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A Purist Turntable for the DJ Booth and Home Audio System





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Our Product Research Team





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In the Golden Age of Analog, turntables were the centerpiece of home audio systems, and high-end models could cost well into the five figures. Why so expensive? Serious audiophiles and DJs at Sweetwater know that it’s not bells and whistles, but rather superior materials and mechanical engineering that make a high-performance professional turntable. The Audio-Technica AT-LP7 harkens back to that purist, performance-first design ethos. First of all, it’s a belt-drive turntable, as opposed to a direct-drive model that can transfer motor vibration to the platter. And like its Golden Age predecessors, it’s not gussied up with superfluous features. It’s fully manual, with a solitary large knob for selecting between 33-1/3 and 45 rpm. The chassis is made from 40mm-thick MDF (a highly inert material); the platter from 20mm-thick, anti-resonant polyoxymethylene.





Sophisticated tech under the hood





The AT-LP7 may be elegantly simple on the outside, but there’s sophisticated technology under the hood. The DC motor features a speed-sensor system to maintain consistent platter-rotation speed. The J-shaped tonearm has precision bearings and a metallic gimbal suspension system for accurate tracking. And the onboard switchable phono preamplifier has selectable modes optimized for moving magnet and moving coil cartridges. The AT-LP7 comes with A-T’s lightweight AT-HS10 headshell and VM520EB Dual Moving Magnet Cartridge, which delivers extended frequency response and excellent channel separation, and is easily replaceable with any VM series stylus.





Audio-Technica AT-LP7 Manual Belt-Drive Professional DJ Turntable Features:


Fully manual, belt-drive operation with two speeds: 33-1/3 and 45 rpm


DC motor features a speed-sensor system to maintain accurate platter rotation speed


Wow and flutter: <0.08% WRMS (33 rpm) at 3kHz


40mm-thick MDF chassis


20mm-thick polyoxymethylene platter


Onboard phono preamplifier with moving magnet and moving coil modes


Signal-to-noise ratio: >60dB


J-shaped tonearm features precision bearings and metallic gimbal suspension for accurate tracking


Includes VM520EB Dual Moving Magnet Cartridge with replaceable stylus, AT-HS10 lightweight headshell, power cord, dual RCA (male) to dual RCA (male) stereo cable, 45 rpm adapter, and dust cover