Needles, Sound Quality? Any information on those parts of the ION turntable?
227246
I bought this TT (not from Amazon) and am very unhappy with the sound quality. All those 5-star reviewers must have very forgiving ears or none at all! This thing changes the volume as it plays, it misses some frequencies, and although unnoticed by most, the rotation speed is also unstable leading to notes going out of tune. A lot of its problems are due to the cheap stylus used. Not sure if replacing it with a better needle is the solution since this unit has many other design flaws. Unless you only listen to "bang-bang" rock music on low-bitrate MP3s and never bother with classical music, this device may work for you. The software issues are irrelevant. With Windows Plug&Play device driver setup you can totally skip installing the programs on the accompanying CD.
227247
Though i like rock bang-bang music. I DO have to agree. I played rock, jazz, old records and new records and the sound quality is horrible. I am thinking its the needle since its flimsy and unsecured. I am not sure if replacing it (and spending $40) will change the result. :/ any advise would help.
227248
Elitist. The quality of some "bang-bang" rock recordings exceeds the quality of some classical recordings. So your opinion is entirely off-base.
1552682
I'm not sure to be honest. That would be a question more for the manufacturer. Here's a link to the manual in PDF format. Maybe this will help? http://numark.de/sites/default/files/PT01USB_QuickStart.pdf . If you do pick up this turntable, a great add on is to get a Lepai Mini Amplifier which is around $15. Which will give you better sound adjustment options and the ability to hook up older speakers to your turntable.
1368627
I do not own this turntable anymore. I would try to contact Marantz directly!
630495
This might be an ultra-obvious thing to say, so pardon me for suggesting it, but have you undone the transit screws on the turntable? If you haven't, then the needle might skip as the turntable isn't "floating" on the springs as it's supposed to. If you have taken care of that issue, then we're really into the "get what you pay for" territory, and it has to be said that the turntable on this unit isn't that great. That being said, the needle shouldn't skip, and it sounds like there's not enough weight on the playing arm. You could try placing a penny on top, right above where the needle is, and see what happens, but that might be too much weight, so you might have to experiment a bit. This might be an ultra-obvious thing to say, so pardon me for suggesting it, but have you undone the transit screws on the turntable? If you haven't, then the needle might skip as the turntable isn't "floating" on the springs as it's supposed to. If you have taken care of that issue, then we're really into the "get what you pay for" territory, and it has to be said that the turntable on this unit isn't that great. That being said, the needle shouldn't skip, and it sounds like there's not enough weight on the playing arm. You could try placing a penny on top, right above... » Read More This might be an ultra-obvious thing to say, so pardon me for suggesting it, but have you undone the transit screws on the turntable? If you haven't, then the needle might skip as the turntable isn't "floating" on the springs as it's supposed to. If you have taken care of that issue, then we're really into the "get what you pay for" territory, and it has to be said that the turntable on this unit isn't that great. That being said, the needle shouldn't skip, and it sounds like there's not enough weight on the playing arm. You could try placing a penny on top, right above where the needle is, and see what happens, but that might be too much weight, so you might have to experiment a bit. « Show Less
1629477
If you're sure you have the polarity right on the cartridge, that's about all there is to it. Check the connections, make sure the terminals are all mating snugly etc. ...was this working at all before? You got to have a phono input or preamp, turntables aren't strong enough by themselves, but you probably know this.
1162980
I don't know.its decent though.this is a 69 dollar turntable.on my vintage turntable the cartridge were costing 99 dollars and up.this one sound quality is superior to my daul 500.
1665460
I don't really remember. I was not at all satisfied with it's quality. It's mostly plastic, and I didn't want it once I opened it. The platter is plastic, and when I put it on, it wobbled. I had already had it for a while and had passed the allowable return date. So I donated it to Goodwill. Personally, if you are looking for a good turntable, I'd look at a different one than this. Feel free to email me @ Border3884. The "at" symbol, then gmail dot com.
1136301
Leonard, I gifted the Audio Technica turntable to a friend, thus, I cannot specifically answer your question with any authority. However, I have read that "purists" swear by a virgin vinyl recording played through an excellent turntable (into a very high quality amplifier with top signal-to-noise specs), as having superior dynamic range - as compared to a digital rendition of the same musical selection. To my untrained ears, the digital rendition, captured at the right sample and bit rate, will ALWAYS sound superior to any analog playback. This is simply due to things like wow, flutter, low frequency rumble, and other such artifacting that is unique to the analog playback process using a turntable. Then there is always the ever-present noise that can often be introduced in (both vacuum tube and solid state) preamps and routine audio frequency amplifier signal processing. Just my humble opinion, but I could be wrong!
1425106
If you already have a tape deck with line out, you can get the ION Audio Vinyl Forever patch device. It has a fake decorative turntable on top, but it is just a device into which you can plug your actual turntable, cassette, 8-track, etc., as long as your music source has line-out capability. The ION device then sends an MP3 signal to your computer. $20 here on the jungle as of 11/2013.
2027498
i kno this is late but im looking into this TURNTABLE/BELT DRIVE/MANUAL/CARTRIDGEi kno u should have already selected a turntable by now lol
449486
I personally feel that the Audio Technica At-lp1240 is good replacement for this,http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT-LP1240-USB-Direct-Turntable/dp/B007R9B0UQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid;=1414319354&sr;=8-1&keywords;=Audio+technica+at-lp1240 And its cheaper too.Tried it at the shops and it sounds pretty good,hope its helpful :)
2043116
It's a ceramic (piezoelectric) cartridge that tracks somewhere between 2 and 4 grams...not the best for record life. Don't play 78 rpm records with the stock needle...you'll destroy them. See my other answers below for further explanation.
134122
Hmmm...usual options first. Make sure needle isn't damaged, player is on flat surface, records are clean, etc. I honestly haven't had any issues with mine and I use it at least once a day. And it sits on a djembe drum! Worst case scenario you may have to trade it in for a new one.
1939345
I don't have one, but if it only has a standard line-in jack, be careful. Older turntables and higher end recent ones only have phono out. That's a lower level output, with a specialized equalization curve to compensate for the characteristics of records. The short of it: it won't sound good connected to a line input. You'd need a phone pre-amp to correct the signal. Some more recent turntables, especially ones designed to connect to a computer, may have a line-out with a mini phone plug (like a those on headphones/ear buds). That should be OK. But if it has RCA plugs, it's probably a no-go without the pre-amp. I don't have one, but if it only has a standard line-in jack, be careful. Older turntables and higher end recent ones only have phono out. That's a lower level output, with a specialized equalization curve to compensate for the characteristics of records. The short of it: it won't sound good connected to a line input. You'd need a phone pre-amp to correct the signal. Some more recent turntables, especially ones designed to connect to a computer, may have a line-out with a mini phone plug (like a those on headphones/ear buds). That should be OK. But if it has RCA plugs, it's probably a no-go... » Read More I don't have one, but if it only has a standard line-in jack, be careful. Older turntables and higher end recent ones only have phono out. That's a lower level output, with a specialized equalization curve to compensate for the characteristics of records. The short of it: it won't sound good connected to a line input. You'd need a phone pre-amp to correct the signal. Some more recent turntables, especially ones designed to connect to a computer, may have a line-out with a mini phone plug (like a those on headphones/ear buds). That should be OK. But if it has RCA plugs, it's probably a no-go without the pre-amp. « Show Less
1411409
I would just get one on Amazon or eBay. I would google "Craig Turntable" and "replacement needle" or something along those lines. The Craig record player I got came with an extra one. Sorry I didn't have more info
1708098
The cartridge is actually the best thing about this turntable. It's a good quality cartridge - and my classical records sound great with it (on a Technics turntable). The turntable, on the other hand, is seriously lacking as far as quality control is concerned.
1187431
Did you loosen the turntable screw? Did you remove the needle cover? Other than that, you will need to contact vendor. Tell them they must pay return postage (UPS return tag)