Others say...

"Glad we got it"
When I heard about a turntable that could turn our old LP's into MP3 files I was thrilled. I read all the reviews and went ahead and bought the Ion. After setting up the turntable my son and I went right to work recording some of my collection and it was easy.
It takes time and if you want to separate each song (track), you need to be there to click the arrow on the screen. If you have the time, and you have enough vinyl, the machine pays for itself in i tune purchases alone.

"Very Pleased"
To start, I only gave 4 stars as I've not used the turntable or software for an extended period of time yet so I want to be fair.
However, I found it very easy to assemble and it worked perfectly once that was done. I accidentally started off using the "advanced" Audacity software for recording and found it not only easy to use but actually a bit fun. Great amount of control over your recordings. I'm enjoying the process of converting all the stuff on vinyl that I don't have or won't find on CD. The only complaint I have is the the 45rpm insert is just a tad too small and allows for movement when playing 45's. Just used one I already had and still happy.


"Ion Turntable"
This turntable is more efficient than I expected. I am quite
pleased with it and have recommended it to several friend at the university.

"Total Crap"
I bought this for my wife for her birthday. We spent 4 hours trying to get it to work. No sound was ever detected through the USB connection by any of the software. We are not computer illiterate idiots...I work in software. After much web research and getting through to the manufacturers Level 2 support, they thought it was probably a hardware problem with the product. I managed to get some sound through a receiver connected via the RCA cables but it was then that I realized the 33 1/3 speed was WAYYYYYY off. It sounded like listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks. It feels cheaply made and it is. I returned it to the store (The Source by Circuit City) with no problem, picked up $100 Nextech turntable then went to Staples and got an ADS InstantMusic USB A/D convertor. This set up cost me less than the ION piece of crap, the turntable was better quality, the ADS had better software (auto-track detection, unlike the stuff with the ION) and worked immediately. DO NOT buy the ION USBTT...while it may work for some, their quality control is atrocious.

"Works as advertised"
The setup of the hardware and software was quite straightforward. Though I am a tech savvy person, I actually bothered to read the instructions and found that they were quite complete.

The conversion is a two-step process - you initially record your albums in raw digital format and then convert them to the "real world" format of your choice - e.g. CD, MP3 etc.

(You don't necessarily have to keep the original raw recordings as they can take up quite a bit of space.)

CD digital conversion is supported out of the box but you will need to download a conversion add-in for MP3 - the one suggested by the Audacity software worked fine for me.

The Audacity software works well - see my notes below to help you optimize your experience.

Some things to keep in mind when converting your records to digital format:

The physical condition of the record can make a huge difference in the amount of noise. If you can, (in case you've forgotten about this practice) make sure you clean your records before you play them.

Even if your records are in great shape, digital recordings made with this turntable can reveal poor quality in the original recording. This is particulary true if you choose to record in CD quality WAV or high-bit-rate MP3).

The Audacity software lets you create CD quality (actually Super Audio CD quality) WAV files as well as ultra high bit rate MP3's. These files can get quite large. So, think about what you will be listening to your recordings on - if it's just your iPod, to save space you could get away with a lower quality conversion. If you intend to listen to your recordings on your home stereo, use a higher bit rate for MP3's or create CD quality WAV files and burn your own CDs.

Use the "amplify" feature in the Audacity software to make sure your recordings are all at the same level - will save you turning the volume up and down.

Quibble: It's too bad this version of the turntable doesn't have a dust cover.