Customer Reviews

ION TTUSB05 USB Turntable

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

It is a turntable and works, kind of, if you are not picky.

Build:
plastic, as everyone else mentioned. You turn on the turntable first by pushing the cue button and moving the arm toward the record (press the cue button again to lower arm to record). At the end of the record, the arm will return and turn off. I noticed that the platter is not level (hortzontal) as it turns and some up/down motion also.


Recording:
I recorded three different records from different years, one almost new, one moderate wear and one well played. As expected, the well played album had alot of clicks/pops, though the open source software will remove (to some extent).

The turntable speed sounds a bit slow (you can increase the speed using software)but don't have my strobe anymore to prove it and there is wow-flutter at the being of the record, but appears to reduce as it gets closer to the middle/end of record.

Emailed tech support and they think it may be defective, suggested returning it to seller for replacement.


Software:
The open source software has many options for filtering out noise, using fft processing, copying a segment (i.e. between tracks) and filter it (noise removal). As mentioned earlier, you can speed up the recording also. Haven't found any option to remove the wow/flutter problem and doubt that it can be done.

Using the worn album, I could remove the most clicks/pops between the tracks, but could not within the music.



Recommendation:
If you are not an audiophile, then this may be good enough to record your records to CD, computer or mp3 player. Otherwise, I would recommend that you dust off your old turntable and receiver with a phono/preamp and use it instead...remember you will need a stereo line in on your sound card, as most computer microphone inputs are monaural.

I had tried to convert some of my vinyl to MP3 a few years ago using an amp and regular turntable with unfavorable results. My husband bought me this ION Turntable as a Valentines Day gift and I love it.

The USB hooks up easily to the computer. There is a little glitch where once you plug it in, you may have to go to your sound settings and reset them but the package comes with instructions on how to do this and it only takes a few seconds to fix.

The turntable is plastic but it's not too flimsy. There is a slight wobble but it did not affect recording.

It is super easy to use, just install the EZ Vinyl Converter software. I didn't bother installing Audacity because I use Adobe Audition to edit audio.

You can record albums as one big mp3 or separate tracks with the click of a button. It saves as wav or mp3.

The only major thing I didn't like about this item was the fact that I was forced to install iTunes to get EZ Vinyl Converter to work. Most people who have iPods won't mind this, but I had no use for this program.

The cords on the turntable and usb could have been longer. It also would have benefited by the addition of pitch control. The latter can be edited in an audio program though.

Overall I am very happy with this item. I finally have MP3's of songs that are not available on CD or any digital format. It only took about 15 minutes to figure it all out and get to ripping.

First and foremost, it works well and easy to use with very little setup hassle. If you simply want to record your records to a computer, this does the job. There is no feedback, no grounding issues and quality is pretty good. The turntable though is cheesy as far as quality feel. It reminds me of a turntable I had as a kid, but what can you expect for @ $100? I might also note that the needle (not a cartridge) does not look user replaceable so you need to be extra careful, but it does have a cueing button to gently set down tone arm onto a record which is nice. Yes, this also has a built in hard shell dust cover too. The Audacity software program is ok and instructions could be clearer, but it works. I simply use this program to transfer the music to my computer then i use a higher quality program to remove any clicks, pops, etc.. All and all, this is a good turntable for the money.

I bought this turntable as a gift for my uncle. Before I give it to him (Christmas 07), I wanted to make sure that it wasn't too difficult to use, otherwise, I was planning on sending it back. So I tested it out myself first.

The turntable was unpacked, hooked up, and ready to go within minutes. The software was easy to install. There is a little bit of a learning curve with the software, but I thought the manual was sufficiently clear in how to do basic tasks. Noise reduction is a bit tricky to understand, and I would suggest using it minimally. Excessive noise reduction makes music sound muffled and dull. I had my first 6 tracks copied to .wav files within 30 minutes, and was quite pleased with the results.

That being said, there are a number of steps required to copy an album to CD. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as putting an LP on the turntable and pressing a button. But from what I've read, it seems like the recording process is pretty much the same for most of the USB-turntables out there.

This turntable is nice in that it is automatic (sort of). No need to place the tone arm on the record, or lift it off. A button gently lifts the arm, you *manually* line up the needle at the edge of the record, press the button, and the needle is gently lowered to the surface. If you have shaky hands, this is a nice feature. Many of the turntables at this price are entirely manual. I also like the dust cover - many do not have this feature either - even some of the more expensive ones.

I found the sound quality to be quite acceptable, though I'm sure some audiophiles would disagree. I did not notice any "hum" in my digital recordings, nor did I notice any audible wobble. Granted, I don't have the ears of a studio engineer either, but I thought it sounded nice.

To be fair, I'll mention some things I didn't like:
1. No cueing lever for the tone arm.
2. The Audacity program is a little complicated.
3. No pitch control.
4. If you want to save directly as MP3, you'll need to download and install the LAME encoder (not included with the Audacity software.)
5. Directions could have been clearer with regards to Noise Reduction.

In summary, it's a good buy for under a hundred bucks. There is a little bit of a learning curve, (which I think is true of all products of this type.) It might be good to have the techie person in your family assist the non-technical person with the setup and recording process until they get the hang of it.

Once I learned that tuntables could directly connect to computers with USB cable I was anxious to learn more. Some units had more capabilities, for example being able to also connect a tape recorder to the turntable, but these are also more expensive.

Having many records that we wanted converted to digital format and relatively fewer albums on tape I chose this unit. It was available at several web sales for essentially the same price. Having many good transaction experiences with Amazon that was my purchase choice.

The turntable arrived promptly, well packed and padded, with no signs of any box damage. Instructions were clear and it directly connected by enclosed 6ft. USB cable so I immediately tried. I later purchased a longer USB cable for more convient turntable location. (The turntable also has RCA audio outputs and input an amplifier, but that is not my current interest.)

Turntable front buttons allow selection of 33 or 45 RPM (and software is included to handle 78 records played at slower speed), s "Stop Button" which lifts tone arm and returns to rest and a "Cue Button" which raises and lowers the tone arm. These work well.

The package included two sets of software: #1 - Easy Vinyl Converter to easily transfer music to mp3 files (a "radio button" allows you to start a new file for each song when playing a multi track record). At conclusion of record a screen allows you to input Artist, Album Title and Song Name.

And #2 - Audacity which has many file conversion and management tools. I mainly have converted files to .WAV as I manipulate tempo/speed, trim, edit, etc. There are many other functions I have not yet tried.

Since this is "AReal Time" transfer one must sit at computer and start a new track to have separate files for each song. My wife would be happy if an entire side of a 33 record was a single file, but I prefer having individual track fifles and listen with head set while she has TV playing.

The unit is well built and attractive. I consider it a good choice for transferring records to digital files. Most of our older Christmas records were converted to CD's and played in car this season. We are very pleased with this unit and our Amazon purchase experiences.

This turntable gets the job done for transferring vinyl to the computer, but the lack of an anti-skate means the music transferred can at times have a left-channel bias, the left channel being louder than the right in the music. Also, I really have a problem with the complete lack of weight marks on the tonearm counterweight.

Even though this turntable is made to be usable right out of the box, I recommend balancing the tonearm as much as is possible before really using. To do this, you need a screwdriver. The counterweight is screwed into the back of the tonearm, and I recommend, before using the turntable, that you back out the tonearm weight with the screwdriver until it wants to fall out, then screw it back in 1/4 at a time until it just barely stays in place. The needle now may only want to stay airborne, or the tonearm may completely balanced, but I doubt this. If the needle doesn't want to drop on its own now, screw the weight back in a 1/2 turn at a time until it barely does.

Now put on a record you don't care about messing up and see if the turntable will play it without the needle skating across it. If the needle doesn't skate any, the turntable's now ready to use. If it skates, screw the tonearm counterweight back in a 1/2 turn, and try playing the record again. Repeat this as necessary until the needle doesn't skate.

This procedure sets up the needle to apply as little force as possible to your records, and also allows the needle to vibrate as freely as possible.

I bought one of these to get music off of rare old records, some dating back to the 1930s. So far I have tried 45s and 33 rpms. It works just fine using the Audacity software. To do 78s, you have to change it using the software once you have recorded. I plan to try that next.

At first I had problems because I could not figure out how to start the turntable going round. There is no on button for this turntable. It starts when the tone arm is moved over the record. However, mine would not start turning even then. I had to remove the platter and put the belt into place. I was completely off. Perhaps that happened in shipment or maybe it was never put on during manufacture. Anyway, once the belt was in place, the machine worked perfectly fine. It isn't a robust piece of equipment. But I believe it will do the work that I need just fine, which is taking the music off of old records.

This couldn't be easier! It took me all of 5 minutes to load the basic software (no need for that Audacity stuff) and plug it into my PC. The owner's manual is a thing of beauty--written in plain, simple English. Since I already had an iTunes account, the songs I recorded downloaded automatically into my library. If you want a quick and easy way to get your vinyl onto your iPod, this is the perfect product.

I've been on "the hunt" for some time to find a relatively simple way to transfer some of my old LP's to CD's, but everything I came across seemed to require hook-ups from the computer directly to your stero system. So I was pleasantly surprised to come across a description of the ION iTTUSB05 USB Turntable in of all places, AARP magazine. At $99.0 and a simple USB hook-up from the turntable to your computer,it seemed too good to be true. But just having received it, and tried out some transfers of some of my favorite old Van Morrison LP's, I can say that it performs as advertised. The included CD has both software for a simple transfer directly to I-tunes as well as a more advanced software to play around with cleaning up some of the pops and clicks that are on the LP's. I used both types of software and found that even tne advanced software was fairly easy to use. The transfer sound was much better than I anticipated. Even exporting to Wave files and MP3's using the more advanced is quite easy using the addtional LAME software that can be downloaded. What can I say...so far, I'm a believer.

**Update - one year later**

Still going strong and I've replaced the first needle that came with it once, as I bent it by constantly cleaning the build-up when it happens on the stylus, from dirty records with my finger! (dumb) I've since gone out and bought proper record cleaning solution and brushes (including a stylus brush) to keep everything clean. Dust and residue you can't really see cause a lot of the surface noise and "pops." This is my final struggle with even near mint or hardly-played, clean vinyl.

The needles for this model are quite flimsy, so just be careful, again the automatic arm helps tremendously and is a must, as is the dust cover.

You can buy replacement needles on Ebay - just search "ION TTUSB05" Replacement Needles, and there are plenty out there - about $26 for two replacement needles.

I now have transfered my entire vinyl collection to my PC, into MP3 format. The easiest way to do this is to use Audacity and install it's MP3 plug-in, which you can download for free on the web.

I have yet to try and adjust the tone arm weight, but will be doing that next (see separate, later review for how to do so). It still sounds great without the adjustment and I see no real reason to spend hundreds of dollars right now, on an audiophile turntable, but may do so in the future. I've learned a lot from this turntable!

It's probably the best $100 range USB turntable out there.

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Really the only knock on this model is that it's ultimately pretty fragile and everything's lightweight plastic. But it's still sharp looking, and solid enough along with the plastic cover, to be one of the nicest USB turntables on the market. I bought this because it came with a cover, and was in my price range.

The platter does spin unevenly (up and down motion as if warped slightly) but this doesn't affect the sound quality.

The semi-auto needle arm is a nice touch, making sure you never have to manually set the stylus on the vinyl.

I am not as interested in recording MP3's from my albums, as much as I am listening to them conveniently through my PC, and this turntable allows me to do just that. And the vinyl records sound great on my PC, depending on the quality of the record's condition of course.

I have missed "listening to records" like I did for so long as a kid when I first fell in love with music, and collecting the big albums full of information and pictures. And then there's the earthy qualities of vinyl recordings without heavy digital remastering, as they were meant to be heard.

But really it's just a different way of listening to music again, I have become a channel surfer when it comes to music, due to the way digital music is delivered these days. But many, many classic LP's are worth listening to as a whole, one at a time, I've missed that.

I run Vista with an Xi-Fi Audio Extreme PCI sound card, with a 3 piece Bose speaker system (Companion 3), and use the USB connection. I have to play it through Audacity, and am still able to use the Creative soundcard's effects to tweak the sound.

Burning songs to files is laborious, not necessarily difficult once you get the hang of Audacity, but time consuming. It is nice to have your own "ripped straight from vinyl" MP3 collection, with minimal cleaning up, but not necessarily worth my time, as most of my LP's are also available digitally.

Definitely recommend this model if you plan to rip songs or listen to albums through your PC.