Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsEasy setup, easy to use and excellent sound
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2019
I had ripped a large amount of my record collection with another turntable to take with me on my iPod/iPhone.
I have since upgraded to a dedicated hi res Sony Walkman and wanted to update my vinyl rips to hi res. This turntable seemed perfect.
This unit is very elegant looking. A bit simplistic, but I love the look.
Upon receiving the item, I unboxed it and gathered all the components. Setup was so easy. Balancing the tone arm was a breeze using the included instructions. It seems the recommended 3 gram weight is a bit on the high side, but I set it at 3 as recommended. I tested the weight with my digital scale, and the weight showed as 2.999 grams, so their instructions were spot on.
I was a bit worried as the instructions said that in order to hear music on the PC the unit had to be connected with the RCA cables. I didn’t want to do that as I wanted to record digitally from USB. My fears were for naught. The instructions don’t mention that once the software is installed and you begin recording, you hear the disc being played.
About the software, it is very basic, but does what is needed very well. I have not had any issues with the software crashing. The recording process is a breeze. I wish there were more options for tagging, however. You can only enter album name, album artist, Track name and track artist. I am very thorough with tagging my tracks so I need to use a 3rd party app for complete tagging. I use dbPowerAmp for this, including adding the album art.
Once you record you track(s) a waveform is displayed. You can play the file to find the parts you want to split or cut out and add markers. One reviewer mentioned that you cannot go backward in a file, only forward, but you CAN go backward and forward by dragging the slider at the bottom of the window. When you are satisfied, you click write to files and are presented with a window showing all the splits you created and you check off the items you want to actually save. Any extra space before or after, or the spaces between tracks can be discarded by unchecking them. Just make your selections, tag the tracks and save the files. It’s very easy. I should also mention that the signal is usually very low when recording from USB with no way to change the input level. However after recording, you can boost the file using the Gain option. Maximum gain you can apply is only +6 dB, however. I use auto which will find the maximum without clipping, up to a maximum of +6 dB.
I have done a few test recordings in different formats and DSF is huge. In all fairness the WAV options at high res rates are huge as well, but these can be recoded to FLAC which substantially reduces file size. Also, the DSD (DSF) files cannot be edited. UPDATE: I have discovered there is a very basic piece of software out there, rebranded by several different companies, TEAC is one of them. The software will let you edit DSD/DSF files, but only to cut out unwanted silence from beginning and end, split tracks or combine tracks. That's it. Due to the nature of DSD, it's not practical to have full fledged editing capabilities. There is professional level software that allows fine tuning DSD files, but they are converted to very high rate WAV then re-encoded to DSD when done. That adds a conversion process to native DSD, which I would not want.
I am currently trying to decide which format I want to use. DSD is supposed to offer more in terms of the sound stage, but I can’t tell if I really hear a difference. I will probably stick with WAV as I like to edit out any nasty clicks and pops and to clean up the start and end of the records where you hear the most noise.
As far as sound quality I hear a marked difference in the quality of the albums I had ripped. Using my other turntable with analog recording, those sounded a bit muddy and needed further editing and EQ in Adobe Audition but I was also able to fine tune the files and bring them up to maximum levels.
I find these files sound much clearer with more punch, especially in the bass.
If you plan to remove any pops and ticks then you definitely need to record in one of the WAV formats as you cannot edit DSD files one you save them. As mentioned above, professional (expensive) software is available but not desirable.
The turntable plays all my records flawlessly, never a skip.
You can add this to a stereo setup and the necessary cables are supplied, including a ground line. This is a nice addition. You can use with a phono input or a line input by selecting the proper setting on the back of the unit. However if you just want a turntable to hook up to a stereo or speakers, it’s not worth getting this unit as it was meant to do so much more. Although I am sure it would perform very well as a stand-alone player.
Elegant design, easy setup, everything you need is included, adequate software that works well - this all adds up to a stellar combination well worth the purchase price.
I cannot find anything negative to say about this product.
