This is such an honor! Thank you so much for mentioning me. This really helped me decide what to buy. And about the music, you pretty much got it! I'd add to that Elvis Presley and Zeppelin that I play the most these days.
@@Milos596 i found it better, the other doesn´t have auto-return, and sometimes i fall a sleep while listening to music ,the at-LP120x as other problems ,this basic model is better because it does everything one needs ,not a copy of a technics professional range that i owned two for 35 years, but at home i had a sp-10 from technics a plc-590 from pioneer, also others but didn´t used them that much ,at least it´s better than a 1000€´s project with 2m red ortofon needles ,i remenber ortofon when releasing great cartridges and needles , the one i refer from project sounds like a PL-ES from pioneer ES-2000 system bought in 74 with pc-30 pioneer cartridge ,this without any restoring but working without a flaw and more dynamic, bit´s of plastic assembled like a lego don´t make a good turntable
I have this turntable, just getting back into vinyl after having many years of streaming music using smart speakers (School Boy Error). Really enjoying vinyl again and will take your advice and upgrade to the AT-VM95E cartridge. Great review!
Have this turntable… i think it’s great! Love the auto features…. Sounds good out the box but I upgraded to an ortofon red and it made a world of difference!
Thank you sooooooo much for the review and finally I upgraded from my AT-LP60XUSB to the LP3 on 31.12.2021 ....... Lols, Christmas present to myself !!! Will definitely be upgrading to the AT-VM95E. Keep well & stay SAFE !!!
Thank you for a video that reviews the product from the perspective of the prospective buyer. Not only did you teach but recommended an upgrade option got the cartridge. Immediate sub.
After watching a couple of YT vids of people bypassing the internal phono stage in the LP120XUSB, I noted (as the hosts did) a high frequency filter applied to the audio output, even when using an external phono stage. I presumed, as they did, that perhaps this was used to filter HF noise from the ADC USB circuitry. I checked my LP3 & was surprised to find the same inductor/capacitor filter, even though the LP3 has no USB functionality. Bypassing this filter, although not as easy as the LP120, is well worth doing from my initial listening tests. BTW you can't just remove the power supply to the PCB - it also regulates the supply to the motor, so you'll end up with lots of wow, so just disconnect the cartridge wires & the output wires, then join them directly together (& the earthing).
I should probably add - that bypassing the filter produces results with the LP120 that are very obvious even through the compression of RU-vid! Just watch the vids.
New subscriber. I bought this turntable a month ago having worn my previous one out - working from home for a year I have been playing records non-stop for eight hours a day. I am very impressed with it so far. It is teamed up with a Cambridge amp and a pair of Mission bookshelf speakers and I also upgraded the speaker cables. I'm loving the warm punchy sound and it is doing its best to bring out the top end detail which the amp is notorious for trying to suppress. I will be upgrading the cartridge and the amp soon, but for now I'm very happy with the LP3. Thanks for the vid, it validates my choice.
I was thinking about getting into vinyl so I bought this record player and the VM95E cartridge as you recommended, loving it. Guitars sound amazing again!
Due to other family members with "butter fingers" and a limited set budget... I bought the AT-LP2X, the dark grey with a smoke coloured lift cover sibling to the AT-LP3 (without the MC selection). I upgraded it with the LP Gear CFN3600LE stylus that gives it a sound in between the AT VM95E and AT VM95EN, especially with a separate good phone amp (not using the built-in phono amp). Sounds absolutely great to me (IMHO)... and for the budget price, more money for lp albums. Anyway, good review... thanks.
My full manual Vintage 1980's Onkyo turntable sadly died today, got this LP3 and its a great replacement for it, highly recommended. Just don't have a brain fart and do what I did with mine during setup, I balanced the tonearm right, I turned the black ring to 2grams, set anti skate to 2 and then wondered why it was distorted and getting stuck in track of record ....................... what I should have remembered to do was turn black dial to 0 then rotate the whole weight to 2grams LOL, ya would think I'd remember to do this since I own 3 turntables and have set them up hundreds of bloody times. 🤪
I have this turntable! I really like it too! I have it hooked up to a sansui a9 and two pretty good quality speakers! You are right about having it hooked up to a fancy amp really helps the sound quality!
Very interesting. My local Curry’s has these for £139 so perhaps a bargain for someone starting out in vinyl. I mentioned this to my son who said he is going to take my Dual CS505-3 when he gets his new house.
Hi, love your reviews. Any chance you could do a review of the Audio Technica LP3XBT. I was wondering if they had made any significant improvements on the LP3? Maybe in comparison with the LP5X also.
Hullo, I have a Pioneer amp with two 1200 W speakers, but only one of them produces a good enough sound when connected to this turntable; i also tried connecting it to two other different amps, a Sony and an LG, the both with 2 speakers, but the problem persists. They thought the turntable was faulty at the store, so I brought a new one, but the problem won't go away. I'm looking for a good stereo sound, but so far, it only works with one speaker only, and, of course, that sound is far from ideal... all my amps are hi-fi and in great shape... what do you think I should do? Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Paul. Using advice from your other reviews and a few questions, I ended up buying this player a while ago. It's perfect for me and its great to see you think its a good one too for budget/beginner vinyl buyers. I will look into your reccomended upgrades down the line. All the best
It's a terrific bargain you can usually find it on the high street for £149. I was looking on eBay at the over priced falsely termed 'vintage' junk when I wanted something for my new home office. Listening quality not critical, there isn't room for a proper set up, I'll cut my tale short, where this excels over my Pro-ject decks is it loves playing the 1000's of junky 45's I gathered up during my time as an average mobile DJ. They're now rescued from the loft 😄👍
This TT would benefit from an AT-95e....and also a schiit mani phono stage....two great budget components.....or better yet, hook it up to a Marantz pm5005 integrated, if you can still find one. Lastly, add in a pair of wharfedale diamond 220's! That would be a great budget vinyl set up!
I hated the VM95E, I bought an VM95ML shortly after and it made a world of difference, even though the needle is a little bit bend, but still the sound is unbelievably great.
I must have the newer updated model of the LP3 as this MC switch is missing from mine, all I have on the back is the phono/line switch. (P.S mine is the LP3XBT)
Hi there, I really love your content! Am looking into my first foray into turntables, am currently looking at comparing this model (AT-LP3XBT) with the Rega P1. I would like to have good sound but also think an automatic movement would be good for a beginner like me, (which the Rega doesn't have). What would you say the difference in sound quality would be with these 2 items? And regarding the cartridge upgrades, would there be a cartridge I could buy which could bridge the gap between the 2?
I got the AT120XUSB and nobody in the house (even me sometimes) remembers to take the needle off after play so I'm wondering if I should have went with this one. That is, if it can sound as good as the LP120X because it sounds great through my Marantz/Klipsch system. The preamp is fine, equal tonal balance to my CD/SACD player but with the warmth and fatness of analog. It has its quirks though.
Audio-Technica has apparently discontinued this model, which may account for the lowered price. I have one set to arrive tomorrow, brand-new, for the sum of $199.00. I bought it for the ability to upgrade, which is not possible on my Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT. A turntable, by the way, with which I have been perfectly happy. But, in case I become more audiophiliac as I age, I wanted to be able to buy new stuff to tinker around with, and the whole "removable universal shell" thing is very appealing, since it will limit the damage that I can do.
Hi Paul another excellent video. On another note would you recommend the Wharfedale Denton 25th Anniversary speakers to match the Audiolab 6000A amplifier.
Thanks for the video. I plan to go for an upgraded cartridge and get a separate pre-amp. However, can I ask which you think would make a bigger difference to buy first?
bought one for my son. he said it seemed to play a little fast. we tested it with 2 different phone apps and it was running fast. i ended up wrapping electrical tape round under plinth belt position, and it improved slightly. added a couple more wraps and it is now perfect. my pro ject runs perfect with the 2 apps tested.
Thanks so much for these reviews. I am a brit in Taiwan and currently looking to buy a new turntable so this is useful. I am rather lazy though so I am looking for a mid range TT that has tone arn lift as I always forget to rush to the TT at the end of each side. If you are considering a review of some higher quality units with some auto features that would be very interesting.
Hi great reviews I've watched both your reviews on this lp3 and the lenco 3808 or the lenco 3809, at the same price which one would you recommend. Thanks for great reviews.
Hello and thanks for your thorough review! I just purchased this today and am buying a pair of Edifier R1280DBs Active Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers as well and they have a built in Amp. Would you say that this will deliver a better sound then if you just relied on the pre-amp from the turn table? Or should i get a small external amp or will the amp in the speakers do the trick?
Howdy Paul, Thanks for the video, I really appreciate it. Just getting into vinyl -- bought this particular unit for my wife and I'm already getting excited for upgrades. There were a few things you mentioned that I'd love clarification on, just so I understand the world of hifi better. You said you would not put an MC cartridge on this TT because it's benefits would get lost. Is that just because of the builtin preamp, or is there some additional feature/tolerances of this unit that limit its potential at the more fancier end? How bad is the builtin preamp? Is it worse than a $10 external preamp? I've noticed popular intro preamps are in the $100-200 range, and that there's a few really crappy looking ones for $13 on amazon. Just curious if the builtin one is _so bad_ that one of those cheap ones would actually improve quality, or if the builtin one is only eclipsed by the ~$100+ options. Our existing amp/stereo is actually a pioneer receiver for mostly movies, so I'm thinking that's probably a sooner upgrade than the preamp or the cartridge but it's all interesting to learn about. Thank you again!
Many thanks Travis - running through your points. The inherent design is not up to the fine tolerances required of a well-run, MC-based, turntable. Any external phono amp will be an improvement but don't waste your money on no-name examples from Amazon. The best basic is Pro-Ject's MM Phono Box at around £65. Maybe a bit more. And no problem, glad I could be of help.
I'm new to this vinyl-collecting hobby, but I'll leave a subscribe for you! Thanks for helping me traverse through this rabbit hole we call a hobby hahaha
Hi, question if I may? I’m a total beginner and I’m looking to buy a turn table for myself at Christmas. This seems like a good table to start with but I was wondering, you say it’s fully automatic but can you still operate the arm manually if you choose? Many Thanks Sam. Sorry if this is a stupid question!
Thank you - very helpful! I added a nagaoka cart and the schitt mani pre amp and got some good sound from this turntable. Needed for the auto feature and I wanted one crisper sounding TT and one that went a little warmer plus the auto return. I wonder what you think of the AT LP 7? Peace CM
I'm confident you really do have a refined listening ear, since you are the audiophile man. I would be interested if you could perform a blind audition on turntables. Your assistant would play the same excerpt on different turntables. Would the Rega still win out over the others?
Interesting, hehe. In the first sentence you have every confidence in my ear. In the very next sentence you say you have no confidence in my ear - because I need to start doing blind tests? Look, I've been doing this sort of thing a long time. It's my job. Like anyone who practices, I'm good at it because I'm at it all the time (so to speak ;) ) Blind tests are a stunt, used to supposedly make you look good in front of the public. To give you that impartial, 'Wisdom of Solomon', 'let's be totally fair about this, guys' image. Blind tests are for those who don't trust their ears. Blind tests are for those who have no listening strategies. Blind tests are for those whose personal bias swamps their objectivity. If critics out there need blind tests for others to trust them then good for them. Although I worry about their self confidence. If you trust me as a critic then great and I talk about that very thing here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--NWuE-1yFJ8.html Anyone who has an issue with my comments here should view that video first before shouting at me :) If you don't trust me as a critic then find another. And I don't say that out of malice or bitterness. Again, I advise this in the video above. You need to filter trusted critics. As for me? I don't do blind tests, I don't use machines, I don't set up listening panels - I use my ears. Ultimately, so should you. I'm I making myself clear here? Oh and what assistant? I wish :)
Not everyone is looking to achieve Nirvana. It is one thing to "not recommend to anyone to buy a moving coil cartridge for this turntable" and actually having one mounted if you have the proper preamplifier. The turntable itself does not matter in this case and it is equipped with everything needed to play an MC cartridge, except the preamplifier which is crappy even on MM cartridge. I own the LP120 model, had taken out the preamp completely, mounted a pair of RCA connectors on the back side and shortened the audio out path and bought a pair of good quality short RCA cables and Man, that improved the signal a lot, but it is not really needed!
What full automatic turntable with built in Amp and swappable cartridges do YOU recommend? I want to graduate from my audo technica lp60 with bluetooth and edifier bookshelf speakers.
Thanks for this really good review. I've been looking at quite a few TT reviews lately, around the $300 - $500 range. Came across the ELAC Miracord 50, but somehow , there isn't much information/reviews (at least in english) on this particular unit. Was wondering why that was since it seems comparable to quite a few similarly priced, frequently reviewed turntables on RU-vid.
@@TheAudiophileMan Thanks much for the reply/link I decided to go with the ProJect Evo.. I already received the Emotiva TA100 and have the Elac B6, love them but may look to get something a little 'brighter' since I find the treble to be a little lacking for my tastes. Haven't tried them with the TA100 yet, though.
I've had this turntable a year now and it's been great. Was looking at upgrading the preamp and cartdridge to the at95e. Can't afford both at the same time...which should I get first for the most noticeable improvement in spund cartridge or phono pre amp?
Hello there.. i have a question on this deck. Ive recently brought this At lp3 and ive found using its in built pre amp going into my sony hifi with a line in 3.5 jack' that the volume isnt that great and listening to pink floyd i have my volume upto 25 out of max 30. The sony although is a few years old it does have 50w per channel and other items plugged into line in are much much louder. Question is. Does a separate pre amp offer higher line in volume than the inbuilt pre ams on decks ???
Ideally, you would take a pair of RCAs from the turntable's built-=in phono amp and plug those into a pair of RCA inputs of the rear of your amp. That should produce an idea volume for you. A separate amp should also work fine and will provide superior sound quality.
@@TheAudiophileMan no sorry but you have misunderstood my question. A bright 5 year old would not need advice on how to connect the cables lol.. no my question was about volume. Ie would a separate pre amp give better usable volume. My project phono mm pre amp has arrived now and yes it gives cleaner bass mids and highs so i am happy with it. But only slightly higher usable volume. I states everywhere that a pre amp boosts the signal from the cartridge to 1v or 1000mlv.. yet the audio technica built-in pre amp only boosts to 350mlv output and the project pre amp boosts to 500mlv so yes the extra 150mlv does help, but its still not the 1 volt of line in volume that eveyone mentions. Im getting a good volume from my sony hifi now with the volume 2/3 up so its ok and ive brought a headphone amp to get a better volume on headphones. But compared to listening to a cd or mp3 on this stereo the volume is much less on vinyl. A cd for instance would only need the volume 1/4 of the way up to fill the room with sound. But thanks for taking the time to try and answer my question . 🙂
Rocking robin maybe while watching England bat there way to victory on some old video. And hopefully Alfred will bring a nice bowl of soup a hero to encourage you from hanging upside down from the ceiling 😂. Hope what ever you decide to buy , you will get as much pleasure as i have over the years from vinyl records . 👍
Paul, I am surprised you have never reviewed the Audio Technica LP60 in its various guises?. It's probably the most recommended entry level TT of the last 20 years.. and generally gets positive reviews and recommendations?
Time and doing all of this on my own is the reason I haven't tackled this and other hardware releases, Graham. There's a heap of hardware I want to look at but there's only so many hours. On the other hand, I have looked at a fair few Audio-Technicas over the years. There's more to come and, who knows, I might even get around to the 60.
Brilliant review. Not a turntable, I would purchase. My friend bought this model within the last month for £144.00. A bargain. He plays rock more than anything else. He is happy with it and is aware of the upgrade to the cartridge. I have shared this video with him. A tune for Batman should be the Batman Theme Tune by The Who.
Great info. for someone on a strict budget, upgrading the stylus to elliptical makes more sense, and it really improves detail... It seems to me that much of the lacking detai would be down to the cartridge and stylus...
The A.T LP 3 should be ok for Occasional use without to much Vinyl Degradation for the occasional user who wants to spin some vinyl just for back ground use or to go down memory lane, of course i cant say fer certain since ive nevar owned & AT lp3 ? in the meantime I will stick with my aged early 80s reliable H.k. t 125 memory ?)..PS modify it .it would be fun engaging....I Do!!
This one have a headshell to mount other cartridges. The lp60 doesn’t. Although mounting a better cartridge on that turntable is like putting sport tires to a vw beetle.
@@B_man-ny7ob Probably but not a smart idea. The Red is a 100 dollar cartridge. With the cost of that turntable plus $100 you can get a better turntable with good cartridge. That’s my humble opinion.
Also check out this section on my website: theaudiophileman.com/category/hifi-reviews/amplifier-review/. It's a mix of amplifiers and phono amplifiers but there's a bunch of the latter that you might find of interest. Don't forget to click the Older Posts at the bottom of the page to see more and older reviews.
look for your opinion.. im looking for a good but still on a budget turntable, i have settle on 2.. the audio technica AT lpw40wn or the fluance RT82. budget wise there is only a $50 difference so its not a make or break. in your opinion and if you were going to spend your money which would you go with?
I haven't reviewed either of these, Pete. Hence my comments should be taken with a pinch of salt. What I like about the AT deck is the arm, which features carbon fibre in its make up along with, what appears to be, a relatively dense plinth. My guess is that there's a level of sonic stability here which will help bass and focus. Just a guess though. The carts on both turntables are good and the plinth on the Fluance is also solid. The arm might be its weak point. If I gambled, I'd go for the Audio-Technica but I'd advise more research on your part and a demo if possible.
I know there are different types direct and belt driven. Manual and automatic. But between a new audio technica lp3, new Lenco L-3808 or a second hand project debut carbon DC which one do you recommend?
@The Audiophile Man Hi, would you explain what characteristics are this LP3 actually sounds like compared to the LP60xBT? Cause I have this LP3 and it sounds muffled compared to the LP60xBT.. lack detailed and lack clarity. My friends had the LP60xBT and it sounds even much detailed and clearer and brighter than Spotify (digital music streaming), but mine (the LP3) sounds worse than spotify.. LP3 has higher price but why the sound quality is much much better the LP60xBT which has lower price? Thanks a lot before!🙏
Hi Chris. From what I gather, the LP3 is basically the same as the LP60. The main difference is the LP3 has a better tonearm, which allows you to upgrade the cartridge. You can not upgrade the the LP60 cartridge, but you can try different styluses. The difference you are probably hearing is the LP60 has the AT3600 Cartridge as opposed to the LP3s AT91R. Now although in price the AT3600 is one of the cheapest cartridges you can buy...it is favoured by many people. Indeed, it it fitted to many turntables...some costing 3 times the cost of a LP3. So for the cost of £20/30 you could buy the AT3600, swap it into the LP3 and see if you prefer it? Remember...one is not better than the other, it's just personal preference. Interestingly, I notest the Bluetooth version of the LP3 (LP3XBT) comes with another cartridge...the AT-VM95C. This, on paper, and price is an upgrade over the LP3s AT91. Personally, after 32 years of not having a turntable...I got the LP60XBT a year ago. I only had 75 albums left of my collection that had mostly been got rid of and replaced with CDs fro 1985 onwards. I didn't want to spend a fortune...and wanted something with a smallish footprint. Have to say I have been pleased with the LP60XBT...and to my ears sounds excellent. I mostly use the Bluetooth option so I can stream to my desktop setup using a Topping amp,or stream to my lounge Home Cinema set up. I know some Analogue purists will say it's defeating the object of the 'Analogue experience ' but I don't worry about that nonsense at my age. Go by your ears and what suits you.
Can somebody elaborate on that “jazz sounds wobbly” thing that he said? Because i do listen to alot of jazz. Is it because of the integrated phono pre amp?
Rather than ask someone out there to play mind reader, why not ask the bloke who actually, supposedly said it? Can you give me a time stamp? I don't remember saying 'wobbly'.
I bought one during Xmas holidays but instantly returned it due to how light weight it was. The buttons and finish looked very toy like unfortunately. If sound quality and the ability to upgrade cartridges is all you want I think it’s a great for the price still. I just wanted a machine that was a bit nicer looking as it’s going to be on display in the living room. Preparing to pay more for what I want now.
@@TheAudiophileMan Haha! It doesn't have one unfortunately, but you said that in the video. I learned what is, and in other video's I see that people use a rubber band to hold the tonearm in place. Thanks for the response and I appreciate the content :)
Hi Mikro - I wasn’t sure if they were wanted, to be honest. Because the views were low, I wondered if the format was being given a thumbs down. Any thoughts?
@@TheAudiophileMan Didn't realize they had low view counts. I enjoy them but if you're consistently getting low view counts on them I can see why'd you'd focus on the other types of videos.
@@mikrophonie5633 to be honest, the low counts don’t really matter to me. As long as there’s an audience of some sort out there. I don’t chase numbers but feedback is important and that is what you’ve given me so thank you. I quite like them myself :) If you like them, I’ll look at producing more.
If I were to choose between this and the ProJect Primary E . . which one is better from a sound quality point ? (automatic or not, doesn't matter for me)
Paul, if you remember, Batman was a rocker. There was the episode where he is dancing to 60's pshycadelic music. To change subjects if I may, I have been an audiophile my whole life but I insist on the automatic operation. I got spoiled by the Dual 1019 early on and it ruined me. Lucky for me, upgrading my turntables has helped and I'm still getting good sound. Compromises compromises.
This one has the same motor,bearing,platter and automechanism than the Sony PS-HX500 and Denon DP-300F with the same problems like any other turntable with a minimalistic open loop servo but without stroboscope and manual pitch control. Meaning at least the certainty of speed drift due to changes in humidity and temperature. Well,nobody should have the illusion to think this is a real hifi turntable. Its not.
