- Fully manual belt drive with heavy plinth and acrylic platter
- Built-in phono preamp and wide cartridge compatibility
- £679 / €799 (about $920)
Audio-Technica's 2019 AT-LP7 turntable is very highly rated: our sister title What Hi-Fi? said that it was "very likely the best turntable any manufacturer has ever built that sells at the price Audio-Technica is currently asking for it", and it's often recommended on audio forums.
And now, there's a new version, the AT-LP7X.
The new turntable looks very like the existing AT-LP7, and that's no bad thing: it's a gorgeous thing in matte black with a minimalist design. It's a fully manual belt-driven model that promises to focus on the fundamentals without unnecessary fuss or features you won't use.
Audio-Technica AT-LP7X: key features and pricing
The AT-LP7X comes with a J-shaped aluminium tonearm that Audio-Technica says is inspired by classic AT models from the sixties and seventies. It has a dual-axis gimbal and precision bearings for low-friction tracking and stability, and it comes with an AT-VM95E cartridge on an AT-LT10 headshell that promises excellent channel separation with low distortion. The stylus can be replaced with any VM95 series model.
The turntable contains a built-in switchable phono preamplifier for both MM and MC cartridges, and the vertical tracking angle adjustment, anti-skate and sub-counterweight enable the turntable to work with a wide range of cartridges and headshells. The supplied sub-counterweight is 16g but a 32g one is available to support cartridge/headshell combinations of up to 28.5g.
The AT-LP7X plays 33 and 45 but not 78, and its optical speed sensor and vibration-dampening motor mount promise "unwavering" accuracy. There are also spring-based isolation feet and an external power supply to reduce unwanted noise. The plinth is a heavy 40mm MDF and the resonance-reducing acrylic platter is 20mm.
The Audio-Technica AT-LP7X is available from today, January 6, worldwide. The recommended retail price is £679 / €799 (about $920 / AU$1,369).
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➡️ Read our full guide to the best turntables
1. Best overall:
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo
2. Best cheap beginner deck:
House of Marley Revolution
3. Best budget Bluetooth deck:
Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT
4. Best premium Bluetooth deck:
Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2
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