Accessories

Do you feel lucky...?
There are a lot of customer reviews on the AT-PL120. Many cite it's virtues, a few highlight it's vices. I am inclined to assume that the ownership experiences of each reviewer are valid. And that leads me to assume that the build quality of the PL120 varies. How can some reviewers have tone arm skating issues and some do not? How can some reviewers be plagued with annoying hum while others find none? After nearly a year of ownership I am left with a strong suspicion that the PL120 is not coming to market designed well enough nor built consistently well enough to excel in all usage environments. In short, I do not trust it enough to buy another or out-and-out recommend it to someone else. Hence, a one-star rating.

Don't get me wrong. The platter spins, and speeds are stable. That half works fine. To a small degree I have had skating issues, mostly at the beginning of a spinning record while lowering the stylus onto the record. Sometimes the tonearm will skip inward a few grooves before settling, and no possible anti-skate setting will eliminate this tendency all the time. (Could it be that the cueing mechanism lowers the tone arm a little too slowly?) I have learned to lower the stylus onto a stationary record, then spin the platter clockwise until the stylus finds a groove, and then start the platter. I also put up with the hum problem. The PL120's included cartridge picked up a hum. Trying to replace it with a Grado Blue cartridge made the hum a little louder. I finally discovered that connecting my very first cartridge, a 1980s vintage ADC Integra XLM-III tamed the hum. I found a replacement stylus for it, and that's what I'm now using. I have it's worst vices tamed for now exactly where it sits. Who knows what will pop up if I try to move it?

To those who found no problems in your ownership experience: congratulations, and enjoy. To those who found problems, I understand your frustration. To those contemplating purchasing an AT-PL120 I advise reading ALL the reviews, not just the favorable ones. Prospective buyers might want to address the question, do you feel lucky?

Simply a must!
If you are a vinyl beginner, don't be fooled by the bargain bin $100 turntables with automated arm action. You will suffer in a world with bad surface noise and no way to replace the stylus or change the adgustments (all which are vital to the vinyl experience!). This turntable, only around $200, is the perfect for a budding vinyl enthusiast! The build is great and everything works (that's a first!). The direct drive motor is perfect for easily cueing the record, as well as having high torque for speedy starts. This baby can even play 78s! But more importantly, it has a built in pre-amp for those lacking a proper phono input, as well as a modest cartridge. It's only faults are in the manual. If you have never even touched a turntable, it can be very confusing to figure out exactly how to set the tracking force to 3.5 grams. Another thing to note is the hum in the background. This turntable does lack a grounding wire, but the hum is barely noticeable with music playing anyway. For it's price and ease of use, the AT-PL120 is a must!

Everything described and more!
The biggest problem with modern turntables is that modern receivers can't usethem without a pre-amp. I was attracted to this item because it has an internal pre-amp, which means I can connect it to any audio connection in the back of my receiver. What's more, it also has the option to use an external pre-amp if you wish. It takes a while to set up properly, but any one can do it by following the simple manual step by step. When I played my first lp, I couldn't believe the sounds I'd been missing all these years. Regardless of the cost and inclusiveness of the sound system you have, this turntable is the only one you'll ever need to buy. I'm very happy with it's performance and quality and recommend it highly!

AT-PL120 does the job
Amazon shipped the turntable well and it came undamaged, altho the box was roughed up. It ships in the original box, so if it is a gift or surprise, watch out. Set up was easy and it worked right away. The only problem so far is the cueing light seems to have burned out on day 2 already. Also be careful of the arm hold down, its plastic and won't take any abuse, period. This is my second purchase of this model for family members, and it seems like a reasonable value. It would be VERY nice if the arm would automatically pick up at the end of the album, but it doesn't. The integral pre-amp feature is super, especially with new surround sounds that lack phono inputs. All in all the best value I could find.

awesome easy to use and affordable!
i bought this for my 68 year old father so he could listen to all of his favorites that have been stashed away for years. this product is VERY user friendly...easy to figure out....and VERY affordable!! it has provided my dad with hours of happiness and he has had no problem at all figuring out how to hook it up or use all of its functions. This is perhaps the best gift i ever gave him....A+++