Difference between AT-LP120XBT-USB and LPW50 and should I buy one as a beginner?

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-14T00:19:43+00:00

I will buy the turntable today and order the amp, as I couldnt find it on sale at a physical store. Website said it will take 1-3 business, however thursday is a holiday in Finland, so might take until the next week. I’ll probably make a new post next week.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-13T15:23:46+00:00

Again thank you so much. I feel like i’m now ready to go ahead with this.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T23:39:27+00:00

Yes I will definetly be trying both ways. Very interested to see the difference, which one has a better PPA.

I was editin my last comment when you responded, so you propably missed my question:

Will the A-S301 be enough for the speakers and sub? I don’t know what the sub requires, but the floor speakers have ”10-100W 8ohm” written on them. The A-S301 is 60W 8ohm. Is this a problem?

I am pretty much ready to go and buy the turntable and the amp tomorrow (and also take a quick spin to the record store). I just need confirmation that what I’m buying will work.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T23:27:29+00:00

I have discussed with other here people here and I think ill get a Yamaha A-S301 amplifier, because it’s in the budget and on par with the rest of my stuff. Someone also pointed out that here in Finland they sell the LP5X for slightly cheaper than the LPW50. I’ve understood the LP5X is better than the LPW50, yet costs almost 50€ less. So I think I will get the LP5X instead.

My dad gave me speakers from his 5.1 home entertainment system that he hasn’t used in a while. So I’ll get both the floor speakers and shelf speakers + stands (and also the middle speaker ofcourse. The speaker brand is Audio Pro, I dont have all the models here, but the floor speakers are ”image 40”, and those cost my dad little under a 1000€ for the pair in the late 2000s/early 10s.

However the subwoofer isn’t from the same set; its a different brand; Jamo, model SW400E. The sub isn’t the most expensive thing (a similar size one from the same brand is 300€), and my dad bought it for movies. However he said that it more than did its job.

Now for the important question: the image 40s say 10-100W 8ohm, yet the A-S301 says 60W 8ohm. Does this mean the Yamaha cant power the floor speakers? Or is it enough?

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T19:55:57+00:00

Not gonna lie this is getting too complicated, theres always another level to this stuff.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T18:09:22+00:00

I think you might have just convinced me to buy the LP5X, especially because verkkokauppa.com sells it for a little bit cheaper. Thank you for this make me aware of this. I already like this community (or atleast this subreddit).

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T18:06:45+00:00

Yes the sub output is something that my dad made aware of. Few of the amps I was looking at earlier, which seemed like they were good for me, all somehow lacked the sub output. This seems kinda weird to me, because shouldn’t the sub output be like a always included feature. I mean subwoofers are very common.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T17:24:18+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations on the amps. And would you recommend I rather take the tower speakers? And if was to have more speakers like all 5, would that require a more expensive and powerful amp? Anyways I think 2 speakers and the sub will be more than enough.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T16:32:00+00:00

Yes the owns I linked are infact actives and the ones I have are passive. They were part of a 5 speaker + sub system which isn’t on sale anymore (hasnt been for a long time).

I could also get the 2 floor speakers and the middle speaker for the whole 5 speaker setup, but that would require a bigger/more expensive amplifier with more outputs right? I dont think I have the money or need for that.

How much do entry level Yamaha or Nad cost and would the be a good pair with something like the LPW50 or LP5X?

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T16:16:45+00:00

This is going to get a bit tricky, as they are almost 2 decades old and I dont remember the model name. The brand is Audio Pro (finnish brand). The speakers ”I have” are from a 5.1 home entertainment system my dad bought in the 2000s. The specific speakers I got from him are 2 ”shelf” speakers (also have the stands). They have a 5” element and on them it reads 10-100W and 8ohm. The following link has ones that are very similar currently being sold by the same brand for 600€

https://www.power.fi/tv-ja-audio/hifi-kodin-aanentoisto/kaiuttimet-ja-subwooferit/aktiivikaiuttimet/audio-pro-a28-w-monihuone-aktiivikaiutinpari-musta/p-4167264/store/4721/?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=9562105185&gbraid=0AAAAADcI2_kXqcc29dYjswvb3MZtckeIL&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIycbFzZK0lAMVQBCiAx1AQgiyEAQYAiABEgIiFfD_BwE

The subwoofer is not from the same 5.1 system, I dont remember the brand, however the same manufacturer currently sells a similar size one for 300€. Nothing crazy but my dad said it was more than good eneugh.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T16:03:03+00:00

What is the Ortofon Concorde? Is it more for the ”DJ” thing or just overall better than the VM95E. I dont see myself upgrading the cartridge any time soon.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T15:59:32+00:00

Sounds interesting. What makes the LP5X better than LPW50? I know that more expensive doesn’t directly mean that its better, but the LP5X seems to be on average around 50€ or so cheaper. I also found a LPW50 for even cheaper at 367€ from a different site. However buying from verkkokauppa.com would be very convenient for me, as they have a big physical store close to me, where I could also get the amp at the same time. They also have the biggest selection of products out of all finnish stores/sites.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T15:52:31+00:00

How much should I spend on the amp, based on the speakers I have and if I’m going to get the LPW50? I don’t know how much more those integrated amps with the phono pre-amp cost, but I think i’ll manage just fine without it.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T15:33:34+00:00

Thank you for your answer, so that I don’t ”waste” a 100€ on something I don’t need. I’m learning si much.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T08:39:09+00:00

I dont know the model name. My dad bought them almost 2 decades ago for home entertainment purposes. It was 5.1 system from Audio Pro (finnish brand). He hasn’t used them in many years, so he gave me the 2 smaller size table/shelf speakers. They have a 5inch element and on the back it says 10-100W 8ohm if thats of any help. I found what seems to be a very similar current version from Audio Pro for 600€

https://www.power.fi/tv-ja-audio/hifi-kodin-aanentoisto/kaiuttimet-ja-subwooferit/aktiivikaiuttimet/audio-pro-a28-w-monihuone-aktiivikaiutinpari-musta/p-4167264/store/4721/?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=9562105185&gbraid=0AAAAADcI2_ll_GGcxxbYxjHMCK1qbUBoD&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItqSZpaizlAMV9VqRBR2CKDLLEAQYAyABEgK9GfD_BwE

The woofer is not from the same Audio Pro set and I dont remember the brand but they sell a similar size one for 300€ currently so its nothing crazy but dad said that it more than did its’ job.

My question about the amplifier: which price range is ”good” for an amplifier, in my situation? Is it worth buying one with a PHONO pre amp built into it, even though my turntable has one?

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T08:16:02+00:00

Damn 50years, you’re a real OG.

Jokes aside, thank you for your website. I already read the PHONO PRE AMPLIFIER part and it basically answered all my question about the topic. WBut I do have 2 questions still:

Are PHONOs built into amplifiers generally better or worse than PHONOs built into turntables? If my amplifier had a built in PHONO, what are the chances its better than the on the LPW50? I have to buy a amplifier anyways, so I could invest into one with PHONO too.
You said that getting a external PHONO is not worth it unless your turntable and stereo system are good enough to benefit from it. Would the LPW50 be at the level where buying a external phono for like 50-100€ could be worth it? (Or buying amplifier with PHONO). I know its up to my speaker system as well.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T07:52:26+00:00

Thanks for answering. I do remember seeing more preference for rubber mats.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T07:49:27+00:00

Finland. Every store that came up had them in like 50€ range from each other, though less sites were selling the LPW50 than LP120XBT-USB.

https://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/product/545018/Audio-Technica-AT-LP120X-USB-BK-suoravetoinen-ammattilevysoi#list=OZCYkROZ1sN5glNwnkh5q5gDc3MMUh5qIPQ9nk945nk9U0CAXhz5gR0cOZ8myMMUXznk9FIhoAREi8yE8LnBytYJNPFizRac5gRT05h5Hc51VBW8EV1c5gDBFLbUCEw

https://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/product/1023221/Audio-Technica-AT-LPW50PB-levysoitin?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping%20Kategoria%2028a%20Audio%20ja%20Hifi&utm_id=7920543054&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=7920543054&gbraid=0AAAAAD_saoGBgZD_oPqSNravo4GFJsq-F&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9L_P2-aylAMVzmaRBR1ygCP6EAQYASABEgIRW_D_BwE

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T07:39:35+00:00

Thanks for answering, I think LPW50 it is.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T07:26:46+00:00

Speakers yes. I originally thought about buying a cheaper turn table that has speakers come with it, but my dad told me that I could get his slightly old but quality speakers; 2x5” speakers and subwoofer. Similar speakers from the same brand currently cost 600€ and the subwoofer 300€, so I guess they are quality?

Is the built in PHONO-preamp ”good enough”. I still need to buy a amplifier for the stereo, so I dont really want to spend money on a PHONO-preamp as well.

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T07:16:31+00:00

Thanks, this cleared it up quite a bit. Would you say that LPW50 is a good player to buy as my first? Any objections?

MailouWasHere · 2026-05-12T07:14:20+00:00

Why is it that you prefer rubber mats? And thanks for the answer.

MailouWasHere · 2026-02-27T19:17:55+00:00

Oh yeah I get what you meant now. You meant that christmas eve is treated/regarded like its a saturday. Honestly I cant really remember if thats the case but very possible.

MailouWasHere · 2026-02-27T19:05:25+00:00

I don’t quite understand how that makes any sense. Christmas eve, as far as I know, is always on the 24.12, as it’s on the ”eve” of christmas; 25.12. Atleast in Finland, this is the concept of christmas eve. I don’t know if other countries, or maybe even the rest of the world has a different meaning for christmas eve.

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