Audio-Technica LPW40WN Fully Manual Belt Drive Turntable

The Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN is a good example of the progress that has been made in budget turntables.

The ubiquitous plastics have given way to MDF plinths and carbon fiber tonearms, which means the AT-LPW40WN not only looks great, with its satin lacquered walnut veneer, but also sounds great.

There is a single knob, which is both the power switch and the speed selector (33.3 rpm and 45 rpm). It has a belt drive with the whole mechanism hidden under the platter. The engine was installed with vibration-damping rubber brackets, while the platter is a classic aluminum die-cast. It is a fully manual turntable, meaning you need to make all of the tonearm’s movements - there are no auto-return or auto-stop functions.

This is one of the first turntables to use the cartridge from the new AT-VM95E family, which has an advanced (for such an affordable model), elliptical needle cut. All cartridges from the AT-VM95 family have a common body, so the factory one can be easily replaced with an upgrade if desired. 

It is also worth paying attention to the relatively high level of output voltage, thanks to which the turntable will play loud. The sound is well-saturated, balanced, and energetic at the same time. This turntable neither flattens nor exaggerates the sound nor does it wade in any direction at the expense of other important features.