Despite having been around for some time now, USB turntables can’t really be considered cheap. Those which are cheap are often very low quality, which is why the vast majority of the turntables featured on this site retail for between $80 – $120. That isn’t to say that ALL cheaper turntables are necessary bad, we have identified three USB turntables costing less than $75 which are fantastic! If you are on a budget then consider these two great options!
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Ion PowerPlay LP USB-Powered Vinyl-to-MP3 Turntable
Before ascertaining just how much you need to spend, consider your needs. Many consumers buy a USB turntable to both play their vinyls on a modern hi-fi system AND to convert their vinyl into MP3 format. If you only intend to convert your entire vinyl collection into MP3 format to burn to CDs or to play on MP3 players then you can save yourself a lot of money and buy a product to serve that single specific purchase.
The Ion PowerPlay vinyl-to-MP3 turntable plugs directly into your PC and converts your music into digital formats. At just $39.99 this is the perfect solution for those who want to convert a small collection of records before never using the converter again, for larger collections or commercial use you really need to think about upping your budget. The finished MP3 files are great quality, it’s a decent converter, but don’t even think about using this turntable as a record player! If you want a turntable to serve both purposes then move on to the options below, alternatively read more about the Ion PowerPlay LP.
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Sylvania SRCD873 Radio Turntable with USB
This is the cheapest USB turntable (for multiple-use) that we would ever be willing to recommend to our readers, the Sylvania SRCD873 is a fantastic budget option which at time of writing will cost you just $59.99 with free shipping on Amazon.com. Despite being the lowest priced turntable on the site, it is one of very few that we know of to have a built in FM stereo and a built in speaker system!
This is a no thrills option, and at the price given performance can’t be guaranteed for the long term, but if you just want to play your vinyls occasionally or don’t intend to use it much after converting your vinyl collection into MP3 format then do you really need anything else? We see this USB turntable as the perfect product for moderate use, but if you intend to use a USB turntable heavily or have a very large record collection to convert then you would probably be better served increasing your budget by $10 and checking out the awesome Ion product below!
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Ion USB Turntable with Universal Dock for iPod
It is only natural that we keep the best until last, to show you why spending just a little more is well worth it. The two products above will record directly to your PC, from which you can then sort organize your files and move them over to your MP3 player or external hard drive. What if you could buy a USB turntable which enables you to transfer those files directly from vinyl to any docking iPod? That would save you a hell of a lot of time and effort? That is precisely what this turntable offers. At just $69.99 with free shipping (it used to sell for $229.99!), you really can’t go wrong with this awesome high quality product.
We always feel a little silly discussing price when talking about USB turntables, because unlike any other consumer good that we can think of a vinyl converter will SAVE you money. A single MP3 song costs $0.69 from iTunes, so you would only need to convert 101 songs (equivalent to around 8-10 LP’s) to break a profit and recoup your outlay! Convert 202 songs and you have doubled your money, convert 1010 songs and you have SAVED an astonishing $629.91.
Of course, you can also use this turntable to convert to your PC if you don’t own an iPod or simply prefer it that way. Even if you don’t own an iPod, this product is superior in so many ways to the two alternatives featured above. It is heavy duty, the components are very high quality, and you could easily expect this turntable to last for many years if stored away from dust.
It plays at both 33 and 45 RPM, as well as 78 RPM using the completely free software that is included, and if you are a computer whizz you can use the free version of Audacity software (compatible with both PC and Mac) to tidy up the sounds to effectively digitally remaster your own vinyls! Head over to Amazon to buy at a great price.
