Audio Technica AT-LP1240USB Direct Drive Turntable with USB Out

To me most belt driven turntables cause speed accuracy issues. This is the reason why I bought the Audio Technica AT-LP1240 turntable in the hope that being a direct drive turntable I would be able to eliminate speed accuracy issues. After testing this turntable for the last month I can conclude that the speed is consistently 100% accurate all of the time. What a pleasure to use this turntable. As a bonus this turntable turns out to be made from quality materials and feels very solid. I upgraded to an Audio Technica VM540ML cartridge and I must say in my opinion I have not heard any other turntable under $1000 sound as good as this one. If you can find one of these turntables it is an unbelievable bargain.

I was in the vinyl era when we didn't have another choice but cassette tape for the average user, now after years of listening to CD's and MP3's I found myself drawn back to the vinyl experience, and no, not nostalgia that did it, it's the warmth and richness of the sound that the vinyl produces, I can say with complete confidence now that nothing have the vinyl sound beat as of yet, we'll have to wait and see...This Audio Technica AT-LP1240 caught my attention when I saw it here on Amazon, it is indeed good looking, a big leap forward design wise from my time, it looks modern and shiny, I originally was going to get the silver Audio-Technica AT-LP120 but I liked the round edges and the black gloss on this one, the silver one was meant to be a replica of the Technics SL 1200, but I wanted to leave that era behind and get a more modern turntable anyway, if it's good enough for DJ's it's good enough for me. It has a strong direct drive motor which is a big plus for me as I had to go through replacing the belts often.It is very heavy at 28lbs, has a nice thick rubber bottom and a die cast gloss aluminum top, very nice looking, yet very sturdy and solid, I like the detachable RCA and power cables versus the built in cables, in case they break you can always change them to your favorite Monster cables, has a ground wire as well to eliminate the hum.I think it sounds as good as any high end turntable out there, with the right cartridge you'll most likely to be satisfied, I use Shure M44-7 DJ cartridge and I am more than satisfied with it, very well balanced, although I might get the Ortofon 2M red just for comparison. All this came in double boxed and well protected with Styrofoam.Overall, a nice solid turntable for DJ's and casual listeners as well, buying a DJ turntable is like buying a V8 truck that you'll use to commute around the city but will come in handy in case you need it for heavy use, a turntable of this magnitude will cost a lot more from a different manufacturer, Audio Technica managed to balance the price and quality in a well rounded package.Customer service is so fast and helpful, I originally bought an open box and found that the dust cover was broken and in 2 days they shipped me another one, I didn't even have to call, I just emailed them. I have this company in the top notch companies in my list after this amazing experience. Thank you Amazon and Audio Technica team!

This review is for users considering the Audio Technica LP1240-USB turntable for home use. I purchased this turntable for the same reason people buy trucks and SUVs: in order to enjoy a high quality, rugged, long lasting product. There is nothing finicky about it: it is very heavy, relying on sheer mass for isolation. It sits on four damped pillars terminated with suction cups. This puppy won't move when placed on glass. It's probably the last turntable I'll ever buy. I like the microprocessor-driven controls, with instant start and stop, the accessible, dual start switches on the plinth (the turntable platform) top surface. I also own a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, and in order to turn it on and off, it requires reaching underneath the plinth, and the switch is mechanical and flimsy by comparison, instead of the momentary contact switch in the LP1240.The quartz lock direct drive servo control makes its speed very accurate. Nominally the wow/flutter and noise figures for direct drive are not as good as those from belt drive turntables. For instance this turntable has a s/n ratio of 55 dB vs. 68 or better for belt turntables. In practice that's a non-issue because most record surfaces are less quiet than 55 dB. In addition, this turntable will never need a belt change. I have an original late 70s Technics SL-1400 direct drive and I still use it today.This turntable is a "super OEM" product (original equipment manufacturer), made by a contract manufacturer and sold in different guises by Numark, Stanton, Audio Technica among others. What this means is that this model has been in the market for several years, and the design, using technology from expired Technics patents, is stable and mature, and lower likelihood for malfunctions.The turntable comes with a plastic cover, which I consider important for home use. The cover is not hinged and must be completely removed during operation.It has "professional" details that I believe should be standard in most turntables that are not high cost adders, such as a three-prong, detachable power cable. This reduces the likelihood of hum. The signal cables are also detachable. This allows the user to select the appropriate cable length for the installation. With the Technics I had a problem with an intermittent connection that I had to endure because the signal cables were not removable.Another nice feature: the tonearm height is adjustable. Some turntables can't handle tall cartridges. This is not an uncommon occurrence, especially with p mount cartridges attached to the headshell via an adapter, such as the Audio Technica AT92. The resulting assembly is tall, and the cartridge, which rides low as is, ends up scraping its belly on the record surface with some turntables. For the LP1240 this is a nonissue.Pricing for the LP1240 is lower than similar OEM offerings.Some cons for home use: The turntable comes with a slippery mat designed for DJ use that probably needs to be replaced. I am using a Pro-Ject Cork It mat instead. Also the specs say nothing about the quality of the phono preamp or whether switching from line to phono actually takes the preamp out of the loop. I did phono/line A-B testing and found little degradation when switching to line strength. I also did a subjective A-B testing for phono vs. USB. The sound from USB felt a little less open in the highs, probably due to quantization errors. These are nits, not deal breakers.