USB turntable question

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Does anyone here have any experience or an informed opinion regarding the ION USB turntable? This link shows it retails for less than $100. I am a little leery of it at that low of a price. But if it is good quality, there is one available locally for $40, in a never opened box.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-ION-TTC-LIST?SRC=D0501PG0HAMS0000&utm_source=pricegrabber&utm_medium=feed&

[Christiern]

Don't know the ION, but my Grace USB tt was also suspiciously inexpensive, yet my ears have yet to complain.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Personally, I wouldn't use one of these on my records if it was given to me, but maybe I'm just paranoid. I don't even like playing my records on my entry-level Denon turntable because the cartridge is iffy.

[Jazzjet]

Does anyone here have any experience or an informed opinion regarding the ION USB turntable? This link shows it retails for less than $100. I am a little leery of it at that low of a price. But if it is good quality, there is one available locally for $40, in a never opened box.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-ION-TTC-LIST?SRC=D0501PG0HAMS0000&utm_source=pricegrabber&utm_medium=feed&

I've got an ION USB turntable and I'm very happy with it. I'm sure there are better ( and more expensive ) options which will produce better audio results but the ION is very easy to use. Personally, I use CD Spin Doctor software ( included with Roxio Toast ) rather than the bundled Audacity, which I find a bit clunky.

You really can't go wrong at that price.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

You really can't go wrong at that price.

Of course you can "go wrong". You're talking about running this player's needle across your LPs. If it's a crap cartridge/needle, it might play fine the first time, but the next time you go to play that LP, it might be ruined. The ION TT does not have a very good cart.

Haven't you ever ruined an LP by playing it with a cheap needle? Back in the day, I used to loan LPs to friends. After I got back a couple that looked white-ish and realized it was ruined, I stopped loaning them to that friend until he got a new cart.

[jeffcrom]

I know that others have said something like this, but digitize my vinyl with a Philips CD recorder that's a component of my sound system. I don't have to worry about cheap turntables/cartridges, etc. As a matter of fact, my CD recorder is my primary CD player, too - it sounds so much better than my old CD player.

[porcy62]

I digitize my vinyl with Mac laptop using the internal audio board, not the best one out there, but it works for my needs. Not sure that a 100 buck combo would be better then a decent playback analog rig (TT, tonearm, cartridge, phono preamp) and the cheap mac audio board.

[slide_advantage_redoux]

I'm glad I waited. My wife gave me one of these cool little gadgets. Hello downloads!

http://www.alesis.com/phonolink

Okay Sangrey, on the next out-of-towner we get with BVS, I will have those Redd Foxx and Moms Mabley LPs on Ipod!

[Christiern]

If the purpose of acquiring a USB turntable i to copy vinyl onto CDs or DVDs, Kevin B's argument is moot. One, even two spins on a inexpensive USB tt is not going to ruin the original.

[Jazzjet]

If the purpose of acquiring a USB turntable i to copy vinyl onto CDs or DVDs, Kevin B's argument is moot. One, even two spins on a inexpensive USB tt is not going to ruin the original.

Agree. Typically, it's playing the vinyl once to digitise it and then it goes into cold storage.

[sidewinder]

I digitize my vinyl with Mac laptop using the internal audio board, not the best one out there, but it works for my needs. Not sure that a 100 buck combo would be better then a decent playback analog rig (TT, tonearm, cartridge, phono preamp) and the cheap mac audio board.

I use Soundblaster card from the LP12 and it works a treat. Graham Collier's 'Deep Dark Blue Centre' CD reissue came from this.

The only initial problem I found was an EMC issue - occasional periodic pulse burst of noise onto the recording from what turned out to be the wireless hub. Turning it off sorted that out.

Edited December 26, 2010 by sidewinder

[JSngry]

Okay Sangrey, on the next out-of-towner we get with BVS, I will have those Redd Foxx and Moms Mabley LPs on Ipod!

Throw some Pigmeat Markam into the mix just for good measure!

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Wasn't there a race comic named Butter Bean? I could swear I saw some clips once. But I can't find any evidence, even on Youtube!

[JSngry]

Wasn't there a race comic named Butter Bean? I could swear I saw some clips once. But I can't find any evidence, even on Youtube!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterbeans_and_Susie

[Christiern]

You are probably talking about Butterbeans (Jodie Edwards) and Susie (Susie Edwards), a very popular husband and wife comedy team that worked on the TOBA theater circuit in the '20s. I included one of their recordings ("I Wanna Hot Dog For My Roll") on a Columbia 2-LP/CD set called Stars of the Apollo, but several dedicated albums are available here.

[MartyJazz]

You really can't go wrong at that price.

Of course you can "go wrong". You're talking about running this player's needle across your LPs. If it's a crap cartridge/needle, it might play fine the first time, but the next time you go to play that LP, it might be ruined. The ION TT does not have a very good cart.

Haven't you ever ruined an LP by playing it with a cheap needle? Back in the day, I used to loan LPs to friends. After I got back a couple that looked white-ish and realized it was ruined, I stopped loaning them to that friend until he got a new cart.

Do like I do. NEVER, ever, loan out your LPs. I have LPs that I bought in the early '60s that still do not have as much as a fingerprint on the playing surface, much less a scratch, etc. When, in the past, a friend or an acquaintance wanted an LP from me, I made them a cassette, now of course, I can make CD-Rs from LPs. So I'm more generous with my time and equipment, but lend out an LP? Never.

Also, if you ever have to sell a few, which I had to do a few years ago, top dollar is paid for clean LPs.

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Amen to not lending LPs out. I made that mistake once too often. Even with the most trusted friend, shit happens.

I entrusted my entire collection to a buddy when I moved to Europe years ago, knowing I'd be back in a year or so. Of course, LPs came up missing. I didn't have a physical inventory list of what I had, but I always could tell when something was missing! Collector's 6th sense I guess. And sure enough, the missing LPs were among the rarest and hardest to replace.

[Harold_Z]

Nothing but bad experiences lending out lps. The worst being when I lent a pristine copy of Unity to a buddy who promptly headed to Canada to avoid the draft and took my record with him. When her arrived back ten years later and got in touch I brought up the subject early. He gave me the record back beat to shit. Eventually I found another copy and of course scored the Larry Young Mosaic when that came available. Moral of story - as MartyJazz said - I make a copy when a friend asks for something.

[six string]

If you already have a turntable then I would not recomend the Ion to digitize your lps. You would be better off using your current equipment plus a few extra things like software and a a/d converter for a computer or a stand alone cdr burner to do the job. If you don't have a turntable and you're not real picky about sound quality then it will probably do an adequate job. I've heard that the tone arm creates some noise in the playing/recording process but that could be due to improper set up or isolation of the Ion relative to the other equipment. You wouldn't want the tt near a speaker and you want to reduce/eliminate vibrations from the turntable, otherwise you will end up with noise added to the signal.