After Hours

A first look at the Ion iTTUSB turntable

By · August 1, 2007, 5:36 AM PST · markwkaelin

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  • By Mark Kaelin<br /><br />Converting vinyl to MP3

    A long, long time ago, in an era before MP3s, CD-ROMs, and RIAA lawsuits, vinyl was the medium of choice for music lovers around the world. If you are old enough to remember those days you are also probably the proud-owner of a few vinyl records that you wish you could convert to a modern digital format for your iPod or other digital device. Well, your wish has been granted with the iTTUSB turntable from Ion. Using an USB connection and some open-source software this gadget will convert and record your vinyl treasures into MP3s that you can use on modern music devices. In this photo gallery we take a first look at the Ion iTTUSB turntable.

  • A rough trip

    A rough trip from overseas.

  • Packaging

    The iTTUSB turntable is not very heavy. I bet this box was tossed around one the docks pretty good.

  • Basic spec

    Ion tells you what you are going to get when you open the box.

    Note, I ran the software and converted to MP3 using Windows Vista without any trouble.

  • A visual

    But if you are not a reader, you can get the gist from this schematic diagram.

  • Okay - lets open her up

    Enough with the outside - time to open the box.

  • Be careful

    One of the small pieces this note is warning about is the stylus - it won't be much good without that.

  • Not a toy

    Product liability can lead to some odd warnings.

  • Keep an eye out

    Ion really doesn't want you to forget the stylus. I wonder if these extra precautions are from actual customer feedback.

  • The turntable

    The turntable itself was packed securely so the dented box does not seem to be a problem.

  • Some assembly required

    Here are all the parts. There is some minor assembly required, but nothing too bad. Total time from open box to working turntable is about 10 minutes.

  • Motor

    The iTTUSB turntable is direct drive. (Actually, it is a belt driven turntable, my mistake.) You can see the motor housing over there on the southwest corner of the image.

  • Belt

    The belt is under the turntable bed. you have to pull the belt over the motor spindle as you drop the bed onto the turntable housing.

  • Together

    Here is the assembled turntable. The iTTUSB is lightweight plastic and seems delicate. It reminds me of the expensive turntables from way-back-when.

  • Stylus

    The stylus cartridge seems very familiar - at least to someone who remembers dealing with them. This one seems to be of fairly high quality, it will be interesting to see how it compares to the last stylus I purchased which cost about twice as much as this whole device.

  • Connections

    The main connection, as you have probably guessed by now, is the USB port. But you can also use the turntable with your stereo receiver via the RCA jacks.

  • Albums

    Here are the first six vinyl albums I want to convert to MP3 files. I miss the album cover art. Anyway, for those who may not recognize these fairly noteworthy albums, here are the names and artists:

    • Jethro Tull - Aqualung
    • Beatles - Let It Be
    • Cream - Disraeli Gears
    • The Who - Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
    • Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
    • Tom Petty and the Hearbreakers - You're Gonna Get It


    Later I'll be writing a blog about how the iTTUSB turntable performs as I convert some vinyl into MP3 files. Hint - I like it enough to buy one for myself.

By Mark Kaelin

Converting vinyl to MP3

A long, long time ago, in an era before MP3s, CD-ROMs, and RIAA lawsuits, vinyl was the medium of choice for music lovers around the world. If you are old enough to remember those days you are also probably the proud-owner of a few vinyl records that you wish you could convert to a modern digital format for your iPod or other digital device. Well, your wish has been granted with the iTTUSB turntable from Ion. Using an USB connection and some open-source software this gadget will convert and record your vinyl treasures into MP3s that you can use on modern music devices. In this photo gallery we take a first look at the Ion iTTUSB turntable.
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By Mark Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.

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