On the Tull LP, the LP5x provided more control in the bass region and added refinement and complexity in the lower frequencies. In short, although the RT83 gave a tighter and more accurate account of the midrange, the LP5x was better balanced in terms of overall tonality providing great finesse and information. CONCLUSION There’s no denying the fact that the Vertere DG-1 S is up against some mighty competition (such as the excellent Rega Planar 10), but given what we’ve heard, it can go into any such comparisons with confidence. The best just got better.

So it’s no surprise to find that Audio-Technica hasn’t changed its winning formula for this new LP5x model. Why would it? Despite the inclusion of noisy (in high frequency terms) built-in phono amp and USB port, the fact that the LP5x does not have 57 varieties of DJ furniture on its plinth reduces even more high frequency noise and vibration. The result for the LP5x is a turntable offering greater clarity and character. OK, it doesn’t root itself into a wholly bass-lead foundation but, instead, it’s lighter on its feet and more reactive. The LP5x provides a better balanced suite of sonics than the 140.A/D: 16 bit 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz USB selectable; Computer interface: USB 2.0 compliant Windows 7 or above, MAC OS X or above

Similarly, make sure you read up on the sonic characteristics of all your components – even five-star products benefit from the right partnering.

The LP5x features a basic aluminium platter which doesn’t look a patch on the 140’s rather swish design, while the latter is fitted with damping materials. The LP5x also has a horribly cheap rubber mat a-top instead of the better fabric mat of the 140. The Audio-Technica AT-VM95E delivered all the songs on ‘Harvest’ smoothly, fluidly and very musically, and you can’t really ask for much more than that.