Audio-Technica AT-LP3BK Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Stereo Turntable, Black

I’ve collected vinyl for 20 years and fancied an upgrade on my older player. After much deliberation and a lot of research, this was the perfect option. Easy to set up and a classy bit of a equipment. I didn’t realise how bad my other player was! You won’t be disappointed with this purchase.

I am glad I purchased this when I did because they don't seem to be manufacturing it at the moment. Perhaps this is covid-related or perhaps it has been discontinued. Either would be a shame, because this turntable punches WAY above it's weight class. I have owned it for several months now and I am still delighted with it. It is a belt-driven, fully-automatic model that is also upgradeable. It seems to slide in between the LP60 variants and the LP120s, and in many ways combines the best features of both models. There is no USB or Bluetooth, but I regard those features as superfluous nonsense anyway. It does include both a switchable pre-amp and a second switch that allows you to choose between a moving-magnet or moving-coil cartridge. The headshell is removeable, for easier mounting of a cartridge or allowing you to purchase an additional one to rapidly switch between different cartridges. Just make sure that if you do purchase additional headshells that you buy an angled model as the tone arm is completely straight. The only thing I would change is that the RCA and ground cables are permanently attached so there is no opportunity to upgrade the RCA connections. Perhaps one day I will move to a higher-end turntable, but I expect to use the LP3 for years as it has exceeded my every expectation. EDIT: A year later and I am still delighted. No issues whatsoever.

Let me preface his review by noting that there are several types of people who are interested in sound equipment. There are those who are just interested in listening to music for background noise, those who are looking for a slightly higher level of quality, and then there is the true audiophile. The problem is that often the reviews of the audiophile will bemoan the lack of consistency of speed or a rumble and a platter which some people may not appreciate or even notice. Granted that a review of a product does demand an evaluation from many perspectives, there sometimes is distortion as to how one perceives a product based on the expectation. I have friends who have systems that cost more than $30,000, have dedicated rooms and listen to music and try to take in every nuance of the sound however, that is not me. My expectations are less and therefore I want good and reliable, but it may fail the perfection test. I have always been a Beatles fan and for a birthday present I got an anniversary copy of the Sgt. peppers album and Abbey Road. So, I needed a turntable. The speaker system was not a dedicated one for music but was one that was hoped to receiver and surround sound for the TV. It is a decent speaker system, but it would not impress anyone who is looking for the best reproduction of sound. Having done my research, I decided on this turntable. I was in college in the seventies and did own a dual 1219 turntable. So, I was looking for something that was somewhat similar in appearance, and I knew basically I wanted a tone arm that I could balance and had antiskid. Belt driver direct drive was important to me only in that belt drive was less expensive and direct drive systems that were decent had an increase in pricing. On delivery, the setup was easy. I took the 2 RCA jacks out and connected them to a device which transferred them to an optical signal and hook that up to my receiver. I realize this is heresy in the world of vinyl listening, but I wanted music I could listen to, and easy hook up, and my family and friends are not dedicated to every sound and change in timbre of the music that is playing. From my point of view, this was perfect. I was able to play my new vinyl Beatle records at 1.5 g and there was no skating. The balance on the tone arm was easy to set up, and even though I’ve heard some criticism of the cartridge that comes with this player, I thought it sounded great. As an added gift, I was given the Beatles Christmas recordings which consists of 7 ½ inch 45s and a 33 where they record their Christmas greetings and discuss the holidays. Playing them on this turntable was easy. There is a 45 adapter and by simply pushing the size and the speed, they played without a hitch. The automated feature was nice. Of interest, one of the Beatles Christmas records is a 7 ½ inch disk but it plays at 33 with a small spindle. No problem, I simply use the standard spindle and set the speed and size of the desk. My only complaint is there is no locking mechanism for the tone arm. It would be nice if the tone arm would lock into the holder if you are moving the turntable. You simply must use a rubber band or something else to keep it in place. So, for those who are looking for just an easy setup, a simple turntable that sounds good and plays vinyl with a 1.5 or 2 Graham cartridge, this turntable does the trick. If you’re looking for a much better system, others have noted different turntables that are direct drive, or even changing the cartridge on this one to improve the quality of sound. For the moment, I’m very happy I do have one gripe which I mentioned to Amazon and they appreciated my input. I bought this as a warehouse item which was noted as near new with damaged packaging. When I received the item, there were scratches on the tone arm and the lid because the platter had not been well secured. My gripe is with Amazon warehouse, the product itself is a good one. And the cosmetic damage does not appear to have affected any part of the playback. I would strongly recommend this turntable for someone looking for an easy set up, and option to play vinyl with a good quality player, and the ability to play different record formats with ea

La tornamesa se siente sólida, los materiales son de excelente calidad. El proceso de armado es un poco laborioso pero no es complicado, solo hay que seguir el instructivo e incluso en el canal de YouTube de Audio Technica hay un tutorial muy detallado de como ensamblada. La calidad de audio exquisita, la velocidad de reproducción es contante y la aguja entrega un sonido muy balanceado en todas las frecuencias. Definitivamente es una excelente opción para tener una excelente tornamesa sin gastar una cantidad elevada de dinero

Sono passato dal manuale ad un automatico di buona qualità . Poco soddisfatto della testina a corredo l'ho subito sostituita con una AT VM520 eb con un risultato eccellente. Classica, Jazz e strumentale , come mai l'ho sentita. Forse dopo vari tentativi ho raggiunto lo scopo.