Pro-Ject USB V: http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=phonoboxusbvIt's fine, but I think you're paying mostly for the usb features which I no longer use. Digitizing vinyl is a serious task. I was getting decent results, but it was so time-consuming and I know that I only really scratched the surface.Eventually, it started to suck the fun out of things so now vinyl is just for laid back listening sessions. No more digital stress for me.All of that to say, I'm guessing you could pay an equivalent price for something without usb implementation (Schiit Mani, for instance) and get better sound quality for the $$$.
yeah what sucks is that the mp3s that come with the new vinyls are often copies of the cd master not the vinyl master. still better to hear it right some of the time than none of the time.how you like the mani? that was what I was going to use. I heard the lounge is betterr but its double the cost.
I actually traded in some old Zeppelin albums from my college days which did not meet my surface noise standards, starting to regret that choice as the used stuff is almost always beat and/or overpriced. I also have some old Beatles stuff that's pretty gross looking too but have held off on that rabbit hole. Maybe the remasters are worth the splurge?
I also found a local shop very close to me that has a vacuum based RCM ($1/disc) and a furutech record straightener (Record High, Tempe AZ)! The guys that run the place seem super knowledgeable on masterings and different genres so definitely gets a big thumbs up. First time there and I splurged and also snagged some Sleeve City Disc Keepers (http://www.sleevecityusa.com/Diskeeper-2-0-Antistatic-Record-Sleeves-p/9235.htm). Haven't busted them out yet but I am assuming I will need to keep the records separate the jacket and inside of an outer sleeve to do this properly? Previously I was just using plain jane paper sleeves from another local shop which ended up costing me way more in the long run. I would just replace the old worn inners with the new white ones and keep them in the original jacket.
