Audio-Technica LP-120XUSB Manual direct-drive turntable with USB output and built-in phono preamp (Black)

Just recently bought this at $349. Now it's on sale? Is there a price match?

Greetings John. Thank you for your question. The Plinth (base) is made of Medium Density Fiberboard.

hogan Oct 20, 2023 (Staff)

ralph Feb 10, 2023

Just recently bought this at $349. Now it's on sale?

If you purchased from us and are within your 60-days satisfaction guarantee Ralph, you are covered. Just have your order number handy and contact our Customer Service department and we can put the difference back on your original pay method, it's that easy! If the turntable was not purchased from us or you are outside of your 60-days, there is little we can do to help.

bo Feb 11, 2023 (Staff)

ralph Feb 10, 2023

Can a flash drive be used for the USB to convert a vinyl collection? Thanks in advance !

Greetings Ralph. At Crutchfield we have a 60 day price protection guaranty. Please call our Customer Support line at 800-955-9091 with your order number before the turntable goes back up in price for a credit back to your payment type.

hogan Feb 10, 2023 (Staff)

mark st. Oct 06, 2022

Is this Bluetooth enabled ?

No. This must be connected to a PC or Mac in order to digitize your records.

zachary Oct 06, 2022 (Staff)

moira Mar 01, 2022

What is the replacement stylus for this turntable?

jim Mar 04, 2022

Nope!

thomas Mar 02, 2022

I don't believe it is. I have mine hardwired to my receiver and have been very happy with it. Hope this helps.

lawrence Mar 02, 2022

richard Oct 20, 2021

WHAT MODEL OF AUTOMATIC TONEARM LIFTER IS RECOMMENDED FOR THIS TURNTABLE?

You nailed it ! The stylus that comes with the turntable is lousy or its the preamp! Best options are Sumiko or Ortofon,

derrel Oct 21, 2021

I used a Sumiko Pearl MM with very good results.

greg Oct 20, 2021

randy May 01, 2021

What type of speakers should I purchase with this turntable (Audio Technica LP-120XUSB) ?

We have not received any answers from other customers on your question. I would recommend reaching out to an Advisor by phone (1-800-324-9695) or online chat. They should be able to help answer your question.

thomas May 21, 2021 (Staff)

richard Feb 28, 2021

I have a audio technica LP120 usb turntable I'm would like to upgrade the stylus any recommendations?

I personally have the Polk Legend 600 speakers that are hooked up with this turntable and they sound great. There are many speakers that will shine with this turntable though so just get the best speakers your budget will allow. If you don't like the sound you can always buy a better stylus for the turntable. The stylus makes a big difference in sound too.

greg Feb 28, 2021

Well there are many powered speaker set out there, I would recommend the klipsch R-14M a good powered set that won't break the bank either. They will have great sound and great power handling.

casey Feb 28, 2021

you must have an amplifier or powered speakers The turn table does not have Bluetooth out so you will need to solve that problem. My suggestion is spend the money on a good amp and some nice Polk speakers. You will really enjoy them.

david a. Feb 28, 2021

michael Feb 08, 2021

I am interested in buying this turntable. Can you recommend an amp to go with it? Will it work with my Sonos playbar or do I need to also purchase stereo speakers? I don't have a huge budget, so something entry level or mid range. Thank you!!

I upgraded to the more expensive stylus, the AT-VMN95SH Replacement Stylus for the purpose of playing and recording new LPs and left the original cartridge for everyday use. To be honest I can not hear a difference between the two. Changing stylus instead of cartridge is the easiest way to upgrade, you don't have to realign your cartridge.

victor Feb 09, 2021

I went high-end with Ortofon Black that costs around $600. Tracking is set at 1.5 grams. Of course, the other Ortofons, namely red, blue and bronze are equally compatible. Try lpgear.

james Feb 08, 2021

lindy Oct 12, 2020

I do not know what to buy. I simply want to play records and hear them. I donâ??t need extras . I do not want a turntable that has to connect to a stereo. I would like a turntable with all the necessary controls to put a record on and play it. I have no technical/electronic . It would be OK if it needs to connect to speakers. What do you recommend?

If the Sonos playbar has an AUX input you should be able to connect the LP-120XUSB since the turntable has its own phono preamp. I connect mine to my receiver's AUX input.

victor Oct 12, 2020

I contacted my turntable to an older Pioneer receiver I had. The turntable output is RCA(red and white) which I connected to the receiver. I had old home stereo sub and speakers to connect to the receiver. I am entirely sure of your connections on your playbar to be able to answer your question completely. i hope this helps. i do enjoy the turntable and am glad i purchased it.

nicholas Oct 12, 2020

donna Aug 27, 2020

I recently purchased this turntable along with a set of Audioquest Evergreen RCA cables to use between the turntable and receiver. The turntable came with a stock set of RCA cables with ground connectors on both ends. Can I use the Audioquest cables without grounding or should I use the stock cables with the grounding cables? Not sure which is the best method for this turntable.

Sounds like you may want to visit some garage sales in your area and look for some nice vintage gear, like them older hifi record players , or also check Amazon for something like the Popsky Record Player with built-in speakers and blue tooth compatibility. Good luck.

diego j Aug 29, 2020

Must connect this turntable to both speakers and a tuner.

james Aug 28, 2020

hunter Jun 19, 2020

I'm very interested in this item ,but the real truth is that I'm not technological at all. Do I have to use Audacity software,? I'd like to learn to edit my old vinyl stuff, but so far, I haven't been lucky.I was looking for an editor online, Youtube had a simple and easy editor once.,but they don't have it anymore. I'm most familiar with WMP and simple devices. Is Audacity neccessary to record my records in my computer if I decided to have the AudioTechnica 120-USB turntable? I feel Audacity will be kind of hard for me,I need advice.

lf you can seperate the ground cable from the cable that came with the turntable then you can use the ground and the Audio Quest cables. That's what l did.

william n Aug 03, 2021

If you're using the turntable's built-in preamp, you should be fine with just the Audioquest cables. See https://www.crutchfield.com/learn/how-to-connect-a-turntable-to-a-receiver.html If you plan to use you receiver's preamp, or a separate component preamp, you will probably need grounding, either by using the included RCA/ground cables, or by using the Audioquest cables with an add-on ground, such as this one: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_703GGSTRN6/AudioQuest-Saturn-GroundGoody-6-meters.html?tp=203

dan Jun 25, 2020

I used the cables supplied by the manufacturer and I am pleased with the sound. I don't think you can damage the device by using a non-grounded cable. So, try both and use the one that sounds better. If the grounding is important, the difference is likely to be obvious

vance Jun 25, 2020

In some places you may need grounding if you notice some hum. In my home I don't.

victor Jun 25, 2020

walter Apr 30, 2020

how to set-up the tone arm balance?

Great table for the price . Compare it to a Technics SL 1200 series

thomas m Dec 15, 2023

Hello Walter: I'm afraid I will be of little assistance regarding your question. I bought the turntable simply to replace an old turntable, with no intention of doing anything other than spinning vinyl. I can, therefore, not address/answer your question with any degree of knowledge or competence.

richard Apr 30, 2020

Sorry, I just use it as a turntable.

david a. Apr 30, 2020

david r. Mar 25, 2020

Does the tone arm return to stored position?

The instuctions that came with the turntable were not helpful. I went to audio technica's site and found more detailed instructions there. You are aiming to balance it so it is not head or tail heavy. Since you cannot move the fulcrum, the weighted dial at the tail end does this for you. There are markings on the dial so you can fine tune your settings.

elyse marie May 06, 2020

If you purchased the product from Crutchfield, feel free to contact our Tech Support team. They can walk you through the settings on the product and see if there may be a fix. Our toll-free Tech Support number is printed on your invoice, and is also available under the "My Orders" tab in the "My Account" section of our website. If you did not purchase the unit from Crutchfield, then you may want to contact the manufacturer.

thomas Apr 21, 2020 (Staff)

I would recommend you.tube. Got the best info I could find there.

charles Apr 20, 2020

I remember screwing that thing on at the back of the arm and having to play with it to get the balance right, I think.

alex m Apr 20, 2020

john Dec 27, 2019

9 answers

No, this is fully manual.

william Jan 29, 2020

No it does not you have to return it when your album is done

ronald Jan 29, 2020

No it does not

david a. Jan 28, 2020

If this is a "must have" feature for you, unfortunately the tone arm does not return to the stored position automatically. You may want to research whether automatic turntables have any effect on fidelity.As an "old geezer" who remembers the early days of high fidelity stereo recordings, it does not generally bother me to get up to perform the chore. I tend to listen to music quite closely, so I don't face the danger of accidentally letting the tone arm go repeatedly over the end of my listening session and I've been quite pleased with the performance this model. Ultimately, having the feature is a matter of personal choice and if you feel strongly about it--I'm sure you can find automatic models that have excellent reproduction. Bill Van Nostran.

william Jan 28, 2020

Not automatically.. You need to take it out of stored position and place back to stored position.. It has a u-shaped lock to prevent it from popping out

james Jan 28, 2020

It does not. You have to do everything by hand.

rick Jan 28, 2020

I'm 99% sure the tone arm does not automatically return to the stored position when the record finishes. I had ordered this turntable but for this reason changed to the Denon DP-300F, which I'm very satisfied with.

stephen Jan 28, 2020

Not automatically.

michael Jan 28, 2020

Not automatically

zachary Jan 28, 2020

Does automatic mean that the arm will return on its own?

john Dec 27, 2019

11 answers

No it does not retrieve the arm on its own. You have to be on alert as vinyl side ends. But this tt is amazing! For the price it's a great deck!

diego j Jan 10, 2020

Hello John. While this is a very fine turntable the arm will not return in its own.

donald Jan 09, 2020

Well, yes automatic does mean the arm will return on its own, but this machine is manual.

james Jan 09, 2020

No, the arm does not return after reaching end of record.

james Jan 09, 2020

Yes. This particular turntable does not have an automatic return.

peter Jan 09, 2020

No. You must manually place the tonearm on the record, then manually remove it when you're done listening to the album.

roger Jan 08, 2020

This is a manual turntable, no the arm does not return on its.

joel Jan 08, 2020

No. The tone arm does not return on its own.

david alan Jan 07, 2020

Mine does not return.

david Jan 07, 2020

Fully automatic means that one button will pick up the tone arm and set it on the record, then, when the record is finished, will again lift it up and return it to rest. Semi automatic means that you need to set the tone arm on the record to play, but when the record is finished the turntable will automatically pick up the tone arm and return it to rest. Fully manual, like this model (which I have) means that you must set the tone arm to play and pick it up when the record is completed. Hope this helps.

vance Jan 07, 2020

No this is a fully manual turntable.

casey Jan 07, 2020

I am not familiar with Vinyl at all (I've mainly experienced digital formats (mainly hi-res) and CDs. -First, what is the RPM for and what's the normal speed to listen to? -is this turntable ok to use for just listening (nothing DJ stuff) -How good is the headphone AMP on this thing? I don't have any analog amps, only digital ones..i don't use hard to drive headphones (THX900 for most part, other wise, In Ear stuff like xba-z5, M4, IER-Z1R, etc) -Is there anything else I need to get, especially to match Hi-Res Digital formats

djricekcn Jun 12, 2019

Hello, can I go out the RCA and into a SONOS 5? The SONOS five has a 3.5mm input. Thanks!

Isao, Thanks for your questions! You may want to get in touch with one of our advisors over the phone or chat, to get some in depth details and advice on what turntable is right for you. https://www.crutchfield.com/support/ContactUs.aspx

thomas Jun 20, 2019 (Staff)

eric Dec 05, 2023

could you play 33 1/3 size records on this table and lp s ?

You can, Eric! This is a very popular setup for vinyl and the Sonos Five. You would need to switch the onboard preamp to the "ON" position and use a 3.5mm to RCA breakout cable like the Hosa Mini-to-RCA in the link below. The Aux input is automatically detected when a device is connected, and the source appears on the system. Music from the Audio-Technica turntable can be played in any Sonos zone! https://www.crutchfield.com/p_979CMR206/Hosa-Stereo-Mini-to-RCA-Adapter-Cable-6-foot.html

bo Dec 06, 2023 (Staff)

robert Sep 01, 2020

6 answers

Yes, this turntable will play standard 33 1/3 LPs, old 78s and has an adapter for 45s.

john Sep 02, 2020

Yes

frank Sep 02, 2020

Yes it works beautiful

dean Sep 01, 2020

Yes

dean Sep 01, 2020

Yes, it has settings to play 33s and 45s. You can also play 78s, but I think you need a special cartridge for that.

michael Sep 01, 2020

Absolutely

ryan Sep 01, 2020

What kind of speakers is everyone using with this turntable?

brian Aug 15, 2020

I had the following question about playing 78 rpm records on this Audio-Technica LP-120XUSB-SV turntable, and I received the answer directly from Audio-Technica tech support, and I want to share it here for anyone else who may be interested. I purchased an Audio-Technica LP-120XUSB-SV turntable as well as an Audio-Technica VM670SP phono cartridge for when I play 78 rpm records. When using the VM670SP cartridge for 78 rpm records, the tracking force is supposed to be set at 5 grams, but the tracking force gauge on the counterweight for the LP0-120XUSB-SV turntable only has markings that go up to 3.5 grams, and I could not find anything in the manual about how to achieve 5 grams of tracking force. So, I contacted Audio-Technica tech support and asked them how do I achieve 5 grams of tracking force? They gave me the solution, which is to keep turning the counterweight past the 3.5 mark on the gauge. When you then get to the 0 mark (after passing the 3.5 mark), you are then applying 4.0 grams of tracking force. If you keep going beyond that to the 1.0 mark, you will be applying 5.0 grams of tracking force. I tried that, and it worked. (Note: Of course, if you want to switch out the cartridge and go back to playing 33 rpm records using a separate cartridge for 33 rpm records that is supposed to have a tracking force of 2 grams, you need to remember that you were using 5.0 grams of tracking force for the 78 rpm records -- even though the gauge says 1.0. So, to get to 2 grams of tracking force, you need to turn the counterweight backwards, going from 1.0 back to 0, past 3.5, and down to 2.0.) I hope this is helpful!

I have been using JBL L100 t3 that I have for for 29 years and they are still great! They can handle 400W continuous power per channel.

patrick Apr 02, 2021

Im using Polk Audio speakers. But honestly, I think the receiver you choose has more influence on overall sound quality. Look for a high quality phono input. I went with a Marantz unit.

travis Aug 17, 2020

Klipsch floor speakers that are at least 30 years old

joseph Aug 16, 2020

I am using the Polk Audio RTI series tower speakers and they sound amazing

randall Aug 15, 2020

michael Aug 05, 2020

I'm very interested in this ite'm capabilities to convert to digital files. Do I "have to" use Audacity software, or can I use nero? How easy is is to record a single song, versus recording the entire album?

Yes very helpful

dean Sep 01, 2020

Great information, Thank You.

martin Aug 18, 2020

kames Apr 26, 2020

will this plug into my old mcs 6601 stereo?

tim m. Mar 29, 2020

Can you use a phono preamp with this turntable?

I am a oldschool DJ I have my turntable plugged into a Gemini mixer and I works beautiful

dean Sep 01, 2020

It appears that the mcs6601 is a direct drive turntable itself. But if you are speaking about an older system compatibility the answer is yes. I connected my turntable to a 20+ year old ONKYO TX906 and everything works fine together. I assume your receiver has RCA inputs. Have fun, it's a great Turntable. I hope this helps.

patrick Mar 30, 2020

Yes , as long as you have a phone in or an aux in plug

mike Mar 30, 2020

kevin Feb 18, 2020