y time with the 'LP7 started smoothly. Everything arrived in a well-arranged cardboard-and-foam container with an easy-to-read instruction manual that helped me and my TAB colleague, Mark Blackmore, unpack and set up the ‘table in just about a half-hour. Vinyl newbies might want to consult a YouTube tutorial about cartridge setup, but carefully following the written instructions will be sufficient for those who aren’t ergonomically challenged. My only quibble is that Audio-Technica did not include an alignment jig, a leveling tool or tracking-force gauge to verify proper setup. I also wish all manufacturers would include some kind of device to aid in positioning the tonearm parallel with the platter. Getting a good line-of-sight estimation is not always as easy as it looks if your rack is low to the ground.

Nonetheless, a quick verification with a DB Systems protractor after the cartridge’s headshell was mounted indicated that the folks at Audio-Technica did a fine job with their design and further cartridge-alignment adjustments weren’t needed. We used a four-dollar plastic bullseye bubble level from the local hardware store to determine that the 'LP7 was sitting slightly tilted on my Solidsteel equipment rack. A couple of turns of the ‘table’s adjustable feet were all that was needed to get the bubble dead center. Because the 'LP7 may be used by a vinyl newbie, we tried setting the tracking force according to the manual. After dialing the counterweight out to achieve a free-floating balance, we used the 'LP7’s tracking-force ring to set the final vertical tracking force. Again, to Audio-Technica’s credit, the force was spot on when checked with an Ortofon digital gauge. This method proved accurate each time we performed the measurement after a change. Although a stylus-force gauge should always be used to set VTF, it was nice to see that this is one 'table that could be set up without an added accessory.

While the 'LP7 sounded clear and competent right out of the gate, the cartridge and cabling needed some playing time for instrumental timbres to sound relaxed and completely natural. That would be true of every brand-new analog front-end I’ve heard. After two weeks with the 'table in heavy rotation, I settled in for some critical listening using the 'LP7’s onboard phono stage fed to the line input of my Convergent Audio Technology Black Path Edition Renaissance SL1 preamp. The first selection was Harry Nilsson’s A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night [RCA APL1-0097], a vintage disc that’s packed with exciting crescendos, subtle detail and a diversity of musical instruments. Nilsson’s multi-octave range is also a good way to test a ‘table’s ability to reproduce the full spectrum of a human voice in a believable manner. The stock 'LP7 did a superb job of accurately tracking throughout the disc, conveying the purity of Nilsson’s sustained pitch as well as the lushness of his accompanying orchestra. The Audio-Technica VM520EB cartridge retrieved far more detail than I expected from a budget moving-magnet design. The texture of violins and subtle breaths Nilsson takes before beginning a new line were there to be heard, but they did not become intrusive.

The 'LP7’s superb tracking and lively, distortion-free retrieval of detail were consistent regardless of the record, even some discs whose innermost tracks proved to be a challenge for my 20-year-old Rega P3. However, dynamics sounded constricted and the soundstage was smaller than I was accustomed to hearing when using my reference. When I switched off the 'LP7’s phono stage and connected directly to the far more expensive tube phono stage of my preamp, the 'LP7’s presentation blossomed and bloomed; instruments and the surrounding space became more three-dimensional, and dynamics reached a much grander scale. Anyone who purchases the 'LP7 should note that this humble ‘table clearly has a reserve of impressive performance potential that can be unlocked with the upgrade to a separate phono stage down the road. The same is true of Audio-Technica’s stock RCA cables and grounding wire. By replacing them with Shunyata Research’s flagship Sigma phono and grounding cables, I found that the 'LP7 delivered far more micro detail than I thought possible in this price range. While I don’t suggest breaking the bank on interconnects, it’s clear that the 'LP7 has plenty of potential for those willing to tweak.

While the stock 'LP7’s retrieval of detail was impressive, its presentation of some instruments began to sound a bit relentless over time. For example, on Count Basie’s Basie and Friends [Pablo 2310-925], the striking of Basie’s piano keys pinged in a manner I’d never heard before. Brighter recordings like the Rhino remaster of the Ramone’s Rocket to Russia [Rhino RR1 6042] highlighted Tommy Ramone’s cymbals and leading edge of his stick attack to the detriment of instruments that live in the album’s propulsive midrange. That emphasis made the recording sound more fatiguing than I remembered.

So I decided to swap out the Audio-Technica VM520EB cartridge for my trusty Denon '103R (with no loading, which is what I prefer in my system). That was all it took to put Tommy’s cymbals back into proper proportion and bring Johnny and Dee Dee rumbling back into the mix. All was well again. As good as the VM520EB was, the '103R’s presentation of the frequency range was more balanced, and the tonal palette was more true to what I think drums, cymbals and guitars sound like. To my ears, and through my system, the VM520EB sounded a bit tipped up. However, the upper-frequency emphasis was less distracting when using the 'LP7’s onboard phono stage and supplied RCA cables.

Once the 'LP7 was equipped with a cartridge more familiar to me, I began to identify clearly the characteristics of the ‘table and tonearm. First and foremost, the 'LP7 was impressively quiet. On high-quality pressings, like the Speakers Corner reissue of Wear Your Love Like Heaven [Epic/Speakers Corner BN26349], I heard Donovan Leech’s voice emerge spookily from an inky-black background. One non-audiophile music lover who visited during my audition was impressed enough to say, "This is vinyl? It’s more clear and detailed than a CD!" Audio-Technica’s attention to noise reduction was well spent.

The 'LP7’s other outstanding trait is its tracking performance. Perhaps it was the J-shaped tonearm and gimbal suspension, but the 'LP7 eliminated minor distortion on the inner-most tracks of a number of records that I’d previously thought were poorly recorded. On the other hand, the 'LP7 also struck me as a bit analytical at times. On an album like Warren Zevon’s Excitable Boy [Asylum 6E-118], it lacked some of the midrange warmth my Rega brought to the proceedings. On the other hand, the 'LP7’s precision and clarity made listening to more subtle orchestral interludes on Randy Newman’s Sail Away [Warner Brothers MS 2064] truly exhilarating.

ith the AT-LP7, Audio-Technica has delivered a solid package that is more than capable of facing competition in the $800-$1200 neighborhood. This is a turntable package with which you can grow, beginning with it in stock form and then upgrading down the road. In this case, your smartly designed belt-drive turntable with adjustable tonearm will respond. During my time with the 'LP7, it proved itself capable of delivering enough of the truth to reward splurging for remastered LPs, as well as phono-stage, cable and cartridge upgrades -- exactly what you'd want from a modern belt-drive turntable.

Rock-solid build quality and impressive attention to detail make the 'LP7 a great turntable for a music lover, a budding audiophile, or a veteran hi-fi hobbyist on a budget. It provides a taste of the high end and a firm foundation from which to reach considerably higher than its price tag indicates.