Amazon Users Are 'Blown Away' By This Beginner-Friendly Turntable For $180

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Convenience is one of the main reasons why streaming services have become popular in the last few years. Spotify, for example, boasts over 761 million users. You can listen to music on any mainstream music streaming service from anywhere in the world, at the snap of a finger. Regardless, some argue that no digital music format can match the experience of playing music on vinyl, and there's a clear trend that some music fans are using vinyl records to replace Spotify and Apple Music. 

You've probably heard the argument that vinyl records sound better than digital audio. Vinyl records are said to sound "warmer" compared to digital music, and you might also miss some sonic details in the latter due to the compression algorithms used to make it easy to transfer audio files over the internet. If you'd like to experience vinyl sound firsthand to make your own judgment, you should get a turntable. 

That said, turntables can be expensive, and the price alone can be a turn-off for so many people. However, you don't have to start at the premium segment of the market. You can start with Audio-Technica's AT-LP60X-BK Turntable, which has beginner-friendly features without the massive price up front. This turntable is on sale on Amazon, and you can get it for $180 after a 10% discount. The turntable has been well-received by many users who speak highly of it, with some saying they've been "blown away" by it.

Audio-Technica's AT-LP60X-BK Turntable is fully automatic, meaning it doesn't require you to place the needle on the record to play — unlike a manual one. It's a belt-drive, two-speed turntable that can switch between 33 revolutions per minute (rpm) and 45 rpm. The main downside is that, like most modern turntables, it won't play any of those old 78 rpm records that might have been passed down to you from your favorite uncle's collection. The AT-LP60X-BK includes a phono cartridge with a diamond stylus that you can replace, along with a die-cast aluminum platter. 

There's also a built-in switchable phono preamplifier, which is not always a given, even in some more expensive turntables. Thanks to this, you don't have to buy an external one if your audio receiver or portable speakers lack one. That means you can also connect the turntable directly to your audio source, such as powered speakers or a home stereo, regardless of whether your audio output has a phono pre-amp or not. 

Included in the box is an RCA output cable, a power cable, a 45 rpm adapter, and a dust cover. Notably, only the black variant of the turntable is selling for $180 as of this writing.

Many user reviews on Amazon note that the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X-BK is a good pick for beginners who don't want to spend too much on their first turntable. At the time of writing, the model has more than 13,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars, with 91% of all users giving it a 4- or 5-star review. Common themes in positive reviews include the turntable's budget-friendly price, good sound quality, and easy setup process that doesn't require you to be tech-savvy.

One Amazon reviewer says they were "blown away" by the turntable after upgrading from an older one that they had for years, praising it for being easy to use, affordable, and having excellent sound quality, a sleek design, and a dust cover. However, despite the largely positive reviews that the turntable has received, it isn't perfect. Some of the issues that users have run into while using it include clunky controls and low volume without using external speakers, and others say it feels cheap.