|  Most
of us old-timers still have a good collection of vinyl records that we find hard
to part with. After all, I still have many albums that never made it into my CD
collection. This is largely due to a change in my music taste over the years as
well as the fact that I still like to listen to LPs on my old Thorens turntable.
Therefore, there was no need to buy the same music again on a different format.
Sure it is less convenient, but there is something about the old analog system
that still sounds pleasing to my ears. As we all move into the era of portable
media players and music servers there comes a time when converting the old vinyl
music into a digital format makes a lot of sense. Several friends of mine have
tried this with mixed results. Audio-Technica, a company well known for it's contribution
to the audio industry has come up with an inexpensive and relatively easy way
to convert those aging vinyl discs. The AT-LP2D-USB is a full blown turntable
complete with a built-in USB interface that allows any computer with a USB port
to accept digital audio. The turntable supports both 33-1/3 and 45 rpm vinyl and
comes with an automatic (start and stop) tonearm with a simple push of a button.
 Phono
Cartridge
The AT-LP2D-USB includes an integral dual-magnet Audio-Technica
phono cartridge for capturing the sound from that old vinyl. For those purist
who want to use the turntable with an analog output, the AT-LP2D-USB offers both
line level and phono level outputs. The latter will require RIAA equalization
or a phono input on a receiver or preamplifier, something that is getting rather
hard to find in mainstream audio equipment these days. We had an inexpensive outboard
Parasound PPH-100 phono preamplifier on hand that we tried with the unit. Converting
the analog audio to digital internally in the turntable does has its advantages
and helps keep noise low on the low level signals. We used the USB interface for
the majority of our review.
 Cakewalk
Pyro 5
The AT-LP2D-USB system includes a copy of Cakewalk Pyro 5,
a powerful software package that makes it easy to copy CDs and DVDs (single and
dual-layer), rip CDs, make MP3s, send music to your portable player, and create
and upload ringtones to your phone. It is a great tool to help users get their
recorded content to their favorite digital products. There are also powerful tools
to clean, edit, and equalize your audio. Users can also adjust volumes, and add
additional effects including the ability to drag one song over the other to create
seamless DJ-style mixes. Pyro 5 includes Cakewalk-quality technology that can
locate and organize all the music files on your PC, instantly download songs,
albums, and artist names, burn and share mix CDs of your favorite music, and archive
important data files to CD, DVD, or dual-layer DVD.
 The
real power of the AT-LP2D-USB is the direct digital connection to a computer through
its USB interface. This greatly simplifies the earlier systems that required an
A/D card in the PC to convert the analog audio signal to a digital file. Audio-Technica
still leaves this option with the analog cables attached, but we think most users
will prefer to use the USB interface for simplicity. The AT-LP2D-USB includes
Cakewalk Pyro 5, a state-of-the-art recording software package that makes capturing
and editing audio tracks simple. Several recording options and capabilities are
included with the Pyro 5 software to make creating music files easier.
 Here
is an example of audio being captured from one of our LPs. In this case we recorded
one side of Genesis Seconds Out. As you can see, five distinctive tracks
have been recorded with small breaks in between each of the tracks. The software
allows the user to manually tag each of the recorded tracks on the screen. Zooming
in/out or scrolling forward/backwards is as simple as a button push. Users can
rip to MP3, .WMA, or WAV files with user defined audio quality. To prevent the
"thump" encountered in the audio when the needle drops
into the track or when the needle lifts from the
track, the user can simply edit out that portion of the audio using the tool.
Pyro 5 also has a tool to clean up "noisy or crackly" audio best known
as "pop and click" filtering. The speed can be adjusted to change the
pitch of the recordings. Users can design full-color CD-Labels and jewel case
inserts for their collection.
Our
test album was in pretty good shape, so we did not have to apply any audio filtering
to the recording. One feature we found to be great was the level control to prevent
clipping of the audio while maximizing the dynamic range of the recording. The
music we played on the AT-LP2D-USB turntable sounded great and had good frequency
response with impressive bass. Conclusion
Converting your old LP collection to the new era of digital music is no easy
task even with this system. However, Audio-Technica has made the AT-LP2D-USB user
friendly and probably provides the most economical way of getting your LP collection
into a convenient format that you can enjoy everyday. The sound quality is surprisingly
good for an inexpensive turntable, which evens comes with a full needle and cartridge.
The integrated USB interface makes using the AT-LP2D-USB simple and without the
hassle of connecting analog cables. Best of all, the street price is less than
$150. -
Kevin Nakano |
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