Turntable LP-CD/MP3 converter at Costco

[A. Brain]

I finally got around to joining Costco, mainly
because they opened a store two blocks from
my place. One of the first things I spotted is
a turntable that allows one to convert LPs to
CDs or MP3s. $99 and the contraption looks
pretty nice. It features "anti-skating" and all that.

Back in the day, among the heated disputes
about audio equipment was the value of
"anti-skating". "Anti-skating" was some
device that supposedly corrected the tendency
of the tone arm to lean into the center of the
groove, damaging the balance. Or something
like that.......

In the early '80s, I abandoned my
AR turntable--a trusted and also elegant
machine that had been in production for
decades and was still fairly stylish in that
late '50s way (back when U.S. auto
companies also built beautiful machines(, though
the more recent models were showing
less of that), but that did not have
"anti-skating". So around the same time
I bought a Sony turntable that featured a "radial
tracking" arm. It broke after just a few years.

So has anyone tried this Costco machine?

http://preview.tinyurl.com/977buz

[Mike]

Post by A. Brain
So has anyone tried this Costco machine?
http://preview.tinyurl.com/977buz

From what I've read about it, it's a good machine for the kind of LPs
you don't care enough about to want to "rip" even to mp3s

[h***@yahoo.com]

I've not tried the turntable offered at Costco, but I've been a member
since they opened one in my area in 2002. Watch yourself, Costco is
addictive.

My best,
Hank

Post by A. Brain
I finally got around to joining Costco, mainly
because they opened a store two blocks from
my place.  One of the first things I spotted is
a turntable that allows one to convert LPs to
CDs or MP3s.  $99 and the contraption looks
pretty nice.  It features "anti-skating" and all that.
Back in the day, among the heated disputes
about audio equipment was the value of
"anti-skating".  "Anti-skating" was some
device that supposedly corrected the tendency
of the tone arm to lean into the center of the
groove, damaging the balance.  Or something
like that.......
In the early '80s, I abandoned my
AR turntable--a trusted and also elegant
machine that had been in production for
decades and was still fairly stylish in that
late '50s way  (back when U.S. auto
companies also built beautiful machines(, though
the more recent models were showing
less of that), but that did not have
"anti-skating".  So around the same time
I  bought a Sony turntable that featured a "radial
tracking" arm.  It broke after just a few years.
So has anyone tried this Costco machine?
http://preview.tinyurl.com/977buz
--
A. Brain
Remove NOSPAM for email.

[William Sommerwerck]

Junk, basically.

A decent pickup would cost around $100. Then you'd need to spend at least
$300 for a table/arm of reasonable quality. That doesn't take into account
the cost of a phono preamp and ADC.

Save your money.

[Bob Lombard]

Post by William Sommerwerck
Junk, basically.
A decent pickup would cost around $100. Then you'd need to spend at least
$300 for a table/arm of reasonable quality. That doesn't take into account
the cost of a phono preamp and ADC.
Save your money.

This attitude may seem hifallutin to you, but it has a solid basis in
the notion that you will be listening to to these transfers after they
are made. A setup that is intended to be adequate for '70s rock
transfers made from 'used and abused' records may leave some classical
music in the grooves.

bl

[Steve Emerson]

Post by William Sommerwerck
Junk, basically.
A decent pickup would cost around $100. Then you'd need to spend at least
$300 for a table/arm of reasonable quality. That doesn't take into account
the cost of a phono preamp and ADC.
Save your money.

Seconded. And as Bob says, this is not even audiophilia. E.g., just
about anybody interested enough in recordings to look at this ng would,
in the LP era, have had a cartridge (pickup) superior to what William's
$100 will buy you, let alone the $5-10 worth of cartridge that comes in
Costco's product.

If you want CDs to listen to in a loud car, or while working over a
stove or taking a shower, the Costco thing ought to be adequate; or as
the fellow from Canada would put it, to hear the notes. If you want more
than that, I wouldn't depend on this thing.

SE.

[Alan P Dawes]

Post by A. Brain
So has anyone tried this Costco machine?
http://preview.tinyurl.com/977buz

I've not tried it but there is an online video review of the Ion USB
turntable available in the UK in 2006 which you might find helpful at
http://labs.pcw.co.uk/2006/11/video-review-io.html

With the full review at www.computeractive.co.uk - you'll need to search
the reviews section.

I also notice that as it appears to your PC as a sound card connected
through the USB port, you are not just limited to recording in lossy mp3
format but also in lossless WAV, OggVorbis, FLAC etc and can connect a
tape player and I assume radio to allow you to record from those also.

Obviously at the price it will not approach the quality of a good LP deck
and stylus, if you have got those already then perhaps using your PC's
inbuilt sound card or investing in a better quality one would be more
sensible feeding the audio inputs from the audio out socket on your stereo
amp or a dedicated phono preAmp. You could use something like the free
audacity software which the Ion turntable also uses. However this
standalone turntable next to your PC if it is in a different room from
your HiFi would be more convenient.

By the way searching on the internet may get you a better price.

Alan

[3Bs]

I transfer LPs, radio broadcasts and laserdiscs to audio recordings on
my computer. The A-to-D stage is handled by the Onkyo SE-U55. It is
perfectly adequate, if nothing special, in the digital conversion, but
it has various in/out jacks, as well as volume controls. Because it
is USB powered, it is much easier to get a clean signal from it- no
line hums loops to mess up the sound.

I think I paid close to $250 for my first one, but I just grabbed one
as a backup on EBay for $25. I flipped one around a year ago, getting
it on EBay for $50 and selling it on Amazon for $100 more.

There are very inexpensive USB audio devices, but I have never seen
one with the controls and flexibility of the Onkyo, at least at this
price. Make a saved search on EBay and wait til one pops up- you
won't be disappointed.

Here is a review. The pictures are more helpful than the reviewer's
strange methodology.
http://www.audaud.com/audaud/SEP01/EQUIP/equip1SEP01.html

[Neil]

Post by A. Brain
a turntable that allows one to convert LPs to
CDs or MP3s.  $99 and the contraption looks
pretty nice.  It features "anti-skating" and all that.
Back in the day, among the heated disputes
about audio equipment was the value of
"anti-skating".  "Anti-skating" was some
device that supposedly corrected the tendency
of the tone arm to lean into the center of the
groove, damaging the balance.  Or something
like that.......
So has anyone tried this Costco machine?

Antiskating neutralizes the centrifugal force of the spinning
turntable so that the stylus stays in the center of the groove.

These all-in-one around $100 machines are good. I use Audacity (free
open source software) with a component system and my computer.

Neil Miller, author: The Piano Lessons Book & Piano Classics Analyzed
Methods and theory for confident memorized performances
http://ThePianoLessonsBook.com

[William Sommerwerck]

Post by Neil
Antiskating neutralizes the centrifugal force of the spinning
turntable so that the stylus stays in the center of the groove.

That's an incorrect explanation. It actually counterbalances the force that
draws the pickup towards the center. This force is generated because the
pickup is offset from the arm pivots..

Post by Neil
These all-in-one around $100 machines are good.

Good for what? For making an extremely high-quality transfers of LPs?

[Eric Grunin]

Just found this. Looks relevant, haven't read it yet:

USB Turntable Comparison: http://tinyurl.com/atbr8l

Regards,
Eric Grunin
www.grunin.com/eroica

I finally got around to joiningCostco, mainly
because they opened a store two blocks from
my place.  One of the first things I spotted is
a turntable that allows one to convert LPs to
CDs or MP3s.  $99 and the contraption looks
pretty nice.  It features "anti-skating" and all that.
Back in the day, among the heated disputes
about audio equipment was the value of
"anti-skating".  "Anti-skating" was some
device that supposedly corrected the tendency
of the tone arm to lean into the center of the
groove, damaging the balance.  Or something
like that.......
In the early '80s, I abandoned my
AR turntable--a trusted and also elegant
machine that had been in production for
decades and was still fairly stylish in that
late '50s way  (back when U.S. auto
companies also built beautiful machines(, though
the more recent models were showing
less of that), but that did not have
"anti-skating".  So around the same time
I  bought a Sony turntable that featured a "radial
tracking" arm.  It broke after just a few years.
So has anyone tried thisCostcomachine?
http://preview.tinyurl.com/977buz
--
A. Brain
Remove NOSPAM for email.

[J***@msn.com]

USB Turntable Comparison:http://tinyurl.com/atbr8l
Regards,
Eric Gruninwww.grunin.com/eroica

I finally got around to joiningCostco, mainly
because they opened a store two blocks from
my place.  One of the first things I spotted is
a turntable that allows one to convert LPs to
CDs or MP3s.  $99 and the contraption looks
pretty nice.  It features "anti-skating" and all that.
Back in the day, among the heated disputes
about audio equipment was the value of
"anti-skating".  "Anti-skating" was some
device that supposedly corrected the tendency
of the tone arm to lean into the center of the
groove, damaging the balance.  Or something
like that.......
In the early '80s, I abandoned my
AR turntable--a trusted and also elegant
machine that had been in production for
decades and was still fairly stylish in that
late '50s way  (back when U.S. auto
companies also built beautiful machines(, though
the more recent models were showing
less of that), but that did not have
"anti-skating".  So around the same time
I  bought a Sony turntable that featured a "radial
tracking" arm.  It broke after just a few years.
So has anyone tried thisCostcomachine?
http://preview.tinyurl.com/977buz
--
A. Brain
Remove NOSPAM for email.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for this link Eric

[r***@gmail.com]

USB Turntable Comparison:http://tinyurl.com/atbr8l

Perhaps you don't need to read the whole thing. After looking at all
those 30+ models, they say:
"If you are serious about sound quality, you need to find a good
analog turntable and turn it digital."

To me this means add a good turntable, cartdidge and preamp to your
stereo system, then use a USB audio device or internal card to feed
your stereo output into your computer.

[Dan Amodeo]

Post by r***@gmail.com
To me this means add a good turntable, cartdidge and preamp to
your stereo system, then use a USB audio device or internal card
to feed your stereo output into your computer.

For the uninitiated, what is a USB audio device, and where to you find them?

Dan Amodeo

[O]

Post by Dan Amodeo

Post by r***@gmail.com
To me this means add a good turntable, cartdidge and preamp to
your stereo system, then use a USB audio device or internal card
to feed your stereo output into your computer.

For the uninitiated, what is a USB audio device, and where to you find them?

It is a device that has line level audio input (i.e. that which you'd
find from the tape output of a standard stereo receiver) and USB output
to your computer. It generally comes with software to let you record
the input on your computer.

They have analog to digital convertors to convert the line level into
digital output and cost at various prices, generally as to how good an
analog to digital convertor you want. Place such as M-Audio and MOTU
make them, along with Griffen (for a low end device).

You can also check to see how it sounds with just plugging the line out
of your receiver into the sound input on the card in your computer
(most computers now have built in sound cards). Macs in particular
have had decent A/D convertors over the years built right in. You'll
have to get software to actually record things.

-Owen

-Owen

[Steve de Mena]

Post by Dan Amodeo

Post by r***@gmail.com
To me this means add a good turntable, cartdidge and preamp to
your stereo system, then use a USB audio device or internal card
to feed your stereo output into your computer.

For the uninitiated, what is a USB audio device, and where to you find them?
Dan Amodeo

Like these:

http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.family&ID=USBinterfaces

Steve

[Dan Amodeo]

Thanks, Owen. Thanks, Steve.

[Richard S. Sandmeyer]

In article

Post by r***@gmail.com

USB Turntable Comparison:http://tinyurl.com/atbr8l

Perhaps you don't need to read the whole thing. After looking at all
"If you are serious about sound quality, you need to find a good
analog turntable and turn it digital."
To me this means add a good turntable, cartdidge and preamp to your
stereo system, then use a USB audio device or internal card to feed
your stereo output into your computer.

A slightly different alternative is to add a good turntable, cartridge,
and combination preamp/AD converter box that has a USB output. This is
basically the same thing except that the preamp and USB audio device
(the ADC) are in the same box. There are several such boxes on the
market; I'm familiar with the NAD PP-3 (which can take either moving
magnet or moving coil cartridges as input).

[Steve de Mena]

Post by r***@gmail.com

USB Turntable Comparison:http://tinyurl.com/atbr8l

Perhaps you don't need to read the whole thing. After looking at all
"If you are serious about sound quality, you need to find a good
analog turntable and turn it digital."
To me this means add a good turntable, cartdidge and preamp to your
stereo system, then use a USB audio device or internal card to feed
your stereo output into your computer.

Yep. Though I assume the target audience probably already has a
working turntable if they have LPs.

Steve

[Dan Amodeo]

Post by r***@gmail.com

USB Turntable Comparison:http://tinyurl.com/atbr8l

Perhaps you don't need to read the whole thing. After looking
at all those 30+ models, they say: "If you are serious about
sound quality, you need to find a good analog turntable and
turn it digital."
To me this means add a good turntable, cartdidge and
preamp to your stereo system, then use a USB audio
device or internal card to feed your stereo output into
your computer.

But for someone like me, who really doesn't know anything about doing this
sort of thing, might any of the items at the website Eric found be a good
choice?

I have a 78 rpm record of me reciting the first poem I ever learned. I think
I was 5 or 6 years old. I've only played it a few times. It was made at
school as a Chrismas present for my parents, probably around 1948. I'm
afraid it will deteriorate every time I play it. It's cute and I'd like to
hear it once in a while, and my children and grandchildren mighte like to
have it as an mp3 file. Any suggestions on a good (and simple) way for me to
make an mp3 file from this record? i was hoping maybe one of my wife's
students at the University of Maryland could do it for me, but I don't know
how to judge whether someone could do it, or at least whether he or she
would be unlikely to ruin my record.

Dan Amodeo

[Bill Anderson]

Hi Dan -

If it is a handful of discs you wish to transfer, I don't think that a
USB turntable is worth the investment. My guess is that most of these
tables do not have 78 capacity. 'Home' recordings are especially
tricky in that you not only have to consider the equalization but also
the stylus size that was used to cut the disc. And with lacquers, they
do lose a little quality every time they are played.

A number of professional sound engineers should be able to provide you
the services you need - with luck it would be a simple process that
should take little time. I don't really know what the services cost,
but check the internet as several do list their minimum prices or rate
per hour(s).

I would be happy to do it for you, but I am way, way behind on other
transfer projects at the moment. Possibly some other RMCR contributors
could assist you.

- Bill

[Alan Dawes]

In article

Post by Bill Anderson
If it is a handful of discs you wish to transfer, I don't think that a
USB turntable is worth the investment. My guess is that most of these
tables do not have 78 capacity.

My understanding is that most of the "USB turntable" devices play 78s at
45 or 33 rpm and the software in the PC then corrects the speed. However
you do need to buy a separate 78 compatible stylus for the device making
it even less cost effective for just the odd recording.

Alan

[Bill Anderson]

Hi Alan -

Yes, correcting the speed via a software package supplied with the
table is easy - but transferring 78 records at 45 or 33rpm brings in
additional issues of equalization.

I don't own one of these USB machines but I would assume all or most
use the RIAA curve, standardized around 1953 or 54. Before then, each
company had it's own set of curves, and those curves were changed as
the years went by and recording equipment evolved. Trying to
'backtrack' to the correct curve would be difficult enough even with a
78 capacity table, but now the issue of an improper playback speed
adds yet another variable.

Some companies offer phono preamps that are flat - that assumes that
you will not listen to records for enjoyment, but as an analog source
for correction of the correct curves in the digital domain.

- Bill

[Allen]

Post by Dan Amodeo

Post by r***@gmail.com

USB Turntable Comparison:http://tinyurl.com/atbr8l

Perhaps you don't need to read the whole thing. After looking
at all those 30+ models, they say: "If you are serious about
sound quality, you need to find a good analog turntable and
turn it digital."
To me this means add a good turntable, cartdidge and
preamp to your stereo system, then use a USB audio
device or internal card to feed your stereo output into
your computer.

But for someone like me, who really doesn't know anything about doing this
sort of thing, might any of the items at the website Eric found be a good
choice?
I have a 78 rpm record of me reciting the first poem I ever learned. I think
I was 5 or 6 years old. I've only played it a few times. It was made at
school as a Chrismas present for my parents, probably around 1948. I'm
afraid it will deteriorate every time I play it. It's cute and I'd like to
hear it once in a while, and my children and grandchildren mighte like to
have it as an mp3 file. Any suggestions on a good (and simple) way for me to
make an mp3 file from this record? i was hoping maybe one of my wife's
students at the University of Maryland could do it for me, but I don't know
how to judge whether someone could do it, or at least whether he or she
would be unlikely to ruin my record.
Dan Amodeo

All things considered, you might find it cheaper to have the transfer
done by a professional. If you have a cache of other 78 material,
though, it might be a different story.
Allen

[Roger Kulp]

I have been involved with another discussion about this very
topic,over at the Yahoo! "Hilbilly Music" group,and someone there,
suggested I keep my old gear,and just buy a USB phono preamp,like this
one:

http://www.soundabout.net/phono_preamp_usb.htm


Someone else said they upload 78s,by hooking their old Califone school
record player to their computer's sound card.

How would you go about doing this ?


Roger