Customer Reviews

Victoria GDI-TW3USB 7-in-One Stereo Entertainment Center, Paprika

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Being a babyboomer, I came along during the fabulous music of the 50s and 60s. I have a large collection of records and cassettes, but I was running out of ways to play them with the change in technology. With the Grace Digital Audio Tunewriter I can now play the records and cassettes and even cds. As an added bonus, I can copy both records and cassettes to cds and take fresh copies of my music with me in cd format. I love this machine! It took a while to figure out how to copy and convert to cd, but now it's a snap.

We bought this product for my mother for Christmas 2009. She was wanting something that would play her old 78 records, and also record it onto cassette tapes. I have no idea WHY she wanted them on cassette, since - let's face it - who even listens to cassettes anymore? I mean, SHE doesn't even have a cassette player in her car these days. I was doing some research on this product, and found that it would plug via USB into a computer and convert your vinyl to digital, and I was absolutely thrilled.

We got this for her, and it works just as advertised. We have converted several of her 78s and 35s onto CDs, and also many cassettes. The program is easy to understand, and burns a disc fairly quickly.

The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that the cassette player door does not close tightly enough. Perhaps this is a malfunction on just our player, and would never happan again on another machine, but to get the cassette to play, sometimes we have to press in on the cassette player door and then push the Play button.

All-in-all, a very good product, and worth the money.

I was looking for months for a product that would easily record my vinyl records and cassettes to a CD-R. Then I came across the VICTORIA TUNEWRITER III at a local store. Decided to buy it without hearing any product reviews, but since the store had a good return policy I decided to try it. I am completely happy and have had no problems so far and it works better than I had imagined. I haven't used all the settings and features on the Audacity software but it works great at recording records and cassettes into WAV or MP3 files and exporting them to itunes or my garage band program on my iMac computer. I am also happy with the look of this item. The speakers are fair sounding but I can get better sound by connecting it into my stereo. I choose to play the recorded media through iTunes and the burned CD-R's in my home sound system. The one complaint is that the door that opens and holds the cassette can be tricky at times getting the cassette in to close the door properly, but this is very minor and I have no problems if i take my time doing it. Overall a great buy at under $200.00. I also like that it has an AM/FM RADIO and CD player in addition to the record and cassette playing capabilities. The Teac model similar to this one might also be a good option, but I think this does all that I could ask for with great quality. I found this item easy to use and the directions simple to understand. This product makes recording fun and hassle free.

We have had the Victoria unit for about a week now, and have found it satisfactory in all respects. We have begun to record our old vinyl records on CDs. The process is relatively straight forward, but be sure to read all the instructions thoroughly. They are very complete. You hook up the provided USB cord to your computer, then use the provided software to record. It is really simple. One thing, however, about the gain level of the recording. You need to go to the computer's control panel to be sure the recording gain is correct. When the instructions say 3-6, they mean it, but if you have Skype or another program that uses a microphone, it may be set on 69, as ours was. The instructions on how to change the setting are step by step and very clear, if you take the time to follow them carefully. Don't know how long the needle lasts, or how to buy a replacement, but am going to email customer service to find out. The sound is good, and the versatility great. Note: when they tell you to let the tone arm on the record player automatically return at the end of the record, PAY ATTENTION TO THIS as there is a note in the manual that if you hinder it you can damage the unit. Everything is working great, so far, so I think this unit with the software that comes with it, great for the price.. Cabinet style is very nice also.

We were very excited about getting a media player that would allow us to play and convert old records and tapes. We shouldn't have expected too much, considering the low price, but this device was a major disappointment. If you are at all discriminatory about sound quality, you don't want to buy this equipment. Everything about it is cheap. I hooked up external speakers and a sub woofer to the unit and cranked up the bass all the way, but the bass was still practically non-existent. Personally, I'd rather not hear old records when the sound is this bad. The beauty of analog is in the richness of the sound. When it comes to the sound, this product does as much to distract as it does to bring back memories.

This is a quality piece. It looked great when I took it out of the box. Installation was simple. The installation manual was needed to get going but everything was there.
I have recorded 4 albums so far without a problem! All sounds great.

I liked the idea of an all-in-one unit for transferring your music media to your PC. Buying a turntable with USB and a cassette player with USB could run into the hundreds of dollars as well as take up more space than desired.

All players and the FM radio worked well, although I had better sound from my home recorded cassettes on my other stereo unit, which is just an inexpensive TEAC.

My biggest problem is with the Audacity software that converts the the sound into audio files. I haven't completely mastered it yet, because it isn't quite as intuitive as it seems from the product description. Also, if you don't change some settings initially, you can't play back your recording. It's a bit more tedious than I expected, but I'm not the most technically inclined kid on the block.

If it weren't for the software, I would have given it 5 stars. I am happy with my purchase, and ordering through Amazon saves a considerable amount as opposed to ordering directly from the Grace Factory Direct website, in addition to providing $.99 shipping.

I just received this unit today and tried all the components. I was truly surprised with the quality of sound for such small speakers. It's very easy to operate and is a beautiful addition to my computer room
If it would play mp3 files, I would say it's perfect.
I was also glad it was so well packed after I saw the bouncing it took getting from the truck.
I haven't tried the usb connection yet but I am not worried after seeing the other functions.

I just received this unit 2 days ago. My wife wanted somthing to play old records and music so this is for her and the family. She will really like it.
I read the reviews as I always do liked what I read, but was skeptical all the same. I ordered it and was very happy as I took it out of the 3 boxes it was shipped in. 1st off if your looking for a perfect piece of fine furniture remember this is a made in China, good for the money replica of something from the 40s with all modern advances from the 70s through now added into it. Its well made with nice wood veneers and the picture represents exactly what you get. Its all solid material that are in the wood or woodlikecomposite material. The weight is not cheap and lite .
The turntable is better then I figured and it sits nice in unit with springs to keep from skippin record. CD is about the quailty you find in a average computer, push buttons tight the plastic front made to look like metal is believable looking. Cassette seemed to be Ok as well. Radio suprised me in the fact I live in a very rural area but it did pickup radio signals better then my sony kitchen unit did. All that said for 150 buck your getting you moneys worth. I did not exspect a Bose sounding unit but did want a small setup like this to go in our living room to match the furniture so we can listen to while the fireplace is burning for background music. The sound is just fine and does get more then loud enough for a room. My kids can plug in MP3 players, record radio station if they want to as well as cassette ( why anyone would want to) and my old out of print albums I have not listened to in 30 years. I have in a big old collection and can burn to Cd or to my mp3 player. The EQ (tone adjustments) they dont exsist--The radio has a nice full midrange sound I like, as does the cassette.The turntable seems to be the thinest of all but still ok. No major Bass but all in all more then I exspected. It also has audio outputs that can be run to a tuner or amp or better stereo system if one wants. I also believe that the unit stays on the flat side of EQ due to you being able to record down to your computer which I just tried and works fine. Follow the booklet which covers most windows even windows 7. Turntable sound a little fast as the records sound thin and speed up a hair, while all other components sound so much fuller.
Once you record you can EQ and add more of anything to your recordings. The program is not complicated to follow and I actually look foward to messing and editing things I record in the future. I hate imported stuff made from China as do most Americans but the fact if it were made here it would seel probally for 300 or more and I would not want to pay that, so the stuff we import now is well made and afordable to the average Joe like me. Go for it youll be glad.

I was looking for months for a product that would easily record my vinyl records and cassettes to a CD-R. Then I came across the VICTORIA TUNEWRITER III at a local store. Decided to buy it without hearing any product reviews, but since the store had a good return policy I decided to try it. I am completely happy and have had no problems so far and it works better than I had imagined. I haven't used all the settings and features on the Audacity software but it works great at recording records and cassettes into WAV or MP3 files and exporting them to itunes or my garage band program on my iMac computer. I am also happy with the look of this item. The speakers are fair sounding but I can get better sound by connecting it into my stereo. I choose to play the recorded media through iTunes and the burned CD-R's in my home sound system. The one complaint is that the door that opens and holds the cassette can be tricky at times getting the cassette in to close the door properly, but this is very minor and I have no problems if i take my time doing it. Overall a great buy at under $200.00. I also like that it has an AM/FM RADIO and CD player in addition to the record and cassette playing capabilities. The Teac model similar to this one might also be a good option, but I think this does all that I could ask for with great quality. I found this item easy to use and the directions simple to understand. This product makes recording fun and hassle free.