I picture a room full of fascinating audio, video and computing objects from the past including 1000’s of cds, cassettes, records and laserdiscs when I watch your videos.
VWestlife is busy enough with regular creation of videos for us; I'm sure adding a chick (or many of them) to the mix is too much -- you need a farm to raise chicks, you know!
Impressive that this record player has a servo lock system (that's what Sony once called it) for keeping the speed accurate. That sets it apart from most other budget oriented record players. I agree it sounds a bit bright though.
seriously impressive! assuming this one and the AT have identical carts, i'd bet the main reason this one sounds brighter is because the tonearm wires and phono leads overall have lower capacitance, so it's probably closer to being truly flat.
That same type of optical-feedback system has appeared on two other low-end turntables that I'm aware of: the Target Heyday, and also in the Best Buy Insignia, and possibly others. Both the Target and Best Buy 'tables feature an aluminum platter and fully adjustable tone arms, although they are a little more expensive. I seem to recall seeing it on a Walmart ONN turntable as well, but the review was awful and I believe it has been discontinued,.
@@xaenon It certainly makes sense that whoever produces these record players in China makes the same system available in other models made for other brands too
First-time comment: I've been subscribed (and watched pretty much every video) for about 5 years now. I am not much of a tech guy (old or new) but fondly recall my late-70s all-in-one Panasonic turntable/cassette-tape stereo system (age 16-17) which gave me many years of pleasure playing Beatles, Eagles, Billy Joel LPs. I watch because generally enjoy 70s vibe. I've watched your more personal journey video and glad you worked through obstacles. Anyway, I enjoy your videos, for me a bit more of a casual thing for relaxation but obviously you have a lot of knowledge/expertise. Thank you.
I remember my parents getting a Panasonic although I remember it being National-Panasonic on the front. They had it for years, I remember them getting it in the mid 70's and it sounded pretty good as well.
@steviebboy69 national ran big time in india in the 80s and 90s and the early 2000s too. If you didn't have a national air conditioner or a geezer or a product from them, you were considered a 'slow' and a 'loose' person 😂
A budget turntable that looks like a vintage turntable. It gets all the basics right (if you buy a stylus pressure gauge). The highly respected AR turntables didn't have anti-skate. This is tweaker heaven: anti-skate, phono stage upgrades, sound deadening panels, bottom panel upgrade etc. I predict a cottage industry of tweaks. That AT cartridge was once rebadged by Rega, so it's a good cartridge. Join a forum & have fun!
An entry-level turntable that has this quality is rare. Thanks for the review/test. And thanks for reminding me how clear vinyl production records sound!! In my 80s AM radio days, I used a LOT of those production tracks in rip-n-read carted commercials!
every time you post somethin bout budget record players i get excited cause i legit use your vids on record players to show peeps that wanna get into vinyl for the first time and dont wanna spend 1000s of $ on a player. so this is goin in the catalog to send! thanks for being as unbiased as possible on all these reviews (including cassette decks), seriously helpful when i dont wanna sift thru all the technical jargon sheets
That's what I do too. I think a bunch of us viewers do that. Kevin real down to earth approach is really what gets me. Plus he manages to discover products like this TT that we never heard of but are worth considering, especially for a first time buyer. Awesome.
Just picked one up after watching your video on it, so far very happy with it. Tested on a few different speakers and amplifiers and it fit perfectly in my media cabinet. Highly recommend! I personally got mine from their store on Amazon, box came with a big hole on the side from what looks like shipping damage but I was pleasantly surprised the unit was unaffected.
wow! i've never seen such a compleet detail test of turntable It brought back memories from the 60's and 70's when I had some of the best equipment including some of the best turtables..Last week my friend asked me if I wanted some of his albums before he was going to give them way. I said I have no turtable but I have very good speakers and a very good reciever with phono preamp built in. I was curious about the vinyl sound that I remembered in my younger days. So I started to look on Amazon for a not too expensive turntable. Ist, I was going to buy the audio thechnica $149 until I saw the Electrohome for $84. I red the specs.and I said, Ill give it a try.Now after watching you review I feel much better. it's arriving tomorrow. Can't wait! Thank you.
10:32 - Connecticut Twins Orchestra? OK, be right back, gotta Google that. **afk** OK, back. Jas (John) and Stas (Stanley) Przasnyski were born in Bristol, CT in 1926. Apparently, they were a Pretty Big Deal in the polka scene. Huh, you learn something new every day. "Entirely acceptable?" I'd say it's pretty darn good! The faux woodgrain and smoked dust cover is believable enough to look great next to vintage equipment, and the chromed cursive branding helps bring the "vintage look" home. As you said, it's not a premium turntable, but it's far better than I expected for the price.
Sadly, that feedback system only acts as window dressing in this setup, and actually seems to make things worse! Electrohome ruined the motor's performance, because by itself, it generates only 0.08% wow/flutter on the Crosley C3, same for the C6. The EG-530ED-3F is THE standard motor for pretty much all turntables made in China today, which only excludes Pro-Ject as the last big Western maker of turntables. It can be found in everything from this el-cheapo to twothousand dollar boutique machines, and it is freakin amazing as a standalone self contained and very stable motor.
@@owenlaprath4135 Good point, I always forget most of these turntable motors have speed regulation electronics inside. I always assume they just run a normal dc motor at a constant voltage.
@@owenlaprath4135 I was going to ask what kind of wow and flutter this system has. I'm thinking use this as a starting point to building a decent inexpensive turntable system: upgrade the cartridge over time, run it through a quality phono output, etc. Another TH-camr I really trust seems really bothered that it's a plastic platter, and thinks saving up for a better turntable would get better sound quality rather than upgrading the cartridge. Do you know the wow and flutter on this one? Does the platter material impact the sound? Am I missing something else that impacts the sound? Would you upgrade the cartridge, or replace the entire turntable for the same price after a year?
That optical speed sensor makes it just as advanced as a 90s ball mouse! Nice to see a feature like that with a budget model. Not the model for everyone but certainly better than other lower end turntables available. It’s a good upgrade if all you have is a suitcase style one! Great video!
wait wut? And I thought I had a good gaydar lol. Would have never guessed but people say that about me. People think I'm jok8ing when I tell them for the 1st time. After reading @farisalharbi647 comment I HAD to find this video. Blown away! The best part is I got to put a face to the voice! Stupid Planes! 🛩✈🛩
Seems like they have pretty decent quality control, and for an entry level record player, the sound is pretty darn good! It seems like the company actually cares about the product that they put out. Great video as always!
Yeah too bad for that counterweight scale that it is not rotatable and the lack of antiskating... even a basic, spring-loaded solution would not add too much to the costs! I mean, as they bothered with a closed-loop system, it seems like a missed opportunity to create something really decent! 😥
Electrohome seems to be making really great products for the lowest-end of the market. I bought one of their suitcase players (used), and although it is very similar to the Crosleys and Victrolas (ceramic cartridge and a similar mechanism), it sounded much, much better. It was a little wider, with speakers on the sides. I think they paid more attention to the amplification and speakers and thus got the most they could out of that technology and form-factor. It isn't on their website, so it must have been discontinued. It is great to see they have offered this alternative as an entry-level turntable!
This Electrohome RR35 has good late 1960's to mid 1970's aesthetics, which would make it a good match for some older wood-cased receivers and amps. At $85.00, it seems like a good buy (provided the buyer gets one as well sorted and squared away as yours is). Good video, as usual. BTW - I drive a 2020 Jetta with the 1.4L turbo engine (with an automatic). It does great on gas with a mixed cycle averaging between 34-38 mpg - and on pure highway driving, upwards of 45-50 mpg. Those are almost TDI type numbers - on regular gas.
Great find! Looks almost exactly like my Dad's wood grain Panasonic turntable we had growing up in the 70s. All that's missing is the Quadrophonic receiver with the joystick controlled balance with red LED 😂
I was able to get a refurbished ATLP60XBT for $50 from AT's outlet store. Have been pretty happy with it, especially for the price they were selling it for.
Hey man, new to this channel. I found your videos on Friday and have been binge watching them over the weekend. You've got a very pleasant voice and delivery style to listen to, and your focus on practical usage rather than arbitrary specifications and numbers is a refreshing take on audio equipment of any era. Keep up the great work.
Finally, another review of a decent sounding budget turntable under $100!
6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2
Thank you very much for sharing all your great reviews with this old Patagonian professor who love electronics since the 50's. Gracias from frozen Argentina
I enjoy watching your videos! I have been watching since maybe around 2009-2010 on my old channel. I hope you are doing well and please never stop uploading. Your videos are very informative and entertaining! 🥰
I am very nicely surprised! It definitely looks very nice, and the closed-loop speed control plus an upgradeable cartridge with VTF adjustment makes it a great option! Thank you for this great review, now I want one of those “production music” albums to tape my own news segments 😂… thanks for sharing this content with us 😊
Just realized I have an Electrohome "Apollo 862" spherical turntable / radio with matching spherical speakers. Electrohome was making some pretty funky and sometimes bizarre stuff in the 1960s and 1970s.
Definitely brings those high frequencies out, but that's nothing that can't be solved with an external preamp and a little EQ'ing. Even the low end roll-off didn't sound too terrible, and that too can be compensated for. Anyone who's just getting started and might want to upgrade piece by piece over time could certainly do far worse, and at that price, this thing just set the new bar. I'd still recommend the LP-60 if it's in someone's price range (even with all the plastic), but this seems like a great alternative for a bit less!
I have an Aiwa version of the ATLP60 set up for the kids. When the motor became erratic I figured I'd just buy a new one, but at $150 now I modified a crosley cruiser motor to work. That Aiwa is pushing thirty years old - can't complain...
I was watching this using my Grado 225e headphones and during the direct feeds I actually thought the Electrohome sounded great and very detailed where the Audio Technica sounded a little more rolled off. I was tempted to buy the Electrohome however given I already have a lot of turntables, I was a little hesitant when all I was doing is buying it only to see how good a turntable at that price point could be, especially how nicely featured it is. Your nicely detailed video did that for me (however the new $85 price point is tempting and if it falls any further for the holidays, one may end up in the collection) so I feel I can safely recommend that turntable I like the LP-60, although it is not that great of a value at their current price point. When it came out as the AT-PL60 in the early 2000s (although I know it had existed already under different brands several years before that) at sub $100 it was a great deal. Especially with Audio Technica releasing the Audio Technica AT-LP70 for about the same price with a less stubby tone arm and a more versitile cartridge, that is the value leader in A-T's line up.
Looks, good, super-stable speed with electronic speed control, upgradeable, cheap. This is my new suggested beginner's recommendation. Only possible improvements would really be anti-skating, and more mass. And of course: 78 rpm, which really is a must for us real connoisseurs.
I'm totally for the Electrohome turntable. My sound System lacks a big deal of treble, so the tone boost must compensate for it. Besides it's more beautiful than the AT-LP 60. I love the fake wood plinth and the smoked dust cover. It's just like my old Philips Turntable I had as a kid. To give it a more authentic 70's look I'd buy a nice rubber mat with silver trimmings on it. ❤❤❤
If I was in the market for a new turntable, as there are now 4 in my house, I would buy this one. It does all I need it to do without all the fancy stuff.
The Electrohome turtable has a lot going on for it. Would be interesting to hear how it sounds by using a decent amplifier's built-in phono stage instead of its own. I suspect it will sound better than the Audio Technica.
Usually one zeros the counterweight. By getting stylus to float at record level, then adjusting the dial face independently of the weight. At least on my low-end Yamaha YP-B4. Great channel!❤
I had no idea the Electrohome brand had been kept alive. Spent my early years watching Electrohome TVs at school and the brand was very prevalent all over. The company was based in Kitchener, Ontario (close to where I live now) with several plants in the area including their own cabinet manufacturing for TVs, consoles, speakers etc. The old head office is now home to the engineering arm of Christie Digital projectors.
A very nice and excitable deck For some one just starting out . until they start going down that audio file rabbit hole.Good post definitely made with love❤
But the downside of such a system is wow and flutter. But I don't think most people will hear it. Most tape decks are "worse" and nobody can hear it except for people who claim they can hear the difference of using different cables to connect the unit to the stereo.
These technique isnt new. maybe its rare to any TT. few AT-LPW Model series, the AT-LPW40 or AT-LPW50 for example. instead both of it are belt drive, which this Electrohome TT might be Direct Drive i suppose. these uses a similar technique with the speed sensor motor that ensures the speed, its sensoring to the bottom of the platter that has a counting in it like a clock. and its deadly spot on. so you dont need to screw the speed to these TTs. which i found it very pratictal. beside if the belt is getting loose, then you need to replace a new one.
@@MisterYeko The technique used is very rare for belt drive, hence my surprise, I have seen it used in direct drives such as Sony, the only belt drive where there is active servo control, that I`ve encountered, was the Technics SL-BD22
Even on my smartphone speakers, I could hear the more crisp high end on the Electrohome immediate. Of course, I couldnt hear the low end difference on it. I'd love to see you take a look at the AT-SB727 Sound Burger portable turntable. Definitely an interesting looking device...
I have my Dads 70 B&O turntable as my main turntable its a heirloom so i have no need for another turntable but this would make a nice gift for beginners.
Looks nice. Can't tell that much how it sounds except from your expert ears describing it. I bought a ILive with anti-skating, 3 speed, aluminum platter, standard headshell, BT, USB, S-shaped tone arm, metal 45 RPM adapter all for $75.00 at Big Lots. It even has auto-return. Except for the strange grinding sounds it made over audio when first purchased 4 months ago, which has disappeared, It sounds very good. I use it with a Douk Audio external pre-amp. I'm pleased. It is my 4th turntable. Just a spare to use while I service my 2 Technics SL-D202's. Can you guess my 4th turntable? Probably not, but it is the ATLP120X-USB and I really like it with the AT Vm95e or Ortofon 2M. It's hard to find anything good nowadays.
Thanks for doing this thorough review. I don't need another turntable but I admit to having been curious about this one. As a Canadian, this is a somewhat depressing reminder of how domestic manufacturing has mostly disappeared from this country. Just like with Crosley, there is no continuity between the original Electrohome and the current company. This seems like a good quality item for the price range; too bad it doesn't have three speeds.
10:10 through 11:08 . . . WOW !! the sound through the receiver and speakers I have connected to the computer is incredible, coming from the 85 $ turntable. You need some Electrohome mid century woodgrain "rocket" or cylinder 360° speakers to go with this! Greetings from Canada.
Designed and Engineered in Canada with love, eh. ;) I like the design. And i don#t care if it's #RealWood or just printed-vinylfoil covered plywood or plastic. So far this thing looks like a stellar deal Especially considering the fact you can even bypass the internal phono preAmp. I do miss a manual speed adjust for finetuning but hey, you would normally not have that on any entrylevel turntable anyway. So for what is is, this thing is definitely a great beginners player for those who wanna start with Vinyl and rather ditch those "Crosley Cruiser" type of Suitcase turntables. The sound is really rich and a far cry from the thin tinny sound of the suitcase Vinyl-shredders. Amazing what you can get these days for around 100 bucks. I have printed out one of such Strobe discs too with both 50Hz and for 60Hz regions and yeah this is a great help for when your turntable doesn't have a strobelight. Good to see the Motor is pretty speed stable and the platter rotates flat as it should. Yeah the turntable Motor noise is not an unimportant part because a loud motor sadly also distributes the mechanical noise to the vinyl and pickup stylus too so yeah good to know this motor here literally shuts up :P
Not bad at all. I'd assume the difference in frequency response would largely just be down to the preamp, in which case my stereo has a built in preamp so that wouldn't be an issue
This sounds fairly good for the price. Compared to more expensive turntables it does lack a full frequency response. That is mostly from the cartridge itself which tracks at a higher force. High quality cartridges track at less than 2 grams.
absolutley amazing to me that radioshack could make Realistic brand turntables that were higher quality, better sounding, and fully automatic fifty years ago but no manufacturer can figure out how to do that affordably today.
@@vwestlifeI love those Command lps. I find them occasionally at thrift stores, but sadly a lot of them are too beat up to salvage with a toothpick. I get them when they're in decent condition.
I have one! I use it to burn my vinyl to MP3 files to play in the car. Is runs even and with a little eq tweaking and NR in post the 128 files are not that bad.
So counterweight calibration aside, the internal preamp is the biggest drawback? At least they give you the option to use an external one, so that's something someone could always buy later if they want to improve an entry level purchase. (Well, that and the cartridge)
@@vwestlife the real difference heard was mostly the built-in phono preamp. The AT LP60 clearly has a better preamp. That being said ...is there an inexpensive preamp on the market that will out perform the preamp in either turntable for about $30 ?. Certainly the ART DJ Pre II will certainly do that at $65 . That is also a bit of overkill for this price range. Anyway low budget phono preamplifiers could be a good topic for a future video keeping in mind that at $65 the ART Pre II is pretty good for under $100. Nice review... the speed control and wow& flutter was good ... especially considering the cost.
Great review! As someone who knows a bit about audio but not much about turntables specifically (maybe a dumb question), if you used the phono pre amp built into a receiver or integrated amp instead of the onboard one, would sound quality change substantially?
@@shannonm.townsend1232most likely it will sound better with a reciever's built in preamp. The preamp built into the turn table in this case wasn't adequate. The AT LP60x has a better preamp as most people noticed. They both have the same cartridge and stylus, so they should sound the same. There are many inexpensive phono preamplifier available that would bring the signal to line level and sound better than either turntable....they should fix that anyway it won't add alot to the manufacturing cost and they have a decent sounding inexpensive cartridge already mounted.
Hey VWestlife, thank you so much for your awesome videos! May I ask you if you'll ever make a video about speakers, similarly to what you did for turntables? Which ones would you recommend for beginners, in terms of quality and affordability? Thank you again for your great work
Looks good. The faux wood reminds me a lot of systems from the 70s and 80s. Using particle board was common then too as it's a hundred times easier to work with in a mass production environment and those units cost way more than this. Of course, they also had the rubber mats, auto-queuing and the like. In the early 90s, I paid more just for a new stylus for my Marantz than what this cost.
So I'm keeping my atlp60 turntable! You can upgrade the turntable cartridge from LP Gear and it said no adjustment needed. So you can but it only replaces the cartridge.
Got mine hooked up today. First impressions: yes, the materials are lightweight. I was worried I'd twist the tonearm taking off the needle protector. I won't be surprised when the plastic latch to lock down the turntable breaks. "Heartbeat City" by The Cars sounded good, but a bit gritty. (That was with only using a brush to clean, not wet cleaning.) I tried checking the speed using my phone, but I think it was too heavy because the speed was slow and the wow and flutter pretty awful. (I'd asked Electrohome if they recommended a weight and they said do NOT use one.) I don't think the speed and wow are issues when I don't have my phone on it as the speed sounded right and consistent when I played a record. The first time that I popped the lever at the end of a record, the tonearm shot up! Just a little care keeps it from rocketing up when you lift the needle. Like you, I highly recommend a scale to set the counterbalance. I was able to get it to 2.95 grams, but no closer... that's pretty darn close to dead center, though! I'm happy knowing it's right. With all these negatives, I still easily recommend this turntable! I got the version with bluetooth and hooked it up that way first. It was easy and sounded good. There really is a joy to putting on a record and playing a side. I know the sound only gets better as I move to a wired connection, and then a separate phono preamp. I plan to upgrade the cartridge in about a year, and can't wait to see how it will sound. This is not a toy; for $85, it is a ridiculously good turntable. It looks great, sounds good, and is up-gradable. I can't come up with a downside. Thank you for recommending it! I bought it based on your review and after setting it up and playing some records for the first time in about 30 years, I'm grinning ear to ear tonight.
Last post about this (hopefully). VERY disappointed to record from this turntable and look at the recording in a spectrum analyzer. I don't know about your model, but mine generates low volume "tones" or "whistles" at 15 kHz, 12 kHz, 9 kHz, 6 kHz, and 3500 Hz. These bands can be seen whether I'm recording from my receiver using its phono preamp, the line level out of the turntable, or the Bluetooth. The bands only appear once the platter starts spinning. It does not "whistle" with the tonearm in its cradle, and it doesn't show the bands if I unplug the turntable from the receiver, or the receiver from the sound card. No idea if I just got a bad unit or if this is common behavior. Can't hear it at moderate levels, but it bugs me knowing it's there.
wow it was set up with Baerwald right at the factory.. crazy ! I wonder why the fidelity is different , is it the phono stage , as they look like the same carts?
thats some crazy speed sensing tech for a "budget" turntable! edit: another commenter mentioned that the system D adds wow and flutter.. so its up to turntable manufacturers to make a new system
12:50 The Electrohome has a scratchy, metallic sound, the second a dull, closed sound. I honestly can't tell which one sounds worse, I'd say they both sound very bad. I really appreciate your videos and your point of view.
I picture a room full of fascinating audio, video and computing objects from the past including 1000’s of cds, cassettes, records and laserdiscs when I watch your videos.
We really need a room tour video
VWestlife is busy enough with regular creation of videos for us; I'm sure adding a chick (or many of them) to the mix is too much -- you need a farm to raise chicks, you know!
@@defcreator187I think you need to have a browse through his early videos….
Don't forget the Tandy! (Tandys?)
Impressive that this record player has a servo lock system (that's what Sony once called it) for keeping the speed accurate. That sets it apart from most other budget oriented record players. I agree it sounds a bit bright though.
seriously impressive! assuming this one and the AT have identical carts, i'd bet the main reason this one sounds brighter is because the tonearm wires and phono leads overall have lower capacitance, so it's probably closer to being truly flat.
That same type of optical-feedback system has appeared on two other low-end turntables that I'm aware of: the Target Heyday, and also in the Best Buy Insignia, and possibly others.
Both the Target and Best Buy 'tables feature an aluminum platter and fully adjustable tone arms, although they are a little more expensive. I seem to recall seeing it on a Walmart ONN turntable as well, but the review was awful and I believe it has been discontinued,.
@@xaenon It certainly makes sense that whoever produces these record players in China makes the same system available in other models made for other brands too
@vinylcabasse brighter sound =higher capacitance, probably cheaper cables
First-time comment: I've been subscribed (and watched pretty much every video) for about 5 years now. I am not much of a tech guy (old or new) but fondly recall my late-70s all-in-one Panasonic turntable/cassette-tape stereo system (age 16-17) which gave me many years of pleasure playing Beatles, Eagles, Billy Joel LPs. I watch because generally enjoy 70s vibe. I've watched your more personal journey video and glad you worked through obstacles. Anyway, I enjoy your videos, for me a bit more of a casual thing for relaxation but obviously you have a lot of knowledge/expertise. Thank you.
I remember my parents getting a Panasonic although I remember it being National-Panasonic on the front. They had it for years, I remember them getting it in the mid 70's and it sounded pretty good as well.
@steviebboy69 national ran big time in india in the 80s and 90s and the early 2000s too. If you didn't have a national air conditioner or a geezer or a product from them, you were considered a 'slow' and a 'loose' person 😂
@@RantegSingh21 I do remember seeing refrigerated A/C units being National. This being in Australia and National was popular as is Panasonic.
@@steviebboy69 "National" and "Panasonic" are from the same company Matsushita of Japan. Same with Technics!
@@steviebboy69 "National", "Panasonic", "National-Panasonic" as well as "Technics" are all brands from Matsushita of Japan.
A budget turntable that looks like a vintage turntable. It gets all the basics right (if you buy a stylus pressure gauge). The highly respected AR turntables didn't have anti-skate. This is tweaker heaven: anti-skate, phono stage upgrades, sound deadening panels, bottom panel upgrade etc. I predict a cottage industry of tweaks. That AT cartridge was once rebadged by Rega, so it's a good cartridge. Join a forum & have fun!
An entry-level turntable that has this quality is rare. Thanks for the review/test. And thanks for reminding me how clear vinyl production records sound!! In my 80s AM radio days, I used a LOT of those production tracks in rip-n-read carted commercials!
every time you post somethin bout budget record players i get excited cause i legit use your vids on record players to show peeps that wanna get into vinyl for the first time and dont wanna spend 1000s of $ on a player. so this is goin in the catalog to send!
thanks for being as unbiased as possible on all these reviews (including cassette decks), seriously helpful when i dont wanna sift thru all the technical jargon sheets
That's what I do too. I think a bunch of us viewers do that.
Kevin real down to earth approach is really what gets me. Plus he manages to discover products like this TT that we never heard of but are worth considering, especially for a first time buyer. Awesome.
Just picked one up after watching your video on it, so far very happy with it. Tested on a few different speakers and amplifiers and it fit perfectly in my media cabinet. Highly recommend!
I personally got mine from their store on Amazon, box came with a big hole on the side from what looks like shipping damage but I was pleasantly surprised the unit was unaffected.
wow! i've never seen such a compleet detail test of turntable It brought back memories from the 60's and 70's when I had some of the best equipment including some of the best turtables..Last week my friend asked me if I wanted some of his albums before he was going to give them way. I said I have no turtable but I have very good speakers and a very good reciever with phono preamp built in. I was curious about the vinyl sound that I remembered in my younger days. So I started to look on Amazon for a not too expensive turntable. Ist, I was going to buy the audio thechnica $149 until I saw the Electrohome for $84. I red the specs.and I said, Ill give it a try.Now after watching you review I feel much better. it's arriving tomorrow. Can't wait! Thank you.
10:32 - Connecticut Twins Orchestra? OK, be right back, gotta Google that. **afk** OK, back. Jas (John) and Stas (Stanley) Przasnyski were born in Bristol, CT in 1926. Apparently, they were a Pretty Big Deal in the polka scene. Huh, you learn something new every day.
"Entirely acceptable?" I'd say it's pretty darn good! The faux woodgrain and smoked dust cover is believable enough to look great next to vintage equipment, and the chromed cursive branding helps bring the "vintage look" home. As you said, it's not a premium turntable, but it's far better than I expected for the price.
Really happy to see that optical speed feedack system! This should be standard for any turntable produced after 1990!
Sadly, that feedback system only acts as window dressing in this setup, and actually seems to make things worse!
Electrohome ruined the motor's performance, because by itself, it generates only 0.08% wow/flutter on the Crosley C3, same for the C6. The EG-530ED-3F is THE standard motor for pretty much all turntables made in China today, which only excludes Pro-Ject as the last big Western maker of turntables. It can be found in everything from this el-cheapo to twothousand dollar boutique machines, and it is freakin amazing as a standalone self contained and very stable motor.
@@owenlaprath4135 Good point, I always forget most of these turntable motors have speed regulation electronics inside. I always assume they just run a normal dc motor at a constant voltage.
@@owenlaprath4135 I was going to ask what kind of wow and flutter this system has. I'm thinking use this as a starting point to building a decent inexpensive turntable system: upgrade the cartridge over time, run it through a quality phono output, etc. Another TH-camr I really trust seems really bothered that it's a plastic platter, and thinks saving up for a better turntable would get better sound quality rather than upgrading the cartridge.
Do you know the wow and flutter on this one? Does the platter material impact the sound? Am I missing something else that impacts the sound? Would you upgrade the cartridge, or replace the entire turntable for the same price after a year?
That optical speed sensor makes it just as advanced as a 90s ball mouse! Nice to see a feature like that with a budget model. Not the model for everyone but certainly better than other lower end turntables available. It’s a good upgrade if all you have is a suitcase style one! Great video!
Happy pride vwestlife! Not really related to this video but the one you made about coming out really helped me!
🏳️🌈❤️
My "cis gender" "straight" self agrees! BE YOUR SELF.
wait wut? And I thought I had a good gaydar lol. Would have never guessed but people say that about me. People think I'm jok8ing when I tell them for the 1st time. After reading @farisalharbi647 comment I HAD to find this video. Blown away! The best part is I got to put a face to the voice! Stupid Planes! 🛩✈🛩
Seems like they have pretty decent quality control, and for an entry level record player, the sound is pretty darn good! It seems like the company actually cares about the product that they put out. Great video as always!
at that price, its a steal. They done a lot right with this turntable.
Yeah too bad for that counterweight scale that it is not rotatable and the lack of antiskating... even a basic, spring-loaded solution would not add too much to the costs! I mean, as they bothered with a closed-loop system, it seems like a missed opportunity to create something really decent! 😥
Real attractive cabinet too, I am a sucker for wood
@@volvo09 Well it's just fake wood 🪵
Electrohome seems to be making really great products for the lowest-end of the market. I bought one of their suitcase players (used), and although it is very similar to the Crosleys and Victrolas (ceramic cartridge and a similar mechanism), it sounded much, much better. It was a little wider, with speakers on the sides. I think they paid more attention to the amplification and speakers and thus got the most they could out of that technology and form-factor. It isn't on their website, so it must have been discontinued. It is great to see they have offered this alternative as an entry-level turntable!
Do you know the name or model of that Electrohome suitcase player?
Dale Jacobs truly shines in this video, with his 1978 jazz-fusion album.
The first track of this album (Cobra) is very good.
This Electrohome RR35 has good late 1960's to mid 1970's aesthetics, which would make it a good match for some older wood-cased receivers and amps. At $85.00, it seems like a good buy (provided the buyer gets one as well sorted and squared away as yours is).
Good video, as usual.
BTW - I drive a 2020 Jetta with the 1.4L turbo engine (with an automatic). It does great on gas with a mixed cycle averaging between 34-38 mpg - and on pure highway driving, upwards of 45-50 mpg. Those are almost TDI type numbers - on regular gas.
Even better if one of those older amps/recievers has its own phono preamp, as it seems the internal one is the biggest drawback here.
@@alextirrellRI Luckily a phono preamp was standard on the older equipment.
Great find! Looks almost exactly like my Dad's wood grain Panasonic turntable we had growing up in the 70s. All that's missing is the Quadrophonic receiver with the joystick controlled balance with red LED 😂
I just found one "used, like new" on Amazon for $75! Thanks for sharing the review. 😊
I was able to get a refurbished ATLP60XBT for $50 from AT's outlet store. Have been pretty happy with it, especially for the price they were selling it for.
Glad to see there’s more good quality entry level turntables being made available today
Thanks. Always a good & fair review of the products you showcase.
No matter how many good, or not, music equipment you bring on Stage, you always have the Grooviest Tunes. *Thanks!*
Hey man, new to this channel. I found your videos on Friday and have been binge watching them over the weekend. You've got a very pleasant voice and delivery style to listen to, and your focus on practical usage rather than arbitrary specifications and numbers is a refreshing take on audio equipment of any era. Keep up the great work.
Finally, another review of a decent sounding budget turntable under $100!
Thank you very much for sharing all your great reviews with this old Patagonian professor who love electronics since the 50's. Gracias from frozen Argentina
You know it a good day when vwestlife is doing video of vinyl records and turntables reviews, eh?
What a find Kevin! This will replace the AT LP60 in my recommend list for 1st time buyers with little budget.
Thank you!
I enjoy watching your videos! I have been watching since maybe around 2009-2010 on my old channel. I hope you are doing well and please never stop uploading. Your videos are very informative and entertaining! 🥰
I am very nicely surprised! It definitely looks very nice, and the closed-loop speed control plus an upgradeable cartridge with VTF adjustment makes it a great option! Thank you for this great review, now I want one of those “production music” albums to tape my own news segments 😂… thanks for sharing this content with us 😊
Just realized I have an Electrohome "Apollo 862" spherical turntable / radio with matching spherical speakers.
Electrohome was making some pretty funky and sometimes bizarre stuff in the 1960s and 1970s.
Definitely brings those high frequencies out, but that's nothing that can't be solved with an external preamp and a little EQ'ing. Even the low end roll-off didn't sound too terrible, and that too can be compensated for. Anyone who's just getting started and might want to upgrade piece by piece over time could certainly do far worse, and at that price, this thing just set the new bar. I'd still recommend the LP-60 if it's in someone's price range (even with all the plastic), but this seems like a great alternative for a bit less!
I have an Aiwa version of the ATLP60 set up for the kids. When the motor became erratic I figured I'd just buy a new one, but at $150 now I modified a crosley cruiser motor to work. That Aiwa is pushing thirty years old - can't complain...
I was watching this using my Grado 225e headphones and during the direct feeds I actually thought the Electrohome sounded great and very detailed where the Audio Technica sounded a little more rolled off.
I was tempted to buy the Electrohome however given I already have a lot of turntables, I was a little hesitant when all I was doing is buying it only to see how good a turntable at that price point could be, especially how nicely featured it is. Your nicely detailed video did that for me (however the new $85 price point is tempting and if it falls any further for the holidays, one may end up in the collection) so I feel I can safely recommend that turntable
I like the LP-60, although it is not that great of a value at their current price point. When it came out as the AT-PL60 in the early 2000s (although I know it had existed already under different brands several years before that) at sub $100 it was a great deal. Especially with Audio Technica releasing the Audio Technica AT-LP70 for about the same price with a less stubby tone arm and a more versitile cartridge, that is the value leader in A-T's line up.
It’s a decent turntable, even though I won’t buy that particular turntable, I recommend them for newcomers to vinyl records!
Very nice, much better than I expected.
The Montrose is a great entry level unit. And the price point is fantastic.
Montrose?
Looks, good, super-stable speed with electronic speed control, upgradeable, cheap. This is my new suggested beginner's recommendation.
Only possible improvements would really be anti-skating, and more mass. And of course: 78 rpm, which really is a must for us real connoisseurs.
I'm totally for the Electrohome turntable. My sound System lacks a big deal of treble, so the tone boost must compensate for it. Besides it's more beautiful than the AT-LP 60. I love the fake wood plinth and the smoked dust cover. It's just like my old Philips Turntable I had as a kid. To give it a more authentic 70's look I'd buy a nice rubber mat with silver trimmings on it. ❤❤❤
Don't hear the word 'plinth' used much, nice.
If I was in the market for a new turntable, as there are now 4 in my house, I would buy this one. It does all I need it to do without all the fancy stuff.
The Electrohome turtable has a lot going on for it. Would be interesting to hear how it sounds by using a decent amplifier's built-in phono stage instead of its own. I suspect it will sound better than the Audio Technica.
Usually one zeros the counterweight. By getting stylus to float at record level, then adjusting the dial face independently of the weight. At least on my low-end Yamaha YP-B4. Great channel!❤
I had no idea the Electrohome brand had been kept alive. Spent my early years watching Electrohome TVs at school and the brand was very prevalent all over. The company was based in Kitchener, Ontario (close to where I live now) with several plants in the area including their own cabinet manufacturing for TVs, consoles, speakers etc. The old head office is now home to the engineering arm of Christie Digital projectors.
A very nice and excitable deck For some one just starting out . until they start going down that audio file rabbit hole.Good post definitely made with love❤
Wow, can’t believe what a good motor/speed control system that thing has
But the downside of such a system is wow and flutter. But I don't think most people will hear it. Most tape decks are "worse" and nobody can hear it except for people who claim they can hear the difference of using different cables to connect the unit to the stereo.
@@christo930 disagree, this system counters the w&f of conventional systems, its actively monitoring speed and adjusting accordingly
These technique isnt new. maybe its rare to any TT. few AT-LPW Model series, the AT-LPW40 or AT-LPW50 for example. instead both of it are belt drive, which this Electrohome TT might be Direct Drive i suppose. these uses a similar technique with the speed sensor motor that ensures the speed, its sensoring to the bottom of the platter that has a counting in it like a clock. and its deadly spot on.
so you dont need to screw the speed to these TTs. which i found it very pratictal. beside if the belt is getting loose, then you need to replace a new one.
@@MisterYeko The technique used is very rare for belt drive, hence my surprise, I have seen it used in direct drives such as Sony, the only belt drive where there is active servo control, that I`ve encountered, was the Technics SL-BD22
@@jdekong3945 ah it did exist long time. Oops. I didnt think of the meaning behing of DC Servo. Now i get it…
Gotta love how this turntable has a spot for the 45 adapter yet my 4x the price Fluance deck does not.
That Dale Jacobs track was super!
I can't believe a turntable at this price has servo control for the speed. That is very cool.
Even on my smartphone speakers, I could hear the more crisp high end on the Electrohome immediate. Of course, I couldnt hear the low end difference on it.
I'd love to see you take a look at the AT-SB727 Sound Burger portable turntable. Definitely an interesting looking device...
I am impressed. Under $100 and that kind of quality? It's a no brainer.
I'm a sucker for woodgrain and smoked plastic
Would look great sitting next to an Atari 2600
I remember using that Command test record back in the 1970’s.
I either borrowed it from my audiophile cousin or the public library.
OK. I didn't know about that new turntable. I'll check it out if this model is avariable on Peru.
Stunning turntable and great review as always
That RCA-plug trick was just epic! Too bad I can't do that on my linear tracker.
I have my Dads 70 B&O turntable as my main turntable its a heirloom so i have no need for another turntable but this would make a nice gift for beginners.
For that price, it is GREAT! With tachometer feedback for speed control!!! THAT is VERY unusual in a cheap turntable.
I was pretty impressed at the strobe result for such a cheap deck. Nice vid 👍
Good to see an inexpensive product which is worth the money.
I love cheap turntables because i know you going to make a video about it. this one looks ok.
Looks nice. Can't tell that much how it sounds except from your expert ears describing it.
I bought a ILive with anti-skating, 3 speed, aluminum platter, standard headshell, BT, USB, S-shaped tone arm, metal 45 RPM adapter all for $75.00 at Big Lots. It even has auto-return. Except for the strange grinding sounds it made over audio when first purchased 4 months ago, which has disappeared, It sounds very good. I use it with a Douk Audio external pre-amp. I'm pleased. It is my 4th turntable. Just a spare to use while I service my 2 Technics SL-D202's.
Can you guess my 4th turntable? Probably not, but it is the ATLP120X-USB and I really like it with the AT Vm95e or Ortofon 2M.
It's hard to find anything good nowadays.
Thanks for doing this thorough review. I don't need another turntable but I admit to having been curious about this one. As a Canadian, this is a somewhat depressing reminder of how domestic manufacturing has mostly disappeared from this country. Just like with Crosley, there is no continuity between the original Electrohome and the current company. This seems like a good quality item for the price range; too bad it doesn't have three speeds.
'That was the first click .....[click] that was the second click....' makes you sound like the Lock Picking Lawyer. 😂 ❤
Another in-depth review
Many thanks VWestlife✌️
10:10 through 11:08 . . . WOW !! the sound through the receiver and speakers I have connected to the computer is incredible, coming from the 85 $ turntable.
You need some Electrohome mid century woodgrain "rocket" or cylinder 360° speakers to go with this!
Greetings from Canada.
Released an hour ago. I’m in for a treat
Great review, this is a compelling offering at that price
Bought my wife one after watching your video. Night and day difference compared to the Crosley Cruiser she was using.
Designed and Engineered in Canada with love, eh. ;) I like the design. And i don#t care if it's #RealWood or just printed-vinylfoil covered plywood or plastic. So far this thing looks like a stellar deal Especially considering the fact you can even bypass the internal phono preAmp. I do miss a manual speed adjust for finetuning but hey, you would normally not have that on any entrylevel turntable anyway. So for what is is, this thing is definitely a great beginners player for those who wanna start with Vinyl and rather ditch those "Crosley Cruiser" type of Suitcase turntables. The sound is really rich and a far cry from the thin tinny sound of the suitcase Vinyl-shredders. Amazing what you can get these days for around 100 bucks. I have printed out one of such Strobe discs too with both 50Hz and for 60Hz regions and yeah this is a great help for when your turntable doesn't have a strobelight. Good to see the Motor is pretty speed stable and the platter rotates flat as it should. Yeah the turntable Motor noise is not an unimportant part because a loud motor sadly also distributes the mechanical noise to the vinyl and pickup stylus too so yeah good to know this motor here literally shuts up :P
V Westlife, the original "Mr. Hands". ❤ Love your reviews. 😊
Love your videos and record collection 💪👊
I'm impressed. Very nice for 99$. Finally some good news.
Not bad at all. I'd assume the difference in frequency response would largely just be down to the preamp, in which case my stereo has a built in preamp so that wouldn't be an issue
This sounds fairly good for the price. Compared to more expensive turntables it does lack a full frequency response. That is mostly from the cartridge itself which tracks at a higher force. High quality cartridges track at less than 2 grams.
Question: for the direct hookup sound comparison, was that run through the internal preamps on both turntables?
Great video, love your work bud!
Yes, internal pre-amps on both.
@@vwestlife Thanks, makes sense! I imagine that the two sound extremely similar when put through an external preamp?
I was wondering the same thing as well as if trying a different cart (that still keeps it at the same price point) would put it over the top.
absolutley amazing to me that radioshack could make Realistic brand turntables that were higher quality, better sounding, and fully automatic fifty years ago but no manufacturer can figure out how to do that affordably today.
Realistic turntables weren't made by Radio Shack. The cheaper ones were mostly made by BSR, and the fancier ones were made by CEC.
@@vwestlifeI love those Command lps. I find them occasionally at thrift stores, but sadly a lot of them are too beat up to salvage with a toothpick. I get them when they're in decent condition.
I have one! I use it to burn my vinyl to MP3 files to play in the car. Is runs even and with a little eq tweaking and NR in post the 128 files are not that bad.
I’ve had that Network record since the 80’s. I use the uncut side for antiskate adjustment.
What _is_ it exactly? I’d love to get my hands on a copy
Great review. 9:38 I think you're playing that at 45rpm? Actually sounds like a banger at that speed! 😅
Very good review. Thank you
So counterweight calibration aside, the internal preamp is the biggest drawback? At least they give you the option to use an external one, so that's something someone could always buy later if they want to improve an entry level purchase. (Well, that and the cartridge)
Was the head to head test (cobra) with the electrohome pre amp on or off? Great video.
Both turntables using their built-in pre-amp.
@@vwestlife the real difference heard was mostly the built-in phono preamp. The AT LP60 clearly has a better preamp. That being said ...is there an inexpensive preamp on the market that will out perform the preamp in either turntable for about $30 ?. Certainly the ART DJ Pre II will certainly do that at $65 . That is also a bit of overkill for this price range. Anyway low budget phono preamplifiers could be a good topic for a future video keeping in mind that at $65 the ART Pre II is pretty good for under $100. Nice review... the speed control and wow& flutter was good ... especially considering the cost.
Great review! As someone who knows a bit about audio but not much about turntables specifically (maybe a dumb question), if you used the phono pre amp built into a receiver or integrated amp instead of the onboard one, would sound quality change substantially?
I want to know also
@@shannonm.townsend1232most likely it will sound better with a reciever's built in preamp. The preamp built into the turn table in this case wasn't adequate. The AT LP60x has a better preamp as most people noticed. They both have the same cartridge and stylus, so they should sound the same. There are many inexpensive phono preamplifier available that would bring the signal to line level and sound better than either turntable....they should fix that anyway it won't add alot to the manufacturing cost and they have a decent sounding inexpensive cartridge already mounted.
Hey VWestlife, thank you so much for your awesome videos! May I ask you if you'll ever make a video about speakers, similarly to what you did for turntables? Which ones would you recommend for beginners, in terms of quality and affordability? Thank you again for your great work
Great review Kevin.
Looks good. The faux wood reminds me a lot of systems from the 70s and 80s. Using particle board was common then too as it's a hundred times easier to work with in a mass production environment and those units cost way more than this. Of course, they also had the rubber mats, auto-queuing and the like. In the early 90s, I paid more just for a new stylus for my Marantz than what this cost.
11:10 Yo! Looks like he included a piece from Network! It's "The New West" by Craig Palmer, one of that beloved composer! 👏😁👏😎😁👍😎👍
Never heard of Dale Jacobs and Cobra before but it kind of reminds me of Bob James. 👍
Why do you think it sounds thin? Did it also sound that way using an external preamp, or did you only take music samples with the built-in one?
So I'm keeping my atlp60 turntable! You can upgrade the turntable cartridge from LP Gear and it said no adjustment needed. So you can but it only replaces the cartridge.
Looks like they did a lot of things right, especially so for a budget unit. Not bad at all!
12:35 That is such an 80s album cover! (though I see it came out in '78)
Got mine hooked up today. First impressions: yes, the materials are lightweight. I was worried I'd twist the tonearm taking off the needle protector. I won't be surprised when the plastic latch to lock down the turntable breaks. "Heartbeat City" by The Cars sounded good, but a bit gritty. (That was with only using a brush to clean, not wet cleaning.) I tried checking the speed using my phone, but I think it was too heavy because the speed was slow and the wow and flutter pretty awful. (I'd asked Electrohome if they recommended a weight and they said do NOT use one.) I don't think the speed and wow are issues when I don't have my phone on it as the speed sounded right and consistent when I played a record. The first time that I popped the lever at the end of a record, the tonearm shot up! Just a little care keeps it from rocketing up when you lift the needle.
Like you, I highly recommend a scale to set the counterbalance. I was able to get it to 2.95 grams, but no closer... that's pretty darn close to dead center, though! I'm happy knowing it's right.
With all these negatives, I still easily recommend this turntable! I got the version with bluetooth and hooked it up that way first. It was easy and sounded good. There really is a joy to putting on a record and playing a side. I know the sound only gets better as I move to a wired connection, and then a separate phono preamp. I plan to upgrade the cartridge in about a year, and can't wait to see how it will sound. This is not a toy; for $85, it is a ridiculously good turntable. It looks great, sounds good, and is up-gradable. I can't come up with a downside.
Thank you for recommending it! I bought it based on your review and after setting it up and playing some records for the first time in about 30 years, I'm grinning ear to ear tonight.
Last post about this (hopefully). VERY disappointed to record from this turntable and look at the recording in a spectrum analyzer. I don't know about your model, but mine generates low volume "tones" or "whistles" at 15 kHz, 12 kHz, 9 kHz, 6 kHz, and 3500 Hz. These bands can be seen whether I'm recording from my receiver using its phono preamp, the line level out of the turntable, or the Bluetooth.
The bands only appear once the platter starts spinning. It does not "whistle" with the tonearm in its cradle, and it doesn't show the bands if I unplug the turntable from the receiver, or the receiver from the sound card.
No idea if I just got a bad unit or if this is common behavior. Can't hear it at moderate levels, but it bugs me knowing it's there.
Almost sounded like LaDuca sneaked into the studio with the Polka Twins. About time we had some polka here again.
Can't find anywhere selling these in the UK 😿
wow it was set up with Baerwald right at the factory.. crazy ! I wonder why the fidelity is different , is it the phono stage , as they look like the same carts?
thats some crazy speed sensing tech for a "budget" turntable!
edit: another commenter mentioned that the system D
adds wow and flutter.. so its up to turntable manufacturers to make a new system
At 67yrs I’m so glad I can just ask for the tune I want to hear and it plays..
12:50 The Electrohome has a scratchy, metallic sound, the second a dull, closed sound. I honestly can't tell which one sounds worse, I'd say they both sound very bad. I really appreciate your videos and your point of view.