You Are Here Home Turntable Reviews Audiotechnica atlp 120 Review Audiotechnica atlp 120
Off the audiophile pedestal and into the "real world" we become, with a review of Audio Technica's easy to set up $299.95 ("street" cost $250) AT-LP120-USB turntable.
This characteristic-packed turntable bears more than a passing resemblance to the Technics SL-1200, the final iteration of which was the MK6. Citing dwindling sales and parts procurement issues, Panasonic/Matsushita absurdly discontinued the 1200 in 2010. What side by side? They'll stop making plasma TVs? Oh. They did that too (they had rational reasons in both instances, though plasma still far surpasses the film quality of LCD IMO).
A-T's LP120 is a Quartz PLL (phase locked loop) straight drive blueprint capable of spinning its relatively low-cal-weight cast aluminum platter at 33 ane/three, 45 and 78rpm. Y'all can disable the Quartz speed lock and via a slide switch adjust the speed ±10% or ±20%. A built-in strobe light and design incorporated in the platter casting makes easy setting and monitoring speed.
You tin even spin the platter backwards to decode secret letters constitute on some '60s and '70's era drug-soaked albums. For instance on David Bowie's terribly underrated The Lodger he sings "All the Young Dudes" backwards on the vocal "Move On". With this turntable you can play it backwards and clearly hear it. Simply I digress.
The gimbaled "S" shaped arm incorporates a knurled VTA/SRA adjustment platform similar to the ane institute on the SL1200'due south arm. The plinth includes a 45rpm adapter holder besides as one for a 2nd head shell. There'south even a popular upwardly "stylus target light".
A MM phono preamplifier is congenital in, and can be disabled at the flip of rear-mounted switch assuasive you to employ your choice of phono preamplifiers. A built-in analog to digital converter capable of 44.1 or 48K xvi bit resolution connects via a USB port adjacent to the "line-phono" switch. Audio-Technica includes Brazenness software for both Mac and Windows computers though of course you can utilize your software choice.
Finally, the 'table comes consummate with a range of useful accessories including a sturdy, hinged dustcover as well every bit an installed-in-the-head-shell $forty Audio Technica AT95E MM phono cartridge that tracks at 2 grams, which is Sound Technica's "underground weapon." The 95E has long been 1 of my favorite "el-cheapo" MM phono cartridges.
Out of the Box And Speedily Upward and Running
Few audiophile quality products are packaged and documented as well every bit is this turntable, which weighs in at 23.v pounds and rests on solidly constructed, damped feet. The packaging is smartly done and aimed at making sure that even neophytes can take information technology rapidly up and running. The software and its computer interface is too well-explained.
One time the 'tabular array has been situated on a level surface all that remains to exist done is to balance the arm and set the VTF to two grams and the anti-skating to "2". Really the most hard part was to find the A.C. socket tucked into a rear console fold that'south not well-documented in the instructions. And of class you have to plug the hard-wired RCA cables into either a line level or phono input depending upon how you've set the "line-phono" switch.
Does Speed Accuracy Guaranty Accurate Sonics?
If you wait at the measured speed accuracy using the Feickert Platterspeed app and test record, this budget turntable produces impressive specs. It runs precisely at the correct speed and while its divergence is ±10Hz, once it'due south been low pass filtered to remove record eccentricity bug, it looks fine. And in terms of speed stability and "wow" the AT-LP120-USB performs well.
In terms of its overall sonics, with the supplied cartridge, well because the price it sounds pretty skillful but fashion on the soft side of the sonic fence. Top to lesser transients are soft. So cymbals sound soft, bass lines sound soft and the rhythmic results are soft too. This makes for a very pleasant just inappreciably exciting or detailed listening—and that's with the congenital-in MM phono preamp or with a multifariousness or external phono preamps I tried.
I did notation that despite the relatively loftier mass plinth, it was quite "lively" and fifty-fifty a gentle tap on information technology with the stylus in the groove produced a pronounced "thump" through the speakers.
Yet, backgrounds are serenity and if the goal is piece of cake listening or converting to CD quality digital for less than "archival quality" archiving, the AT-LP120 does the job well.
I installed a low output Adcom Cross-coil cartridge that I'd had rebuilt some fourth dimension agone that was already installed on a compatible head vanquish, and while it usually sounds fast, detailed and perhaps slightly aggressive, installed in the AT-LP120 it too sunk into the soft but pleasant ooze.
What accounts for this? I cannot be certain. In fact, my sonic recollection of the quondam Technics 'tables was of a somewhat hard and ambitious sound, which many surmised was the result of the constant "hunting and pecking" past the servo controlled motor as it overshot and undershot the correct speed; those micro speed changes producing an edgy quality. Is that true? I don't know. It'due south just what some people surmised.
Hither the results were the contrary—fifty-fifty when the supplied felt "slipmat" was replaced with any of the mats used in the only concluded mat comparison. The sound was soft and sweet. But considering it was uniform from elevation to bottom, it was really quite pleasant, though of course diffuse and lacking in focus.
I played a clean original of Dave Brubeck's Fourth dimension Out and the performance was unusual and unique. I certainly did not fear for the record grooves considering the arm is conspicuously well-made and low in friction.
Determination
The Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB is a well-made, characteristic packed, "set up to play" inexpensive turntable that is a meaning stride upwardly from the plastic crap competition. The lightweight platter is clearly 1 place Sound Technica saved some money, and perhaps it more than anything else accounts for the startlingly soft, but pleasingly lush sound.
In no way does this turntable compete sonically with a more plush belt drive blueprint such as the $399 Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, or even with the less expensive U-Turn Orbit in my opinion though those (especially the U-Turn) can't begin to compete with the Audio Technica'south build quality, characteristic prepare and ease of use. Information technology all depends upon for what y'all are looking.
From what I experienced with this turntable, Audio-Technica has striking a bulls middle with its target audition—the casual tape spinner—specially those seeking to give their vinyl an archival digital final spin.
The AT-LP120-USB is extremely well fabricated, packaged and presented equally well, including splendid instructions for both vinyl playback and computer interface, and with its generous accessories should make casual vinyl spinners very happy with their purchase.
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Source: https://www.analogplanet.com/content/audio-technica-lp120-usb-turntable-shames-plastic-competition
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