Audio-Technica AT-LP60BK Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Stereo Turntable, Black & AmazonBasics 3.5mm to 2-Male RCA Adapter Cable - 8 Feet

I'm just a beginner to the vinyl scene, but I think this thing is awesome. The only downside to it is that if you have people walking around the room while the record is playing it might skip and jump a bit, especially if they are heavy footed (or small children being crazy). The record player itself meets or exceeds all of my expectations. I was really worried I'd have to figure out how to manually place the needle on the record, and I feared I'd ruin it, but the automatic start feature eliminates those fears. This thing is really slick. It seems like perfect entry level record player.For those wondering what you'll need to get this setup, here's the other items I chose to purchase:Speakers:Micca MB42 Bookshelf Speakers With 4-Inch Carbon Fiber Woofer and Silk Dome Tweeter (Black, Pair)Speaker wire:AmazonBasics 16-Gauge Speaker Wire - 100 FeetMini-Amplifier:Seeduck Lepy lp 2020a Class-D Hi-Fi Audio Mini Amplifier with Power Supply Lepy Amplifier LP2020AI'm putting this all here because I had to spend some time researching all of this, hopefully it helps someone figure out what they need, or if you don't feel like picking out your own stuff I can tell you that these items will be sufficient to get yourself up and running.The picture should explain it pretty well, but in case you need some more help here's how it goes:You've got the Audio Technica AT-LP60 (the item I'm reviewing). That has a cord that comes out of the back of it. It also comes two adapter cords. One of the adapters creates a female 3.5mm connection at the end of it. The other adapter creates a male 3.5mm connection at the end of it. I used that second adapter and plugged it into the back of the Lepy mini amplifier. Then I took my speaker wire and cut two pieces about 3.5 feet long. You have to separate the ends of the speaker wire at both ends and use a wire stripper to strip away about a half inch of the clear casing. One part of the speaker wire casing has a black line running through it and the other is just clear. The side with the black line is what you plug into the black terminal on the back of the mini amplifier, the clear goes into the red terminal. On the other end of the wire the black line side goes into the black knob of the speaker, clear goes into the red knob. On the Micca Speakers I'm using you have to unscrew both the knobs most of the way and a little hole is revealed in there, thread the stripped part of the wire into this hole and then screw the knobs back in place. I know this is probably really simple stuff to most people, but this was the first time I ever set anything up like this so I figure somebody might appreciate the extra explanation.Here's what the setup looks like all put together:

I have had two units so far - my original and its replacement. I have had this experience with both of them.First, about me: I'm not an audiophile, but only because I don't have the money to be. That being said, I will still tinker endlessly to squeeze the best possible sound out of my equipment. I take exceptionally good records and will only accept records from Amazon that are in near-perfect condition. I'm running this record player through a Sony 7.1 channel receiver which I'm very happy with. It's a digital receiver so the built in pre-amp on the turntable was essential.The build is cheap plastic. It's not a concern to me. My concern is the sound, not the look. Still, this turntable is small and takes up very little space. It's not ugly. It's not awesome. It's just, well, serviceable. The lack of a latch to keep the arm in place is a major minus, especially for a klutz like me. I have bumped it off it's resting spot a fewer times. It's not a deal-breaker, but it's something that I really wish that this player had.Out of the box, I was pretty meh on the sound quality. It wasn't what I was looking for. After some adjustments on my receiver, this thing came to life. I was really, really pleased with the quality of its sound. Again, I'm not an audiophile but I have a musically trained ear and I heard things in the music that I never heard before. It was wonderful. So, this thing can sound great or mediocre. It just depends on your ear, your setup, and what you think sounds good.Once the stylus was properly broken in, the sound quality got a noticeable bump. It was about that time that it went south. At random points in the album, the speed would drop and then pick back up, changing the pitch. I tried cleaning everything properly and there was no change. Now, it's fully possible that you may not notice it. It depends on how you listen to the record. To me, it kills the experience. I'm not willing to tolerate it. I can handle the small, subtle variations that all turntables have, but when the pitch noticeably changes, that's unacceptably to me. In terms of fixing it, I can fix too slow. I can fix too fast. I cannot fix inconsistent.I live by the rule that once is an isolated incident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a trend. I've had two. I am sending my second back and have ordered number 3. I will adjust this review based on that experience. If it's the same, I'm switching to another brand.EDIT: I'm keeping the original text because it may yet be relevant. Just a little while ago I decided to do some "tinkering". I got an app on my phone that measures RPM. Sure enough, there were major speed variations. Then I noticed something curious - as it spun, the speed increased and decreased at the same spot. That told me that the platter was not level. I went and got my level and confirmed my hypothesis. I got some index cards and stuck them under the side that was low. The closer I got to perfectly level, the more consistent my speed. Before leveling the unit I had a 2-3% variation in speed. That's unacceptable. Now I have a <1% variation in speed. That's normal. Further, I have had no major RPM dips. It runs fast - 33.7-33.9 RPM, but it's consistent. Like I said earlier, I can fix slow.

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!