I've been looking into some of the USB connectable turntables to use for transferring my old LPs to my computer to burn on CDs. I used to do this with my normal turntable, but then my amplifier died, and I'm now using a small Sony stereo that i got as a cast off from my in-laws when they moved, and it won't take a turntable hookup. I'm thinking that the USB turntable route would be a good way to go. So far in my internet searches I've found three:

Numark TTUSB
ion iTTUSB (which i think might be made by Numark)
Audio-Technica AT-LP2Da

Does anyone have any experience with these turntables in using them to transfer LPs? If so, what's the quality like? Which one do you think is the best? Are there others out there I may not know about.

Any information will be appreciated. I use a Mac, so it must be compatible (I'm sure they all are, it's USB so should be universal). I already use Audacity, which seems to come with most of them, and I know the process, it's just the equipment I need info on.

thanks,
Jack

Just in case you want to go this route.....
http://www.blazeaudio.com/products/lkgpre600.html

I don't have any firsthand experience with these devices, but I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole, for the following reasons:

1. Turntables are primarily mechanical devices. Good ones cost a lot to build. These USB turntables are obviously built down to a price, and look flimsy and cheap. It seems highly unlikely that they will retrieve a good quality signal from the LP in the first place.

2. The phono preamps and A/D converters in these devices are an unknown quantity. It's quite possible that, given the low price, they are not very good.

3. I see no indication that you can adjust the signal level going in to the A/D converters, so you have no control over gain staging. This means that you could easily lose resolution or (much worse) get digital clipping.

Since you already have a turntable (that I presume you were happy with - what make/model is it?), it would be much simpler to just buy a decent phono preamp.

EDIT: Looking more closely at the AT-LP2Da, I don't think it's a USB turntable. It appears to be a cheap turntable with a built-in phono preamp, but no A/D converter.

undine -

That looks like a pretty nice little unit for a really good price. Do you have any experience using it, or an opinion of it's quality?

cliveb -

You're right, they do look cheaply built. That was one thing that worried me about them. Thanks for your input. The turntable I now have is a Sony, but I don't know offhand what the model is. It cost me about $200 two years ago. I'm now thinking about using it with the preamp that undine suggested in his post. I need a new cartridge, though, because the one I have on there now was not very good. It's a Stanton (again, don't know what model), and when I used it before my amp died, it caused many vocals to be very sibilant. Do you have any recommendations for a cartridge that is good for recording sound?

thanks,
Jack

I have the Numark. Quality stinks and software a little buggy. But I wasn't overly concerned about the quality (I have a VPI for use with my audio system). I bought it solely for the purpose of transferring my 7" vinyl to digital. It did the trick. But then again, I'm not sure what the big deal is with having a USB turntable. My rationale for buying it was I didn't want to be moving my VPI around nor changing the belt on the VPI to play 7"'s.

Most Stantons these days are DJ style cartridges, made for ruggedness rather than ultimate sound quality. (Although they do still make the 681EEE, which was something of a classic back in the 1970/1980s, competing head-to-head with the likes of the Shure V15). Good HiFi cartridges are still made by loads of manufacturers, but you can't go far wrong with something from the likes of Ortofon, Audio Technica or Shure, and those brands are widely available. Make sure you go for a model with an elliptical (rather than spherical) stylus.

But before you blame the cartridge itself for the sibilance, there are some other possible causes:

1. It could simply be that the stylus is worn out and needs replacing. Depending on the Stanton model, it may be that you can upgrade by installing a better stylus - lots of cartridge ranges have common bodies, with the stylus being the main factor affecting quality.

2. If the cartridge is not properly aligned in the deck (geometry-wise), and/or if its tracking force is too low, then you might be getting mistracking. This would be noticable as distortion on loud passages, especially with a lot of high frequency content, and can easily be interpreted as sibilance. So check that the deck is set up correctly. For checking the geometry, use an alignment protractor such as this one: Click to view attachment
Tracking force should be at or close to the maximum specified by the manufacturer (but not more). Anti-skating should be set by ear to get the same level of distortion on both channels. If distortion is higher on the left channel than the right, reduce the anti-skating; if it's higher on the right channel, increase the anti-skating.

3. Sibilance can also be introduced if the capacitance on the loading of the cartridge is too low: the natural resonance of the cartridge's generator needs a certain amount of capacitance to tame it. Try adding one or two hundred picofarads between signal and screen at the preamp input.

I have not tried the preamp.

Thanks for your input, guys. Clive, your information is very helpful. I'm going to check out preamps, starting at my local RadioShack, and then online, and also take a look at cartridges. Since i already have a good turntable it makes sense to go with it, and it might be cheaper, too, in the long run.

thanks again,
Jack