Audio-TechnicaAT-LPW40WN Fully Manual Belt-Drive Turntable

Waited a few months before writing my feedback on the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN.I come from the turntable generation and decided to purchase one to listen to albums I've saved as well as purchase new albums to listen to. My needs were simple, - affordable, quality sound, analog delivery and good looks. I looked at a LOT of turntables and while many looked great i chose this model because of its design, simplicity and manufacture reputation for delivering good audio.Packaging is done just right with instructions clearly showing how to setup. FYI, on Youtube you can find a few step by step visual tutorials on how to setup and operate so check those out if needed. Its really easy.I won't bore you with technical BS because if you are like me, you just want something that sounds good, and thankfully, this turnable is great!!! This model includes an optional preamp which today is more commonly needed because most modern receivers do not have a phono input. Something you need to consider when making turntable purchase. For me, I am running my turntable into a Denon receiver's media channel which supports RCA inputs. The sound is fantastic with no noise from the turntables internal amp which is in the on position. The turntable is manual so you have to do the work, but I prefer that. This is something to keep in mind when buying. If you want the turntable to return the arm at the end of the album then this is NOT the turntable for you. Its totally manual. This turntable does come with a lever to raise and lower the needle which makes it easy to operate. The speed of the turntable is spot in in both 33 1/3 and 45.If you are looking for a solid performing turntable that sounds great and looks sleek then I highly recommend the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN.

I'll start this review by saying that I spent weeks obsessing over the right replacement for my old LP60, which was a fine table to start with, so anything was going to be an upgrade.Going into my search, my requirements were that I wanted something that was automatic, had a pre-amp built in, had a removable headshell and cables for upgrading, wasn't just black, and was of a quality that it wouldn't breakdown in a couple of years. I had a budget of $300-$400.Much to my dismay, there's not really anything out there that matches that exactly. All of the fully automatic tables seemed cheap or overpriced. The Denon DP-300 had tons of reviews that said it broke down in a few years, it only came in black and the cables were built in. The AT-LP3, which seemed like a winner, had a cheap plastic-y build that just felt unstable. Everything else was a cheap brand like Crosely that I didn't trust.After that research, I figured I needed to expand my budget and I was set on Wirecutter's suggestion of a Denon DP-400. It had only auto-stop with arm lift - which felt like the more important half of fully automatic - but it had everything else I was looking for, including coming in white. But it had a really dumb dustcover that you can't use while a record is playing and doesn't really protect the turntable. As a family with cats, it was a deal breaker.I looked into the Fluance tables. They seemed really nice and had auto-stop (but no arm lift) and they came with nice needles already. But the RT-82 and up didn't have a phono pre-amp (which wouldn't have been a dealbreaker). The deal breaker was that I really didn't like the look of it. It was hulking and wanna-be classy. I also didn't like that the cheaper $250 RT-81 that did come with a pre-amp came with the old AT-95E needle instead of the new VM95E that is more upgradable without remounting the cartridge and the motor didn't have a sensor monitoring speed.So I decided to look into fully manual tables. I started with U-Turn and they seem like a great option, but it gets expensive quickly as I added on options. With pre-amp, a decent needle, and the color I wanted, I was quickly getting past $400 (and that was without some basics like a tone arm lift or a dial to select the speed).I did briefly look into old turntables and DJ turntables, but it quickly got too overwhelming for me. I didn't know how long the old tables would last and more of them didn't have preamps anyway. The DJ tables just had too many features I didn't care about and they didn't have the look I wanted.Enter this turntable. I decided that I'd give a fully manual table a try because this had a pre amp, speed dial, tone arm lift, looked great, came with the VM95E needle, had a functional dustcover, removable cables, and had a quality motor with a speed sensor. And the tone arm is carbon fiber, which only seems to be available on tables that are hundreds of dollars more. It even, contrary to some reports on the web, had adjustable feet so you can level it. All in all, it seemed like a lot for the money if I was willing to give up on auto-stop.So I got it and I couldn't be happier. It feels solid, much more substantial than my old LP-60. All the dials and dust cover feel like they'll last a while. It sounds great. Didn't have any issues with ground hum or the table being too boomy. For the record, I'm plugging directly into a Sonos Play 5 for now. It looks excellent. It's not quite as nice as the solid wood U-Turn tables since this is a veneer, but it's a great shade and it's sleek.Do I wish it was automatic? Yes, a bit. But it hasn't been as big of a drag as I thought and I get a kick out of lowering the tone arm lift and watching the needle gently drop. The tone arm mechanism is easy to set up and I cross checked it with a needle tracking force scale and it's accurate. The alignment of the cartridge was spot on out of the box. Everything was packaged safely and securely.So if you're in the some boat as I was - looking for something that will last without breaking into the $500+ range and still gives you a good set of features - I'd highly recommend this turntable.

I wish I could have gotten another one like this but the seem to be off the market now.Sound is really nice. Its hooked up to a 2009 Onkyo Receiver TX-8255 and a pair of Kenwood 3 way speakers model KSH51. I bought several extra needles seperately.The turntable looks nice in the teak wood tone and silver tone arm. I wish it was a real hardwood thought. Only reason I bought it was I'm tired of black finished products. Why does everything you use in life have to be molded in Black? Why?Easy to use. Simple twist button turns the unit on. Manual tone arm needs to be placed on the record and removed when through being played. The dampner lever sets the needle down easy on the record.......just make sure the needle is over the start of the record. Easy to read 45-33 speed numbers below a silver dial.I opted to buy a yellow, silicone record matt - the supplied black matt was throw away..... Nice clear plastic dust cover. I'm glad they made it clear instead of that smoked plastic on older models.The record player is set up in tight corner under a short shelf supporting a 100 watt bookshelf speaker that is used on a second receiver in the room. I have a dowel pin in the side of the book case I push out to hold the dust cover up (see picture).Easy hook up to the stereo. easy to set the tone arm tension. I barely had to touch the dial it seemed just fine out of the box. Well packed, wrapped and cushioned in the shipping box.