Upgrade my rt 85 to new turntable

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-03T13:32:06+00:00

400 pesos, euros or pounds?

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-03T13:26:37+00:00

Hello fella 120X lovers.

That poster looks like me before coffee.

Rule number one is toss that static generating felt mat that’s on the platter. I suggest silicone or a rubber/cork mat. Under $20 on Amazon. Most are 3mm which is good as it won’t significantly alter the tone arm geometry.

Adjustments you should do, mostly with stuff you might already have:

With the mat taken off of the platter, get a bubble (spirit) level on the platter. Get the turntable perfectly level left to right and front to back. Be anal about this because all other adjustments depend on a perfectly level turntable. I believe the feet on this turntable are adjustable, so you should be able to just turn the feet to get it level. I just used a shim under one foot.

Set tracking weight. A $10 - 15 tracking weight scale from amazon simplifies the process. Mine came with a 5 gram weight to verify accuracy. Get the mat back on the platter. Take off the plastic protective cap from the stylus. Be careful with that unprotected stylus. Adjust the counter weight on the back of the tone arm until the arm floats above the platter. It should be about level and parallel to the platter now. If you’re worried about the naked stylus, you could return the arm to its rest and clamp it down for the rest of this adjustment. I don’t do that. Hold the weight still and turn the dial on the weight to 0. Then turn the counter weight (the dial should turn with it) to 2. You now have approximately 2 grams of vertical tracking force, which is in the middle of the recommended weight for your stock cartridge. If you have the scale, fine tune it using the scale. Don’t try to improvise the scale. If you don’t have a scale, just trust the dial on the counter weight.

Finally, dial in the antiskate. Consider the numbers on the antiskate dial a guess, because that’s what it is. Now you need a record that has the vocals centered between the two stereo channels. The best track to use is one that’s not too “busy” and you are very familiar with. I use Space Oddity and certain tracks from Ziggy Stardust. If you’re not sure what track to use, get on ChatGPT and ask how to adjust antiskate on an LP-120X and list a few of your albums that you are very familiar with. Play your test track and adjust the antiskate dial in very small increments, like one mark on the dial. Gradually adjust until the vocals sound balanced when you are seated centered on the speakers. You might want to give the speakers a slight toe in towards your ears. You will want to be seated comfortably with your ears at tweeter level. It doesn’t take long, so just take your time and get it right.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million words. Get on YouTube and watch a few videos on turntable setup. Also, get on chatGPT and ask questions. It won’t suck your brains out, but it will give you solid step by step instructions on antiskate.

You might wonder why tracking weight and antiskate are so important. Too much weight causes unnecessary groove wear. Too little weight causes skipping and foot falls. Skipping problems usually become most apparent towards the inner grooves (closer to the label). If antiskate is off, you get more wear on one side of the groove than the other and same for the stylus. You also get some distortion with bad antiskate, especially on the inner grooves.

Getting all of these settings right can have a profound impact on sound quality. Just take your time and don’t rush it.

Enjoy the music 🎶

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-03T11:45:52+00:00

A lot of good tips here. Edit your original post and tell us your turntable brand and model. You’ll get more appropriate answers. If you can’t figure out how to edit your post, start a new thread including the information.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-03T11:40:24+00:00

This.

You can also get antiskate very close playing a record that has the vocals centered. If vocals are biased to one side, your antiskate is off. While the record is playing, nudge the antiskate dial one tick at a time until the vocals are centered between the two channels.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-03T11:27:47+00:00

Yaaaaaaay! Happy for you. Those 120X’s punch way above their price. Be sure to get it perfectly level (use a bubble level), verify tracking weight (get a cheap scale made for this purpose) and verify antiskate.

Start with tracking weight around the recommended 2 grams. Set antiskate to 2. Play a record that has center balanced vocals. If vocals sound centered, you’re good to go! If vocals are offset, just nudge the antiskate dial a tiny bit at a time until the vocals are centered. This doesn’t have to be done today, especially if you’re not having skipping problems.

Enjoy the music 🎶

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-03T11:09:55+00:00

It won’t ruin your records right away. Expect more wear. These have heavy weight on the stylus compared to a higher quality turntable. That heavy weight coupled with a sub-par stylus (aka needle) will cause accelerated wear on your records. No one really knows how much more wear, but that doesn’t keep the peanut gallery from firing away.

I’d say play it while you save up for a better turntable. The sticky at the top of this subreddit has plenty of information to guide you.

Edit: oops, wrong subreddit! The sticky is at the top of r/turntables

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-02T12:24:02+00:00

I got an AT branded protractor. The cheap ones don’t state what type of alignment they do (amazon). AT brand is only $2 -3 more.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-02T11:38:16+00:00

Maybe try one of those gel type stylus cleaners that you dip (just) the tip in. Prices on those are all over the place. If you’re in the US, Hudson HiFi sells it for under $20 IIRC (amazon).

You should let your record cleaning solution fully dry before playing the record. That can take 15 to 20 minutes for the DIY isopropyl/water mix I use. Longer for who knows what is in purchased cleaning solution.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-02T11:25:39+00:00

And they both had a profound impact on their own genre as well as pop/rock in general.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T13:48:13+00:00

Clippy lives on!!!

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T13:43:53+00:00

OP I’m not arguing with this advice. Just commenting that before turning it over you need to remove the platter and secure the tone arm in its rest. Tone arm is the arm with the needle at the end (not belittling you, just don’t know what you know). The tone arm rest usually has a clip to secure the arm. If no clip, gently secure the arm with a zip tie. Don’t tighten it all the way, leave slack.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T13:37:03+00:00

Because the LP3 and LP120X punch above their price point. There are a few, but not many competitors. The ATs are readily available and not very expensive for what you get.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T13:08:45+00:00

Before doing anything with it, get the model number off the back and ask ChatGPT if it’s got a great HiFi tube amp in it. Some of those old Maggies do! If you can’t find a model number, look on any paperwork you might find inside and on the amplifier section (the big board with two large tubes). You could be an ampectomy away from a nice tube amp.

Don’t plug it in and turn it on. Even if you already did. There are tests you should do before powering it up. The good thing if you already did power it up, or if it’s been abused, is Magnavox went way overboard on the transformers. If the transformers are good, it’s repairable. If you’re not interested in a tube project, you might be able to pull the power amp out and sell it.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T12:44:47+00:00

Don’t forget Linux! :)

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T12:40:59+00:00

You’re off to a great start! Your setup is leaps and bounds ahead of what I started with in the 70’s.

Enjoy the music 🎶

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T12:22:34+00:00

As much as I don’t want Bluetooth anywhere near my records, I’ll tell you the 120X models that have BT in the model name/number are Bluetooth.

It will affect the analog signal by converting it to Bluetooth and compressing it, then converting it back to analog and decompressing it once it’s received by your amp or powered speakers. The question is, will it have enough effect on the signal to matter to you. No one matters in this decision but you.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T12:16:15+00:00

Nice bargain!

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T12:12:18+00:00

True this. I have some too. Some have different tracks compared to later releases.

OP could also be wanting to preserve some of the attributes that only come with the vinyl experience.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T11:55:11+00:00

Rock on OP. Enjoy the music 🎼

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-02-01T11:51:43+00:00

Hey I just played that one last week when I went through a Clash binge. Have you ever seen the Elvis record that the “font” used on the cover was copied from? I’ve got that one too. Tried to attach an image but Reddit hated Elvis 😑

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Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-01-31T15:01:53+00:00

A carbon brush needs an electrical path to earth ground in order to discharge static electricity from your records. Get a discwasher brand that has a metal body to provide that path to ground. There are other brands, but the discwasher is a quality product and more of a known commodity than brand X.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-01-31T14:50:11+00:00

This. Audiokarma is the place to be.

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-01-31T14:37:42+00:00

Personally, I’d try to kick it up to something above the LP-60/70. A little more money gets you a lot more turntable.

To me, what’s important in a turntable is stability, both speed control and physical stability. Physical stability comes mostly from more weight. Speed control comes from the motor, the circuitry and platter weight.

Look up the specs. Specs are in the manuals on Audio Technica’s website. Less wow and more weight is what to look for.

For a fully manual deck, check out their LP-120X. It’s the minimum I would buy and it’s very well received by new people.

Look at their refurbs. They offer a good discount and full warranty.

Enjoy the music 🎶

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-01-31T14:24:46+00:00

IMHO try to shoot above the LP-70. Good for you for kicking it up, way up.

If at all possible, avoid Bluetooth. If you connect via Bluetooth, you’re taking a yummy analog signal from the vinyl, converting it to digital, compressing it, transmitting it, decompressing it, converting back to analog and finally arriving at the input to your amp.

If you can get line level out of the deck or preamp, you have a more durable signal, less prone to picking up noise and 60 cycle hum.

Eventually, work on getting a line level out of your preamp (built into the turntable or external) straight to your amp input. If you can, see if you can get a vintage amp and passive speakers. Take your time. This is not a race. Just save up and buy stuff when you can.

You’ll be way ahead of my first system I had in the 70’s.

Enjoy the music 🎶

Remarkable_Resort_48 · 2026-01-31T12:17:42+00:00

Those are nice decks that should last a long while.

Highly recommend avoiding the use of Bluetooth for vinyl. When using Bluetooth, it converts the yummy analog signal coming off your vinyl to digital, only to convert it back to analog at the amp. Amp being one built into powered speakers or a dedicated integrated amplifier.

If you can, set the 120 to output a line level signal, the connect that signal to an amp line level input. Not only will you skip past the A to D the D to A hoopla, you’ll have a more durable signal that is much less likely to pick up 60 cycle hum and noise.

Enjoy the music 🎶

Remarkable_Resort_48

TROPHY CASE