Audio Technica AT-LPW50BTRW

A player decked with fine features and fine sound

As Record Store Day celebrated its 15th year in 2023, it is gratifying to see vinyl still in healthy shape, with record-breaking vinyl sales (thanks, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles) and new record players regularly hitting the shelves.

Audio Technica’s AT-LPW50BTRW is one such new deck, offering an appealing combination of features – a belt-drive turntable with built-in phono stage and Bluetooth streaming – to appeal to a wide audience, regardless of their experience with vinyl.

There’s plenty of competition at this price from the likes of Rega, Pro-Ject, Dual and Sony, but Audio Technica has a knack for manufacturing modern turntables with hi-fi flourishes that look and sound great. Is it in evidence here?

Quality look and feel

This is a smart-looking turntable with instant shelf appeal. The rosewood finish looks appealing and the build quality is fantastic. Every element of the deck – from the electronic speed change dial to the carbon-fibre tonearm and the hydraulically damped lift control – feels of a high standard. We wish there were a little less play in the tonearm’s bearing, but otherwise this is a well made, nicely designed deck that is a joy to use.

This should be no surprise. Having celebrated its 60th anniversary last year, Audio Technica has a proven record in making great turntables (the five-star AT-LP5x is a prime example) and the AT-LPW50BTRW continues the tradition. It certainly feels better finished than the similarly priced Dual CS418, and is head and shoulders above the more budget (and very budget-feeling) Bluetoothtoting Sony PS-LX310BT.