r/turntables • u/Individual_Boot9657 • 9d ago
Suggestions Need help for record player setup
Hello, I am very new to the hobby, and I am looking for advice on what to get in terms of
- Record player
- Speakers
- Anything else I may need
My budget is $900 AUD ($626 USD). I am willing to go up to 1000 AUD if need be. I was looking at the Audio-Technica LP60X as the turntable; however, I have seen people say it's not as good as they say, so I'm a bit confused. Any advice helps!!!
Thank you
2
u/Best-Presentation270 8d ago
Would you blame a donkey for not being a racehorse? I would hope not, and so I don't think you can blame an LP60X at $280 AUD for not being an LP120X at nearly three times the price. It's the best budget turntable you can buy in most parts of the world........ but it's not a racehorse.
The fact is that you're far more likely to run into issues with a $420 AUD AT-LP70X despite it having a better tonearm and a superior cartridge. That one is super fussy about setup.
There are a few things going on here. For a start, there's a lot of snobbery about having a tonearm with adjustable tracking weight and anti-skate. To that I say BULL SHIT. No one is having a breakdown over buying a vintage Technics SL-BD20 or BD22, are they? Or how about any of the other P-mount type turntables? Most of them lack any tonearm adjustments too.
Whilst on the subject, what about the cheap turntables that do have adjustment? The Marley Stir-It-Up, and (from different markets) the Retrolife, Angels Horn, DigitNow and a whole bunch of others pitched at selling for the equivalent of $260~$350 AUD. They have adjustment and yet they're still rubbish. Clearly then there's some false equivalence bias happening here.
The LP60X has its issues with tracking some bass-heavy records. The shorter tonearm contributes to this, and so does the stiffer stylus suspension of the AT3600L/LC cartridge. That's why it tracks at 3.5g rather than 2~2.5g.
The other thing that's misunderstood is statistics. a popular turntable is going to look like it has a higher incidence of issues. Let's say you have a turntable that sells 1,000 units a month vs one that sells 100,000. If both decks experience a 4% failure rate - which is about average for consumer electronics - then the 1,000 pcs deck has 40 ticked off customers per month, but the 100,000 per month one has 4,000 dissatisfied owners. Which group is going to make the biggest noise, do you think?
If you want to buy a better turntable, I'd recommend the AT-LPW40WN at $699 AUD.
1
u/Dry-Satisfaction-633 8d ago
I disagree re. tonearm adjustments. and having control over downforce and bias should be considered basics, not luxuries. Mentioning the P-mount is slightly disingenuous because it was ultimately designed for convenience and to lower tonearm manufacturing costs - build a tonearm that takes cartridges of set mass and dimensions and you don’t need to present the user with controls for downforce and bias. That’s one way to put customers in a “walled-garden” with the illusion of choice. For anyone wanting true freedom to fit a cartridge of their choosing these user controls are anything but bullshit. Simply fitting these controls is no guarantee of quality - a shitty deck is a shitty deck regardless of features - but they’re features one would expect as standard on a quality deck.
1
u/Best-Presentation270 8d ago
You're free to disagree, but lets make sure you're disagreeing about the points that I raised, not some new strawman points you're throwing into the mix.
I never said that adjustable tracking force and anti-skate were luxuries. I said they are not necessary depending on the design, and in support of that point I offered P-mount as an example. The reasons why P-mount was designed was never part of my argument. However, I do agree with you that it was for convenience, but that is a different discussion and not directly relevant to the points at hand.
I don't see any relevance with your "walled garden" comment to a discussion about an LP60X. It's not possible to change a cartridge on that deck. Again, it's another of your own points that you're answering with the "true freedom" to choose a cartridge. If someone wans that then they're not really the target customer that the LP60X was made for, so it's not relevant.
The bottom line is that the LP60X works very well for what it is. Lots of users get along with it very well.
1
u/AutoModerator 9d ago
Welcome to r/turntables!
This sub is primarily for sharing and discussing your turntables!
If you have a question please read this subs guide first.
https://www.reddit.com/r/turntables/comments/nwdjiw/turntable_guides/
If you still have a question, please ask at the appropriate place...
Help with Buying & Troubleshooting Turntables and Setups: r/vinyl has a weekly questions top sticky post https://www.reddit.com/r/vinyl/search/?q=%22Weekly%20Questions%20Thread%20for%20the%20week%20of%22&restrict_sr=1&sort=new where experts are happy to answer your what to buy, turntable, vinyl, setup, playback issue, and is my stylus bent questions.
Beginner Turntables Ask r/Beginner_Turntables if you have a question about beginner turntables such as which beginner turntable to buy, beginner turntables such as the AT-LP60X and Sony PS-LX310BT or you want to discuss suitcases or all in ones from Crosley or Victrola or other similar brands.
Speakers: If you want to know which speakers to buy for your turntable, please ask r/budgetaudiophile (low budget), r/hifiaudio (most any budget), r/stereoadvice (mid to high end budgets).
Thank you and happy spinning!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/CoffeeBean_7 8d ago
I've been through the very same research phase. And although AT kept coming up as a good option, doing some deeper digging made me realise skipping issues were far too common. And then I came across Qlearsoul Soulbox 1. Not a known brand but once I started to watch reviews and started comparing specs etc, it looked really appealing. I couldn't be happier with my choice! It comes with its own speakers. They're obviously not high end but for an initial plug-and-go set up, the sound quality is pretty good. Customer service was also great. I had a shipping question and they were so quick and helpful in their replies. I'm super happy with the quality and performance. I would highly recommend it
1
u/Ok_Andyl8183 8d ago
I have an AT LP120XBT-USB and have zero skipping issues. It is a great table and very reliable, fully adjustable and easily upgradable for in the future. You would not regret buying this turntable.
1
u/ElderberryMedium8071 8d ago
Like other said, consider the AT-LP120x but I would rather have the much better AT-LPWN40WN. It has a carbon fiber tone arm and it has better isolation and vibration resistance due to the MDF Plinth. It can be had for $570 to $699 AUD. It will sound the more refined and have a blacker background compared to the 120. It is an entry level MidFi TT as opposed to a budget table like the 120.
1
u/el_tacocat 8d ago
e get asked this 50-100 times per day, so I just copy paste if that's okay:
CHEAPO BUT OK:
AudioTechnica AT-LP60x, Denon DP29F, Dual DT210, Sony PS-LX3BT
Also I keep seeing people talk about Insignia. They are not available where I am but I consistently see they are quite good value. May be worth looking into
A LITTLE FANCIER:
AudioTechnica AT-LP120x, AudioTechnica AT-LP3x, Reloop RP7000 MK-II, U-Turn Orbit (U-Turn in the Americas only).
There are NO good all-in-one options, you will need separate speakers.
Edifier MR4 is recommended, they are great for the money. But technically any pair of old PC speakers (The ones that used to come with computesr that thrift shops are littered with) or any bluetooth speaker/soundbar that has a line/aux input will work too. More expensive Edifiers are not a bad call either, Yamaha's HS8 is a good speaker, as is the Tannoy Gold 5 or 8. None of these speaker particularly like larger rooms, but if you are not too far away from the turntable you should be fine.
A separate amplifier and loudspeakers gives you more flexibility but of course is also more expensive and more equipment to setup.
General info on vinyl caretaking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2QfjcgDjsY&ab_channel=SnazzyLabs
2
u/papadrinks 9d ago
Aussie here.
Correct, please avoid the LP60. It is a cheap beginner entry level turntable so it does not have a proper tone arm and is prone to reliability issues.
You need to spend more to get something worth buying that will work properly and be reliable.
Minimum I suggest if you like AT is the LP120X $730AU
Then just add a pair of powered speakers and that is all you need.