problemo... However, problem is that many consumers won't know in advance, what quality level they are going to be happy with in the longer run - and in that case, those tables aren't a good idea for the lack of any adjustment capabilities and upgrade potential.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

The sound quality may be OK for listeners who have a low sensitivity to flutter. Those of us who can't tolerate speed instability would find the 0.25% wow and flutter excruciating to listen to.
 
Say what you want about Ebay but it comes in handy for doing price comparisons especially on new items. I'll bet that the AT cost about $10 to mfg and that includes box, packing etc. Wholesale in quantity $25, selling with free shipping at $75 still an easy 100% profit for the seller.
 
I am speaking from personal experience, I owned this turntable for a brief time. It doesn't sound too bad, but I couldn't get past the wow and flutter of this turntable. I was not happy with this, so I sent the turntable back. I would really like to be able to purchase a new turntable, but I can not find one with low wow and flutter specs. I decided to purchase a vintage turntable and I am glad I did.
 
I wasn't impressed with the build quality of this turntable at all. Sometimes when I would walk across the room, records would skip. This was unacceptable for me. I am not trying to sound harsh, but I would have a hard time recommending this turntable.
 
I think the lesson here is never rush a turntable purchase - with enough time you can figure out the best way to maximize your dollar. Which, in this case, would be to buy a nice vintage table, get a new cart installed, and purchase an affordable basic preamp. For $180 I think you could actually get a nice starter setup ($40 to $50 for pre, $50 to $75 for table, rest for cart).
 
I wasn't impressed with the build quality of this turntable at all. Sometimes when I would walk across the room, records would skip. This was unacceptable for me. I am not trying to sound harsh, but I would have a hard time recommending this turntable.

That's the way my Sansui P-50 is. Nice looking table for a plastic one but it is even more susceptible to skipping than the Audio Technica being discussed here.
 
Not all the vintage turntables are all that great, towards the late 1980s and into the early 90s there was plenty of fly weight BPC turntables that wern't much better than the current crop of turntables like the AT. No iron clad guarantee but weight is a good indicator of quality, if you need two hands to lift it's a good sign.
 
What type of cartridge and can it be replaced? I'm looking for a portable that won't eat records and this seems to be one of the only options outside the Crosley unfortunately. If it uses a non-ceramic at least it might be a "safe"-ish table (sound quality notwithstanding)
 
It is a problem that most vintage TTs need some kind of restoration and maintenance. But there are newer entry level TTs (e.g. Project) that can be found used and would be better than BPC units, whether these are new or were made in the 80s.
 
But do you really consider the Project portable? I don't. For starters it doesn't run on batteries. Also it won't fit in a record crate.

NONE of you audiophiles carry portables with you to the record store ?? How do you know what you are buying?

Edit : I now realize that was not a response to my question lol. Apologies. Anyone use this as a portable???
 
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