Not available there and I contacted Audio-Technica and they said: “At this time, the AT-LP5x is not available for sale in the US. Building on Audio-Technica’s analog heritage and over 50 years of Japanese audio design, the AT-LP5X features upgraded technology while keeping the contemporary style and acclaimed performance of its predecessor, the AT-LP5. The LP5 timed nicely and delivered a consistently entertaining and lucid performance while it did so. The AT-LP5X shows reverence for the varied world of vinyl by allowing users to switch between three different speeds – 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM.

Besides a very slight hum, only noticeable at high volume, the phono stage is quiet with excellent sound staging, great dynamic range and a clean, crisp sound without a hint of overload. This means you can connect it to any AUX input without the need for a hi-fi system with a phono pre-amp.If you’re new to this, the Audio-Technica manual gives comprehensive instructions which (spelling mistakes aside) should be easy to follow. In the time since the previous model launched, the level of pitch stability that affordable belt drives can deliver has made some detail improvements but this still feels almost digital in terms of the absolute consistency on offer. Start paying for your goods from the first month and pay the same amount every month with a standard interest rate charge.

I have seen both the NAD C558 and C588 though and the Regas and the EVO are readily available, Take care Paul and thanks again. Its die-cast aluminium platter and thick rubber-damping mat work together to minimise chassis resonance, for precise playback and delivering the full audio potential of vinyl. The AT-LP5X sounds like a very solid option but as Anton was asking, do you have any recommendations for a Direct Drive table that would be the next step up? If you are on a tight budget and you can’t immediately afford an external phono amplifier or – for space reasons – you’d rather use the internal model anyway, then the LP5x is ideal.

A built-in phono stage means you don't have to have a hi-fi with a phono pre-amp built-in - any AUX input will work fine. If you see yourself as a record collector rather than an ‘audiophile’, this might well be a truly killer feature.