7/3/2023 0 Comments Turntable reviews![]() I’ve plenty of experience attaching drive belts yet this one took several attempts before it was in place a vinyl-loving novice would have a real struggle with this, I thought. This wasn’t helped by the fact that the platter does not have a groove in its periphery. “With the tonearm I noticed the lack of bias compensation” Of course, it’s sensible not to ship a turntable with its platter in place, pressing down onto the bearing, however, fitting It’s not quite plug and play though as you still have to mount the platter and attach the darive belt. The deck came with tonearm ready-mounted and its headshell equipped with an Ortofon OM- 10E cartridge. But hang on, what’s this? Bang in the middle of the dust cover was another logo, only this time it was the same as the one on the box: Pro-Ject. Unboxed, the turntable looked smart enough with a traditional minimalist design and the Triangle logo in the bottom right-hand corner. For more beautiful press images and technical details, visit the official product page here.I knew in advance that Triangle’s first foray into vinyl replay was in collaboration with a highly respected turntable specialist, however I was surprised when it turned up in a box bearing the Pro-Ject logo. Some owners have listed them for sale at Carousell at a mark-up. The AT-LP2022 retails in Singapore for S$1688, and as far as I know, there are sold out. And gosh, yes, I am trying hard to resist getting one as I wrote this article. What’s more, the acrylic plinth and platter is much easier to maintain and will retain its shine longer than the wood bodies, nor will it rust like the metal ones. 10 years into the future, no one will talk about the AT-LP5X turntable, but audio-tech historians will remember the AT-LP2022. ![]() The Audio-Technica AT-LP2022 is an iconic piece of vinyl turntable to own, and commemorates a legacy and achievement of a 60-year-old Japanese analogue audio company. The 540ML is a better stylus to listen to, which can better bring out the full frequency range of the vinyl grooves.Īnalogue vinyl records offer real sonic differences when played with different equipment. Having said that, there is another jump in audio difference between the 95SH and 540ML, the latter bringing another notch up in upper frequency clarity. So if you are playing on speakers, I probably cannot hear a difference. However, from my comparison, the difference is really not that big and I was comparing with headphones. It is a known fact that the Shibata-cut stylus is supposed to achieve better channel separation while the microline delivers better clarity. My observation corresponds to the characteristics of the stylus design. On the 95SH, the centre sounds clearer, less cloudy. What I hear is that there is slightly more crossfeed on the 95ML, where there is slightly more haze coming from the centre of the stereo imaging. But yes, there is a difference, and it’s mainly on the L-R channel separation. There is definitely a jump in sound quality between the 95E and the 95SH, while the difference between the 95ML and 95E is less noticeable. I also compared the Shibata stylus VMN95SH in special-edition clear colour with VMN95E (elliptical) and VMN95ML (microline). The LP2022 is a sold acrylic plinth and platter, which further improves the control of any excess resonance. The LPW50BT with a wood plinth presents a warmer tonality, the LP5X uses a metal chassis which is cleaner but still an organic element. It’s a known fact that the turntable plinth, among other components, have influence over the sound transference. To be honest, the difference between the LP5X and LP2022 is not as obvious as on the LPW50BT. This makes music production less clouded and sounds cleaner. With this LP2022, the bass resonance is further tamed, the cleanest among the three turntables compared. ![]() Previously when I reviewed the LPW50BT, I described that it generates more resonance at the bass section compared to the LP5X. ![]() I then carefully listened to the recording and compared with all previous recordings. It is a track which I have recorded with all the turntables and cartridges I have ever owned or loaned. Once again, I made a recording of my beloved reference track, Enya’s Orinoco Flow, on the LP2022. Practical experience has shown that every part of the turntable contributes to the sound presentation, from the stylus – especially the stylus – to the plinth.
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