Like a lot of vinyl collectors, I’ve spent a marriage-threatening amount of time and money obsessing over my records. But joining the Digital Trends AV team a couple of years ago really blew the lid off one of my other obsessions — turntables. And just like when I began reviewing them, you have to start somewhere when deciding on what entry-level turntable is going to get you started on your vinyl adventure.
I get asked about this a lot, and it just so happens that there’s a pretty good Black Friday deal on one of the best entry-level turntables you can buy — the Audio-Technica AT-LP60BT-USB, which is going for $199, a decent $80 off its regular price of $279.
Audio-Technica is a go-to brand for people new to vinyl records and are more interested in testing the waters first before going whole hog into the life. My first turntable was the AT-LP120 (also currently 20% off for Black Friday, a workhorse of a turntable that was easy to use, not easy to break, and allowed me to figure things out with ease.
The AT-LP60BT-USB maintains all of those Audio-Technica ease-of use principles, and while it has a few less frills than the AT-LP120, for the price it’s perfect for beginners and still has all the features you’ll need to get started.
Setup out of the box can be done in under 10 minutes, and its built-in phono preamp means that you just need to connect it to a set of powered speakers or an amplifier’s AUX input to get sound. However, if you’re someone who’s only really used Bluetooth speakers as your main source of audio, the AT-LP60BT-USB also has Bluetooth connectivity (hence the “BT” in the name) to get you up and running. And, hey, if that sounds great to you and that’s all you need, more power to you. If you do decide to explore the world of AV receivers and speaker setups, the AT-LP60BT-USB will grow with you, too.
The last acronym in the AT-LP160BT-USB’s model name we need to talk about it the “USB.” I know that letting go of your addiction to digital audio for the warmer sound of analog can be difficult, so if you must, this turntable has USB connectivity so you can connect it to a computer and use it to digitize any and all of your records for digital playback.
The AT-LP60BT-USB’s push-button operation couldn’t be easier to use, letting newbies just drop a record on its aluminum platter and hit Start. The tone-arm moves in place on its own and the needle drops to start the record. To stop it and return the tonearm to the cradle, just hit Stop — it’ll also do this on its own when the record ends.
It’s all-plastic build may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, and the cartridge cannot be upgraded (the stylus, thankfully, can be replaced easily though), but for beginners, and at this price, the Audio-Technica AT-LP60BT-USB is an excellent choice.
