ION, a European based company, has recently unveiled the coolest new toy for all of us aging music aficionados.

The TTUSB is a good old fashioned turntable for those plastic platters you've been dying to listen to again. However, this thing has a USB output. YES! Plug it into your computer, rip those grooved grooves (pops, cracks & scratches included), and burn to CD or put into your favorite MP3 player.

I haven't put a lot of attention into the details yet, but one minor thing I don't care for is that it's a belt drive device. If I had been able to find belts for my old belt drive turntable (which yes, I do still have, with a virtually unused Stanton cartridge I might add) I wouldn't need to buy another one. So this, in my eye, seems like a bit of a flaw. Hopefully you can buy spare belts now while someone is still making them.

I'm certain lots of RAM and a decent CPU in your computer are a must. They say USB 1.1 is all you need, but I'm a little skeptical and am thinking USB 2.0 is a must. But those are just some quick thoughts and nothing more.

Their web site lists Best Buy as a place to purchase one, so I may have to stop in the next time I'm over there and see this thing "in person".

Read a product review here.