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Beginner Looking for Review on ATLP120


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First time posting, been reading up on a few threads on records and turntables.

 

I'm looking into getting into the turntable obsessions, but not sure if I'm going to stick with it so I'd like to just buy a (cheap) but good turntable. 

 

I know that many of you readers may complain, saying that I should go buy myself an ION or Crosley or something with a relatively bad quality, but I also have a small budget that doesn't allow me to get a Project Debut or Rega just yet. 

 

Preferably something under 200$, can be about 250 but really cheaper is better here. 

I've looked at the Audio Technica LP120, and because I don't want an automatic, I think it might be a good choice even if its a bit expensive. 

 

I also have a question about what to first dabble in: Should I buy a turntable, preamp, and speakers? Or an All-in-One setup like a Crosley that will allow me to start this endeavor?

 

Also, for anybody who's used the ATLP120, can you tell me if its an ideal player for a beginner? Should I invest in something more expensive because it has a sh*t sound? Also, what kind of components will I need? A speaker? A preamp?

 

If anyone would recommend a different method or cheaper turntable that won't ruin records, please reply and tell me about it. I'm mainly concerned with starting out with a real setup and actual speakers, or a speakers included portable turntable. 

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to summarize my take on the LP120...I was considering the LP120 as a starter table but most of the positive reviews qualify their assessment with something like "this is a great able once you upgrade this, this and this".  

 

By the time you swap out the cart along with whatever else is recommended, you may as well just get a Debut Carbon (call Musician's Friend for ~15% off a Debut Carbon DC)

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to summarize my take on the LP120...I was considering the LP120 as a starter table but most of the positive reviews qualify their assessment with something like "this is a great able once you upgrade this, this and this".  

 

By the time you swap out the cart along with whatever else is recommended, you may as well just get a Debut Carbon (call Musician's Friend for ~15% off a Debut Carbon DC)

Thanks for the input, but again, the Debut Carbon is still expensive, not counting the speakers and other stuff I will need to buy. 

Low budget means nothing?

 

^^^

 

Exactly. The title of that thread reads  "Beginner’s Guide to Turntables & Hi–Fi *READ 1st PAGE BEFORE POSTING NEW THREADS / BASIC QUESTIONS*"

 

Its not being snarky but noted a bunch of questions you asked are answered there. 

I understand. I probably should've picked through it a bit more carefully but I did start out on that thread, and could not understand much of it. Most of the jargon in there was opinionated stuff.

 

 

Back to my first question though: is the ATLP120 a good beginner buy?

Thanks

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I've said all of this a few times but just for the hell of it.

 

Don't consider a Crosley, Steepletone, Pyle, Ion, pretty much anything with USB in the name or an AT60 or anything that looks like anything in that list.

 

They are all cheap for a reason and won't make your records sound any better than a crap CD to MP3 rip.

 

 

The answers are all in there you just need to read through it all, I know it's now a gazillion pages long but trust me the knowledge you seek is there.

 

No such thing as a cheap but good turntable.

 

There is but it will be vintage and a lot of research and luck will come into play.

 

Now to your original question the AT120 is basically fine and there are worst places to start out (see above), it can be made into a good turntable but you need some good DIY skills to do it and once you've spent that money you might as well have spent it on something better in the first place or you would want to upgrade if you stick with the hobby anyway.

 

Experience is wonderful so if it were me no I'd buy something better in the first place but it's not me so look at the 2nd hand market to either buy one 2nd hand and see what else is available or see how much you will loose when you move it on to something better.

 

Also with an AT120 you still need speakers and some form of amp no matter what.

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I've said all of this a few times but just for the hell of it.

 

Don't consider a Crosley, Steepletone, Pyle, Ion, pretty much anything with USB in the name or an AT60 or anything that looks like anything in that list.

 

They are all cheap for a reason and won't make your records sound any better than a crap CD to MP3 rip.

 

 

The answers are all in there you just need to read through it all, I know it's now a gazillion pages long but trust me the knowledge you seek is there.

 

 

There is but it will be vintage and a lot of research and luck will come into play.

 

Now to your original question the AT120 is basically fine and there are worst places to start out (see above), it can be made into a good turntable but you need some good DIY skills to do it and once you've spent that money you might as well have spent it on something better in the first place or you would want to upgrade if you stick with the hobby anyway.

 

Experience is wonderful so if it were me no I'd buy something better in the first place but it's not me so look at the 2nd hand market to either buy one 2nd hand and see what else is available or see how much you will loose when you move it on to something better.

 

Also with an AT120 you still need speakers and some form of amp no matter what.

Thanks for the feedback, I read that the Crosley, ION, etc brands are sh*t in the thread you posted already. I will try to steer clear.

 

I'm not too keen on buying a vintage turntable, since there'll probably be a lot of maintenance and knowledge/experience involved, which I don't have. Really, a new one is just so much easier for me.

 

I've looked at the second hand used turntables such as a pro-ject Debut carbon, or the rega, but on amazon it only shaves off a few dozen USD, not enough for my budget, and as you mentioned, I need to buy speakers and amps??? so that's already way past budget. 

 

If you're looking for something under $200 you can also take a look at the U-Turn Orbit. You would still need an amp and speakers.

www.uturnaudio.com

5 week lead time though.

Seems to be a promising turntable, $180 for a turntable is actually less than LP120? I'm debating this seriously, but also, the orbit will require a pre-amp, as well as a receiver and speakers (correct me if I'm wrong, I have no idea what this means) = more money? 

 

A question for @dbarila, what do you mean by 5 week lead time? Does that mean it will only be released 5 weeks from now? Or is it just a long long backorder that means the next batch will only be available in 5 weeks or so?

 

And to the general public: if I buy an ATLP120, or the U Turn Orbit, what will I need to go along with it? 

Pre-amp? Receiver? Speakers?

 

Thanks all

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Both tables are great if you are a beginner. Just starting out. You want to stick to your budget, and thats fine really. I think at your price range, these are the only 2 tables you should be looking at.

 

If you go with an atlp 120

 - Has built in preamp which you will need to play it through speakers

 - If you buy active (powered) speakers, you wont need anything else... just turn the built in preamp on, and connect it directly to the speakers. Here you will have table/preamp combo>powered speakers.

 - If you buy passive speakers, you will need an amp to power them... you will still need a preamp... here you have table>preamp>amp>passive speakers.

 

If you go with an orbit

 - you will need a preamp

 - If you go with active (powered) speakers... orbit>preamp>speakers

 - If you go with passive speakers... orbit>preamp>amp>speakers

 

Some amps will come with a preamp installed already... so if you go with passive speakers, thats something to know.

 

I started out with an atlp 120 and have owned an orbit. 

 

If you decide you like to play records, and find yourself looking for an upgrade, it'd be best to get a different table than to upgrade these. 

 

Goodluck. 

 

 

Also http://boards.vinylc...asic-questions/ .

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Finally held my breath and read through your entire post. Much less confusing, sorry about the posts I've made earlier (I feel so enlightened). Still confused about some stuff but a much clearer image of this vinyl thing. 

 

Both tables are great if you are a beginner. Just starting out. You want to stick to your budget, and thats fine really. I think at your price range, these are the only 2 tables you should be looking at.

 

If you go with an atlp 120

 - Has built in preamp which you will need to play it through speakers

 - If you buy active (powered) speakers, you wont need anything else... just turn the built in preamp on, and connect it directly to the speakers. Here you will have table/preamp combo>powered speakers.

 - If you buy passive speakers, you will need an amp to power them... you will still need a preamp... here you have table>preamp>amp>passive speakers.

 

If you go with an orbit

 - you will need a preamp

 - If you go with active (powered) speakers... orbit>preamp>speakers

 - If you go with passive speakers... orbit>preamp>amp>speakers

 

Some amps will come with a preamp installed already... so if you go with passive speakers, thats something to know.

 

I started out with an atlp 120 and have owned an orbit. 

 

If you decide you like to play records, and find yourself looking for an upgrade, it'd be best to get a different table than to upgrade these. 

 

Goodluck. 

 

 

Also http://boards.vinylc...asic-questions/ .

Thanks, a lot of info here and it helped me out. Since you've owned an orbit, would you recommend the ATLP120 or the Orbit?

 

 

Also, what are your thoughts on the Onkyo TX-8020? It's one of the recommended amps/receivers on Uturns site, so I think it might be worth getting. Will this still require the preamp?

 

And for speakers, are passives or powered better in general? I'm sure a $1000 of one will outdo a $100 of the other type, but for the same price ranges, which route should I go with?

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5 weeks meaning they build the table for you and it's a 5 week back log. The tone arm comes completely set up.

If you buy an integrated amp or receiver that has a phono input you won't need a preamp. If you're on a budget that's probably the way to go. I actually run mine through the TX-8020 that you mentioned.

Orbit->Onkyo TX-8020->Pioneer SP-BS22 Speakers

I'm pleased with the results and it won't require a separate preamp.

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5 weeks meaning they build the table for you and it's a 5 week back log. The tone arm comes completely set up.

If you buy an integrated amp or receiver that has a phono input you won't need a preamp. If you're on a budget that's probably the way to go. I actually run mine through the TX-8020 that you mentioned.

Orbit->Onkyo TX-8020->Pioneer SP-BS22 Speakers

I'm pleased with the results and it won't require a separate preamp.

Thanks for the reply, I think that's what I'll be going with. But would powered or passive speakers be better? Or is the Onkyo and Pioneer the way to go?

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Finally held my breath and read through your entire post. Much less confusing, sorry about the posts I've made earlier (I feel so enlightened). Still confused about some stuff but a much clearer image of this vinyl thing. 

 

Thanks, a lot of info here and it helped me out. Since you've owned an orbit, would you recommend the ATLP120 or the Orbit?

 

 

Also, what are your thoughts on the Onkyo TX-8020? It's one of the recommended amps/receivers on Uturns site, so I think it might be worth getting. Will this still require the preamp?

 

And for speakers, are passives or powered better in general? I'm sure a $1000 of one will outdo a $100 of the other type, but for the same price ranges, which route should I go with?

 

Either one is fine... it's up to you. Id get the atlp120 though. Comes with a better cartridge than the orbit basic model, has pitch control, and a cue lever. You can upgrade the orbit to the atn95e cartridge (that comes with the atlp120), and add a cue lever, and it should cost around the same as an atlp120. But you won't have the pitch control, which is nice to have. 

 

I started out active, and am going passive. Thats all I'll say about that since theres so much info about that stuff. Just do some research and pick.

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Whoah, they recommend that Onkyo on the Uturn site? Those guys really don't want people to enjoy their records...

 

Stay away from that Onkyo receiver. It's bad.

 

After you buy the turntable, if you plan to spend less than $400 on the rest, buy active speakers. If you want to spend more than $400 on the rest, but an integrated amp and passive speakers.

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Whoah, they recommend that Onkyo on the Uturn site? Those guys really don't want people to enjoy their records...

 

This is a group of college kids who don't know much about audio, except how to make it cheap.

 

Let's all remember they forgot a cueing mechanism. And antiskate. And include a $15 cart.

 

No, they don't care how your records sound.

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I know what you mean but I still want to try a Uturn. I think the fundamentals are there like a unipivot arm but if it's by design or luck, I'll reserve judgement until I hear one and see what I need to do or replace to make it right.

 

I'm coming over to the states in the summer so I might order one to get sent to my parents to try.

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Charlotte is a great area, I used to guest lecture at the UNC campus there, as well as the Carolinas. If you make your way south via I-95, stop in Savannah where I used to live. One of the better cities of the southeast.

 

I'm not too far from that Douglas Airport, I'll be waiting with a big box of American Patriotism for you.

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My parents have friends in Charlotte so we have a day or so there before we set off on our travels.

I'm a big fan of all forms of Motorsport so will be getting me a bit of NASCAR atmosphere if I can.

Not sure we are going that way as we are trying to get as far west as we can before we make our way back to Charlotte but if we do you'll know it's me by the union flag and naval standard in the window and the sound of Jerusalem or the trooping of the colour playing on the stereo.

I'll give you a regal wave as we pass by

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