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DJ Tech Reviews

Audio-Technica AT-LP140XP

A solid direct-drive deck with a Technics layout; the fitted cartridge and the tonearm lift are its weak spots.

Audio-Technica AT-LP140XP turntable in black, angled view with dust cover open

Photos: Audio-Technica

All retailers and the price history

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5 of 6 professional reviews recommend it4.8/5 from 42 Thomann owners
Best for
Home practice and listening on a Technics-style deck you can upgrade.
Skip it if
You need a club-proof deck, a built-in preamp, USB or auto-return.

The Internet’s Opinion

From 6 professional reviews and 37 owner reviews: a fair amount of evidence.

Five of six professional reviews recommend it, and owners most often praise a solid, well-finished build, a strong direct-drive motor and a Technics-style layout for the money. The repeated reservations are the basic AT-XP3 cartridge, a tonearm lift that drifts, a plastic body and some cheap-feeling parts, and no built-in phono preamp.

5 recommend1 mixed0 avoid

What people praise

  • Solid, heavy and well finished for the price
  • Removable headshell and adjustable arm make cartridge upgrades easy
  • Strong, steady direct-drive motor
Show 3 more
  • Clean, punchy sound with a full low end
  • Technics-style layout and feel at a fraction of the price
  • Three speeds including 78, three pitch ranges and reverse play

What to know first

  • Supplied AT-XP3 cartridge is basic; many owners replace it, and it is not one for scratchingReplaceable part
  • Tonearm lift drifts or drops too fast, and one failed within a year
  • Plastic body, feet and some switches feel cheaper than the rest
Show 5 more
  • No built-in phono preamp or USB output
  • Faint hum from the power supply on some units
  • Platter wobble or motor faults on some units
  • Better at home than in a loud club, where the light body picks up knocks and feedback
  • Fully manual: no auto-return or auto-stop, which home listeners miss

Owner ratings, as the retailers publish them

  • Thomann4.8/5from 42 ratings · read Oct 15, 2026
  • Guitar Center5.0/5from 4 ratings · read Oct 15, 2026
See the 6 reviews behind this

6 professional reviews (5 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 avoid); 37 owner reviews read at Thomann (black and silver listings, 47 posted, 10 under 20 words skipped); Guitar Center's 4 reviews are all under 20 wordsCompiled 2026-10-10How this is compiled

Video reviews

  • Andrew RobinsonJan 2021Recommends

    AS GOOD AS TECHNICS!? Audio Technica AT-LP140XP RECORD PLAYER Review

Plays from YouTube when you press play. Picked from the reviews counted above, including one that disagrees where there is one.

Prices

Before you buy

Released
March 2019
Status
Current

Works with

  • Mixers and amps with phono inputsPhono level out

    Designed to connect to components with a dedicated phono input; 5.5 mV output through a detachable dual RCA cable with ground wire Manufacturer spec sheet (Audio-Technica), checked 2026-10-11

  • Half-inch mount cartridgesUniversal headshell

    The AT-XP3 comes fitted to an AT-HS6 universal half-inch-mount headshell; the arm takes cartridges of 3.5 to 8.5 g Manufacturer spec sheet (Audio-Technica), checked 2026-10-11

  • XP and VM95 Series styliStylus upgrades

    The fitted AT-XP3 cartridge accepts any XP or VM95 Series replacement stylus Manufacturer spec sheet (Audio-Technica), checked 2026-10-11

  • 33, 45 and 78 rpm recordsThree speeds

    Plays 33-1/3, 45 and 78 rpm, with pitch ranges of ±8, ±16 and ±24%, pitch lock and reverse play Manufacturer spec sheet (Audio-Technica), checked 2026-10-11

You’ll also need

  • Phono preamp or a mixer with phono inputsPhono input needed

    Audio-Technica designs it to connect to components with a dedicated phono input (5.5 mV output) Manufacturer spec sheet (Audio-Technica), checked 2026-10-11

  • Speakers or an amplifierNot in the box

    The box holds the cartridge, headshell, RCA cable with ground wire, counterweight, felt mat, dust cover and 45 rpm adapter Manufacturer spec sheet (Audio-Technica), checked 2026-10-11

Key specs

Drive
Direct drive, high-torque DC motor
Starting torque
> 2.2 kgf·cm
Speeds
33⅓ / 45 / 78 rpm
Pitch range
±8% / ±16% / ±24%
Tonearm
Balanced S-shaped with detachable headshell; 230.5 mm effective length, 16 mm overhang, 0 – 4 g anti-skate
Cartridge
AT-XP3 on AT-HS6 headshell, included
All 14 specifications
Outputs
Phono-level RCA, 5.5 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5 cm/s; detachable cable with ground wire
Weight
10.0 kg (22 lb), without dust cover
Platter
Die-cast aluminium, anti-resonance mass-damped, with felt mat
Preamp
None — phono-level output only (5.5 mV nominal)
Reverse
Yes (forward/reverse operation)
Dimensions
452.0 × 352.0 × 158.6 mm (W × D × H)
Wow and flutter
< 0.2% (WTD) @ 3 kHz (JIS)
Signal-to-noise
> 50 dB

14 of 14 figures sourced; hover one for its source

Our take

Tony AllenWritten from the sources on this page, not from a loan unit.

Five of six professional reviews recommend it, and the praise owners repeat most is a solid, well-finished build, then a strong motor and an easy cartridge upgrade path. The supplied AT-XP3 is the main reservation: owners often replace it, and it is not a scratch cartridge. A drifting tonearm lift and plastic parts draw complaints too. Buy it for home practice and listening, with a phono preamp if your mixer lacks phono inputs.

What it is

Status, October 2026: current. Audio-Technica still lists it among its turntables.

What it is

The AT-LP140XP is a fully manual direct-drive DJ turntable from Audio-Technica, announced at NAMM in January 2019 alongside the AT-XP3 DJ cartridge and on sale from March 2019 (Audio-Technica product page). It came in black and silver versions.

A high-torque DC motor drives a die-cast aluminium platter with a felt mat at 33⅓, 45 or 78 rpm, with a starting torque above 2.2 kgf·cm. The pitch slider has ranges of ±8, ±16 and ±24%, and a quartz pitch lock holds the speed. It also has a start/stop button, forward and reverse play, a stroboscopic platter with a speed indicator and a pop-up stylus target light.

The balanced S-shaped tonearm has height adjustment, a hydraulically damped lift, a lockable rest and anti-skate from 0 to 4 g, and takes cartridges of 3.5 to 8.5 g. The AT-XP3 cartridge, with a 0.6 mil conical stylus, comes fitted to an AT-HS6 universal half-inch-mount headshell, and it accepts any XP or VM95 Series replacement stylus.

There is no built-in phono preamp and no USB. The deck puts out a phono-level 5.5 mV signal through a detachable dual RCA cable with a ground wire, so it needs a mixer or amplifier with a phono input. It runs on mains power, measures 452 x 352 x 158.6 mm and weighs 10 kg without the dust cover. The box holds the cartridge on its headshell, the RCA cable, a power cable, the counterweight, the felt mat, a removable hinged dust cover and a 45 rpm adapter.