Recognizing the critical role a cartridge plays in reproducing high-fidelity audio from vinyl, we designed this fully manual, belt-drive turntable around our VM cartridge line, incorporating the finest materials and structures in support of the cartridge’s performance. The AT-LP7 comes with a VM520EB Dual Moving Magnet Cartridge with a 10 g AT-HS10 headshell and 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical bonded stylus. That stylus can be replaced with any of the other six styli available in the VM line, giving users an easy means of upgrading the stylus without buying a whole new cartridge.

The headshell attaches to a J-shaped tone arm that takes its inspiration from the classic A-T models of the 1960s and ’70s. The tone arm features a metallic gimbal suspension system and precision bearings to mitigate tracking errors, and includes an adjustable counterweight and anti-skate control. The height of the tone arm can be adjusted from 0 mm to 6 mm to accommodate a wide variety of cartridges.

The turntable chassis is constructed of 40 mm-thick MDF (medium density fiberboard), an excellent anti-vibration damping material that limits low-frequency acoustical feedback. The anti-resonance platter is made of 20 mm-thick polyoxymethylene and is driven by a sensor-monitored motor that ensures a continuously accurate platter rotation speed of 33-1/3 or 45 RPM. The AT-LP7 also includes a built-in switchable phono/line preamp for connection to components with or without a dedicated phono input, and a selector switch to designate operation with a moving magnet or moving coil cartridge.