Audio Technica
AT666
AT661
(1979 - 1984)

Very successful system of bonding record and platter, as used by Luxman in the PD-555 and later variants or Victor in the TT-801.

The AT666 flattens records with a 250kg pressure. The platter is a 30cm duralumin slab which weighs 1,4kg, thus adding 1,4kg to the record for an even higher dynamic mass and improved rotational accuracy - not for wimpy motors. Overall thickness is 9,5mm ; the AT666 can be installed on turntables with a spindle at least 11mm high.

The AT666 was available in two versions : the one shown here is the original, manual, disc stabilizer : manual puming required. The slightly later version swapped the manual suction unit with the automatic and battery-powered AT661 which offered the immense advantage to reduce the owner's manual from 8 pages to 2.

The AT666 allows the sensible MC cartridges (and MM) to follow the groove completely unaffected by warps. Of course, if the record wasn't pressed centered enough, then a Nakamichi Dragon CT or TX-1000 was the way to go, with an AT666 replacing the original platter mats. A rebadged AT666 was by the way made available by Nakamichi for the TX-1000 under the VS-100 moniker.

The result is that, for each LP side, one would have to wait about ten minutes for the Nak' to find the real center of the record, then the disc stabilizer to stabilize and... A bit long, isn't it ?

However, the AT666 worked very well - patience is a virtue.