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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.
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A rough trip
A rough trip from overseas.
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Packaging
The iTTUSB turntable is not very heavy. I bet this box was tossed around one the docks pretty good.
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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.
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Okay - lets open her up
Enough with the outside - time to open the box.
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Be careful
One of the small pieces this note is warning about is the stylus - it won't be much good without that.
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Not a toy
Product liability can lead to some odd warnings.
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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.
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The turntable
The turntable itself was packed securely so the dented box does not seem to be a problem.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.