Customer Ratings & Reviews

In the world of audio components, it’s difficult yo know if what you propose to buy does as advertised. Obviously it takes some knowledge of audio equipment and hifi sound. And since so many of us lack those skills we often purchase a product based on inaccurate info and find ourselves disappointed. Thus component is just the opposites. It actually exceeds as advertised. To begin with, the 120x is an update of the 120. The 120 was advertised as a professional turntable suitable for DJ use as well as home. In this update, Audio Technica decided to go with the home use side of the coin. They dropped all DJ functions such as reverse drive. They also listened to their customers by providing a phono line that is detachable along with a phono/line switch do one can use an exterior preamp and not the turntable’s built in preamp. A slightly improved magnetic cartridge is also included. Finally they dropped the price by appx $50. These improvements are fine, but most important is the sound. And in that area, It’s very good. It provides a sharp and broad sound. The lows are very warm but accurate. No over baring thumping here. The highs do not “buzz out”. The stereo separation is great. All the controls are a breeze to use. The tone arm balance, the downforce and anti skate controls performed well. I tested the anti skate force with positive results. The speed control and strobe reader worked perfectly. The stylus “light” was and probably will always be unnecessary, but it looks nice. The iso pads were easily adjusted to achieve balance. While doing so I could tell the pads provided excellent suspension. I purchased the black colored turntable which gives it a striking look. It’s pretty large compared to others in this category which lends it a retro look. It resembles turntables of yesteryear, the 1980’s. It’s pretty heavy and has a well made look. The fact is, this component does all it claims and more. It exceeded my expectations both in looks, sound, and construction. Highly recommend for both a beginner and one who like to spin vinyl.

You can't beat the convenience of plugging a USB cable into your computer, and recording your records. I've digitized about 5 records so far, with very good results. The reason I dropped to 4 stars is because there is no auto-return, and because it is about impossible to use my DiscWasher brush on a 45 rpm because the spindle adapter wont stay seated. Everything else is excellent - great build quality, easy to set up, looks gorgeous. I can't say how the audio quality compares to a good analog turntable, preamp, and separate A-to-D. I still have those things, but I haven't taken the time to set them up and compare to the results from the A-T USB turntable. So far I'm very pleased with the results, especially after I clean up the recordings in Adobe Audition (not included with the turntable). Overall, a good value and very good performer.

I gave this turntable only four stars because it comes sooo close to being all that I wanted in a new school technology. I have a LARGE collection of LPs accumulated firsthand starting with the early 1960s on up to the present time. I still have my original audiophile equipment (vintage late 1960s to mid 1970s). From experience, I wanted quality sound playback but without the space needed for all the individual components. One key component is the turntable. Ease of hookup with the built-in preamp along with tone arm controls to fine tune the cartridge for maximum playback fidelity is what I found in this AT-LP120XUSB turntable. The ONLY drawback is the cartridge. It is elliptical but is only one step above a basic beginning level cartridge. But it is suitable for the budget price of $249.95. I do plan on an upgrade that will give me the “fullest sound” this unit is capable of producing.

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, replacement plug-in target lights are 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.

Would be perfect if the platter was flat. You can watch it waive as it moves. However, it sounds amazing and has enough capabilities to last you for years. Needs an auto return when record ends.

The sound is very good and it does come with a cartridge already installed. The down side is that it is completely manual. No auto return.

My 30 plus year old Technics turntable went out on me right before they started shutting everything down. It appears that the motor burnt out in it. I packed it up and hope to get it fixed one day. Until then, I decided to invest in this new one from Audio-Technica. Luckily, I was able to pick this one up from Best Buy using their curb side option...which went very smoothly. My old one was rather simple compared to this and setting this up was a bit of a challenge for someone who hasn't had to mess with something different in a long time. It took a few times and a couple of online videos to get the balance of the arm right...and setting the Anti-Skating mechanism correctly. Using the recommended settings in the instructions didn't work as well for me. After fiddling around with various settings, I was able to get it to sound pretty good for me. I have to admit that it does sound a lot better than my old one. When compared to my old LP player, I do miss the fact that the tone arm would lift and retract by itself when it gets to the end of the record. This new one, everything has to be done by you. Overall, I am pleased with it. I haven't played around with the ability to covert vinyls into mp3s yet. I do like that it has that capability and will eventually get around to tinkering with that function.

works great, sounds great. haven't tried connecting it yet to the computer. i guess it'll put your record tunes on the computer with the right software ( not included). also as a warning, everything with this turntable is manual. i didn't know that when i bought it. you have to move the tonearm with your fingers for on and off. no auto anything. old school. my 1978 Technics turntable did all that but not this one.

This is a very good turntable for the price. I like the features such as the adjustable counter weight on the tone arm, the anti skip adjustment and being able to level the unit with the adjustable feet. The only thin missing on this model is the tone arm height adjustment. Over sound quality is good, but very sensitive. Feed back though the speakers at louder volumes can happen more frequently than on the cheaper units.

Good quality sound and love the option of digital or coaxial set up. Have it connected to my 1978 Pioneer six-737 and really works well. Have not tried to turn vinyl into digital files yet. With the dust cover hinges had a little more movement in the so that the dust cover could be opened farther other than that really like the product.

The Audio-Technica AT-LP120USB stereo turntable was a great purchase for my collection of LP records. There is nothing like the music recorded on an LP record. You can here all instruments and the clarity is unique. Set-up went very well. If you want to here great music get one of this. you won't be disappointed.

Bought this turntable because I wanted to digitize my vinyl. Seems like a very solid turntable for the $250 price tag-- probably the best cheapest non-DJ USB turntable money can buy. Cartridge is great, but maybe sounds a little bit calm/tired/mellow with the included Eliptical stylus (a Shibata stylus upgrade fixed that for me). Almost everything about this turntable is superb; only thing it lacks, is a powerful motor. I was not intending to use this turntable for DJing, and was also well aware of the fact that it is advertised as a "low torque" motor before I bought one. Still, I did not expect the motor to be THIS sluggish. It functions fine, but is just too weak to DJ with and that's the only reason why I give it 4 stars. Nevertheless. this is the turntable to buy, unless you want an Audio-Technica turntable with a stronger motor that you can actually DJ with, then look at the more expensive AT-LP1240USB.

OK, 30 years ago I owned a Technics Sl-1200 and though this looks similar, it's nowhere near the quality of that turntable. Still, I bought it to convert my LP collection to MP3, and for that it's just fine. One thing to note that I haven't seen anywhere else. If you use the USB connection with a computer, you have to turn the built-in phone amp on or the sound levels will be way to low to record. I've seen complaints about the amp online, but honestly, it sounds fine, unless you're a hi-fi nut, in which case you shouldn't be buying this turntable. Oh, and this a completely manual turntable, it doesn't even have auto return, so if you need that, look elsewhere.

Great sound, easy to use. Down side is that it doesn’t automatically return the arm to the rest position when the record is over. Should definitely have that feature. As a result the experience is not as relaxing as it should be.

2 dislikes: 1. instructions are poor if it wasn't for pictures there would not be any. 2. does NOT return arm and shut off automatically .

Very good value for the money. My only struggle with this TT is the anti-skating. Ive been trying various ways to overcome some of the distortion I hear in certain parts of a record. I upgraded the stock VM95 cartridge to the VM540ML; can’t go wrong there but it cost an added $265 +shipping. All in all for the price I would say you can’t beat it. But me being, or trying to be , an audiophile, my ears tune into the imperfections. Alas, I cannot afford the type of system right now that would completely satisfy my auditory senses.

No comparison! This is a very good table for those of us who don’t require a high-end turntable. For less than even a casual enthusiast might pay for a cartridge, You get a well-designed, no frills product with speed controls, balance and anti-skate adjustments and felt mat on a nice alloy platter. The included dual magnet cartridge and selectable phono pre-amp produce a quite adequate signal. Plug it into a pair of powered monitor speakers and you’re good to go! Or you can use the USB Output for a digital connection.

I bought this item more to clean records on before I played them on my 48 year old Dual 1219 record changer & player. The man who got my Dual working advised me not to put very much strain on it. This means that any method of cleaning a record with a cleaning pad as the record rotates would strain my Dual & shouldn't be done on it. Since this model has direct drive for the turntable it will be better than the models that have belt drive. I've not used it much so far but so far it's worked fine & wasn't that hard to assemble.

The only reason I couldn't give this table 5 stars is it didn't come with an auto return feature. We've become so conditioned to cds stopping on their own or continuing to play, that I almost forgot you have to flip the vinyl over to play the other side. However, that's also part of the nostalgic appeal. The turntable forces you back into music appreciation mode. Grab a good wine, some appetizers, a good women and just get back into the music. Sorry...waxing rhapsodic

It's great getting back to "old school records.This turntable has thus far done a great job of doing just that. It's was an easy add-on to my existing receiver due to the built in pre-amp. The stylus produces great sound, so long as the tonearm is adjusted and balanced correctly. This is a totally manually operated unit, having to lift arm when record finish's playing. Reminds me of the good old days.