Upgrading your AT-LP120 turntable

Just a quick update. I have been eyeing record clamps or weights to help stabilize my records on my AT LP 120. I read about using a hockey puck as a weight, and since that is a great deal cheaper than a dedicated TT weight/clamp, I tried that out. I drilled a hole in the center, not completely through the puck, using a 15/64" drill bit. With this bit, the puck fits tight enough against the spindle that I can screw it down and use it as a clamp AND a weight. So, for $3, I get a new record clamp and weight for my wonderful Audio Technica AT LP 120. Just thought I'd share. I have noticed a widened soundstage and better bass performance. It helps tame some warps, but on others, I would need outer clamps. Very, very easy and cheap upgrade for those wondering about disc stabilizers.

 

Has anyone tested high end AT carts on this TT yet? I've been looking at the at440mla and the at150mlx. just curious if anyone has any results? I am currently running the at120et.

 

I have the AT95 that came with it in there now.
I bought a AT440MLA... it's on it's way
I'll let you know how it works out with my old budget set-up

I have a Yamaha RX V673 that does not have a built-in phono preamp so I am using the 120's for now
Goes into 4 early 70's Klipsch except for a later Klipsch center and a B&W sub

I am trying to decide between:
* TCC TC-450 @ $40
* ART DJPRE II @ $50;
* Esoteric Sounds Rek-O-Kut Audiophile @ $100
* Schiit Mani @ $130 or a
* Bugle @ $200

Leaning toward the Schiit and will bypass the AT preamp at hat point

Opinions welcome

 

I am considering removing the preamp, but am worried about resale value. I have picked up a rubber mat, has tightened up the sound a bit. The ringing platter is an issue, excuse my ignorance, but what is a sorbothane?

 

Sorbothane is a vibration damping material.

Once you hear how the table sounds with the pre-amp pulled out, you probably aren't going to want to re-sell it anytime soon.

 

There are rave reviews for the Bugle and it apparently punches well above its weight. Please let us know how the AT440MLA sounds on the TT.

 

You are tempting me Ben. Did you do a needle drop pre & post removal?

 

I don't have any sample needledrops left from before the removal, so I can't offers comparison. But it's a huge and noticeable difference. Just look at the testimonials on this forum by folks who have done it.

 

UPDATE:
I ordered a Schiit Mani & a TCC TC-750LC to do an A/B

Switched out the AT95E with an AT440MLa cartridge
Also put on an AT-CW1 Upgrade Heavy counterweight

Have not bypassed the internal amp pathway yet, just switched it from Line to Phono for this comparison.

1st, the 440M is a huge improvement over the 95E - HIGHLY recommended

Both preamps were an improvement vs the onboard, but the Mani was significantly more detailed and musical.
Separation, mids... what a difference!
Really nice except for the hummmm

Anyone had experience battling hum on this TT yet?
As there is no ground readily available, what are the options short of pulling it apart?

PS: I would not recommend the TC-750

 

I don't think it's been mentioned here, but over on Audiokarma.org, user vineci has done some major LP120 mods, including a new armboard and tonearm.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=656811&highlight=LP120

 

I'm considering using my 120 head and buying a 150mlx stylus to test out on this thing. Haven't decided what I really want to do yet but looking into options. The 120 does great but I'm of course just curious if I am missing anything at all.

 

I just put a rubber mat on mine and boy what a difference. I was blown away at the improved and tightened bass. So I will order the counterweight and then I will probably go for the surgery. My only concern is that I will be using the AT95e in the immediate future, I like the balance of frequencies now and am concerned that it may sound too bright (trebly) post surgery. I note most of the discussion has been regarding LP120s with Shure Mx9e/Jico post surgery, has anyone heard the lp120 with an AT95e after removal of the preamp?

 

Yes
I did mine and I would not describe it as to bright at all, and I put on the 440MLa. Detailed and open, yes but mids and bottom is not lacking.
I was happy to see the rubber mat worked well for you - i have been trying to decide which way to go with that... rubber vs leather.

 

The Shure M95xE/JICO SAS combo is a doozy on a modded LP120. It sounds absolutely amazing and will make inner groove distortion a thing of the past. I highly recommend it, as Ben initially recommended it to me.

 

Word.

 

Hey Ben I just say this post. I've owned a LP120 for a while now and have never gotten good sound out of it. I unfortunately don't have many friends around that know enough about turntables to help troubleshoot my problem so I've just dealt with it. Basically what I'm dealing with is that I get poor sound quality out of the turntable. If I move the arm up or down slightly I get better quality for a few minutes, but then I usually get skipping because the needle isn't flush with the table. At first I thought this was a problem with the cartridge, but now I'm wondering if it's the preamp because I do have it running through a beast of a Sony receiver and all other audio devices work through it. I also heard that most after market cartridges don't work well on on this table. What do you think it could be? Also anybody else who would like to give input would be greatly appreciated as well. I'm just out of ideas so that's why I came to the internet for help. Thanks in advance.

Dan Wenzel

 

Well, the preamp isn't going to cause skipping. It's possible the counterweight is set incorrectly, or the tonearm may be defective. Are you still within warranty?

I've never had a problem like you're describing, but I can definitely tell you this table happily takes aftermarket cartridges. I have a few which I swap out on a regular basis. I mostly use a Shure M97xE with a Jico SAS stylus, or a Nagaoka MP-110. And many members here will vouch for other carts on this table as well.

 

I'm not sure if I'm in warranty. I think I got it around Christmas last year. So that would be a year and a half. I will say though that I am terrible at adjusting the arm and counterweights so that could be it. I am kind of under the impression that It is the cartridge or needle. I will probably take the suggestions in this thread though and get one of those proven aftermarket ones.

Thanks again!

 

It sounds like your counterweight might not be adjusted correctly, resulting in too light a tracking force. Check out this video for step-by-step instructions on the basics of setting up the table:

 

I'll check that out tomorrow Dr. Metal. I appreciate you guys and definitely like what I see from this community. I'll be stopping by more often for sure. I'll let you guys know if that fixes it. Thanks.

 

You're quite welcome. This forum is great. I have learned a great deal from other posters here, including @Ben Adams . It's a great community here.

 

That looks beautiful. Do you know how much it cost the original poster to replace the tonearm?

 

Hey guys, Just wanted to update you on my progress. I finally broke down last week and purchased the Shure M97xe. I installed it and balanced the table (even though it could use some more tweaking). It works like a dream compared to the last one. I spun 5 or 6 records and it's a million times better. Once thing I still nice is that the volume one my receiver only goes so loud. It definitely is louder with an mp3 player connected through it. The only thing I can think of now is the original reason I get interested in this thread...the pre amp. I was going to run a test and all my computer speakers over (which is actually a nice 2.1 setup, Altec-Lansing XA3021). I was thinking that I could just run the table through them and see what kind of sound I get. To me the pre amp has to be the last hurdle.

 

Hi guys, New to the forum and hoping to make some contribution. I live in Uruguay, nice small country in South America, great beef, wine and soccer. One of the most expensive countries to live if you are into electronics of any kind. I paid USD 590 (yes you read it right) for my AT-LP120 USB but I guess that is the premium is to live in 3 mln people country without natural disasters, war or any of the other menaces in this world. I purchse all my computers and other electronic stuff while traveling to the US or Europe, which I do often thanks to my work and the ocassional holiday. Back to my AT I've been doing a lot of research and this forum has helped me greatly into getting information and advice so thanks to everyone here! I have my TT plug into my Bang and Oluffsen BeoCenter 2300 (a vintage Danish system with Cd and radio) paired to my BeoLab 4000 self-powered speakers. This is a hi-end system with one (1) auxiliary input only so pretty purist in itself. As for the TT it sounds pretty well I must say. I'm new to vinyl after having about 2000 CDs and a few TBs of digital music. I'm buying mainly new editions in 180g of classice records such as The Joshua Tree, The Beatles and the full catalog of Ryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen among others. Following advice here in the forum I have purchased the AT-440MLa and AT-CW1 for the arm (which IMHO is very good itself), a Technichs rubber mat and a Bellari VP530. I'm planning a mod involving keeping the original pre-amp, a sliding switch to select internal or external pre-amp and two set of female-RCAs. I don't take the internal pre-amp out of respect for the original designers of the table. Let's see how this goes and I´ll keep you posted. It's great to be here. Regards, Mario

 

Good luck with your mod!

I can't have any real respect for the person at Audio-Technica or Hanpin who chose to include the disastrous pre-amp in this unit, though. It's like building a car that can reach 120 mph and then putting in a regulator that only allows you to drive at 60 mph.