Audio Technica AT-LP1240-USB Turntable Review
Overview: The Audio-Technica company has been making some new waves in the DJ vinyl turntable market and I, for one, like what I see. A couple of weeks ago, we brought you the review of the Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB turntable which is basically a nice rendition of the iconic classic Technics 1200 deck. Not only was it a good look-a-like, but it also performed rather well for its price. Audio-Technica has now introduced an even better SUPER-OEM turntable that can hang with the best of them called the AT-LP1240-USB. Check out our Full HD-Video review after the jump.
Share This Page:
Tweet
Staff Review
Audio Technica AT-LP1240-USB Turntable Review Video & Summary:
The Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB is the premier vinyl turntable from the Audio-Technica DJ Lineup. These turntables were recently released, but if they look familiar, it’s because they are! The Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB are also known as the “Super-OEM” turntable which shares the same internals as the Stanton ST-150, the Numark CDX, the American Audio HDT4.5, and a few other decks that have been around since about 2005. The “Super-OEM” turntables are still arguably the best turntables for DJ’s in the world with the best and strongest motor out on the market today. Turntablists all over the world swear by them and they are now proven in the longevity category with a 7-year history already in the books. The Audio-Technica retains all of these excellent qualities while also having a nice black color scheme with a tinted plastic dust cover to boot. The upper body of the turntable is all steel while the lower portion of the deck is a very heavy rubber material for dampening and isolation purposes. These are some seriously heavyweight turntables clocking in at a bit over 42lbs each! That's a lot of high quality components that are all built to last. Along with getting an excellent turntable with an excellent motor, there are lots of nice extra features such as the ability to play records in 33, 45, and 78 RPM, a reverse play button, Separate Start & Stop speed adjustment knobs, adjustable pitch range buttons (8%, 25%, 50%), internal power grounding, rubber feet, replaceable pop-up light, and two start/stop buttons aligned in the perfect position for turntablists and scratch DJ's who like to place their decks in the battle configuration. To top it all off, it comes with a nice felt slip mat and a good headshell to get you started.
We tested the AT-LP1240-USB with a Shure M44-7 cartridge and the results were excellent. The tracking was just right after we setup the tonearm height/weight and there was not a skip to be heard or seen during our scratch battle and juggling sessions. Everything just felt SOLID in every sense of the word. All of the buttons have a more rubberized feel to them over the other Super-OEM turntable models and they all have an audible click so you can be sure if you activated the button or not. The pitch slider felt solid with lots of resistance and does not have a center click to it, but there is a blue LED next to the absolute zero marker so you know when you are at perfect vinyl speed.
In conclusion, we recommend the Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB Professional Turntables to any DJ or Turntablist who is very serious about their craft and need a serious machine to hone their skills. The AT-LP1240-USB (and all the Super-OEM) turntables are possibly the best out there on the market today. After using countless numbers of turntables in my 19 year DJ history, I would be inclined to agree with this statement. The Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB turntable has a solid construction, super-strong motor, all the extra features a DJ can ask for and it also it has a USB port and cable for transferring your vinyl collection to a computer. It’s hard to find any fault with these decks at all…
Pro's:
-All Steel Heavy-Duty Construction
-Very Strong High-Torque Direct Drive Turntable Motor
-Nice "Extra" Feature Set
-Comes with a Dust Cover, Headshell, & Felt slip mat
-Turntablist "Standard" Turntable for Scratching (Super-OEM Turntable)
-USB port & cable for Vinyl to Digital Transfer
Con's:
-No Cartridge Included
Features
AT-LP1240-USB Professional DJ Direct-Drive Turntable (USB & Analog) :.
MSRP* US$529.95
*Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.| Actual selling price may vary; please check with an authorized Audio-Technica dealer.
This superbly made, professional quality DJ turntable is designed primarily for DJ use in nightclubs, touring and mobile applications. It can also be used by music lovers to play their record collections at home. Its sleek, elegant gloss-black and silver design fits into any stereo music or home entertainment system, and its built-in switchable phono preamp enables it to be used with a wide variety of receivers, powered speakers and other A/V components. As an added benefit, the turntable offers a USB output that allows direct connection to a computer for easy LP-to-digital conversion.
Built to deliver exceptional music reproduction even under the most demanding conditions of professional use, the AT-LP1240-USB utilizes a powerful direct-drive 16-pole, three-phase motor for unwavering speed stability along with easy back-cueing, forward and reverse play and quiet operation at 33-1/3, 45 or 78 RPM. The turntable features an S-shaped tone arm with adjustable tracking force (counterweight) and anti-skate adjustment and a removable universal cartridge mount (cartridge available separately).
Additional DJ-friendly features including a damped cast-aluminum platter with stroboscopic speed markings and slip mat, an illuminated speed indicator and adjustable pitch control, a start/stop button, a removable stylus target light, a dedicated tone arm grounding lug, a hydraulically-damped lift lever and a locking tone arm rest that keeps the arm and cartridge in place during transport.
The turntable includes PC- and Mac-compatible Audacity® software that converts the audio on a record to MP3, WAV or other format digital audio files.
Features:
Professional DJ turntable
USB output – connects directly to your computer; includes Audacity software
Direct drive high-torque multi-pole motor for demanding DJ use
Professional features for DJ use in nightclubs, touring & mobile applications
Selectable 33/45/78 RPM speeds
Selectable internal stereo phono pre-amplifier
Dual start/stop controls
Start and brake control adjustments
Sliding pitch control with quartz speed lock
Reverse operation
S-shaped tone arm assembly with:
oAdjustable counterweight
oAnti-skate adjustment
oTone arm height adjustment and lock
oTone arm lift with hydraulic action and lift lever
oTone arm rest with locking mechanism
Dedicated ground lug for tone arm grounding
Stroboscopic platter and speed accuracy indicator
Damped cast aluminum record platter with low-resistance DJ-style slip mat
Removable stylus target light
45-RPM adapter
Adjustable feet for leveling
Removable dust cover
SPECIFICATIONS
Type 3-speed, fully manual operation
Motor 16-pole, 3-phase, brushless DC motor
Drive Method Direct Drive Direct drive
Speeds 33-1/3 RPM, 45 RPM, 78 RPM
Turntable Platter 332 mm dia. die-cast aluminum
Starting Torque >4.5 kgf.cm
Braking System Electronic brake
Wow and Flutter < 0.1% WRMS (JIS WTD) with 33 RPM
Signal-to-Noise Ratio > 55 dB (DIN-B)
Output Level Pre-amp "PHONO": 2.5 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec (HP-4005)
Pre-amp "LINE": 150 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec (HP-4005)
USB Function A/D, D/A - 16 bit 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz USB selectable;
Computer interface - USB 1.1 Compliant Windows XP or above or MAC OSX or above
Power Supply Requirements 120V AC, 60 Hz
Power Consumption 13W
Dimensions 450.0 mm (17.72") W x 353.0 mm (13.90") D x 166.5 mm (6.56") H
Weight 12.5 kg (27.6 lbs.)
Accessories Included Slip mat; dust cover; platter; 45 RPM adapter; counterweight; headshell; power cord; USB cable; dual RCA (female) to 1/8" (3.5 mm) mini-plug (male) stereo adapter cable; dual RCA (female) to 1/8" (3.5 mm) mini-plug (female) stereo adapter cable; dual RCA (male) cable with integrated ground wire; stylus target light; Audacity software (CD)
RIAA: 20-20kHz, +1/-3dB (In: 1.5mV 1kHz)
Tone arm type: Static balanced S-shaped tone arm with detachable headshell
Effective arm length: 230 mm
Overhang: 15 mm
Height of tone arm adjustment range: 0-6 mm
Tracking error angle: Less than 3 degrees
Applicable cartridge weight:
Without headshell 3.5 - 8.5 g,
With headshell 13 - 18 g
Anti-skating range: 0-3 g
Submit a Review and/or Rating
Member Reviews and Ratings
Related Links
| Additional Turntables Reviews: |
Other DJ Equipment Reviews |
Equipment by Manufacturer |
Search for DJ Equipment
Resident DJs
New Jersey
DJ Caesar
DJ Caesar is one of today’s most versatile DJ’s in the industry. He is more then a DJ...
Brussels
DJ Emiliot
DJ Emiliot all the way from Belgium representing Core DJS Africa | Fleet DJS | Future Star...
New Jersey!
djblaze
Under the guidance of his older brother, Kareem Julien has been a full fledged Mobile...
Atlanta, GA
Kutmaster TeeOh
DJ Turmoil, better known as TeeOh, is more than a disc jockey. His unparalleled live...
DJ Blaze on Twitter
