Audio-Technica’s AT-LP60XBT stands out thanks to a bold and colourful makeover

Audio-Technica’s turntable range runs the gamut from portable and playful through to heavyweight audiophile machines like the fully manual AT-LPA2.

This one, however, sits firmly in the middle. A new edition of the popular AT-LP60XBT fully automatic wireless belt-drive turntable offered in a vibrant shade of teal, Audio-Technica is part of an emerging trend in audio design to avoid the sober whites, blacks, greys and silvers that still dominate the sector.

The AT-LP60XBT is a fine initiation the vinyl novice. In addition to conventional wired speaker connectivity, it’s from the new breed of turntables that offer hi-fidelity audio over Bluetooth, allowing you to pipe vinyl into a portable speaker or headphones. It’s the kind of convenience that – paradoxically – is prized by the very people seeking out vinyl for its historic, analogue and frictive qualities.

Aside from the vivid hue, everything else is pretty much as you’d expect – twin speeds for singles and LPs, a belt-drive motor and Audio-Technica's own integral Dual Moving Magnet cartridge. It might not offer the most acoustically accurate listening experience, but for a colourful start to a vinyl journey, the AT-LP60XBTTL deserves serious consideration.

Audio Technica can date its history back to 1962 in Japan, when the company was established by Hideo Matsushita, an employee at Tokyo’s Bridgestone Museum of Art. Today the company combines a burgeoning range of affordable and high-end home audio with PA and broadcast systems designed for commercial applications.

Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBTTL, £179 / €199, Audio-Technica.com, @AudioTechnicaEMEA