WHY A USB TURNTABLE?

If the price is right, why not?  However, we suggest you bypass their built in preamp and not use their USB feature.

It's really about:

1.) The quality of the digital sound you're going to get.

2.) The ease of editing, i.e., getting each song separated into tracks so you can keep the ones you want and delete the ones you don't.

When you plug in a USB turntable, you deactivate the sound card in your computer and use the the USB sound card instead. However, 99% of home computers already have a perfectly good sound card, often valued at $70.00 or more.  To prevent digital clipping the input sensitivity of USB turntables is set a  little low, which means you will be under-recording.  The Input sensitivity of their included analogue to digital converters are set to match the output of their supplied phono cartridge.  If you want another cartridge, that could mean digital clipping or under recording and less digital bits being  generated.  You want to adjust the output of your preamp to obtain just under digital clipping to obtain maximum resolution.  Many computer soundcards support 24 bit recording.  So if you use an outboad preamplifier, you can afford to record with a lower output cartridge, as you can "Normalize" the recording back to a full 16 bits of resolution.

So why get a turntable system that includes another sound card that you already have?  How many of your hard earned dollars are left for the quality of the turntable, preamp and recording software? Can that integrated USB sound card be as good as the one you already have?

Next, consider this:  Why do you need a  preamp in the turntable?   There are often preamps  in your receiver or are separate components.  If you already have a hifi setup, many  receivers have a "Record Out" or "Tape Out" that is used to feed an audio recorder.  So, all you have to do is to plug that into your computer's sound card.   With a USB turntable, you are stuck with the preamp they have built into it at lowest cost possible.  If you don't have a preamp, Rek-O-Kut offers a number of very fine preamps.  Click here to see some.

Plus look at this. You need to use a special software workaround play through feature to even hear your sound as you record with a USB sound card.  If you need a computer recording and editing software, you can actually get a fine one from Audacity at:  http://audacity.sourceforge.net/   It's the same or better than that supplied with some USB turntables.

So, use the sound card already in your computer.  Why pay for a 2nd sound card, and cheap preamp?  Spend your money on a quality turntable and superior recording and restoration programs, like Tracer Diamond Cut, rather than on redundant stuff you may already have.

HERE ARE SOME CONNECTION SAMPLES:
 

SUGGESTED OUTBOARD PREAMPS:

1) If you are only dealing with LP records, and 45 rpm records, then buy our Rek-O-Kut Professional Moving Magnet Preamp MKIV or ULTRA.

2) If you are dealing with 78 rpm records and a combination of LP records, and 45 & 78 rpm records of all vintages, and may use 2 turntables, and want superior quality, then buy our Rek-O-Kut ULTRA.

3) If you are only dealing with 78 rpm records or a combination of LP records, and 45 & 78 rpm records and want separate turntable, then buy our Rek-O-Kut Audiophile Archival Moving Magnet Preamp MKII.

4) If you are dealing with all sorts of records, of all vintages, then buy our Rek-O-Kut Professional Moving Magnet Preamp MKiV (or ULTRA), and our Rek-O-Kut Re-Equalizer II or Re-Equalizer III.

5) Want to perform on-the-fly noise reduction without wasting time with computer programs, then buy our Rek-O-Kut DEHISSER.