Pyle PLTTB3U Belt Drive USB Turntable With Recording & Digital Software

First of all, I can't believe how inexpensive this was! It's about the same price as the completely feature-absent model below it. A $250 turntable for $90 was a waving red flag, but I took a chance based on other reviews. I'm excited about this unit and have already done some successful recording. The included software is out of date and didn't function properly, so I skiped it and loaded Audacity via internet (super quick and easy).Here's what I've found:PRO: Inexpensive, but not at all cheap, and LOADED. Anti-skate, tone-arm balance, output gain control, pitch control, manual start/stop, soft-drop arm, belt drive, and usb - it's really a beautifully loaded unit, and personally, I really like the absence of the usual automatic arm functions.CON: If your intention is to frequently listen to entire record sides, this might not be the one for you due to the lack of auto-start and auto-reject functions. If you're used to a turntable that wakes-up and starts rotating as soon as the needle is over the record, keep in mind this one requires TWO on-switches to get it moving.The RCA cables are hard-wired to the unit, while the power cable is not. I've never seen an audio component like that! It's not a big deal, but seems backwards and becomes clumbsy if you only intend to use the unit through its usb port.On mine, the strobe is way off at 45rpm (fine at 33). I haven't tried to fix that yet, but there are two tiny speed-adjust ports underneath that might address that.

has great sound when used with pyle phono preamp. the preamp was not too much at cost and has rich and brilliant performance with pyle turntable. did not expect turntable to be fully manual but is easy enough to use.

This turntable is a cheap Technics SL 1200 knockoff, but what the hey? It's got all the necessary features with a standard 1/2" Headshell for an easy cartridge upgrade. Lots of bang for the buck.When I ordered the Pyle PLTTB3U turntable, I also ordered the Shure M97xE cartridge and stylus. But I used the Pyle cartridge and needle as it was, shipped out of the box, for a couple days so it could later be compared to the Shure. When I installed the Shure M97xE and checked the Stylus Pressure, it turned out the Pyle PLTTB3U had shipped with the counterweight screwed all the way in or over 3.0 grams pressure! No wonder the Pyle cartridge was nearly touching the records and collecting dust! The Shure M97xE, without using the stabilizer brush calls for only 1.25 grams. There are no specifications for the Pyle cartridge and stylus in the manual or online and it is evidently not factory-adjusted, so if you're going with the original cartridge and stylus, make sure the counterweight is screwed out about 3/4" from the Tone Arm hub. That should be ok or about 1.8 grams.The Pyle cartridge was producing a weak bass with excessive brightness (high sounds). The treble had to be turned way down. But after adding the Shure M97xE cartridge and stylus with the correct Stylus Pressure, the bass was tight and strong, the excessive brightness was gone and the mids and treble controls could be reset back to normal.On the back of the Pyle PLTTB3U, when you switch to the Phono, the signal does not go through the pre-amp so switch to Line instead. But then the RCA jacks have to be connected to the Line-level jacks in the receiver (anything except Phono) or you'll get loud distortion.My Pyle PLTTB3U shipped with a working, fixed (not removable) Stroboscope and that's cool. Using the Pitch Control, get the little squares to stand still half-way through the LP and you've calibrated the speed.No, the Tone Arm does not automatically do anything. It goes where you put it with your fingers and the record keeps spinning at the end of a side, which is bad for the stylus. Don't go to sleep listening to your vinyl.No, it is not direct drive but it's worth pointing out that many really good audiophile turntables also have belt drive.Yes, the manual is mostly about the software. But no one has mentioned the all-important Maintenance section on page 6 being nearly USELESS. Example: "TO DISASSEMBLE THE CARTRIDGE Release the pick-up head be push the cartridge in the direction of arrow." What is a "pick-up head"? How do you "be push"? The illustration shows the Headshell removed from the Tone Arm which is obviously incorrect unless you want to redesign the Tone Arm. There is no mention of Stylus Pressure which is (duh!) kind of important. The online Pyle manual is identical to the shipped manual, so no help there.I would give it 5 stars except for the manual, which I would throw away but it will be necessary if I should have to make a return.Otherwise, combining the Pyle PLTTB3U turntable with the Shure M97xE is a heck of a deal if you know how and you want a functional, decent turntable that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars.I plan to digitize my vinyl collection soon. After I do I'll update this review regarding the USB vs Line. I won't use the bundled software Audacity.

Received TT yesterday, connected to receiver and was very disappointed in sound reproduction, the needle/cartridge was the cheapest I've ever seen!! Used needle/cartridge from my Stanton TT and noticed a marked difference in the sound quality. Depressed the start/stop button and almost had a heart attack when the needle jumped/slid accross one of my favorite albums!! Booklet said depressing Start/Stop button will cause tone arm to return to it's cradle, it did not. Turntable feet are attached to springs, making the TT very bouncy-- not well constructed, TT is too light and feels like it's made of cardboard, the louder you play your speakers, the more it picks up sound vibrations. Owner's manual was a waste of paper, no instructions on how to balance the tone arm counter-weight, Depressing start/stop button only made the platter stop spinning-- nothing else. Manually moved tone arm to the end of a record to see if it would automatically return to the tone-arm cradle-- it did not. I would not recommend this turn table to a friend, PSSL has a much better quality TT and it only costs $11 dollars more. I can't wait to return this item, total waste of time and money.

All of the good reviews are right, this is a great turntable. It came out of the package ready to plug and play. There is a switch on the back, depending on whether you use the RCA jacks or usb plug. It comes with a program, but I'm using it with my Roxio Creator 9 to record my old lp's to mp3. I've done about 10 records now and it's doing a fine job. I'm glad I got it and would recommend it to anyone, even if it's just for playing lp's on your computer.