Side by Side Comparison of: Audio-Technica vs Edifier vs Micca vs Collector Protector

I have owned 5 different record players including a vintage turntable. There are many things I love about this player. I like that it has a dust cover that you can close while a record is spinning on it. It comes with a slip mat for under the vinyl. I like that it has an automatic arm that will play and return itself for you. I was nervous about having an arm that lowers itself onto the vinyl mechanically, I was scared it would eventually break and scratch up my vinyls. It has not done this and it has proven me wrong. It works so well and fluid.
There is a button to manually lower the arm at any point in the record, which is helpful for when you have something other than a 12" or a 7".
I have owned some lower end record players and I would recommend this over a Crosley any day. I've never owned one of those suitcase models, but I have used them, and don't even think about getting one of those. You will be so much happier with this turntable. The sound quality is great, and the Bluetooth was not a feature I was thinking I would use, but I was proven wrong again. The Bluetooth connects seamlessly with my soundbar that I use for my television. The sound quality is beautiful. I like the sound of vinyl and it really compliments the records even using a soundbar. If you are back and forth between models and can't decide, choose this one. I was you, couldn't decide and deterred by questionable reviews. Get this turntable, you won't be sorry.
Thanks for a great product audio technica!

Great deal for your money if you want an entry level turntable for ocassional LP listening (my case). Can't explain myself with those technical or esoteric (lol) concepts about vinyl and turntables but I can say that this one meet my expectactions offering a great sound through a good old Akai system that I own. Bass run smooth and treble don't hurt that much. Stereo signal is very well placed and enough wide (I tested with the 2016 edition of Piper at the Gates of Dawn). This is a entry level turntable as I said, so there's no weight or antiskate arm control. What do you want for THAT price? Plugged through the PHONO input of my amp/receiver the LP60 is really a very easy gear to setup and enjoy. Very well packaged, understable user`s manual, 3 different cables for the 3 different configurations of listening you can choose. About the design is very simple (aluminium finishing) and maybe is a bit light, dust cover looks not that solid so an extra caution to manipulate it will be good.

The only thing that could be better is a vintage one in good shape. The problem with vintage is that how does one *really* know it is in good shape without taking it home? The best you can hope for is to discern that it actually works. If you don't have the time or money to gamble on vintage gear, go for this one.

I have 3 other turntables, against which to compare it:

1) Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB. (from here on, I will refer to this as the '120' and the AT-LP60 as the '60) This is a great turntable. It looks better, feels better, but I can't say that I can tell the difference in sound it produces. Some of the things we pay extra for on that model are:

a) Quartz timing control. This is something of value.
b) 78 RPM speed, if you want the option of being able to play back the pre-1950 records. This is something of value.
c) Manual pitch adjustment. I'm told some bad recordings had the speed off, so this is a way to manually correct it. I've got a couple hundred records, and have not yet found one that had the speed obviously off, so I can't see any value in this.
d) Reverse direction. I can't see any value in this either. Some records have hidden messages if you play them backwards. Seems like something that might give a little thrill to hear it once or twice, but to pay extra for this ability? Nah, just go listen to those albums on YouTube to get your thrill.
e) Electronic controls. These will probably hold up better many years down the road than the mechanical controls of the 60. No moving parts = fewer failure points.
f) Counterbalanced tonearm. In theory, this is better, as we can adjust the stylus to ride heavily enough in the grooves to provide good sound, but not so heavy as to cause undue wear to the records. I've read elsewhere where someone measured the weight at the stylus and found this one to be 3 g. When I got the weight adjusted properly on my 120, it was 2.5 g. Not a notable difference, in the end.
g) S-shaped tonearm. They say this is better, but I'll be darned if I can hear the difference.
h) Interchangeable headshell and cartridge. They say a change of cartridge makes a big difference in sound. Some people will spend hundreds of dollars on high-end cartridges to tailor the sound just to their liking. That seems silly to me. Why not just adjust the tone controls on one's amplifier? Or get a proper EQ component. Anyway, I can admit there could be some value in this.
i) USB out option. The 60 is available with this too, for an extra $20. It works great with the free Audacity software. I've ripped several LPs to .wav and .mp3. It's worth paying extra for this feature, if only to make the records portable. But you don't need to upgrade to the 120 to get it.
j) Much heavier. The 120 has a big steel plate inside. I'm not sure what is up with this obsession for vibration dampening. There's no discernable difference in sound as a result of all this damping. Any difference heard would be mostly down to the cartridge.
k) LED strobe, to confirm at a glance that the RPM is correct.

More comparison between the 60 and 120 later.

2) Ion Vinyl Transport turntable. This uses the same mechanism as the ever-popular Crosley Cruiser, but adds battery operation, which I love. With the battery operation option, it is totally portable, not just portable in theory. I bring this to me to the Goodwill and other places for listening to used records. Gotta find out if those scratches are "skippers" before paying the full $1 and taking up room in my apartment for more junk. I bought this for sixty bucks at a local Half Price Books store, which also sells records. I just love this turntable, but it is not at all in the same league as this AT-LP60. It has a ceramic cartridge instead of magnetic. Sound quality is pretty terrible in this class of turntable. If you're listening to a Crosley with this mechanism, you're really missing out on how good vinyl can actually sound.

3) Fisher-Price from 1978. I just gave this to my daughter for Christmas. Check feeBay, you'll see the one. Believe it or not, this has a much better speaker than the Crosley/Ion/Jenson ones, and hence, better sound quality. But of course not comparable to this one, since it still has a ceramic cartridge. For techno-geeks, it has a really interesting drive mechanism though! (check YouTube for 'how to repair a fisher-price turntable)

Now if you're looking at this turntable and you're on a budget, you're likely also looking at the 120 model, for over double the price. Having both of them now, I think this 60 is a much value. For the money, it gives just what one is after:

1) Affordable
2) HiFi-grade sound
3) Not too big or heavy
4) Semi-automatic operation. This is the key difference. It makes it very nearly as convenient to play a record as a CD, yet we still have the option to do it manually.

The 60is about 40% smaller and 70% lighter than the 120, yet it functions just as well. It doesn't take up as much room, and it isn't a back-breaker to occasionally move around.

The one con I've found so far about this turntable is that it comes with a felt slip mat. (same as on the 120) These are a disaster when it comes to static. I opened my 60 yesterday for Christmas, then re-packed it to bring home. I wasn't careful enough in repacking, and I crunched up the edge of the slip mat, so now the records don't spin flat. I pressed it underneath something heavy and flat last night, but it is still jacked up. I've got a couple cork ones inbound to replace these. That will address the static problem, as well as the crunched up problem.

In short, the 120 is probably a much heavier-duty turntable. It will run hour after hour, year after year and keep going. No belts to break, no mechanics to break, nothing to really go wrong, except maybe electronic. But considering it is basically a copy of the famous DJ-favored Technics 1200, which was a mature design to begin with, that's probably not even a concern.

The 60 is a lighter-duty unit. It MIGHT wear out after 10 years of constant, heavy use. But its a lot more affordable, a lot more convenient, and a lot lighter and smaller. (though it can still operate fully with the dust cover down)

I'm not an audiophile or a tech head, but I am a musician and I generally know what I like to hear. I know what sounds 'bad' to me, and I know what sounds 'good' to me. And to me, this turntable goes significantly beyond 'good'.

I have a fairly simple setup. I have this turntable connected to a Sonos Connect, and I send the audio to a group of Sonos Play:1 speakers throughout the home and occasionally the Sonos Playbar as well.

The turntable itself was a breeze to set up. Removed all the packaging and securing tape, put the turntable in place and fed the drive belt over the drive spindle, plugged in the power, plugged in the audio cables, and removed the needle cover. I was playing a record in 5 minutes from the UPS guy delivering this.

There is incredible clarity across the entire audible spectrum. The lows are deep but not muddy. The mids are punchy but not over-powering. The highs are crisp but not shrill.

For the price, I don't think I could have done any better. I love this turntable!

Just got one of these shipped all the way to Austria, was worried for a couple of days that the voltage and cycle frequency difference would be a problem, but it's absolutely not so. In the meantime I exchanged emails with Audio Technica's service center and support, and got a prompt reply that it's a DC controlled unit, meaning that if it's not a 120V current where you live, a simple voltage converter is sufficient.

The sound just blew me away, I put the unit straight through a test of fire by running it into a professional audio interface with direct monitoring (no AD/DA conversion), and from that to a pair of active Genelec studio monitors. To top it all, I fed it "The Headhunters" by Herbie Hancock. All I can say is wow. Super clean, full sound from the preamp in the unit, very good signal to noise ratio (barely audible hissing and crackling between tracks, not really perceivable when there's any kind of music going on). Let's see if it runs this well over time, so far I'm very impressed. Five stars.

BTW, if you check out the negative comments, some are talking about "how short the RCA cables are", and some are talking about the unit's "low volume". That's just audio ignorance running high around here. It comes with a pair of cables with which you can make an extension in two seconds, and the "low-volume" is because it comes with the pre-amp turned off. All you need to do to solve this "problem" is use your fingers to flip a switch in the back of the unit to "line" instead of phono. And if you complain that "assembling" the unit is difficult (putting three pieces together before running it), you're just beyond hope.

I know these fall more into the "Toy Table" type of record player, but they have worked well for me. Im sort of new to the Vinyl game, but this has held up. After moving and leaving it shaking around in the UHaul, i did find that it was playing at a slightly high RPM. It was a simple fix once I looked it up online. You just need a phone app that can tell you the RPM of your table and then adjust one screw at the bottom.

Overall, solid purchase. The quality matches the price: no more, no less.

I'm no expert on turntables, but I do know it sounds good and my dad can now listen to his record collection again. I got it on sale during the holidays and I couldn't be happier neither could he.

If you just want access to vinyl, this is the turntable for you. It sounds as good as any other music device to the untrained ear and untrained it shall stay.

For the price it's a nice turntable. I had a Pioneer PL-530 back in 1977 that was direct drive and one of the best at the time but it was very expensive back then. To be honest this one plays as good, minus the strobe and a few features. This unit looks nice too. Wish vinyl records never went away for so long because they truly sound better. This will be just fine for someone that wants good quality without spending hundreds more.

Bought this for my sons birthday to replace an old cheesy record player he has been using. Nice quality overall and works great. Sounds great with the Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers I also ordered. Overall both my son and I are impressed with how this turntable has worked out.

I recently moved cross-country, and one of the many things I had to sacrifice in the move was my old turntable (and entire stereo system, really). This saddened me, but it gave me an opportunity to buy my first-ever NEW turntable, as all of my previous ones were 1970s or 80s models that had been picked from yard sales or handed down to me. I'm not entirely sure if that means I have a high or low standard -- many people swear by turntables from that era, but I can't claim to be able to tell the difference, unless we're talking about a high-end Technics model.

Now, to the AT-LP60. I had been weighing this purchase for some time, debating between this and a similar Pioneer model, but was ultimately swayed toward this one by the sheer quantity and quality of reviews. I hooked it up to a basic Yamaha home-theater-in-a-box, so my speakers weren't exactly Bowers & Wilkins. After figuring out the preamp feature, the setup was surprisingly quick -- just attach the belt and assemble the pieces of the turntable. Assembly took about 5 minutes. It has fairly simple controls -- just buttons for stop/start, changing speed from 33/45, and raising and lowering the needle.

As for pure sound, I can't say this is the best turntable I've ever used, but one would be hard-pressed to find a better one in the $100 budget range. I'll probably upgrade at some point within the next few years, once I'm able to justify spending more money on a stereo setup -- but for now? This is all I could really ask for.

After a week of daily use I've run into a problem where record will occasionally slow down and then get back up to speed.

Doing some reading and it seems like this is a rather common problem with the LP60. I saw suggestions that the belt that comes with the LP60 is crappy which causes the slowdown issues. I was told I should get the $40 upgrade kit which provides a new stylus and belt which may fix the problem.

If this fixes it I would consider this $140 record player not $100. If it doesn't then I'm afraid I've wasted my money and i'll be on the hunt for a better unit.

This is what it is: a practical, affordable, entry-level record player to test the waters before making sure that you want to plunge into vinyl and/or a full sound system upgrade.

Pros: Affordable. Easy to use. Automatic. Line-out feature (preamplifier) needed for most modern receivers is there. Overall - it plays records!!

Neutrals: Upon purchasing this turntable, I also purchased a better stylus and belt from another website (I think it is actually called something obvious like "ATLP60 upgrade")! After a year, I finally added a lower-end external preamplifier (TCC TC-750LC) as a test. It has improved the sound significantly - there is now much more range, sound is less 'flattened' out to my ear and less muddy. But...

Cons: The sound is just not where it should be even with the better stylus, belt, and amplifier. After a year of ownership, fiddling with everything on my receiver (Marantz), speakers (Polk RTiA1s and RTiA5s, and, recently, a vintage set), comparing cds to records, listening to records on other systems, etc., I'm no longer satisfied with this turntable. The cartridge cannot be changed (without, as I understand it, some seriously invasive cutting and soldering), there is no ground wire for external amplifiers, and the RCA cables are hard-wired in (they can't be switched out). Also, the RCA cables are VERY short. The entire thing save for the turntable itself is plastic, plastic, plastic.

Bottom line: If you're not sure what the future holds regarding your interest in records and turntables, this is a good place to start. If you want a GREAT record player, this is not the deck for you.

Very cheaply made - very light. No real counterbalance on the tone arm. The last turntable I purchased was 35 years ago and this one doesn't even compare in terms of quality or fidelity. I was disappointed at the sound using my old albums even through my old Yamaha receiver. The usb connection is helpful for connecting with my pc. if you are looking for a cheap turntable to transfer vinyl to mp3 then this may serve your needs. If you are interested in listening to albums like we did in the olden days then look for a better unit. Be forewarned - this turntable doesn't deliver the true fidelity of the 70's and 80's.

We are on the 2nd one I bought from Amazon. This is the 2nd one I've gone through in 2 years. The first one the Arm mechanism screwed up. This one I have only had for 8 months. It is playing all my 33 1/3 records fast. There is no adjustment for pitch so I can no longer recommend this Turntable for purchase. These are entry level and throwaway if anything goes wrong. I just bought a Sony entry level turntable. See if that works out better for me. I have changed my stars to three from five I originally gave it and that is being generous.

I've had this little guy for 3 weeks now, used daily. Most of the reviews said for the money cant beat it; while this is probably true I have noticed a few things that keep if from being 5 stars.

Sound- this is no $12k hand crafted fine tuned precision piece, but sounds pretty damn good...especially for the money. See the theme developing?

Equipment- shipped with a F/M to 3.5mm jack which for my setup was needed, this wasn't explained in the one I bought and so I now have 2. :(. Helpful. ive noticed the static builds up pretty quick with the out of the box setup. The belt drive was easy to setup but doesn't come put together. Anyone with half a brain should get this to work no problem.

The problems I've experienced are as follows. I have serveral brand new pressings, cleaned and prepped for listening. I've experienced random skipping on a few diffent albums and at different places on the records. Again these are brand new pressings skipping on first play, with no dust or scratches on viynl. The other problem I have had is the needle lift button feels spring loaded, and on mine doesn't return pretty much everytime. Which if left unchecked keeps the needle just on the viynl and that's no good. I have to pull out the button if I use it to lift the head so the needle sits properly. Picture added one shows the button pressed in completely, the other after releasing the button but not returning to its start position.

Overall for the money it's not bad...but if you're into this in a semi serious way take the money you'd spend on this unit and get its better built sister or another player all together. I'm already looking at getting a replacement. This is only after 3 weeks.

I could never get any quality sound from this. The customer service was good. They tried to fix the problem but not only was I never able to get the quality sound I had to turn it up very high to get any sound. I tried all the things that you were supposed to do. I read and read but to no avail. I do not recommend this at all. I gave it 2 stars because their customer service was good.

Ordered this TT as an "entry level" device; not expecting the greatest audio fidelity, just something to start with. The motor speed was faster than it should have been, causing all albums to sound pitch-shifted upward by nearly a whole note. Further research online revealed that this is common, and that the replacement motor is less than $6.00. I guess that explains a lot.
There are holes on the bottom of the TT for manually adjusting speed for 33 1/3 and 45, but not worth the trial and error.
I returned this TT, and plan to INVEST in something worthwhile soon... after a LOT more research.

I had to do about an hour of tuning just to get the speed setting right, seems like getting the rpm right is something they would do in QA but I guess its too cheap for that. If you are a hacker type and looking for something real cheap its probably okay. I was able to get it sounding alright by manually adjusting the potentiometer that controls the 33rpm motor speed. For anyone trying to do this there is a hole on the bottom which makes it really inconvenient to try and adjust because you can't do it while its spinning. You have to flip it on its side, make a tiny adjustment, flip it back down, put on your strobe disc (look it up if you need to figure out how to do this), then try it again to see if its right. Its not worth the hassle returning for me right now but I would tell my past self to get something a bit nicer next time.

I never write reviews on Amazon, and I mean never. I'm an amazon moocher, I read what other people say use it to make my decisions and am on my merry way. This time it's different. There are SO many good reviews for this product and I'm not sure why.

The idea of this turntable is great. Simple, easy to use, cheap. Unfortunately the latter is the thing that comes through the most. I set it up (sounded great by the way) and noticed that it was playing too fast. And no I was not using the 45 speed on a 33 LP. I had the 33LP speed selected, and it was making Bruce Springsteen sound like a thrash metal band.

No big deal I thought, surely there is a way to adjust the belt speed. Nope, none. So basically unless this comes to you PERFECTLY calibrated, which is a hard thing for any turntable to be nevertheless one for $100 you're at the mercy of your own luck of the draw.

After having this happen I saw it was a very common problem, just google AT-LP60 plays too fast, you'll be just as bummed as I was. Love the idea of this product, it just didn't work.

Let me start by saying I'm not a person that writes Amazon reviews. But, in an effort to help folks avoid the same mistake I made, here we go:

I'm not an avid vinyl connoisseur, by any means. I'm a regular guy who likes $1 records I find in garage sales and I very occasionally pop for a new re-release of a favorite album here on Amazon. I really needed a new record player and I did a little research and bought this one. Let me cut to the chase and tell you this: Here I am less than 6 months layer and I just bought ANOTHER player because this one was so frustrating.

To keep things short, my major problem was the lack of 'tracking weight' adjustment (how hard the needle pushes down on your records when it plays). There's really no needle adjustment at all.

Before you think "so what", let me clarify: If you ONLY play brand new records, it's not a big deal. They'll play fine. But put on a less than perfect record (which I have plenty of) and it WILL skip. Not because there's a big scratch anywhere...but because older records that aren't mint condition will cause this player's needle to jump. Since the tracking weight isn't adjustable there's nothing you can do besides put a penny on the needle arm to increase the weight (which ruins your records even more).

The fact that the tracking weight is too light and not adjustable makes this player worthless if you play a wide condition of records. Don't do it, no matter how tempting it looks unless you play ONLY brand new records all the time.

After learning alot in those 6 months, I took the advice of going to a local record shop that sells old/vintage turntables that have been refurbished (so you know they're in good shape). I only spent $50 more than I spent on this player and the difference is night and day. The vintage player is FAR higher quality than this adn only cost me maybe $50 more. Do that instead, don't make the same mistake I made by buying this.

Hopefully this will send someone in the right direction and save them the money I wasted. Good luck!

I had one of these for a couple years and it worked fine then the motor started running slow. Ordered one of these to replace and the belt squeaks (which plays through the speakers) and the motor is slow right out of the box. Amazon's customer service was excellent and they overnighted me a replacement, however the replacement is having the exact same issues out of the box. I've loved Audio Technica in the past and will still buy their products, but this will be the last turntable I ever buy from them.

Was a big fan of this product. Easy to use, sounded great, etc. One year later, it decided to stop spinning. Prior to this, I had to return a LP120 because it was not working. I have contacted Audio Technica so I will determine if this one star becomes five stars based on their support. We shall see.

Wanted to really love this product due to the high ratings and low price. However, the actual experience feel way too short.

The rpm is higher than normal. All songs sound different due to the the higher pitch as a result of the rpm.

The platter was warped. Not sure how this has already damaged my brand new vinyls but it is clearly visible and I rechecked the placement of the platter.

If you are planning on using the built-in preamp, it has a lot of static and distorts the sound. I can tell that the quality of the preamp is poor. I did get a louder sound with the preamp but it also distorted the sound and added a lot of static noise.

The output cable is only 2 or 3 feet long. I was able to connect it as I brought this as close to the receiver as possible. However, this is something that could easily be prevented by providing 2 extra feet.

I have returned this back to Amazon exactly 1 day after I received it as these issues are not something that will be fixed with time. I would recommend spending a little more and investing in a higher quality player. I am still looking for one and will probably end up buying one here or a used one off Craigslist. They are both a better option over this.

Worked fine for the first 45 days, didn't get to use it too much. Now apparently the needle is worn out or something as it will not play properly. Only played 10-15 records on it. Audio Technica AT-LP60 Fully Automatic Stereo Turntable System, Silver

the unit does not turn off and remains with a constant5 hum once the stylus has returned to the resting position. Contacted Audio-Technica for support about the hum. Whatever and all advice received did not resolve the issue which can only be stopped when the power lkine is disconnected from its power source. The persistence of the hum is a safety hazard. Hope the manufacturer/designer take this issue to heart. Most likely a manufacturer defect, whether in electronic components, manufacturing or design of the controlling electronic board start/Off. Would not recommend this unity to anyone.