Review on Audio Technica AT LP7 Manual Belt Drive Turntable by Roberto Evans

When I'm trying to improve my vinyl experience, I usually have to buy a few extra bells and whistles to power my game. Not here. In fact, the AT-LP7 is functionally the simplest player I've ever owned. This is exactly the "upgrade" I was looking for - all that extra money spent on quality, not brilliance. Vinyl records are still the same as they were when they were introduced 7 decades ago - a flat, disc-shaped sheet of plastic with a slightly ribbed surface - period. While advances in technology were inevitable, most of them are no more important to me for reproduction than gems are for clocks that tell the time. If you're not okay with that, there's a better choice for you than the AT-LP7. It's a good solid unit that feels solid and runs smoothly. Underneath the hinged (yes, that term is from the turntables!) dust cover there are just 5 things: a pulley, a belt, a driver spindle, a speed switch and a tonearm (6 if you count the shell/cartridge separately). Basic assembly is required but the instructions are pretty clear even for a beginner. Spoiler alert: PUT THE BELT AROUND THE SHELL FIRST. Going the other way is likely to lead to disappointment. The headshell needs to be fitted but contains one of the medium AT pickups, VM520EB, with the tab already installed. Useful if you are a beginner Even more useful is the onboard electronics! This basic yet versatile deck works with either a moving-coil or moving-magnet pickup (like the VM520EB) and features a switchable preamp, allowing you to use an amp with a dedicated "phono" input, or one that only has a "phono" "input.". Line level inputs (or AUX). I'm trying out "line level" outputs as I've never had a turntable with me and they sound really good to me! A pleasant surprise. The other odd choice here, at least in my experience, is that the power cord is a really old-fashioned power supply and the AC/DC converter is a box-shaped outlet. I suspect this helps remove the 60 bar hum on the "line level" outputs. I haven't heard any of this through the home theater receiver I currently use. While the AT-LP7 is pretty sweet, I'm sure the AT-LP7 is worth a cartridge upgrade for those on a budget. . The only improvement I'm missing is the feed controls, but the rotation "sounds" very accurate to me, so I say "no markup penalty" and "keeper".