Buzzillions.com - ION Audio ION TTUSB05 USB Turntable and Vinyl Archiver Reviews www.buzzillions.com

Save the money for something better.

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Save the money for something better.

UncleDaddy from New York

Why does this unit cost [$] + tax?Save your money for something better.Easy to set up and easy to use don’t mean squat if the tone arm, the cartridge, the stylus and the pre-amp are junk.The sound quality of those things on this unit isn’t as good as many of today’s boom-boxes.And neither of them are user replaceable or serviceable.You’re stuck with them if you buy this unit and who knows how long the stylus will last.And btw, for some, using the USB connection and the supplied software seems desirable, but the same results can be achieved using the tape/aux out from your receiver connected to the line input of your computers sound card.Some computers these days have sound cards that use RCA inputs that makes it even easier.You might want to keep that in mind if and when purchasing a turntable for the purpose of converting LP music to other formats. Read more

Easy to use right out of the box

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Easy to use right out of the box

John from Orlando Florida

I bought this because my 12 year old shelf system turntable stopped turning. This turntable has a pre-amp built into it so it should be easy to run thru the old system, but I decided to run it directly through my computer and archive some of my vinyl. Here's the story: The unit must have the software installed to play through your computer. In order to record to mp3 format you not only have to have their software [very simple to use] but iTunes has to be installed and open for the files to convert. The unit I bought came with two freeware packages: Mix Meister [which I have used] and Audacity [which I am going to try to use to remove some of the hissing and crackling]. Read more

Found A Better Solution

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Found A Better Solution

Barb from Ranson, WV

Just before receipt of the ION turntable, I found a better solution ... also at Radio Shack. The ADS Tech Instant Music USB Audio Capture Device appears to be more flexible ... and more logical because I already have a turntable. It appears that with this device I will be able to record to CD not just records, but tapes and other CD's as well. This works better for me because I have tapes of music that is no longer available on any other media and will allow me to create my own mix from records, tapes, and CDs on to CDs or my MP3. Am returning the turntable to my local Radio Shack. No, I would not recommend the turntable to anyone because I would recommend the USB Audio Capture Device instead. It is just so much more flexible. BTW, your options above for "Describe Yourself" are too narrow. --Barb Read more

Manuals suck

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Manuals suck

Tony the plumber from Brooklyn, NY

So far, so good...except, i had to call support for obvious questions, that were omitted in the skimpy manuals. First, if u have a web cam usb, disconnect. Support told me that the drivers are the same, so only one can be used at a time. Second, make sure u remove white section at the tone arm where the needle is. No explanation about the rubber grip in the manual. Read more

Not bad for the price but....

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Not bad for the price but....

I am not your mother from East Bay, CA

I got this to transfer music from some 400-odd LPs and cassettes onto CD or DVD format. 80 albums in, I gotta say it's grueling work. I tried the Audacity software and chose to use the EZ simple one, take the music as it comes, snap crackle stuh-uh, stuh-uh. I see that I might have done this better - more control - using software and turntable I already had. 60 hours so far, not counting do-overs, the needle already needs replacing. I dont think I'd recommend it new, but when I'm done I will try to sell it for half, might be a bargain then. it does what it's sold for, but needs too much babysitting. Read more