AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-LP120XUSB
Most hi-fi turntables are driven by a belt. But there have always been plenty of adherents to the alternate philosophy of direct drive, where the motor is an integral part of the platter, with neither belts nor pulleys involved in spinning your vinyl.
DJs certainly favour direct drive, most famously in Technics’ SL-1200, which ruled the disco and club scenes until 2010, when Panasonic announced it was ceasing manufacture of all Technics products. It has more recently reversed that decision, but in the vacillation period Audio-Technica and Pioneer (along with several other less well-known brands) began selling turntables that were near clones of that model. One of these was the AT-LP120, here reviewed in its ‘XUSB’ version, and still more recently released (see panel overleaf) in a version which adds the bonus of Bluetooth output. And it still bears the direct-drive heritage of its ancestors, along with all the DJ conveniences this allows.
Equipment
Why do DJ’s like direct drive? One reason is speed control. All belt-drive turntables will have some inherent degree of wow and flutter (even though this
