USB Turntable

[VanAce]

Hey guys looking to get a USB Turntable for playing vinyl records, but due to my age I don't know all the lingo. What should I be looking for and what should I know before getting one. I am not a DJ or anything so I don't really need a super high end one just one that if I got some vinyl I could stream through my PC or in the more traditional way with some sort of decent sound.

[Vicious]

Rather than go USB, I'd suggest getting a used older turntable and a simple phono preamp. Hook that up to your soundcard and record or stream through that.

You'll also probably need to buy a new cartridge, an adjustment template (you could probably just print one), and something to track cartridge force.

Make sure if you go used and you're looking for one that's decent quality that it has a counter weight on it.

The other terms you should be familiar with are belt drive and direct drive. Belt drive takes more maintenance because you have to buy belts when they get worn. Direct drive "may" be more noisy causing . . . well, more noise.

This may seem like a lot, but in reality if you shop around you'll end up paying around the same amount or less than a USB turntable, but have something of much higher quality.

Oh, and one more tip . . . make sure you buy or make a solution meant to clean records. They sound just fine if you clean them well.