Review: Harman Kardon T-60 Turntable


Category: Analog

The Harman Kardon T 60 turntable,was one of the important turntables to come out in the early 80s. HK set out to build an affordable high end turntable that most audiophiles could afford. And to that end they accomplished their mission quite nicely. Belt drive turntable with a 3 point floating suspension,in a high mass chassis. Above average tonearm.Often referred to as the working mans Linn Sondek turntable. HK researched all the basic fundamentals,and produced an exemplary turntable that is ageless.Lets face it, basic engineering remains true.The HK T 60 is heavy at 18 pounds and needs a solid resting place. Grado cartridges work well with the tone arm. The platter is heavy at 3.3 pounds and has a high density mat,also the inside of the turntable platter is damped as well,to further reduce any ringing. Basically a manual turntable with auto lift at end of play,or you can defeat the auto lift by a switch. Has variable capicitance loading. But if you use a grado cartridge it is not needed.Grados are not sensitive to capictance loading. Comes with a heavy disc stablizer to insure proper contact of the record with the platter. As well has gold plated RCA jacks on the back of the unit,so you can use different interconnects cables of your choice.With the renewed interest in vinyl,this is one turntable to go after and acquire it just that good.From time to time they pop up on Auction sites and Classified sites. Usually sell for $250.00 to $325.00. They retailed for $449.95,when new. To sell for those prices in the used market,is sheer testament of their value some 20 years after they were new.I can speak with some authority on this product. I have owned one since new,and has never failed to deliver the music,crisp,clear,detailed,and with a transparency rivaled only by the finest high end tables.

Associated gear
Threshold Cas 2 Amp,Forte Model 2 preamp,Nad 4020 A Tuner,Denon 1560 CD Player,Polk SDA 2 Speakers.

Similar products
AR ES 1 Turntable,Linn Sodek TT,Kenwood KD 500, Ariston RD 40 and Oracle Alexandria.
ferrari
The T-60 is a good sounding TT. Probably the best of the mass market TT's of the 80's. I sold quite a few of them when I worked at the audio store. HK was our mass market line, and it had some pretty good performers in just about all the areas. Their cassette tape decks were particularly good, too. I remember several people selecting the T-60 over a Rega Planar 2 w/RB200(Lustre) arm. The auto lift was a popular feature. Another unusual thing was the record clamp. How many mass market TT's came with a genuine record clamp? It was pretty unusual to see a Japanese mass market TT with these features when everybody else was hyping the direct drive models.
As follow up to December post. Did a good cleaning, and with help from Forum, chose Audio Technica 440ML cartridge. After adjustment, played same record on new turntable, and then T-60. The results were so obvious that my non-audiophile wife said "greater clarity and brightness; I can hear more, and it sounds better".

Just can't believe the difference, and feel soooo dumb. Now I just need to work on a better pre-amp than the basic creek!
where can I get parts for my T-60...?

there is a missing cam or "wheel", hub..? that the belt rides on.....I need this part..
Sold mine a few years ago after it sat for a decade on my shelf. Hey, maybe you wound up with mine!
Try this place, they did have a lot of HK Parts.

Gramophone Shop Incorporated (303) 744-1284 2707 E Louisiana Ave, Denver, CO

Good folks easy to talk with, quite helpful.
And how many audiophiles are lucky enough to have a wife like Mrs. Doctormvg?
Well my wife is certainly in that catagory. Been married 36 years and has been putting up with me and this hobby all these years. So in this regard have been most fortunate indeed.
I have a T40 that has a problem with the tone arm. The autolift mechanism doesn't work and the support that lifts the tone arm is cracked off (don't ask me how). I found a donor T35 (site unseen). Is the tone arm interchangable on these?
Yes the tonearms are interchangeble. Should be no problem.Just a time consuming tedious job and some skill with a soldering iron. Take your time.
Looking for a replacement Drive Motor for my T60. Do the lower level models have the same drive system?
Thanks For the help.
Bill
I have never known a drive motor to go out on these. Might want to check the small brass drive pulley on the motor shaft. There is a tiny set screw in the brass pulley. Check that first as over a period of time it can loosen.

Yes other motors from the T series will work. But is a time consuming job. If the motor has gone out, it is probably time to get another one or move into a newer turntable.
is it possible that the drive motor in the T35 will fit the T60?
I bought a donor unit and I am hoping the motor is the same.
Many Thanks to anyone who can help me out.
Perhaps Frank Van Alstine would have your answer. He is still using a Harmon Kardon T-30. I used the instructions found on his site to modify the power supply of my T-55c, he has worked on T-25's to T-60's. This mod is so good and made such a profound change in the smoothness and speed accuracy of the H/K turntables it should be the required.

Based on the T-35 manual at vinylengine.com, the T-35 motor has a circuit board attached, the T-60 motor does not have the circuit board. I have a (very large) photo of the T-55c, which is practically the same as the T-60 before I did the ps mod at http://www.wghwoodworking.com/harmon_kardon/h-k.htm

You can contact Frank Van Alstine through the AudioCircle.com forum or the avahifi.com web site.