Record player sound quality.

T

TDOT

New member
What up FP,

If I'm purchasing a vinyl record player (USB) for only the purpose of ripping vinyl to my computer or getting it into my DAW. Does the quality of the player really matter?

I wanted something cheap but if that's a bad idea then maybe I'll raise the budget
 
the real issue is the quality of the dacs (going from analogue vinyl to digital audio) and the quality/accuracy of the RIAA preamp (the thing that converts the encoded information on the disc into full-bandwidth audio). the latter should be a given - they have been designing and building this thing for more than 60 years, the former is the real issue.

secondary considerations is the degree of wow and flutter in the turntable itself
  • both manifest as slightly different lfo modulations of the signal as a result of inaccuracies in motor control as the turntable is driven either by
    • direct means
      • the center of the turntable is connected to the axle of the motor and so rotates at the speed of the motor, or
    • indirect means
      • the motor is connected to the turntable either by a drive band or by a gear assembly
        • the band is still connecting the axle of the motor to the turntable but slippage and other imperfections cause some loss of energy transfer
        • the gear assembly in some models also controls the speed of the turntable so that you are relying on a gear box ratio to render each speed
 
Simply put........no.
Most cats who have a USB TT (including myself)don't have any problem with quality but it does depend on the condition of the album and the needle.Look into the Numark,Stanton or Gemini.

Peace
 
Well, I guess it depends how "hifi" you want to be. Turntables being mechanical apparati, they're the sort of thing where every part will have some kind of an impact on the playback quality - as bandcoach implied. But of course, for most purposes, these USB tt's will be just fine.
 
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