The PS-HX500 and Audio Technica AT-LP5 vinyl-ripping decks do their best to buck that trend – the former rips vinyl into hi-res audio files, for instance.īut what if you already have a turntable? Then the best option is to buy a decent USB phono stage. Simply put, your recordings won’t necessarily reflect the quality of sound possible from your records. The downside is: most tend to be at the budget end of the market and concentrate merely on getting the job done rather than doing it particularly well. Usually referred to as USB turntables, these are a convenient way to get music on vinyl into your computer.

There are many turntables on the market with a phono stage, analogue-to-digital converter and USB output built in – the Sony PS-HX500, for instance.

It seems complex, but the system can be simplified.