#Audio technica turntable full
#Audio technica turntable pro
#Audio technica turntable plus
#Audio technica turntable series

As a nod to getting set up quickly, Audio-Technica ships this turntable with its cartridge pre-assembled. The headshell secures to the tonearm with a locking ring. If you try to open it straight up to 90 degrees, you’ll snap the hinges. Take note that the dust cover only opens to about 50- to 60 degrees max. Audio-Technica includes a thick, high-quality dust cover. I assembled the platter, slip mat, and dust cover easily.

Audio-Technica’s packaging neatly laid out everything I needed to get started. The height of the AT-LP120-USB’s tonearm is adjustable. There’s also a pop-up stylus target light if you’re spinning records in a darkened environment.

#Audio technica turntable plus

You can also adjust the pitch ranges plus or minus 10 percent, or plus or minus 20 percent using the pitch-adjust slide control. A button near the tone arm lets you set the platter direction forwards or backwards. It was significantly faster than my belt-driven U-Turn Audio turntable.

#Audio technica turntable full

The direct-drive motor’s high torque gets the platter spinning at full speed quickly. Several DJ and pro-specific features increase the AT-LP120-USB’s appeal. When playing a record, dots will show up on different rows to let you know the platter speed.

#Audio technica turntable series

The platter has a series of dots arranged in different rows. Its feet are adjustable for leveling the turntable, which is crucial for achieving the best performance from a turntable. The AT-LP120-USB comes with a heavy, cast-aluminum record platter and a cloth slip mat. Theo Nicolakis / IDGĪ light on the turntable’s plinth aids in stylus placement in low-light conditions. In addition to limiting where you can set up the turntable in relation to your amplifier or self-powered speakers, repairs will be tricky should the AT-LP120’s cable ever become damaged. Higher-end turntables typically give you RCA jacks, so you can supply your own cables and replace them at any time. The RCA output cables are hard-wired to the back of the turntable. I connected the Audio-Technica to a Cambridge Audio Duo phono preamp without issue during this review. A switch on the AT-LP120-USB’s rear has a “line” position that bypasses the internal phono preamp. If you already have a favorite phono preamp, on the other hand, you can connect this turntable to it, instead. My Anthem AVM 60 multi-channel pre-pro, for instance, lacks a dedicated phono preamp, so I put the Audio-Technica AT-LP120 into line mode, plugged it into one of the AVM 60’s analog inputs, and was playing vinyl through my review pair of RBH SVTR Tower Speakers in mere minutes. Its USB port can send a digital stream you can capture with a Mac or Windows PC. If you have an A/V receiver in your entertainment center, you can connect this turntable directly to its input.Īudio-Technica’s AT-LP120 USB turntable has an onboard phono preamp, or you can flip a switch and use an outboard preamp. In fact, you can use the AT-LP120 out of the box with just about any audio gear.

#Audio technica turntable pro

This means you can connect its line-level output directly to a pair of self-powered speakers, such as Shinola’s Bookshelf speakers at the high end, or Edifier’s S2000 Pro if you’re working with a more modest budget. The AT-LP120-USB comes with one built in, rendering it virtually plug-and-play. Most turntables need to be connected to a phono preamplifier that can boost its signal to the level that a regular amplifier can work with. Belt-driven turntables, however, aren’t always a good choice for novice turntable users unaccustomed to handling records. Many audiophiles prefer belt-driven turntables, where the motor is decoupled from the platter to mitigate this problem. The traditional drawback in a direct-drive design is that vibrations produced by the motor can be transferred to the platter and record.