Turntable comparisons usually get framed as a contest of sound quality, as if the better-sounding deck automatically wins. At the $350 to $400 level, that misses the more important question: what the turntable has to plug into. The Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB and the Fluance RT82 cost about the same and both appear on every serious beginner list, including our own guide to the best turntables for beginners. But one is built to work with anything, and the other is built to do one thing very well inside an existing system.
Here is how they compare, and which one to buy.
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Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB: the Swiss Army deck
The LP120XUSB borrows its layout from the classic club turntable. It is direct drive, with a quartz-locked pitch control adjustable by 8 or 16 percent, and it plays 33, 45 and 78 RPM, so old shellac is covered. It ships with Audio-Technica's AT-VM95E cartridge, with an elliptical stylus, on a universal half-inch headshell that is easy to swap. A switchable built-in phono preamp lets it plug straight into powered speakers, and a USB output lets you record records to a computer. Audio-Technica lists it from $399. Around $399 on Amazon.
See the Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB on Amazon
Fluance RT82: the purist
Canadian brand Fluance designed the RT82 for people who already have an amplifier with a phono input, or are willing to buy a separate phono stage. It is belt driven, with a servo motor that checks and corrects platter speed 500 times a second, mounted away from the platter on silicone isolation. The plinth is high-mass MDF in a real wood veneer, the tonearm is a balanced S-shape, and it ships with an Ortofon OM 10 cartridge with an elliptical stylus. Crucially, there are no electronics between the stylus and the output: no preamp, no USB, no Bluetooth. Fluance lists it at $349.99, or with its PA10 phono preamp for $99.99 more. Around $350 on Amazon.
See the Fluance RT82 on Amazon
Sound: the closer contest
With good speakers, the RT82 sounds a little calmer and more refined. Belt drive and a heavy plinth keep motor noise and rumble away from the stylus, and the absence of internal electronics means the signal arrives clean at a proper phono stage. The LP120XUSB is not noisy, but its built-in preamp is a convenience part rather than a performance one, and most owners who care about sound bypass it eventually. The cartridges are close, and both have an easy upgrade path: better styli from each family slot into the same cartridge body. Run both through the same good external preamp and the gap narrows to the point where speakers and room matter more.
Features: not close
Here the Audio-Technica wins easily. It has a preamp, USB recording, pitch control, a third speed, a removable headshell and the instant start and stop of direct drive. That makes it the only one of the two that suits DJs, anyone digitizing a collection or someone starting with nothing but a pair of powered speakers. The RT82 has a defeatable auto-stop, a cue lever and very little else. That simplicity is a choice, and it is part of the appeal, but it means the RT82 cannot be used on its own with powered speakers unless you add a phono preamp.
The real price
On paper the Fluance is cheaper. In practice, if you need a phono preamp, the RT82 plus Fluance's PA10 costs about $450, which is more than the LP120XUSB. If your amplifier or receiver already has a phono input, the RT82 is the better deal outright.
The verdict
For listening, buy the Fluance RT82. If you already own a stereo amplifier with a phono input, or a good external preamp, it is the more refined turntable for less money, and it looks like furniture rather than equipment. Buy the Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB if you are starting from powered speakers, want to record your records, play 78s or have any interest in DJing. It is the more useful machine, and it will work with whatever you plug it into next.
Whichever you choose, budget properly for speakers, because they shape the sound more than the deck does, and our record care essentials keep the records worth playing.
Full specifications are on the official pages for the Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB and the Fluance RT82. Both are available on Amazon at the links above.
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