Old meets new with this USB turntable (Ion iTTUSB05)

Member Name: HeIsSean

Product:	Ion iTTUSB05
Date:	13/07/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Handy USB connection, achieve great vinyl sound through computer speakers, good price, easy

Disadvantages: Included software not as good as Audacity, must change mono setting to stereo

This product represents a harmony between old technology and new technology!

Do you have records sitting there gathering dust? Do something about it! You'll notice that vinyls can still give you unbeatable sound quality.

We already had a turntable linked up to the Denon 5.1 amplifier in the living room, but I wanted a turntable for my bedroom. Having spent money on new computer speakers and keeping my music collection mainly on my PC, I wanted access to vinyls through my PC.

I use my Ion TTUSB05 primarily to listen to vinyls (the sound is great!) I do this using software playthrough when I record on Audacity. Then, I can save it if I want a handy digital copy - if I don't want to wear out the vinyl, if I want it accessible in my library or if I want it on my iPod for on the go.

This product has numerous advantages. Mainly if you don't already have a spare turntable. (If you do, you can buy a cable to plug into your line-in. This could save you some money.) A USB turntable saves you from buying a turntable and cables, which could end up costing more.

One of the things I like about this turntable is the price. £60, I feel, is very reasonable. But remember that this is a full-sized turntable, not one of the mini ones you can buy now, so it takes up a lot of space. It's very sturdy, however, and comes with a slip-mat and an auto-return arm. While it is compatible with 78RPM records, you must buy an attachment first, so this could be seen as a rip-off. Personally, I don't have any 78s and my singles play fine.

I'm not keen on the included software and I don't use it. This is not an issue, as you can pick up the excellent freeware audio-editing software Audacity.

The final advantage of the product I'd like to mention is the ease of setting it up. When you plug it in, it is automatically recognised as a microphone under the name USB Audio Codec.

So you just choose the USB Audio Codec option in your recording software the same as any other microphone, then operate it as you would an ordinary turntable.

One word of caution: by default, the USB Audio Codec is set to mono, meaning that stereo vinyls will not play correctly. Make sure you go into the Properties under the Sound settings first and change it to a stereo setting.

Summary: A quality USB turntable for a really good price

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