I lost all my CD's in a fire and don't want to replace them so I'm thinking of buying this TT so I can convert some LP's i have to digital and play them in my truck and other places. Is this a decently made TT? I have a couple of TT's for playback through my system. Just want this for transcribing to digital. I see they have an upgraded stylus to get a micro line stylus. Anyone use both? If anyone has any experience with this TT or stylus I'd be interested in reading your thoughts on it. Thanks in advance for your help.
Possibly no one here has the new AT-LP120XBT-USB. Like knotscott, I have the older LP120XUSB, which I absolutely love with the Sumiko Oyster cartridge installed for lp's and the stock VM95 body on another headshell and fitted for 78's.
Just curious, since you already have a couple turntables, would picking up a phono stage with USB output, such as the Rega Fono Mini A2D serve your purpose? It doesn't cost much ($175) but has good reviews, and you could use one of your own turnables that might already have the quality you're looking for.
". . . if the Fono Mini A2D’s appearance is basic, its sonic talent is anything but. Over the years we’ve paired it with everything from the most budget-friendly systems to our eye-wateringly expensive reference kit, and it has always kept its head above water."
https://www.whathifi.com/us/rega/fono-mini-a2d/review
"I turned things down so that nothing was peaking at above -3dB from the full scale. Then I hit the record button and set the vinyl to spinning. And it all worked perfectly. I recorded two full albums plus several minutes from one side of a third, and there wasn’t the slightest hiccough. Get those levels right, and you have the makings of a fine transfer."
https://www.gadgetguy.com.au/rega-fono-mini-a2d/
The reviews I've read of past AT turntables with USB has been that the USB output wasn't as good as just listening to the 'table, and it looks like it might be true of this new one, too. One review notes a "step down in sound quality that comes with a wireless connection," and adds, "The digital copies the 120 makes via its USB output are closer in character to the sound of its wireless, rather than wired, performance. The USB also seems keener to spotlight vinyl surface noise than any of the other outputs."
https://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-technica-at-lp120xbt-usb
I'll just add that while I have very limited experience with line contact styli, I can say that I got noticeably reduced surface noise when switching from an AT440ML to a Grado Green. Stereophile has an article called "Tweaking your Record-Player," and a footnote on page eight says, "Changing to a different cartridge can sometime work sonic wonders with old records, due to the new stylus riding on a different, relatively undamaged part of the groove wall. On the other hand, changing to a cartridge with a long-contact profile, Microridge or van den Hul, for example, can often increase surface noise and the reading of groove damage due to the stylus's being in contact with more of the groove wall.—
JA"
https://www.stereophile.com/content/tweaking-your-record-player-page-8
