ION turntable

[Jimmy B]

Has anyone used one to convert Albums to digital? I think you can also do cassettes with it.
Thanks Jimmy B

[Rich-n-Texas]

Well I guess no one owns an ION TT huh? Seems strange...

[Jimmy B]

Ohh well Maybe some one will know about them? Then again This post could be in the wrong area?Thanks Rich
Jimmy B

[Rich-n-Texas]

Not trying to drag you into anything Jimmy B, but I think the problem here is that due to all the recent spamming and the fact that trolls have been rearing their ugly heads, people have become a bit over cautious about welcoming new members. Your intro is a good example as I'm the only one who acknowledged you here. Don't let it frustrate ya though, there are some very helpful people here and I'm certain I've seen others talking about that brand of TT. My Pioneer TT dates back to the 80's so that should tell ya something about my experience with USB TT's.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

[jvc]

A friend of mine has one.
I think the only thing he doesn't like about it, is it doesn't have the cueing lever(?). That can be very aggrevating, I'm sure. I didn't see a way of doing cassettes with it. I'll have to ask him next time I see him.

[02audionoob]

There is an Ion cassette deck. You can run the deck straight to USB, just like the turntable. But then if you have a sound card, you can also run a regular cassette (available at your local Goodwill store for ten bucks) into an adapter (RCA jacks to stereo mini plug) and plug that into the sound card and do the same thing. Of course, the Ion cassette deck would come with software to make it all easier. Audacity is a free download and might accomplish the same task.

[Jimmy B]

Thanks for the replies, i will keep looking and hoping to get one, I have some vinal that needs to be heard again. I still have my cassete player and I have the mentioned cord:-)
Jimmy B

[02audionoob]

If you want an Ion, they seem to be readily available at Fry's, Target, eBay and craigslist. If you just want to listen to vinyl, maybe take a look at the Denon turntables at dakmart.com . They have a switch to output at the regular line level, so you don't need a phono input. And for the digital conversion...You could probably just run the outputs to the line-in on your sound card and record with a free download, like Audacity.

[Jimmy B]

Thanks 02.
Jimmy B

[GP49]

Almost ANYBODY who has an old Technics, Dual, AR, Garrard, Pioneer or other old, GOOD turntable can do better than the ION. Almost anybody with an old receiver or amplifier lying around has a better preamp than what's in the ION. If you have the ability to plug a stereo audio cable into the tape output of your old receiver or amplifier, and into the line inputs of your desktop computer, all you have to do is download the Audacity software for free, and you can convert your LPs to digital files that can be burned to CD using the software that comes with a CD-RW drive...or with Windows Media Player or Real Player.

I tried an ION, just to see what it was like. It was serviceable (I returned it because using my own stuff works better) but its arm had high friction in the horizontal direction (never mind antiskate...the friction offsets skating!) that limits it to operating at no lower than about 2 1/2 grams. The cartridge, perhaps surprisingly, was of decent quality. It's a MM from Sanyo with spherical stylus that performs well in the 2 1/2 to 3 gram range where the arm "likes" to work, though I was able to use it at under 2 grams in a better arm. An elliptical upgrade is available from several vendors. As for the tracking weight, I prefer to dub LPs using a heavier-tracking cartridge, unless it's a pristine LP; the 3 gram range is better for many typical LPs, seeming to suppress vinyl noise better and be more stable on the ever-present warps.

So, if you don't have anything else, or if you want USB capability, the ION is OK.

Incidentally, ION is owned by Numark, well-known maker of disco phono equipment.