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Audio-Technica’s Direct Drive AT-LP8X Turntable Might Be A Solid Option Below $1,000: Preview

At $999, the Audio-Technica AT-LP8X is a three speed semi-automatic direct drive turntable with AT-VM95E cartridge.

Audio-Technica AT-LP8X Turntable

Audio-Technica has introduced a new flagship turntable, the AT-LP8X. Marking a slight departure from the rest of Audio Technica’s turntable line, the AT-LP8X is its first direct-drive semi-automatic model. The new flagship also comes with a much higher price tag compared to what traditional Audio-Technica customers are probably accustomed to paying for their entry-level decks.

Audio-Technica has an extensive lineup of phono cartridges priced below $100 and even above $5,000 for those looking to enjoy a state-of-the-art MC cartridge on a ultra high-end table from brands like VPI, Kuzma, Michell, and Thorens.

To deliver an optimal music listening experience, the AT-LP8X includes a VM95 Series (VM95E) cartridge, adjustable VTA (vertical tracking angle), a newly designed motor, and additional refinements.

Audio Technica AT-LP8X Turntable

Compatible with 33-1/3, 45, and 78-RPM records, the Audio-Technica AT-LP8X incorporates semi-automatic operation, where the tonearm raises itself off the record and the motor stops at the end of a side.

The AT-LP8X comes with a pre-mounted high-performance AT-VM95E Dual Magnet phono cartridge with an elliptical stylus, for superior resolution, stereo imaging, and tracking. The cartridge is pre-mounted on Audio-Technica’s new AT-L10 removable headshell (also available separately). The AT-VM95E is compatible with any VM95 Series replacement stylus.

Audio Technica AT-LP8X Turntable with VM95E Cartridge
Audio-Technica VM95E Cartridge

The J-shaped aluminum tonearm borrows from previous select Audio-Technica turntable designs and has adjustable VTA (vertical tracking angle), enabling compatibility with most phono cartridges. The AT-LP8X also provides anti-skating and tracking force adjustability and comes with a sub-counterweight that enables the use of cartridges with a weight range from 14 to 23.5 grams.

The AT-LP8X incorporates a new low-torque direct drive DC motor, with a speed sensor system that ensures accurate speed stability. A 1-inch-thick (25 mm) rubber-damped, anti-resonance, die-cast aluminum platter, and a rubber mat are included. Audio Technica has indicated that the platter is the most substantial they have offered on a turntable. 

The new internal switching power supply is optimized for audio use, ensuring minimum noise in the signal chain. 

The AT-LP8X comes with a detachable RCA cable, removable hinged dust cover, and a 45-RPM adapter.

Audio-Technica AT-LP8X Turntable Front

Turntable Specifications

  • Motor: DC servo
  • Drive Method: Direct drive
  • Speeds: 33-1/3 RPM, 45 RPM, 78 RPM
  • Turntable Platter: Die-cast aluminum, rubber damper
  • Starting Torque: 1.0 Kgf.cm
  • Braking System: Electronic brake
  • Wow and Flutter: < 0.1% (WTD) at 3 kHz (JIS)
  • Signal-to-Noise Ratio: > 60 dB
  • Cartridge Type:: VM (AT-VM95EBK)
  • Output Level: PHONO: 4.0 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5cm/sec
  • Power Supply Requirements:100 to 240 V, 50/60 Hz
  • Power Consumption: 8 W
  • Dimensions: 450 mm (18″) × 352 mm (14″) × 161 mm (6.3″) (W×D×H)
  • Weight (Approx). 10.4 kg (23 lbs)

Tonearm Specifications

  • Tonearm Type: Static balanced J-shaped tonearm
  • Effective Arm Length: 247 mm (9.7″)
  • Overhang:15 mm (0.59″)
  • Tracking Error Angle: Less than 2.0°
  • Stylus Pressure Adjustment Range: 0.0 to 4.0 g
  • Applicable Cartridge Weight: 14.0 to 20.0 g (including headshell) 
    • (When using sub counterweight: 17.5 to 23.5 g)
  • Replacement Stylus: AT-VMN95EBKReplacement Headshell: AT-LT10

Accessories Included

  • Dust cover
  • Rubber mat
  • Platter
  • Dust cover hinges
  • Counterweight
  • Subcounterweight
  • Headshell (AT-LT10) with VM stereo cartridge (AT-VM95E BK)
  • 45 RPM adapter
  • RCA audio cable (Approx. 1.0 m (3.3′))
  • Power cable (Approx. 1.8 m (5.9′))
Audio Technica AT-LP8X Turntable Angle

The Bottom Line

Audio-Technica continues its solid reputation for delivering a great vinyl music listening experience with the addition of the AT-LP8X turntable to its product line. Semi-automatic operation and the inclusion of a VM series cartridge provide both operational convenience and great music listening. At $999 some may find it a little pricey, but you can pay a lot more and still have to purchase a cartridge in order to get up and going.

On the other hand, AT-LP8X is a traditionally designed turntable that does not have its own built-in phono preamp. This means that if you want to connect it to an integrated amplifier, stereo, or home theater receiver that does not have a dedicated phono input, you will have to place a phono preamp between the turntable and audio system. 

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Price & Availability

The Audio-Technica AT-LP8X Semi-Automatic Direct Drive Turntable is available for $999 at Amazon or Crutchfield.

Related Reading

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. ORT

    October 5, 2024 at 2:43 am

    Direct Drive? Check.
    (Relatively) Heavy? Check!
    Looks cool? Check!
    Could look cooler (with an acrylic platter)? Check!
    Straight (no…Not that kind of straight!)tonearm? Nope! Dammit!
    (Relatively) Affordable? Check!

    “Fifty percent, Lord! I’m talking gross!” – Sonny Lawson

    I just watched this film, “The End” starring Burt Reynalds, Dom DeLuise, Sally Field and (Hubbah Bubbah!) Joanne Woodward. Better still, Joanne Woodward and Myrna Loy…Yeah…dat’s the ticket!

    And more folk than I care to recall let alone type out their names.

    When seeing the beauty that was Miss Woodward I cannot help but think, “My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.”

    And the very mention of the name, “Myrna Loy” is intoxicating to such as I. She reminds of me one of if not THE finest Science Fiction short stories, “Helen O’Loy by Lester del Ray.

    We now return you to your regularly scheduled stuff. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to watch “The End” and then to read Lester del Ray’s wonderful, “Helen O’Loy”.

    I guess I just wasn’t made for these times…

    ORT

    • Ian White

      October 5, 2024 at 1:36 pm

      ORT,

      Ditto. “Ditto? You provincial putz.”

      Myrna Loy was wonderful. Myrna and Carol Lombard were two of all-time favourites and there isn’t a mainstream Hollywood actress alive that could do comedy better today. No way.

      W.J. LaPetomaine

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