Columns Retired Columns & Blogs |
November 11, 2007 - 6:04pm
#1
Help - my sister is going to buy an ION
Loudspeakers Amplification | Digital Sources Analog Sources Featured | Accessories Music |
Columns Retired Columns & Blogs |
Loudspeakers Amplification Digital Sources | Analog Sources Accessories Featured | Music Columns Retired Columns | Show Reports | Features Latest News Community | Resources Subscriptions |
I have no direct experience with the Ion, but it's certainly of dubious quality.
To demonstrate the quality of WAV versus MP3, find one of her favorite CDs and rip it, both in uncompressed and MP3 formats. Even on junk computer speakers, the difference is usually quite striking.
As far as a quality setup, the Pro-Ject Phono Box II USB looks promising. It's essentially a Phono Box with a built-in ADC and USB output. The Rega P1 would be a good choice, as would Pro-Ject's own Debut III. Additionally, Pro-Ject makes an all-in-one USB turntable called the Debut III/Phono USB, which is a Debut III with the Phono Box II USB circuitry on-board. It sells for $450, which is a $30 break versus a Debut III ($300) and Phono Box II USB ($180). It costs a lot more than an Ion, but it is sure to wipe the floor with any of those USB tables.
Thanks Erik. I didn't know Pro-Ject made a similar device. I'll check those out and let her know.
If you were going to use a regular turntable instead of one like the ION or the Pro-Ject USB turntable, would you likely get better sound by going from your TAPE OUT jacks on your amp to the mini-PC stereo analog input jack on your sound card, or would a separate analog to digital converter that connects to a USB port be better? Hmmmmm. I guess it depends on the quality of the built-in ADC on your sound card versus the one on the external device.
So what are some good ADC devices for 24 bit 44.1 Khz conversion of vinyl material that will be output to CD?