Numark's TTi turntable transfers vinyl to iPod sans a PC

Sure, there's a smorgasbord of products out there designed to transfer your precious vinyl recordings to a slightly more modern format, but few pack the cool factor that comes bundled in gratis with Numark's TTi. This newfangled turntable not only brings back not-so-fond memories of your second high school prom, but it also boasts an integrated iPod dock, USB interface, a metal platter and pitch control to boot. Besides ripping records directly to your 'Pod, the unit also features a line-level output and comes with versions of EZ Vinyl Converter software for the PC or Mac should you prefer vinyl-to-computer ripping. We know, it's tough to leave the 70s, but the TTi should make the transition somewhat less painstaking when it lands in Q2 for $449. One more angle's waiting after the break.

[PsychOfMSE @ Jan 19th 2008 2:31AM]

Dumb. Numark turntables are notoriously crappy. If all you're gonna be using it for is ripping your vinyl collection to .mp3 it would make more sense to buy a damn computer and an old school turntable for the same price. After you're done ripping, at least you have a computer to show for your $450!

[Flashpoint @ Jan 19th 2008 8:45AM]

I am not a lover of Ipods but I can see that this device might perform REALLY WELL.

I know this crazy guy who has been collecting records for over 40 years and he's got a Manhattan Apt FULL of them - I'm talking thousands of records.

strangely enough, there is a market for this and because it has an ipod dock, it is visually appealing to some.

[Andrew @ Jan 19th 2008 10:32AM]

First off, Flashpoint, just because you saw High Fidelity doesn't mean you know some mystery man in New York.

Second, I have lots of vinyl, and see this as a complete waste of time and money. If you do own vinyl and subscribe to the digital media age you have already found a way to turn your love for analog into soul crushing mp3. This is a complete gimmick, just like iPod turntables. I find solace in knowing it will die a slow, excruciating death.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Jan 19th 2008 11:24AM]

How exactly is this a complete waste of time and money? You get a turntable that not only plays records, but it also conveniently rips them straight to your iPod. Though, I've never tried Numark, this seems like a good piece of technology to work with.

You can simply hook a regular turntable up to a computer, but you have to shop around a bit for audio software as well as a mixer.

[Andrew @ Jan 19th 2008 11:40AM]

Liquid: I'll help you out. Newmark is junk, no way around it. You would not want to own one as your every day turntable. Also, if you have a bunch of vinyl, you probably already have a decent turntable. If you really do want to convert your vinyl to digital, you're going to transfer it to somewhere secure, like your computer, not your effing ipod. The software side of it is ridiculously easy. You don't have to go through a mixer, but I would, hence why I mentioned it.

Besides, I really dislike any audio accessory that is catered to the iPod. iPod clocks, iPod turntables, iPod cars...it's just weird. I own a 'pod, I use it, but in a fire I'd grab my Technics and PC before I grabbed the 'pod.

[Andrew @ Jan 19th 2008 11:41AM]

*I was so disgusted I forgot how to spell Numark!

[Shane @ Jan 19th 2008 1:15PM]

Forget Numark...Technics 1200 FTW!
Get a good preamp and capture device for your PC and you're all set.

[khalkis @ Jan 19th 2008 6:29PM]

Andrew - any advice on how to rip music from my turntable? I've got an old-school turn-table and a Mac laptop - do I need to get some line-in cables; what kind of software should I use, etc. Any advice appreciated - it's hard to find good audiophile tips from the gold-plated speaker cable set.

[Shane @ Jan 19th 2008 6:44PM]

@khalkis:

Try something like this...
http://www.bswusa.com/proditem.asp?item=USBPHONOPLUSV2

Or for a few bucks less, this...
http://www.bswusa.com/proditem.asp?item=USBPHONOPLUS

Either one would give you the interface you need between your turntable and your Mac.

[Kelley @ Apr 11th 2008 4:24PM]

I already have one of those standard turntable-and-PC setups. I want the Windows s/w that comes with this, which claims to analyze what's been ripped and find the Gracenote CDDB entries for the album and individual tracks.
I HATE typing all this stuff...

[Jeff @ Jan 19th 2008 2:37AM]

I bet it DRMs your recordings for your convenience too.

[JuggleNuts @ Jan 19th 2008 3:06AM]

Anyone else notice that the word "sans" is used quite often on this site?

[o rly @ Jan 19th 2008 3:10AM]

So you'd like an Engadget, sans sans?

[majortom @ Jan 19th 2008 11:32AM]

no, but I noticed that the article referred to my high school experience. How did they know that it took me five years to graduate? And yes, I did like BOTH of my proms. First one with my mom, second one with my sister....

[Simon @ Jan 19th 2008 3:07AM]

Sure, it will mix, but the real question is

will it blend?

[ethana2 @ Jan 19th 2008 5:09AM]

No, it does not. Please refrain from asking that question when the answer is obvious before you anger everyone.

[Simon @ Jan 19th 2008 5:31AM]

Oh, you.

Lighten up a lil, k? :P

[SoloSalsa @ Jan 20th 2008 1:22PM]

In Soviet Russia, they have Doom on vinyl. But you wouldn't want to blend it while your playing, now would you?

[Skorpius @ Jan 19th 2008 3:17AM]

I'm sure it doesn't rip to ALAC either, thus actually making good copies of your music.

[Paul @ Jan 19th 2008 3:44AM]

Wouldn't this defeat the purpose of vinyl?

and for $450???

It is not like this is a use-every-day item. You would theoretically rip your albums and then.. let it collect dust in the corner?

[johnny @ Jan 19th 2008 4:52AM]

That's awesome!

I actually just paid a company to do this for me....
http://www.ripstyles.com

They did a pretty good job, but this seems like a novelty that I'd
still consider buying (stacks of vinyl in the basement....)

[Jeff Myers @ Jan 19th 2008 7:45AM]

Especially at $25 per lp!!!

Jeff

[däniel @ Jan 19th 2008 4:59AM]

there's also a smorgasbord of articles with smorgasbord in them...

[däniel @ Jan 19th 2008 5:05AM]

whoops, this was supposed to be a reply to jugglenuts' post!

[Snooze @ Jan 19th 2008 7:02AM]

I hope, no, I pray that vinyl will get a comeback.

[Garst @ Jan 19th 2008 7:09AM]

The real question is, can you hook this up to a pair of speaker and justify buying it after you transfer all your music to your iPod?

[Sid @ Jan 19th 2008 7:28AM]

"the unit also features a line-level output"

Well it isn't mentioned whether there could be a direct speaker connection, but you could sure play vinyls with it, along with some other system.

[DjSnafu @ Jan 19th 2008 8:15AM]

I bought the Numark TT USB just for ripping vinyls at high speed, cost me $125. http://www.numark.com/ttusb It is only worth for ripping your music down to the computer and nothing else really. You use Audacity to record and to change the pitch after you record your records at 45 back to 33 1/3. Saves time for archiving records. So far I've ripped about 500 of my records and 1500 to go. This new one I wouldn't even consider it, I'd buy a Technics 1200 MK2 instead.

[Andrew @ Jan 19th 2008 10:35AM]

Sounds like a snafu!

Yuck yuck yuck.

[Alan @ Jan 19th 2008 9:25AM]

Numark turntables are reknowned for being poor. If all its going to be used for is ripping vinyl to mp3 you're going to use it once and then be $450 down, wheres the sense in that??

TheGizmole

[Flashpoint @ Jan 19th 2008 12:22PM]

Your answer is shallow and negative.

Don't you realize that there are some albums on vinyl that are so old that there is no way to reproduce them without a device like this? I can keep my entire music collection on a single laptop computer - or hard drive. That's never going to be obsoleted.

[dan @ Jan 19th 2008 12:04PM]

lol, numark makes a way better turntable for $50 less than this... And it also has USB to rip our tracks... I would've gotten it but got the Techs.. Don't regret it one bit

[Michael Kaply @ Jan 19th 2008 12:19PM]

Strange. Skymall has one of these from Ion Audio for half the price:

http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=102605334&c=

But it looks exactly the same...

[MrRom92 @ Jan 19th 2008 12:50PM]

the numarks are a piece of shit... the cheap ones at least. have you seen the ttxusb? its the ttx with a usb output. out of the half amillion turntables ive owned, and some being 5 times the price, the ttxusb is the best one ive ever owned. now unless your getting one of those 100,000 dollar phonographs, and an 8000 preamp, id say that the ttxusb is the way to go. most usb turntables are shitty cheap quality toys, with crappy internal DACs.. do yourself a favor, get the ttxusb. at least you could convert to flac and burn a cd for the car, or rip to mp3 for the ipod, through the better usb port. and jjst look at all the options. it has every digital bell nd whistle imaginable. 3 speeds.. not that crappy "use our software to record 78s" thats the shittiest crap ive ever heard. hey i even figured out today that if you wanna play that really obscure 16 rpm record, you can just play at 33 and use the pitch control to drop down 50%.. so its a 4 speed. how can you go wrong woth the ttxusb? its only downside is that it has no internal storage for a 45 adapter, and theres no dustcover. which is the same on all numarks.

ohand dont confuse the ttxusb with the ttusb. like i said, thats a crappy belt driven 2 speed turntable with a lameexcuse of a usb port. tti is all that plus an ipod dock.
hope this helps.
--mrrom92

[Spoon @ Jan 19th 2008 3:38PM]

"If you do own vinyl and subscribe to the digital media age you have already found a way to turn your love for analog into soul crushing mp3."

Just because I rip my vinyls to .mp3 doesn't mean I'm giving up my passion for analog, it just means I can listen to my vinyl collection while commuting about campus. I don't really want to carry a turn table on my back just to listen to my vinyl collection while I'm not at home.

[pattman247 @ Jan 19th 2008 8:17PM]

so how do u put the songs back to your computer, does it go into the music root or a separate folder on the ipod? PLUS the touch doesn't even support disk mode? hmm..

[霽月瀛台 @ Jan 19th 2008 10:03PM]

Low quality turntable hurts ears!!

[El Erbmocnoc Euqsam @ Jan 20th 2008 4:46AM]

Tagging all these craptacular rips is going to be so much fun... *sans* keyboard. Pass.

[dan2600 @ Jan 20th 2008 11:05AM]

If your converting your vinyls into anything other then WAV or FLAC what the hell is the point....WASTE of time and money...numark is loosing big in the DJ market, so they are switching over to this garbage...has anyone see that rebranded USB audio TT-200 called the ION...now that is a really big piece of garbage

[Brian @ Jan 20th 2008 11:56AM]

Wonder what the profit margin is on this thing.

[OneLove @ Jan 20th 2008 9:23PM]

whats that round black thing in the middle?

[Psychav @ Jan 21st 2008 5:53AM]

When I first saw the pic I thought it worked the other way around. :-(