Guidance on first TT purchase: AT-LP 120 USB and its friends

I started with a technics and moved to a debute carbon. I loved it and still use it regularly in my office.

People go nuts from that. The technics crowd is passionate and bash the project.

It has its shortcomings but i feel it is the best bang for the buck.

 

You have just answered yourself there, I'm afraid. If I were new to this, I'd fall for the looks of the AT too. USB and TT = .

 

"Holds its speed reasonably well"?

The AT-LP 120's speed is quartz-locked. No need to worry about "reasonably."

And the Nagaoka MP-110 is a damn good cart at its price.

 

I have the AT-LP120. I think it sounds really good. I run mine through a Yamaha A-S500 which has a phono input. I'm pretty sure at some point I may want to upgrade, but that's a pretty good distance down the road. I would say go for this, and if it turns out you are REALLY in to vinyl, make the jump to a more "audiophile" level of turntable. My 2 cents.

 

It's funny you mention that--the "look" of the AT is probably the least attractive part of that model to me. I'm drawn to it because there are a lot of positive reviews on this site (and others) and it seems like a safe place to start for a vinyl neophyte like myself. If I'd make my decision based entirely on looks, I'd have to say the Teac TN-300 in Cherry makes me drool quite a bit. Can't seem to find as much information on it, though.

 

Thank you, Ben. I've read some of your posts here and your blog about the AT. It has been very helpful to me, and I'm sure a lot of other people. Seems it has served you very well; I'm glad to hear it.

 

Thanks for taking the time to comment, James. I appreciate your advice.

 

Jerry at Jerry's Records and the Turntable Doctor at Galaxie Electronics (don't know his real name ) both recommended the LP120 when I was in the market for a turntable a couple years back. Coming from a Sears console and a Monkey Ward all-in-one, it was the first dedicated turntable I've owned. With a few tweaks thanks to @Ben Adams and his blog, I've got a real solid performer on my hands. It's no 1200, but I'm no longer in a rush to get one (or it's cousins.)

 

I wish I had experience with more than one of the tables you're considering...but I've only owned the AT120, and I think it's great. I'm curious about improvements, but I'm happy with the turntable's sound and no matter what criticisms are out there, I usually prefer the sound of this table to comparable cds. There's some exceptions sure, but the sound of vinyl playback on this table still holds a greater allure for me than my cd player.

I've had it for 5 years, only ever changed cartridges and/or styli. No other repairs, very low maintenance. Just make sure to use a protractor for cartridge setup and basic stylus force gauge after you THINK you have the counterweight set correctly

 

I also have the AT120 and love it. Have had it over 2 years now and it's easy enough for my wife to use while I am at work. No worries. I was even happy with the AT95E cartridge (have it right under 2 grams). No complaints here at all and have used the USB feature many times to make CD's for coworkers. I have a deal with coworkers -- give me your vinyl and I will make you a CD copy and I get to KEEP the vinyl. So far it has worked out well because blank CD's are cheap. The only thing that is time consuming is dubbing them in real time into Audacity then breaking each side into individual files. The AT120 does record a bit low but the "Normalize" or "Amplify" options fix this and bring the levels up.

 

There's also the new Onkyo

http://amzn.com/B00RMPDBU2

 

Sweet ! Nice TT; very retro-looking, reminiscent of a Dual to my eyes.

 

It's still a Hanpin like Pioneer and Audio-Technica. Looks cool though.

 

Huhmm...nice-looking but Amazon reviews are appalling.

 

That is a great deal - wonder If i could convince some people at my work to do the same thing

 

Glad to hear you're still enjoying it!

 

Five years? Wow, glad it's holding up and you're still enjoying it. I especially like the "very low maintenance" part! Thanks for the information about the protractor, I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

 

Hello I am a new member and thought I would give my2cents worth. Crunchy if your still looking @ the AT120usb, I have had mine for 6+ Mo. and like it a lot. For the price its very well built. I modified mine and it helped a lot. I removed the preamp, replaced felt mat with thick rubber mat, added weight to the counter weight, switched cart. too Stanton 681eee with new Jico stylus. I have had a few TT in my life , (ie) Phillips , Marantz , Sony, Pioneer. The AT12o is easy to set up and use right out of the box. Just Do what the other poster say about setting the arm and cart with protractor and scale. I got the Black model with the AT95e cart. If you decide to modify yours theirs lots of threads on SH and other audio blog sites to guide you. Good Luck.

 

My take on this - go for the Denon. No USB bits to ruin the sound and an arm that looks like a Jelco derivative rather than a Hanpin that will likely suffer from lose bearings . good reports of SQ on this forum. it is cheap and you can move it on for something better if the vinyl bug bites. Also suggest that whatever TT you settle on get the best cartridge you can afford.

 

It's been some time since I checked back here and updated. Anyway, about two months ago I went with a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC. I ordered through Musician's Friend (where I order all my guitar stuff) and got a 15% discount, so it brought the price down to about $380. I thought I'd wait a bit before posting to see if my initial impressions had changed over time, and they haven't really. I'm happy with the Carbon and I know I made the right decision. I paired it with the Cambridge Azur 551 P phono preamp and it sounds fantastic. Since I have no prior experience with Pro-Ject, its 2M Red cart, or any phono preamp, I don't have anything to compare it against, but I like what I'm hearing.

The reason I went with the Carbon DC over the ATLP120, Denon, TEAC, and others was because during all my internet research and googling, it seemed like every other model, in some way, was always compared to the Carbon. In most cases, features aside, it seemed that the Carbon was considered the best (if not better) sounding TT of the lot. Although this is subjective, this is what I kept finding. Maybe a lot of the reviewers were getting paid by Pro-Ject, I don't know. But what I do know is that after using it for the past two months, I'm completely satisfied with the purchase. I also knew that if I really didn't like it, I could send it back to MF. My main concern was with the "hum" issue that many had experienced with the non DC model; I have had NO issues with hum...so far.

With the honeymoon phase over, I can offer a bit more critical review. What I do like besides the sound, is that it feels well-built, looks good, and was easy to set up. What I don't like about it is that the tone arm rest seems a bit plasticy, though it wouldn't stop me from buying it again. The felt mat is pretty weak and I've replaced it with a cheap cork one for now. It also does not have (to my knowledge) a way to adjust the VTA. Right now, that's not an issue. It also does not have a removable headshell, so I'm assuming changing cartridges would be challenging for a neophyte like myself.

As for the 2M Red, I have no experience with any other cartridges so I can't say it's better or worse than anything else. Music generally sounds clear and pleasing to my ears. Some albums I have sound better than others, so I'm assuming that's due to age, mastering techniques, pressing quality, etc. Of the brand new vinyl I treated myself to (the new Behemoth, Immortal's Sons of Northern Darkness reissue, and the remastered Iron Maiden's), they sound incredible and make me glad I got into vinyl. However, the Behemoth sounds a bit congested at times with all the layering of instruments going on...I wish it would separate a bit more (maybe a different cart?). My favorite experience so far has been with "Love to Love" from U.F.O. The keyboard during the intro seems to float on top of everything else...pure awesomeness!!! Now I've got to find a way to make everything else sound that 3 dimensional!

Anyway, another reason for posting here today is that my Rotel receiver just died, so I have a lot more time to not be listening to vinyl. I will be posting a new thread soon about looking for a replacement. I hope you guys can help me out again; your insight has been invaluable and greatly appreciated!

 

I'd get the AT LP120. It's an incredible starter table at its price. You can upgrade it to get it sounding like a TT well above $250. It's a great turntable to 'learn' on, i.e. how to properly adjust everything, the significance of upgrades on sound quality, etc. I've had mine for going on 3 years now, and I still love how it sounds, especially after I got the Shure M97xE cart and JICO SAS replacement stylus.

 

Thanks Dr. METAL!!!!! I already went with a Pro-Ject and I'm very happy with it. I do plan on upgrading the cartridge eventually, how do you like the Shure/Jico for metal? Have you tried any other cartridges for metal? I've been interested in Nagaoka and AT carts lately...

 

I think it is a fantastic combo for metal. It really helps dig out all of the subtle details in complex parts of metal songs. It also has a very warm sound to it. Now, take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, because the only other cartridges I've used are an Audio Technica AT95E and the stock Shure M97xE stylus. The JICO SAS puts them to shame. I also really like the dynamic stabilizer brush. It helps with outer warps a lot and the brush helps keep the record dust free. I'd recommend this cartridge/stylus combo to anybody. You also won't have to worry about inner groove distortion with this combo. It tracks extremely well.

 

That sounds pretty solid; I've read quite a few others really enjoy that combo. I'm a little ways off from upgrading, though. My 2M Red has about 50 hours on it. Anyways, my receiver just died recently, so I have to take care of that first.

 

Firstly, glad you're enjoying your new turntable. You're getting into quite a fun hobby. I've honestly never read a negative review of the Shure M97xE/JICO SAS combo. For the money, you are really getting an incredible cart/stylus combo. The 2M Red has good reviews for an affordable cartridge, but I have read that it doesn't handle inner grooves very well, and if you're listening to old 80s metal LPs, you may run into some inner groove distortion. For example, with my original pressing Metallica LPs (and a bunch of other records when it comes to that), I would get IGD with the stock Shure and the AT95E. Once I got the JICO, it completely eliminated that.

Sorry to hear of your receiver. Best of luck taking care of that. I hear good things about the affordable Onkyo on Amazon that has a built in phono stage, if you're looking for something affordable and quick. Otherwise, if you can find an old NAD 3020 in good condition, you'll get a great phono stage.