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Audio Technica AT-LP120USB Super Mod Thread

That suspending rig in the video would be a disaster waiting to happen at my house. One cat in particular would take one look at it and go "SWING!!"
 
DarkAudit said:
That suspending rig in the video would be a disaster waiting to happen at my house. One cat in particular would take one look at it and go "SWING!!"
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How do your two turntables compare? I am interested noise wise. Can you hear the motor running in quiet passages on the 1200 like you can on the at lp120 or is it dead quiet? Also have you modified either table and if you did, in particular the 1200, did it make a substantial difference?
 
fingersmagoo said:
How do your two turntables compare? I am interested noise wise. Can you hear the motor running in quiet passages on the 1200 like you can on the at lp120 or is it dead quiet? Also have you modified either table and if you did, in particular the 1200, did it make a substantial difference?
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The only modification done to the 1200 was done by the shop I bought it from to make the grounding internal. No extra wire to attach to the receiver.

I pulled the preamp from the LP120, replaced the slipmat with a 1/4" rubber mat (from when KAB still sold the "supermat"), the upgraded counterweight, and 5 o-rings on the tonearm. They're both pretty quiet AFAICT. I can't say I recall any motor noise intruding on an actual track. Any that I have heard was from right when I drop the cue lever and the stylus first contacts the record and I haven't sat back down yet.
 
The YouTube video fails to recognizes that most of the "mods" shown can be done on other TT's, and are not unique to the AT-120. It tries to paint a false picture of it as a "money pit". Funny, the included AT95E cartridge is recognized by many as a good, solid value in the "budget audiophile" category. And, opening it up and butchering it by ripping out the preamp is not something I would do. I like the sound of mine, and many of these so called "mods" can be done at very little expense, on this, and many other turntables.
 
Arthur, thanks again for being such a downer to us who only want to hear more detail that's in the grooves of albums we spin. You are always quick to criticize what anyone says or does as can been seen and heard on your YT channel. I've only taken from I've learned from many here and YT and tried to make the best of what I have. It's a money pit cause it takes a lot of work and mods to buy to make it better. I believe you missed my overall point that if I was to know then what I know now I would have bought a much better turntable and not have to do all this work. When I ordered mine I upgraded it with the AT120e, which sounded okay. When I compared the same songs I had on CD when mine was stock before the mods and upgraded AT440MLa cartridge the music sounded very muffled and pathetic. I knew there was something wrong and I did a lot of research to find out why. Four years later I have a much better turntable that I can actually enjoy spinning my albums on. So yes, go on and enjoy your turntable as it is as we all have different likes and opinions. Just would be nice not to have to read so much negativity as my opinion of this turntable out of the box is not a great or even a good turntable for those of us who are really in to high quality sounding music. If I could sell and get a decent price out of selling my turntable I would and then buy the turntable I would really love to have I would. By with my economic situation (and we all have different situations) I can't afford to.
 
Hey, love this thread. I use to have the AT lp120 after selling my Technics sl1210mk2 some years ago. I had different cartridges so it's kind of hard to compare them but I never felt let down by the LP120 when using it. I did after a year, purchase the AT lp1240 with a ho mc denon cartridge which I am very happy with. After reading about your upgrades, I'm thinking about getting another LP120 and doing some mods. Great stuff!
 
I got 4 sheets of Sound Coat and applied them to the bottom of the platter, plinth, and base. I had sprayed the bottom of the platter with Flex Seal a few years ago, but the Sound Coat really killed the aluminum ringing down to a dead silent thud. I tried to separate the ground wire from the PCB and solder directly to the ground wire to the preamp, but didn't work. Got a bad hum and had to put it back to way it was. Have the feeling the tonearm isn't grounded very well at all as most other TTs don't run a ground through a PCB board. Not sure what to do about this as I was going to get a new wiring harness, but found the size of the hole for the current wiring is way too small. Only big enough to run the current wires through it. I know there are tonearm replacements from Jelco, but I can't even afford their cheapest one. Anyone have any ideas or know if replacing the current wiring and DIN would work of bypassing the ground wire issue? Here are pics of what I did last night:
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I just installed nice RCA jacks on the rear of the unit and kept the ground internal. You can just see the jacks on the top left of the pic attached.
 

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vincei said:
I just installed nice RCA jacks on the rear of the unit and kept the ground internal. You can just see the jacks on the top left of the pic attached.
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Yeah I'm still thinking about that one. Thinking I should since every time I have to do anything it's a hassle with the cable connected. Just have to order the parts and just do it. Thanks!
 
VinylRescue said:
I know there are tonearm replacements from Jelco, but I can't even afford their cheapest one. Anyone have any ideas...
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Tonearm cost blues got ya' down Bunkie? I may have your answer. If the AT-120's tonearm tube is the same diameter ( a smidge under 10mm) as the Technics SL-1200mk2 tube, you could upgrade for cheap. If you're adventurous, and it sounds like some of you are, here's a mod I did on my "Techie". The idea was taken from a buddy on a forum in the UK. That's a carbon fiber tube with an aluminum tube inside of it. It's both lighter and less resonant than the stock part.
The tubing, the angled headshell, and the wiring were all found on eBay and the cost was less than Fifty-bucks.

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VinylRescue said:
Arthur, thanks again for being such a downer to us who only want to hear more detail that's in the grooves of albums we spin. . .
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What's interesting to me is your saying that Arthur, who likes how his LP120 sounds, is being a downer and writing what you call negativity, yet you are the one saying that the LP120 is not very good, a money pit, and has muffled and pathetic sound. The OP of this thread at least tempered his negative comments by starting out with "we all know that the 120 is a good entry level table for the price" before adding "but not [what] one would consider audiophile or even HI-FI."

I don't necessarily disagree with the OP's or your assessment of the AT's sound--reviews from What HiFi and Analog Planet also talked about its soft, overly polite character and lack of separation and space to the sound. Yet the reviewers were able to be positive about the features included, the build quality that is of sufficient quality to ensure that the record grooves are in no danger, and a sound that is "actually quite pleasant, though of course diffuse and lacking in focus." http://www.analogplanet.com/content...hames-plastic-competition#bczJMQ7j4EwC1FtY.97

I don't know what the circumstances were for you in 2012 when you bought your LP120, but I see you are currently in Tacoma; I visited a friend there last year, and we were able to see the AT along with some competing models from Music Hall and Pro-Ject at Turntable Treasures. Though it wasn't the best-sounding model on the floor, after auditioning it, my friend decided that the Music Hall USB-1 would suffice for him and his children to enjoy some records at home. There were no disappointing surprises because he was able to hear just what he'd be getting prior to purchase, but I know not everyone in these forums is lucky enough to live near a dealer where they can do that.
 
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It's all okay. Overall this has been a huge lesson learned. In 2012 I had a great paying job that I lost in early 2014. If I had known then what I know now I would have bought something totally different. I'm just one who's always into trying to make something better. I watched a lot of videos (and still do) and I've learned quite a bit from them. The best I can do now is to enjoy what I've changed in my AT-LP120 and pass on what has helped me get better sound from it. If AT would just stop making these with built-in preamps... It's like when I was in high school with my 1970 GTO - why leave it stock when you can install a bigger camshaft, headers, and wider back tires for better performance? I'm sure if I had a nice Rega or Pro-Ject I'd probably look into some mods too. Just sayin'!
 
Having the ability to take these machines apart and make them better (depending on your particular likes), must be a nice talent to have. I have lost count how many times I've taken a look at the MasterControlMedia Flickr page.

Great way to make your imagination fly.
 
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