ION Profile LP Vinyl-to-MP3 Turntable

Has one purpose and does it well. If you want a high quality turntable for djing, then go get one... for $350. This product records vinyl to computer. The real question is about the QUALITY OF RECORDING. Software included is crap. Configured Audacity to rip music and playback sound at the same time (so I can hear what I'm recording), then output to 320 kbps. Works great now. I play the tracks using extend stereo settings to 5.1 surround so I can really hear the quality at full volume. Studio headphones and dolby HDMI surround sound are really the only way to know the quality. I also tweaked the quick keys in Audacity to play, stop, record, zoom to track, zoom in, zoom out, delete blank sections, export tracks, etc.. so that recording, trimming, exporting is like lightning fast. The only reason I use the mouse is to select the sections for trimming, otherwise I don't even use the mouse.Pros:- Sound quality digitally converted from needle seems to be enough for 320 kbps VBR. If you're ripping to studio quality WAV files or other, I'm not sure. 320 is enough for me :) I'm not THAT much of an audiophile lol- USB connectivity, flawless and easy. Plug and play.- Sleek design. I have no problem with displaying this, not matter where it's sitting.- Has 2 speeds and a converter for those weird little records hahahaCons:- Needle is pretty noisy. When the sound is just recording, but muted, you can hear the music clearly through the needle. It kinda makes me wonder how much sound from the room it's in, is being recorded also? Haven't noticed any yet...- Belt driven and Automatic. As a dj, of course I always hated the idea of belt driven automatic turntables, but in this case, it's not that bad, actually it can kind of helps if you walk away while recording in Audacity. It will automagically stop the record spinning and put the needle back on the mount for you once it's done. In this ONE case, automatic could possibly be a PRO.I just need this thing to make it through recording about 2000 records, average 3 songs each record (6000 songs). I bought it used (new condition) for like $57. If it makes it through 6000 songs and is still kickin, I would say it is more than worth it! Might have to replace the needle at 3000 songs. Will update in a few years when I'm done lol.

This is a cheap way to convert old records to digital format. Cheap has its upside and its downside. Quality of the turntable is about what you would expect...poor. Mine was too slow and slowed further upon playing. The instructions didn't say anything about the adjustments you find underneath...which ended up helping.The conversion to digital requires that it work with iTunes. Mine wouldn't. I reloaded iTunes, I reloaded the Ion software..still wouldn't convert. When it doesn't convert you get nothing stored. Finally I followed all of the links to a help page that suggested that I change the compatibility of the iTunes and the Ion programs using a right click on the icons on the desktop. Once I made them both compatible with Windows 7 (which I use)..voila...it works.Once it is working it is very easy to use. Now that I'm doing it I realize that most of my old records aren't worth converting..ha ha jokes on me.

For years I've watched the ION USB turntable but could not afford it at $250. Finally the Profile Pro ION Profile LP Vinyl-to-MP3 Turntable fit my budget at just $49.95. I figured it was so well priced that if I couldn't get it to work I wouldn't be out too much. Well, was I pessimistic for nothing! This USB turntable provides exceptional quality.ConnectingHardware connection is a snap. Attach the USB cable from the back of the turntable to an open USB port.The EZ software that comes with it I didn't use. Instead I use the free program Audiacity, which I downloaded from the Audacity web site. Audacity includes a users manual. If you plan to record to MP3 you also have to download a small MP3 converter called LAME. Learning Audacity took me a few hours. Use it to adjust the incoming volume (the ION puts out a whopping big sound). Use it to view the spectrum of the recorded sound. The ION computer cannot play the music while recordingto avoid feedback. You have to unplug the turntable to hear how the edits sound, then plug it in for the next record.Recording LPs with ION and AudacityRecord. The turntable starts automatically when the tone arm is over the edge of the LP. It stops when the tone arm rises and moves back to stowage position. Flip the record and Audacity automatically fits the second side to the first.Editing with AudacityThe best editing tools in Audacity: Click removal has been perfect with default settings; Remove Noise is an essential second step especially when recording from very old vinyl; Normalize will set the output volume to the ideal level. There are about 25 editing options.For LP recording there are two VERY handy capabilities: set track label at selection lets you put the name of the track at the start of each selection on the LP. Do this after all editing is done, especially deleting sections of dead space. Use it with Explort Multiple and Audacity will record each track as an MP3 file with a track number added and album information entered through the metadata dialog box.If you have 78s, order the optional 78 stylus since 78s have different groove depth and width. Amazing! The ION folks made each stylus in a different colored housing for easy identification. I've even brought my parents and in-laws 78s from the 1930's back to life and they sound excellent!ION Profile Pro and Audacity software -- a great combination to bring your records back to life! I love it. Converting old records -- 33, 45 and 78 -- is my new hobby. Now I'm listening to music I haven't heard in 50 years. I can't recommend this combination enough, but the key is the ION Profile Pro.