Audio-Technica LP3XBTBK Automatic Wireless Turntable Black

Just set it up and I’m delighted with this deck. Bluetooth connected easily to my B&W headphones. It came with phono leads with a ground wire. The power supply had 3 different heads for UK/US/EU sockets. Straight forward to balance the tone arm. Overall the build quality is very good. The buttons do feel a little cheap though. The sound is fantastic. After reading the reviews I changed to cartridge to an elliptical ‘nude’ diamond one. To be fair the supplied one was very good anyway. I do like the auto function. For the price point this seems spot on.

I wanted a traditional turntable - not something that can be attached to my laptop/phone/car/llama. I wanted it to play vinyl and play it well, with a beautiful sound. This does that. There's some set-up to do, which involved watching a video on the Audio Technica website (good videos, presented by friendly folk). I'm impatient with equipment, so setting the tracking arm and anti-skate felt fiddly to me. In real terms, it took about 5 minutes to watch the video, then 5-10 minutes of faffage and swearing. Trust me, though, it is very much worth it. I discovered - after glancing the corner of the turntable (lid down) with my elbow whilst dancing (Stone Roses first album, on original vinyl) - that even the slightest variation in the tracking arm, changes the sound of play. Follow the instructions and the video, to the letter. To the millimetre. That dealt with, I wiped down my Stone Roses vinyl (AT also do a great brush selection) and set it on the mat. Press a button, sit back. Auto-start/auto-return, very welcome. I'd forgotten the sound you get with a great turntable: bold, mellow and oozing from the speakers. A warm, homely big sound - without needing excessive volume; depends on your sound system, obviously (I have Mission speakers). Anyway, next up was some Neil Young. The sound was stunning. There's different cartridge heads available too (to buy separately - one cartridge head is included), which can change/advance the sound as required. In short - this a superb turntable. Smooth to use, visually has nice retro vibe. And the sound is crisp and delicious.

I very nearly bought the Sony PS-LX310BT (I specifically wanted a fully automatic bluetooth turntable, solely for listening with headphones) and then I saw a YouTube video for this Audio Technica AT-LP3XBT. Having watched several YouTube videos about these turntables, it's clear that they're all made in the same factory in China and contain lots of the same parts and components. The Sony apparently has a non-upgradeable Audio Technica AT-3600L cartridge, with a replaceable (for wear and tear) conical stylus, everything else on the Sony (e.g. tracking force, anti-skating etc.) is non adjustable. So, for a similar price, this AT-LP3XBT stood out for the following reasons: It's essentially a revised version of the renowned (and well reviewed) AT-LP3, with the addition of bluetooth. This XBT has a newer AT-VM95 cartridge and conical stylus (rather than the AT-91R/conical on the LP3) and comes with a felt platter mat, rather than the rubber mat of the LP3. The cartridge/stylus are attached to a removable headshell, allowing for future upgrade possibilities and the tracking force and anti-skating are fully adjustable on the Audio Technica. The supplied AT-VM95 cartridge comes fitted with a bonded conical stylus (blue plastic), but the stylus alone is easily replaced with upgradeable versions. There's a bonded elliptical stylus available (with a choice of green, or black plastic), a nude (diamond directly attached to the cantilever) elliptical stylus (orange plastic), a (red plastic) microlinear stylus and also a (brown plastic) Shibata stylus. I've since upgraded to the microlinear stylus and the turntable is good enough that I noticed an immediate improvement to the sound. Along with the turntable, I purchased a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50XBT2 headphones which I've been using for listening - you can of course also output the sound to an amplifier via the rear connections and supplied cable. The bluetooth connection was easily paired to the headphones and has been giving great reliable sound. The tracking force weight is very accurate, as I purchased a stylus scale and found the weight to be exactly the 2.0 grammes required (I have access to a calibrated set of reference masses where I work, and the scales were perfect). And, so far, it's been great. The fully automatic functions work perfectly and the sound is amazing - I've got a reasonably sizeable collection of records from the 70's, 80's and 90's and I'm re-enjoying my music collection hearing details that I've never heard on the records before. Finally, another reviewer mentioned that the turntable didn't have a UK plug. Mine also came fitted with the (european?) 2 pronged fitment. However, as with many of these AC to DC adaptors these days, the mains fitment part just clips on/off and the UK version was included in the box, it takes seconds to swap them over without difficulty.

I bought this AT-LP3 based on several extremely complimentary reviews, such as WhatHifi, which recommended it a the best in class at this price point - and, on the whole, I've been very pleased with my purchase. Pros for me: - Inbuilt pre-amp - means you don't need a separate pre-amp (duh :) ). This appealed to me, because it reduced the amount of gear I needed - coupling these with a pair of powered Edifier R1280DB speakers means I only have 2 boxes on my shelf, which was exactly the kind of minimalist set up I was after. - Fully automatic, meaning you don't need manually lift the needle on or off the disc. You literally just need to push a button to start it up, and another if you want to stop before the end (it lifts off automatically at the end of the record). - Speed switch on the deck - meaning you don't have to manually switch the belt over, as on manual turntables. - Extremely easy to set up and play. - Great performance for the price (I think so anyway!). I listen mostly to rock, jazz and instrumental, and it handles pretty much everything I throw at it well. - Great intro turntable for a vinyl newbie like me, offering opportunity to do some upgrading as you go along thanks to option to change carts and add an external phono amp later if desired. Cons for me: - Out-of-the-box cartridge (AT91R), a conical stylus at the lower end of Audio Technica's range, offered very muddy sound to my ears and I was really unimpressed with its performance - so much so that I considered returning the whole turntable. Luckily someone recommended that I try changing out the cartridge - so, I switched it for a reasonably-priced (~£45) elliptical AT-VM95E, and - no exaggeration - it has been an absolute game-changer. Vocals and mids are now crystal clear and just the level of brightness I was after. I occasionally wonder if the VM95ML would have been even better, but I am currently more than happy with the VM95E (especially considering the former is nearly 3x the price). If you buy this turntable and end up feeling a bit disappointed with the sound, I can't recommend this enough. - The headshell is proprietary to this model - meaning you can't buy and use the Audio Technica replacement headshell+cartridge kits. I have no idea why they've done this, but it's really annoying since pretty much every other AT turntable is designed to use these universal headshells. Since the LP3 headshell is uniquely angled, it can't be replaced by either another AT model or popular alternatives like the Ortofon Red 2M. You can, of course, replace the cartridge easily enough with a compatible model, but...it's just a little more fiddly than swapping the whole headshell out. In short, the LP3 is perfect for me because of its fully-automatic operation (what can I say - I'm lazy and want an easy life) and its upgradeability. I've deducted a point because it would of course have been better if it had come with a better cartridge out of the box - if I hadn't upgraded the cartridge and seen the difference it made to performance, I'd probably be rating it at about 2/5. I think if you're a casual vinyl collector who just wants a decent, easy to use turntable to spin the occasional disc on, you can't really go far wrong with the LP3.

Bought for my Husband’s birthday. He has been very pleased with the sounds quality and look. We haven’t had no issues so far.

I am really enjoying this turntable, I wasn't sure what to expect for what is a relatively cheap product but it sounds great when connected to nice speakers. The bluetooth works well, I had a slight concern over this as I wanted to regularly switch between speakers in two different rooms, but this is easy if you only have one of the speakers turned on at a time. An unexpected bonus is, as it only plugs into a power socket, it is very easy to move around the house if needed. Quality is decent, having the counter weight put it above alternative BT turntables, very easy to use and set up, all in all really pleased and would highly recommend.

Very pleased, and surprised, by the quality of output from this deck. Thought I'd buy a fairly budget deck to start with as I wasn't sure what condition my old albums were in, having spent nearly 30 years in the eves of the attic. Pleased to report that albums (200 or so) survived perfectly thanks to their airtight LP boxes; AND that this turntable plays them perfectly. Excellent sound quality. I expected to have to upgrade to a higher spec deck if my collection was still playable, and if my taste in music hadn't changed too much (!). Instead, I have bought a new amp and speakers to complement its capabilities. The balancing weight and anti-skate work perfectly together. The lid can be closed while playing (careful - this doesn't apply to all decks). The start/stop buttons are a bit clunky - they work fine, but would have been nice if they were dampened. Not a big deal. The only other gripe is that the arm can't be locked onto its rest. That would have cost a couple of pennies. Again - not a biggie, just strange. Anyhow, I can't fault the rest of the kit. It's sturdy, looks good and sounds great. Has a good pre-amp which means I could plug it straight into an amp. Took about 15 mins to set up; to attach the belt and calibrate the arm. No close-up pic of the deck, just an overview of how I've hooked it up (in the attic). And, no - I don't play guitar. Found that lying around while clearing out.. :)

This player is very simple to use and set up. Sounds great with my Marshall Kilburn Bluetooth speaker. I’d say In my opinion of course that for the price it’s the best bluetooth record player around. I particularly like the removable head shell, makes it a lot easier to slide the stylus guard on with out destroying the stylus. It’s a great player the only thing perhaps that could be improved on Is the buttons at the front. I find them a bit clunky. My new record player Is now the ultimate in portability as I have discarded the mains lead and I am running it on 12v lithium batteries and they last for ages. So I can place it anywhere and be cable free from the wall as well as the speakers. All in all good value for money and a very good buy.