RE: usb turntable

["Goddard, Duncan" <goddard.duncan@mtvne.com>]

 >> Having a few pals my age who have piles of vinyl - and one who swears 
 >by tubes - this will be a little news to them.  However the two most 
 >important items to me re: turntables seem to be missing from the models 
 >in the article: not a thing about the units' rumble / s/n. <<

agreed. I've done a lot of vinyl transcription lately- 78s, the lot. I do 
a great deal of work to make the stuff sound like it ought to- a little 
eq, a fair bit of de-clicking, but trying all the while to preserve the 
original spirit of the vinyl experience. 

then I re-format the artwork, wherever possible, to fit a jewel case or a 
small polythene sleeve (to mimic the original LP sleeve). really I should 
be doing it for a living, but these usb toys are going to put an end to 
that. hmph.

I reckon that if you're going to give that precious artifact one last spin 
before it goes on ebay or into a landfill hole, it deserves better than a 
cheap piece of crap like this. better to spend a few bucks at the local 
"proper" hifi store..... most big towns have one, if you know where to 
look; if there's an amp/synth tech in your local guitar shop, chances are 
he moonlights fixing stereos too. 

get a decent turntable & pre-amp for a few hundred bucks, then sell it 
again when you're finished. it doesn't need to be "audiophile".... you 
don't need gold-plated mcintosh monoblocks with NOS cold war tubes in 
them, just something that wasn't injection-molded into it's own packaging 
five minutes ago in a hurry by a factory that also makes picnic cutlery.

better still- buy a proper turntable & pre-amp, & keep the records. what? 
you need the space?  tcha. find something less important to get rid of, 
like the tv. you're a musician, remember?

I'd like to know how many folks have bought one of these usb turntable 
efforts who have also, at some time in the past, complained about effects 
pedals that "suck tone" or don't have "true bypass". just wondering.....

I've had the vinyl vs CD debate more times than I've seen "blade runner", 
so that's a lot. :-) 

for me, vinyl is a never-twice-the-same experience, because of it's 
mechanical nature & inherent flaws. that's what makes it interesting. the 
same thing makes CD's a bit lifeless- limited bandwidth, phase errors & 
audio fingerprinting- they are the same every time you play them & 
subconsciously, you get accustomed to them very quickly. how many times 
have you replaced a proper record with it's CD reissue & then only played 
it once or twice?
call me sentimental & old-fashioned...... [ducks]

d.