A
VIBRANT VINYL
Sales of the black stuff have just surpassed CDs for the first time in 34 years...
and, well, there’s never been a more pressing time to support record stores
AUDIO-TECHNICA
AT-LP120XBT-USB
Key specs
O Direct drive O aptX
Bluetooth 5, analogue
RCA, USB O Mains power
O 450x350x140mm, 8kgSTUFF SAYS Beneath the ‘Technics knock-off’ styling lurks a hugely flexible record player +++++
£289 / stuff.tv/AT120AUDIO GUIDE
t first glance, it might
seem easy to dismiss
this Audio-Technica
turntable as another Technics
SL-1210 wannabe and move
on. But not only would that
do the AT-LP120XBT-USB
(phew!) a disservice – it would
also mean you might miss
out on the most extensively
specified record player you’ve
ever seen.
The last six letters of that
massive model number refer
to both the Audio-Technica’s
aptX Bluetooth 5.0 capability
for wireless connection to
an appropriate speaker orheadphones, and its USB
output for archiving your
vinyl to a computer. Obviously
AT had to draw the line
somewhere, otherwise
the model number would
also include a reference to
the deck’s switchable built-in
phono stage to enable it to
slot effortlessly into systems
of all types.
So already you’ve a stack
more options than most record
players offer. And that’s before
we consider the direct-drive
motor, pitch control, target
light and stroboscope – which
should be enough to satisfyany would-be superstar DJ.
Then there’s the AT-VM95E
cartridge pre-mounted to its
headshell and attached easily
to the S-shaped tonearm,
which basically makes this
a plug-and-play device. All
you have to do is attach the
counterweight and set the
anti-skate control.
Most importantly of all,
this player sounds the full
money’s-worth no matter
how you listen to it. It’s at its
best when hard-wired into a
system, naturally, delivering
fluidly articulate, detailed and
decently punchy output; butthere’s not a huge drop-off
in quality if you go wireless.
In fact it retains the majority
of its detail levels and almost
all its typically ‘vinyl’ timing
skills when playing over
Bluetooth, and makes very
capable digital copies too. It
basically makes vinyl seem
like the most modern and
adaptable format around.I’m a convert
Audacity (free for
Mac and PC) makes
copying vinyl to your PC
as easy as linking the
deck with the bundled
USB cable.