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■ Record Player
After considering everything, I ended up buying a generic Record Player with External Speakers (R612 Model) for $76. It mostly came down to the price as a major factor, and the fact that it has two external speakers. I spent all of Thursday and Friday listening to my old records. I own about two crates of 12” and a shoebox of 7” and various 10” and picture discs…

The more and more I started listening to my old records, it really became apparent that I needed a better record player. I honestly didn’t think I would want or care for a quality record player, since my starter player, a no-name brand is just “okay”. After some thinking and debate, I decided I would splurge on the best-of-the-best entry Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT (Bluetooth) record player.

When I originally did research on Record Players last year, I automatically dismissed Audio-Technica because “they are just way too expensive”. The barebone LP60X starts at $200 and it goes up to $2,000. What I didn’t realize then, is that their “barebone” is a “deluxe” in most record players! I’m being serious. Here are some of the features in their “beginner” line: the AT-LP60X and the upgraded AT-LP70X.

Fully Automatic: After adjusting the speed and size, just press Play and it will position the needle in the right spot every time. When it reaches the end of the record, the need returns to the home position. Just awesome. I know some people like dropping the needle and stuff, but it’s just not for me. I have messed up before and dropped it on the platter (it was dark and I could not see where the vinyl began)! I think it’s a real chore. My number feature that I love about my AT-LP70XBT is that automatic feature. This should be the standard in all record player.

For those who still prefers manual mode, sure, you can do that on the LP70X, just use the raise lever and move the arm to the start position and lower the lever (this necessary when you have the uncommon 10” or rare 3” Tiny Vinyls).

Full Size Metal Platter: There’s something nice and stable when your full 12” record sits on the entire spinning platter. It feels solid. My old record player is a quarter size, meaning that the 12” will stick out (only about 50 or 75% of the record is touching the platter). If you have a flexi-vinyl, it won’t really work and it’ll wobble. Plus, I needed a full-size so I can have my David Bowie record matt can sit comfortably on the entire platter.

Bluetooth: This option was an added expense, but I really wanted this option. I thought it would be cool to move the Bluetooth speakers around. Keep in mind that this function is Bluetooth-out only, it can only send audio out.

The biggest problem I had with the Bluetooth is pairing it. I couldn’t do it on my Razer Leviathan V2 X, because the power plug is so far away. I couldn’t do it with my Sony 950N1 Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones headphones at first… but once I moved the headphones directly on the record player, it paired. So, my approach to bring the Razer Leviathan right next to the Audio-Technica and hopefully it’ll pair. Once it pairs, it probably won’t be a problem for me to move it around to a different location. I think that’s my biggest complaint so far.

Update: Moving the Razer Leviathan right next to the record player works. It now pairs.

Cartridge Upgradeable or replaceable: Look, I’ll probably never feel the need to replace the needle, but it’s nice to have the option to upgrade it via their AT-VM95 Series Styli. The most expensive one is the $200 Shibata needle. That needle costs more than most record players! But for those who wants the very best, the stylus can read groove vertically and horizontally.

Belt Drive: The reason why the belt drive is the best for vinyls is because you won’t hear vibrations from the motor. The actual motor is located away from the center, and it uses the belt to spin the platter. The flaw in the belt drive design is that over time you will need to replace the belt. It’s fairly inexpensive ($8) and easy to do, so it’s not so bad.

J-Shaped Tonearm: I don’t really know what the differences are, but I guess this new J-shape design was made to better track the grooves of a record. It sorts of makes sense, since records are round, so the arm should be position at an angle. I leave it to the vinylheads who designed this player, they say it tracks better – I will take their words for it.

Negatives: Some negatives. It is expensive at $300. So it irks people that the turntable doesn’t have the ability to adjust counterweights or anti-skate. I honest don’t think it will affect me… as I never messed around with the settings to begin with. I don’t think that’s a big deal – but if you’re the type of person that likes to tinker around, maybe the LP70X is not for you.

The anti-skate thing is a big deal because when the LP70X was first released in August 2024, they had a bad production batch. It was so widespread that there is a whole page devoted to this problem at audio-technica.com:

Since launching our AT-LP70X series turntables, we have received some customer feedback related to record skipping. After a detailed quality assurance review, we have determined that these problems were caused by an inconsistent application of lubricant to the tonearm assembly affecting a very small number of units. We have corrected this inconsistency and have established solutions for affected units.

There are only two speeds (33 and 45), but there exist the uncommon 78 records. I do not own any 78, so it’s not a problem for me, personally. If you have a large collection of 78, this is not the record player for you. Also, I hated paying extra for Bluetooth… but it does come with regular audio-out to standard speakers. I wish there was a USB output or other audio-out options, like headphone jack.

Another problem I had with the LP70X series is there is not place to keep the donut for 45’s. Most record players have a spot you can store it. It’s just annoying, so now I need to find an option to store the donut and various cables. And speaking of 45’s, I just assumed when you switch from 33 1/3 to 45 that the turntable will automatically switch to 7” position. That is not the case, you need to switch from 12” to 7” (which is located inconveniently behind the tonearm).

The last problem I had with the LP70X is the dust cover. I do not think it’s well designed at all. It only opens about 30 or 45 degrees. And it’s so very big that I don’t have the space to accommodate it, as my record player sits right next to the wall. My table does not have the space for it. So, I think this might be just a me-problem. Fortunately, you don’t have to install the dust cover. If you want the cover on, then you need to move the desk forward and/or the record player forward so you can have clearance when you open the cover.

So far, I’m loving all the great features (particularly the automatic one-button play option). Depending on how clean the record is, it sounds great. I’m so glad there is a vinyl revolution, as I can clearly hear the difference between a vinyl pressed in the 80s vs something recently (on 180g). It sounds great, I have a new Kind of Blue album that sounded like I was sitting in the same room as Miles Davis. God, can you smell the cigarettes? Anyway, that’s just my first impression on my new Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT record player. If anything changes or I need to add something more – I will turn in a long-term review (after a few months of usage). For now, it’s everything that I needed in a record player. If you are serious about records, I really think you should at least look at the entry level Audio-Technica. I made the mistake of avoiding Audio-Technica on account of their high prices… but you know the old saying, you get what you pay for. For me, for now, it was worth the extra cost.