Digital Record Player

If you have an extensive record collection and you’ve been wanting to digitize them, it can seem like a daunting challenge. It is not a completely transparent task to digitize your record collection as there’s no simple interface to link your turntable or stereo to your computer. Enter the Pro-ject Phono Box SE II.

The Pro-ject Phono Box SE II is a diminutive box that is a phono stage, which means it brings up the quiet signal coming from your turntable and raises it to RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) equalization so that it is at an audible level. The trick up the Phono Box’s sleeve is that it also includes a USB port on the back that makes it simple to connect to your computer.

For under $200, you get a nice phono preamp that accepts moving magnet and coil phono cartridges and digitizes your records for you. The only downside is that the music processor inside the Phono Box only does up to 48kHz and 16bit recordings. To the more seasoned audiophile, this is low quality and will not capture the “soul” of listening to vinyl but is definitely acceptable to the casual listener.

Reviews are overall favorable for this phono stage as it provides good sound for a bargain price plus an easy way to digitize your records. The Phono Box SE II is a great way to digitize your records without having to buy a whole new digital record player with USB functionality.

There is an undeniable warmth about vinyl especially if you have clean records with a good record player, preamp, amp, and speakers. While digital forms of music like CDs and more recently MP3s are much more convenient, they don’t capture the warmth and intimacy of records. If you have a large vinyl collection and want to take it on the go, you can invest in a digital record player that converts all your records to MP3s or any other digital format for you to carry around on your iPod or other digital media player.If you already have a record player with a good, powerful amplifier, you could just patch a cable to your laptop and record your records with free software like Audacity. This is frustrating and inefficient at best since you will have to tag and cut all the songs by yourself. While it’s doable, there are definitely better ways.

If you already have a good set up, you can just swap out using your phono stage or phono preamplifier with one that incorporates a USB input. Products like the Pro-ject Phono Box II USB sometimes don’t come with software so you will still need to download free recording applications like Audacity. You simply connect your record player to the Phono Box II with RCA cables and a USB A to B cable to your computer.

If you are a vinyl newbie and wish to get into collecting records and digitizing them you may want to invest a good turntable that includes USB functionality like the Pro-ject Debut III USB. This is the USB version of the already excellent Debut III turntable that is an excellent deck for beginners to understand how record players work. It is a belt driven table which means the motor is kept away from the rotating platter to help reduce unwanted vibration and resonance. Although it might cost $499, it is still considered a very affordable turntable for what you get. A regular Debut III without USB functionality knocks $100 off that price.