LP5 IPT Turntable

The AT-LP5 IPT

Here at The Audio Files we have been quietly championing Vinyl for the last decade, and listening to it ourselves for much longer. We have been striving to provide the best service we can for setting up and keeping fresh your classic turntables, enabling you to get the best from your vinyl replay. For us, this medium has never been away, but we are thrilled that it is now more popular than for a long time, and would be even more pleased to pass on our experience and advice, and guide you in your quest for better replay of this classic Hi-Fidelity recording format.

Discerning analogue music fans have of late, been revisiting their Vinyl in droves, and many new enthusiasts are also entering the arena eager to find out from first hand just what the fuss is all about, captured on this classic analogue format. The turntable market has never been more buoyant, and entry level disc spinners seem to be available everywhere, even from your local Supermarket! Obviously not all of these players carry our recommendation.

When we at The Audio Files set out to improve the already impressive Audio Technica AT-LP5 turntable, we were very aware that we must build on its strengths, the gap in the market seemed to us to be to provide a high quality turntable that was not employing outdated belt drive technology, but that had an arm of sufficient quality to enable much better cartridges to perform to their maximum ability, not limited by the build and assembly component tolerance compromises that go along with higher volume manufacture.

We sourced the Audio Origami AO202 tonearm which you’ll recognise as being a Rega arm at heart. Integration of this serious tonearm with the LP5 turntable motor unit was achieved with a custom designed and manufactured Acrylic arm-board, CNC laser cut for perfect geometry and optimum VTA. Our quest for improved performance had started! What came next was six months of intensive prototyping, listening tests & optimising of performance. We invited SDS Ltd, whose innovative techniques are well known for reducing and controlling resonance and vibration that could mask the smaller and more nuanced signals that we all know exist in all the best vinyl transcriptions. They have contributed their considerable technical knowhow and skills to the project, and their platter damping treatment provides the icing on what we feel is, both technically and musically, a beautifully resolved product that is without any serious competition at its price.

Fitted as standard with the AT-95E MM cartridge (you’ll be amazed at how good this modest cartridge can sound) or upgradable to the AT-440Mlb with micro linear stylus (+£99).

The LP5-IPT retains the Audio Technica switchable internal phono stage and ability to digitise your vinyl with the (included) Audacity software. But we suspect you’ll be much too busy digging out and playing those records from the back of your collection to be bothered with that. A custom made high quality pair of phono leads is included to top off the package.

Please look at the specs, and at the engineering elegance of the IPT upgraded version of this classic Hi-Fi Disc spinner, if our intent isn’t obvious, then a moment or two of listening should dispel any doubts, we have heard many and various turntable legends over the years, and are pretty excited about the AT-LP5 IPT version of this now classic Audio Technica.

AT-LP5 IPT Specification

Drive Method: Direct drive
Type:                                          2-Speed, fully manual operation
Motor:                                       DC motor
Speeds:                                    33-1/3 RPM, 45 RPM
Turntable Platter:                Die-cast aluminium with SDS Damping
Starting Torque:                   >1.6 kgf.cm
Braking System:                  Electronic brake
Wow and Flutter:                 < 0.2% WRMS (33 RPM)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: > 50 dB
Output Level:                     “PHONO” (Pre-amp bypassed) – 4 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec
“LINE” (Pre-amp engaged) – 150 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec
USB Function:                      A/D, D/A – 16 bit 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz USB selectable
Computer interface:         USB 1.1 (or higher) compliant Windows XP, Vista or
MAC OS X
Accessories Included:      Dust cover with hinges; AC mains lead; Dual RCA (male) to Dual RCA (male) stereo cable; 45 RPM                                                                   single centre hole adapter; USB cable; recording software (Audacity), cartridge alignment and overhang adjustment template

Tonearm:                                  Audio Origami AO202 by Rega Research Single piece  die-cast armtube
Three point fixing
Hand selected, high quality vertical and horizontal bearings

£695 with free UK shipping

Comes with AT95E cartridge as standard. Contact us first for alternative cartridge options.