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4.84.8 out of 5 stars
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84 Reviews

by Top favorable review

Sweet Notes!!!!

I've been looking for a while now for a good direct drive turntable with Analog connection and USB, but had the trusty old turntable. Well it was a belt drive and the belt turned to goo. I replaced the belt but it is not the same. Shazam, time for the new one and this fits the ticket of what I've wanted for a long time! It has all the features I have been looking for. Now I'm back to spinning the the new albums I've received but haven't been able to listen to.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: lifestylebyfocus

by Top critical review

Performance is Fair at best.

I would never have this as my primary Turntable. An Audiophile Turntable it is not! I bought it primarily so I could start archiving my large collection of 78's. Being that it is a direct drive Turntable, it is noisy. If you are looking for a 2nd turntable it is OK. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: blowitoutahere

by

Well Made Unit With Nice Features

I received this turntable exactly as described, well packaged and on schedule. Hooking it up was mostly simple with instructions that could have been a little more detailed. It comes with “Quick Start” instructions and the full manual can be found online. The features I was looking for were: fully manual (less to break down), direct drive (no more belt replacements) and digital recording via USB capability (haven’t tested the USB yet). The stylus target light comes in handy if you have the turntable somewhere not well lit. It comes with all the cables required to complete installation. The RCA cable for hooking up with my receiver/tuner was too short (4 feet) for my application so I needed to purchase a longer one. The only real negative is that the felt platter mat sticks to and comes off when you remove a record from the turntable. Probably static electricity. I will try some double sided tape or replace it with a cork or rubber platter mat. Everything operates as it should and it really does sound noticeably better than the turntable it replaced. I would recommend this turntable to anyone looking for the features that this one offers.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: worldwidestereo

by

A perfect homage to the Technics SL-1200

I upgraded from the LP60X to this LP120X and can confirm it's well worth the upgrade. The pitch slider, direct driven motor, and fully manual system are all great features for the price. The price is also great compared to a higher-end table that gives you very similar features which makes this table more accessible to most people. If you're considering it, just go for it, you won't regret it!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: lifestylebyfocus

by

Great turntable for the start

I decided to start vinyl collection and need a turntable. I'm pretty picky when it came to a music, so don't want to waste my time on cheap junk from amazon.

Audiotechnica is great in terms of sound and setup, also looks perfect (mine is black). Default cartridge is good for a start, mine was aligned almost perfectly.

What can be improved - some features that automates the process, also I'm not sure why that made color of the lights different. Some of default items you'll probably want to upgrade - like mat, cartridge etc. But all these are "nice-to-have"s, secondary comparing to its sound.

I can imagine better turntables but it's great starter turntable for the money.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: wwstereo

by

Great Turntable

This is a great turntable. It is very well made, easy to set up and operate. It produces good quality sound, even from my old record collection from the 70s and 80s. The quality of the materials seams to be very good, it is a bit heavy, but stout. I haven't used the software for turning records into mp3s yet, but I plan on doing so after the holidays. That will save me a good part of the cost of this unit since I won't have to re-purchase all the music I have on records, making it a good value. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: blowitoutahere

by

The best poor man's 1200

Lots of companies have been making their own 1200 clones for a number of years now but none come as close to capturing the look and feel of one as Audio Techniica's AT-LP120. The layout/look of all buttons and functions is nearly identical and it's just as responsive as the real deal (even weighs almost exactly the same). This unit does everything a 1200 can and more - it can play at 78rpm, increase the range of the pitch slide by 10%, play in reverse, and quick-lock o default speed. Only minor gripe to mention might be the extensive use of plastic which makes it feel slightly cheaper than a 1200, but only slightly. The plastic here is way nicer than on their AT-LP60, so even that is of respectable quality.

Overall, a more than faithful recreation of the world standard in DJ decks, attainable for less than half the price of the real thing these days.Read full review...

by

Attention, All Novices!

The AT-LP120XUSB replaced the AT-LP120USB. Since I am an owner of the AT-LP120USB, I purchased this upgrade for comparison. This model is set to be a "Consumer/ Professional" turntable. Even though I have mixed feelings about this unit, I figured I'd give it a try. I was disappointed to learn that some features have been removed. For example, forward/ backward direction of the platter, the tone arm height adjustment, and the pop-up cue/ target light. This unit's weight is a tad bit lighter than the original, and a plastic 45 adapter is supplied, as opposed to an aluminum adapter.

Now, let's review the positive aspects of this turntable. The first thing you notice is the "much" quieter direct drive motor. A huge plus in my book. The Anti-Skate has been improved, and so has the cartridge & stylus. An AC adapter has replaced the conventional plug. This idea behind this, is to minimized harmonic distortion. There is a plug-in cue/ target light. At first, I thought it was a bad idea. The light would eventually get misplaced. However, the plug-in target light is available (Google it). Not to mention easier to replace if and when it burns out. I am slightly impressed with the improved audio. The bass appears deeper, and the highs are clearer. Naturally, this also has to do with one's speakers. I was mostly impressed that AT has finally soldiered the RCA jacks directly to the circuit board. This makes transporting the unit more convenient. There is also a ground available. Since I wasn't fond of the plastic 45 adapter, I purchased an aluminum one from amazon.

Final thoughts on this unit. Without a doubt, I would recommend this to all the novices out there. You become familiar with balancing a tone arm, setting the anti-skate, adjusting the pitch control, and the most challenging, aligning the cartridge/ stylus.
Read full review...

Verified purchase: No

by

Audio Technica vs. Technics

I bought this Audio Technica AT-LP120BK-USB to replace my nearly 35 year old Technics SL-QX300. Had Technics currently offered a comparable turntable to my old one, I would be writing a review about that instead of this Audio Technica, because I've always been a fan of Technica stereo equipment, and almost all my component stereo gear is made by Technics (Tuner, one of my 2 Cassette Decks, one of my CD players, and my speakers).

Unfortunately, Technics seems to have abandoned this particular sector of the home stereo market, and their current offerings of turntables are quite expensive (over 1000 dollars). When I bought my old one in 1983, it was only about 150.00, and it was an intermediate model.

I have never been a fan of belt-drive turntables, so I wanted to replace my Quartz locked direct drive with another direct drive model. I found out quickly that apparently nobody offers a fully-automatic direct drive turntable (like my old one) any longer. You can only get automatic models in belt-driven turntables...which I didn't want. So, I have to get used to a manual transport model...which is a minor inconvenience.

This Audio Technica AT-LP120 is the black model (which goes well with the rest of my black components). The exterior chassis is a type of plastic, but underneath that, it's obvious there's some serious metal going on...it's quite heavy...heavier than my old Technics, which was pretty heavy in it's own right. This Audio Technica looks and feels very solid. I can't complain about the construction of the unit.

It's also physically bigger than my Technics...nearly twice as tall, and a tad wider for sure, and I think it may be a little deeper as well. I have a stereo rack with glass doors on the front and top. The top shelf, which is not adjustable, was designed for a turntable, but I never used it, because I could just barely get my Technics to fit inside, and would have had to raise that top, plus the dust cover on my old turn table both just to play a record. I've always just sat my turntable on top of the glass top. With this Audio Technica turntable, I physically can not put it on that top shelf...not only is it much taller, and the glass top of the rack would have to be removed, but the unit is just a tad too wide to fit down in the rack...but again...no big deal, because I never put my old turn table down in it either.

One of the first things I noticed about the AT-LP120BK-USB was that it DOES NOT have a ground wire like my old Technics, and most other component turntables I've seen have had. This may not be an issue...as it may not be necessary. I do know my old turntable would sometimes "hum" if you didn't have it grounded.

Now, with that in mind...one of the first things I Noticed about this AT model is that when I had my amp cranked up, it got some pretty bad microphonic feedback. Turning the volume down solved the problem, but sometimes you wanna blast the music, and this low end feedback is very undesirable. I used to like to crank up RUSH's "Moving PIctures" way up with my old Technics turntable, and never had this issue with it. With the Audio Technica, the first album I played on it was the remixed 50th Anniversary Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I noticed the low end feedback between songs, and in quieter passages of some of the tracks. As I said, it went away if I either turned the volume down or rolled back the bass on my tuner/amp. If I had a graphic EQ in my stereo rack, I could probably notch out the offending frequency, but I've never had a need for one in the past...because I tend to listen to everything "flat". My tuner/amp has two controls...Bass and Treble. I leave both of then straight up at "0". Might be that I need to invest in an EQ for such reasons...but that really shouldn't be an issue in a well-designed system. I also noticed you can hear handling noises, such as bumping the exterior of the unit, or raising/lowering the dust cover, a lot more on this AT turntable than I did on my old Technics.

At $249.00 USD, with free shipping (which seemed to be a fairly standard price), it's a decent quality turntable. Aside from the low end feedback issues, and having to give up a fully-automatic transport, it's something I can easily get used to. It looks nice, and has all the other features that I'm used to, plus a couple I'll probably never use (the DJ features and the USB).

Considering you can't get anything close to what I once had any longer...I'd recommend this unit.

I do wish they'd use a rubber slip mat on it instead of the "felt" that comes with it. Although I have already tossed my old Technics in the trash...I saved it's rubber mat, just in case I get to the point I don't like the one that came with the AT.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: beachaudio

by

Fully Manual Direct Drive

This turntable comes with all the necessary features one should need in a turntable. Perfect disc rotation speed, anti-skating control, easy tonearm weight adjustment without the clunkiness of automatic tonearm placement drop-speed
and return. Also, a beautiful piece if audiophile equipment.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: lifestylebyfocus

by

#1 best buy

Very, very pleased with the turntable. I've owned a lot of turntables over the last 60 years, and I believe this is the best I've owned. Clear full sound. Direct drive seems to hold accurate speed. The cue light is handy. Easy set up. I've nothing negative to say and at the price, you cannot go wrongRead full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: blowitoutahere

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