I've decided to digitise my vinyl collection, it'll probably take most of the year, but then I'll be able to listen to all those obscure twelve inches that I've got. The main problem is what turntable to buy to enable me to do this, as you can now buy USB turntables that plug straight into your computer. However, these look suspiciously like the bottom of the range DJ decks with a built in pre amp and USB interface, I know I'd get better results just buying the bottom of the range deck, plus a half decent pre amp, cartridge and stylus.
However, I could get a really good budget audiophile deck for the same price as a USB deck, but it doesn't come with pitch control or an electronic speed change facility. You have to take the platter off and reconfigure the belt drive, I know this would annoy me after a while. So I'm in a bit of a quandary at the moment, so I buy a cheap DJ deck and get pitch control and the ability to switch between 33 and 45 easily, or do I by a better deck, but sacrifice ease of use?
Either way I was thinking of buying the Cambridge Audio Azur 540P Phono pre-amplifier as it gets good reviews and isn't too expensive. But, all the stuff I want to digitise is dance music, so I don't even know if it's worth spending money on a half decent pre-amp at all. All I know for sure is, the better the equipment, the better the sound, so for that reason alone I should maybe sacrifice easy of us to get the best recording I can.
Took the car to be scrapped this morning, it was quite an emotional experience. I've had that car for over eight years and she's been a good little runner who's taken her fair share of abuse. However, time has finally caught up with her and not only was the gear box on the way out, I'd already lost fifth gear, but the M.O.T. showed up some rather nasty corrosion to the chassis. It's currently looking like I'll inherit Karen's nasty VW Golf and we'll get a second hand large family car. I Just want my wee Corsa back...
