unheimlich's Full Review: Sony PS-LX300USB Turntable
The Sony PS-LX300USB Turntable is a great way to get your old vinyl records into your mp3 collection with a minimal hit to the wallet. The music sounds great and operation and set-up is fairly easy, especially if your computer has a USB port in a handy location: you can easily plug-and-play on the fly, "hot swapping" the turntable between your regular home stereo system amplifier and your computer.
That was the main appeal of the device to me: its ability to function as a dual component. My old turntable was simply dead. This one works well as a replacement. But I couldn't resist the USB port and so I decided to start digitizing all my old albums so I could have mp3 files of them on the cheap. The quality is pretty good in the results, though the pops and clicks and other noises are still fairly evident on the mp3 file and the problem of noise reduction and song shaping is only as good as the software you install.
Sony provides software, but it isn't nearly as good as what you can buy yourself -- and you're going to need to be a little bit of a do-it-yourselfer to actually use this turntable to make mp3s. It is time consuming to record and edit full length 12" LPs, side by side, then edit them down song by song, then adjust the quality of the recorded song, then tag the resulting files all by hand, then upload them into iTunes or whatever software you've got. In a sense, if you can afford the mp3 files from iTunes or eMusic or elsewhere, you might as well buy them, because you're buying time in your life and near CD quality sound. Using the turntable to burn albums to mp3 is really only useful if you have LPs you can't find elsewhere in electronic form, or if you really can't afford to buy the CDs or e-music elsewhere.
Hardward can be a limitation as well. I was dismayed to learn that my computer sound card set up (which is pretty standard, I think) doesn't allow me to monitor the sound as it is recorded to my hard drive! That means the turntable is almost useless as a way of just listening to records through a computer. I researched this and learned that there are non-intuitive settings one needs to adjust in the control panel (of Windows), but my sound card still won't quite work right with this. THIS IS A MAJOR REASON WHY MANY PEOPLE WON'T WANT THIS TURNTABLE, though I think this may be the case with ANY usb-based turntable, not just this Sony Model.
However, like I said, this turntable works well. It functions but some may be dismayed by the actual hardware on the Sony. There is the usual set of RCA output cables (wired to the back of the device; not removable plugs) and a switch that you can use to turn it from analog to digital recording. You have to install the drive belt yourself when you first set up the machine. The platten is a floppy rubber disc you drop down onto a metal platten -- which is good, but both of these rubber pieces (the belt and the platten top) will no doubt wear over time.
The machine has two fixed, one-way speed settings (a bit disappointing compared to other new models, which allow for some time tweaking and mixmaster scratching). The needle is good quality and has a nice drop-down protection unit for when the turntable is not in use. The turntable arm is lightweight and you can custom drop it into a groove however you like, or use the automatic features and start/stop buttons on the front of the machine. It is a bit TOO light and prone to easily skip -- which is a drag when you can't live monitor your recording! I have had to resort to the old fashioned "penny on the arm" weight trick, because there are no weight adjustments I can find on the arm. The turntable as a whole lays flat on four thick feet...but if you place it too close to (or on the same surface as) your computer tower, you will get some mild hum on the recording. Try to avoid that.
I've been focusing on drawbacks, but the turntable is more than serviceable and has the standard Sony level of quality in design and electronics. The #1 benefit? The price. You're getting a lot for a relatively low price in this market (under a hundred bucks). If you're stocking up on vinyl collectors items, have your own moldie oldies in the basement you wanna record, or if you are returning to vinyl for that high quality analog sound, I seriously recommend this one. It's IDEAL for people like me who are bargain hunting for cheap LPs at garage sales and thrift stores -- I've more than made my money back, and I've been able to record songs that I would NEVER buy but would want to have in mp3 for one-time use (like sound effect albums and Christmas music).
The others I compared it to in the store when I was shopping had more bells and whistles but were made of lower quality parts, and seemed made ONLY for computer use, rather than console use. This one has the best of both worlds and has saved me a lot of money. Recommended.
"B&H is a top rated - authoriozed Sony store" - PS-LX300USB USB Stereo Turntable, Belt Drive System, 33 1/3 and 45 RPM Record Playback, Built-In Phono...More at B&H Photo Video Pro Audio
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