Welcome to the written review of the Audio-Technica AT-LP60 USB record player. The unit I’ll be reviewing is the USB model, which allows you to connect it to a computer USB port to rip your vinyl audio and convert it into digital format. The USB version still has ports to connect to a sound system, but there is another version of this record player that does not have a USB fitting.
Hardware
The unit I’m reviewing is a belt-driven system which is housed underneath the padding and metal plate.
Most of the controls are on the front of the record player, which adjusts:
-Setting to adjust speed for 33 or 45.
-Button for start and stop.
-A button to raise or lower the arm with the needle onto the record.
On the top of the player is the option to adjust playback of a 7″ or 12″ record. Included in the box is an adapter to place your 7″ records on.
Setup is simple plug-and-play. Once it’s connected to a speaker system and a power outlet, simply place your record on, adjust your controls and enjoy the sound of vinyl.
This unit can be considered as an entry-level record player. I don’t recommend going any cheaper than this unit as those record players might skip or cause scratching noise during music playback. The audio quality playback is surprisingly good for this price and really brings a feeling of nostalgia.
For connectivity, there are RCA cables attached to the back of the player. A few RCA adapters are included in the box such as female RCA to female 3.5mm auxiliary and female RCA to male 3.5mm auxiliary. Lastly is the USB wire, one end being USB-B to connect into the media player and the other end is USB-A to connect into a computer.
On the back is a switch to choose between sound output. There’s a phono pre-amp option (to connect to a stereo system) and the other is “line” to connect to a computer.
Considering the record player’s price point, it’s considered entry-level but it has great performance. There are certainly better quality record players at much higher price points (this model isn’t something you would DJ with). Thankfully if there is ever a needle issue, you can replace it.
Software
Here’s the weird part of the package. In the box is a CD for Audacity (free software to rip vinyl audio to the computer), but that’s the problem, it’s on a CD… A lot of computers (especially ultrabooks) don’t come with a CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive so the disc in the box will be useless for most people.
To make things worse, the instructions for the Audacity software setup to rip audio is for Windows XP (yes, really) and Windows 7, even though Windows 10 has been out for a while.
You’re better of just downloading the Audacity from the official website (remember, it’s free software). A simple piece of paper with a link to download the software would have made more sense and ensure customers always download the latest version of the software.
At this point, customers that aren’t tech-savvy will be confused because they’re given software on a disc they probably can’t use, it’s on a disc so the software will never be up to date as the version on the official site and the instructions are provided for old operating systems and not the current Windows 10.
On Windows 10, my computer recognized the record player as a connected device immediately but for some reason, I couldn’t get sound to output on my computer. I played with all possible settings on Windows and still no luck. After a bit of research on the internet, I found a blog post from Audio-Technica that fixed my issue.
The issue was also rather frustrating as I would have preferred that troubleshooting steps like the one from their blog post be put in the manual or at least provide a link to troubleshooting steps.
Score:
8/10
Pros:
-Price
-Sound quality
-Audio adapters
-USB connectivity
-Phono pre-amp
-Replaceable needles
-7″ record adapter
-Easy setup
-Online troubleshooting guides
-Windows and Mac compatible
Cons:
-No Windows 10 software instructions
-CD in the box, no USB or URL for software
-Not much troubleshooting steps in instructions
