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Coming: More Ways To Turn Vinyl LPs Into Digital Files

ION Audio scored big last year with digital turntable equipment that connected to your PC to rip vinyl LPs to MP3 files. This year at CES in Las Vegas, the company has pushed the product line even further, announcing three new models. One will rip an LP directly to your iPod, another records to an SD card or flash drive, and a third includes an optical drive to automatically burn a CD.

All three will work without a PC, but include software that, if you attach the turntable to a PC or Mac via a USB connection, will grab MP3 tagging information on artist, album, and song title from Gracenote's MusicID service.

My personal favorite is the LP 2 Flash model, just because I think music on SD cards is the wave of the future. It's a compact, streamlined white package with a dust cover that will list for $249, it has a USB port for connecting to a PC or Mac, an SD slot, RCA audio output connectors, and a 3.5-mm line input jack, so you can record from other devices as well.

The ION LP 2 Flash digital turntable will rip vinyl to SD cards or flash drives, and works with 33 rpm or 45 rpm records, or even, with its included file-processing software, will turn 78 rpm disks into digital files. Click to Enlarge

The LP Dock model puts a drop-in iPod dock on the turntable platform that works with all docking iPod models and iTunes on your PC. It will record directly to fifth-generation and Classic iPods and second- and third-generation iPod nanos. It will list for $300, and comes in a silver plastic case like previous ION turntables.

The LP Doc turntable will record directly to your iPod or, via USB, to your computer. The dock charges the iPod and plays it through RCA audio connector outputs. Click to Enlarge

The third new ION model is a $450 unit that will rip an LP directly to a CD. It's designed to be one-button simple when you use it without a PC, but it also includes software to identify and tag tracks, as well as record to digital files for transfer to audio players. All three models also include an audio-cleanup application to edit out pops and clicks.

If you're still holding onto vinyl (and I certainly am), one of these new devices may let you move your music into a new century.

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