Entered CNET Catalog: 04/18/2007
SKU: CNETSTATONT90USBTURNTABLE
Manufacturer: The Stanton Group
Product summary
The good: The Stanton T.90 turntable has most of the features DJs are looking for in a professional turntable. The USB recording functionality and bundled software are easy to use and produce great results.
The bad: This turntable is overkill for users who simply want to digitize their vinyl collection, and it may not be professional enough for others looking for cutting-edge features.
The bottom line: Although it's not a one-size-fits-all product, the Stanton T.90 turntable is a great tool for today's modern DJ--seamlessly bridging the worlds of analog and digital audio.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Rating: 7.3
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 05/02/2007
Photo gallery:
Stanton T.90 USB turntable
History
Vinyl will never completely die. Despite being dethroned by cassette tapes, bludgeoned by CDs, and pummeled by MP3s, records are still out there and the people who love them are rabidly enthusiastic about the medium. Still, despite being the most public face of vinyl's livelihood, many DJs actually have divided feelings about its practicality. The allure of trading in a back-breaking crate of records for a palm-size hard drive loaded with digital audio is a convenience few DJs can resist. The problem then becomes converting your existing investment in often-rare vinyl into a quality-sounding digital audio file. One solution is to purchase a high-quality computer audio card, recording software, and a phono-to-line preamp that can bridge between the antiquated phono outputs of your existing turntable and the modern line inputs of your computer audio card. However, USB-compatible turntables like the Stanton T.90 ($435 list, $399 street) offer a much tidier solution by combining a turntable, computer audio card, phono-to-line preamp, and bundled recording software all in one product.
Design
The Stanton T.90 turntable is impressive looking, with sleek lines, well-placed features, and a build quality that inspires confidence. The T.90 measures 17-inches wide, 14.5-inches deep, and 5.5-inches tall (including tone arm). Much of the T.90's exterior is made from high-grade plastic, which compared with venerable turntable staples such as the Technics SL-1200, feels a bit less professional. Sacrificing an all-metal body has an advantage, however, because the T.90 feels much lighter than many professional turntables.
Features
While the Stanton T.90 has a dizzying array of features compared to most consumer turntables, it's only about average compared to many modern DJ turntables such as the Numark TTX and Vestax PDX-2300MK2 Pro. There's a mode selector switch for 33, 45, and 78RPMs, dual start/stop brakes, a reverse button, pitch control with selectable 8 percent and 12 percent ranges, and a key-lock mode for digitally modifying a song's speed independent of pitch. On the back you'll find a USB port for connecting to your computer, stereo RCA outputs with a switch for phono or line impedance, an S/PDIF digital coaxial output, and a power switch.
The T.90 comes bundled with two programs, Cakewalk Pyro 5. Audacity is a free, open-source audio recording and editing program available for both Mac and Windows. It has a powerful set of features but it's not designed for novices. Users looking for the shortest route to recording their vinyl will want to install Cakewalk's Pyro 5 software (Windows only). Pyro is both intuitive and streamlined specifically to users looking to archive LPs, CDs, cassettes, and DVDs.
Performance
Connecting the T.90 to our Windows XP machine was an astounding success. The native USB audio drivers were recognized immediately, and no installations were required in order for our machine to recognize the T.90 as both a recording and a playback device. After installing and running Cakewalk Pyro 5 and selecting the "Make CDs from your cassettes and LPs" option from Pyro's menu, we were soon off and digitizing vinyl into WAV, MP3, and WMA files.
The sound quality was as good as can be expected from old, scratchy records. The built-in audio card records 16-bit at 44.1khz (which you can upscale to 48khz). Because the Stanton T.90 doubles as both a recording and a playback interface for your computer's audio, you can instantly play back the results of your digitally recorded vinyl through the T.90's RCA outputs--but there's more. The T.90 will even allow you to simultaneously mix your computer's audio and your turntable's audio into the same output--bridging both the analog and digital worlds. What DJs do with this feature is up to their imaginations.
Final thoughts
The Stanton T.90 turntable is a great tool for aspiring and professional DJs. If you're only looking for a means to digitize your collection of vinyl gems, you'd be much better off purchasing a simpler, consumer-grade USB turntable like the Rolls VP29.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6
User Rating: 
6/10
AMAZING TURNTABLE, THE SOFTWARE IS NOT USER FRIENDLY
Pros: THE TURNTABLE IS VERY WELL DESIGNED. HAS THREE RECORD SPEED, REVERSE, PITCH CONTROL. BEHIND THE UNIT, YOU HAVE A TOGGLE SWITCH TO CHOOSE EITHER LINE OR PHONE DEPENDING WHERE YOU WILL BE CONNECTING IT .
Cons: THE TURNTABLE COMES ALONG WITH A SOFTWARE CALLED CAKEWALK PYRO5...ONE WORD FOR IT... HORRIBLE! NOT USER FRIENDLY AT ALL. THE OTHER ONE THEY RECOMMEND, AUDICITY, WORST...
User Rating: 
10/10
Great Suprise Buy
Pros: The ability to adj the speed and pitch, easy weight adjustment for the arm. Unit has feet that stabilized the unit for vibration.
Cons: The bundled software did not work with Vista (but then again nothing works with Vista). Called the Cakewalk people who were not helpfull at all.
Do I love this turntable?Yep
User Rating: 6/10
Great hardware ...Terrible Software
Pros: Great hardware addition
Cons: Terrible, unfriendly user sofware
The downside is in the vinyl to digital area. The Cakewalk Pyro 5 software is just not user friendly at all. A computer geek would probably soar thru the hurdles of this program in minutes. It has taken me hours and still not up to speed. First, the Cakewalk program could not identify my sound cards. Took hours of fiddling with various defaults and cards to find one that operated. Recording capability still iffy at best as recording function comes and goes with its own mind. Next, program will not allow one to monitor and listen thru PC while recording without further changes to defaults in PC. Program will not "burn" CD from program. Am using old, basic CD burn program I had until I can figure this one out. Three days and I have one album totalling 8 tracks recorded! This is not acceptable. Will search around for software upgrade.
User Rating: 
7/10
Good Sound and Good software
Pros: Quality build but not too heavy
Cons: Having Probs setting it up - lack of instructions
The controls are good on the player and the cables supplied good to get you going. The sockets and On/Off is on the back which might annoy some people but are neatly hidden.
The USB audio can also be used to play stuff back from the computer via the turntable which is pretty cool.
Only remaining problem is I have a few skipping records. I putting this down to incorrect setup. However the shop is closed today and every guide seems to assume you know how to set it all up.
It isn't clear how to set up the stylus force. The instructions say to simply adjust the weight which seems to be about 3 grms for the 500 stylus. You need to turn the weight clockwise but then the numbers count backwards which doesn't make sense.
To get this to work you need patience and if you're in the UK I've been told there is no official distributor.
Leon.
User Rating: 10/10
blinding bit of kit
Pros: awesome build quality, best of breed looks, massively feature rich, great software bundle, great for ppl who have DJ experience, great for people who want to digitize
Cons: not so good for ppl who need more than 3meter usb cable, not good for ppl who are unfamiliar with windows software, the professional dj features are not good for ppl who dont know how to beatmatch
It also has very high quality anti skating features and weight adjustments for those records that are on very old, worn or pressed on very poor quality vinyl that only need the slightest thing to upset and cause it to jump, this fixes that easily.
The gain controls are very precise as is the direct drive, very instant.. im used to 1210s and 1220s and tbh i was stunned as i was expecting lag from the gain and drive but it just doesnt happen, tight as u like.
The base unit itself is heavily weighted which is a good point for dj's, they feel solid like 1210s and dont move about or vibrate easily.
connectivity was great, plugs straight into a mixer or into an amp or of course USB if u wanna mp3 ur collection, personally i didnt struggle with the length of the cable cos the pc was on the same side of the room as the turntables.
software bundle was great cant understand why anybody would have used goldwave instead of pyro then complain about hisses, pyro did the biz cleaned and seperated as it says on the tin. no hiss, no problems, just crystal clear mp3.
was connected to a creative x-fi card, the other chap might have been using onboard or something really cheap to generate the hiss, but works a dream with a decent card.
stylus are excellent quality and as im used to 1210s and 1220s, not having an auto arm is business as usual, i wasnt at all concerned about this but i can imagine it might confuse people who are unfamiliar with professional turntables.
the overall build quality alone more than justifys the reason to buy this instead of the cheapo equivalents.. the verdict from my father on xmas day when he finally had a turntable that could play his collectable 78s again.... "mustard" and "best xmas present ive ever had" - this coming from a vinyl enthusiast and technophobe... make ur own judgement
User Rating: 
3/10
Inconvenient for vinyl recording
Pros: Seems like a quality build
Cons: Subject to vibration, short cables, sortware didn't work easilly, inconvenient set-up
Quality?
The first problem is that 1.5 grams of tracking pressure will definitely cause skips if you're not careful.
Inconvenient:
If you want to record to your computer, the USB cable can only be 3 feet long (to be fair, this is common to most audio USB devices), so here is the problem with that: the cable plugs in the back of the TT. Therefore almost *half the length* is taken up going under the turntable to where I want to set up my laptop (in front of or to the side of the TT. Difficult if you want to put your TT on a shelf because now you need a shelf at about the same height for your Laptop... This would **** me off if DJing in a club (which I do, but with my laptop). Also the power button is in the back underneath the platter! You have to reach over the turntable and practically to the bottom of the unit to turn it on.
Stay right there:
The tone arm is manual only. Don't go away while you are recording or you'll trash your needle if you don't lift it off the record at the end.
Software:
"Cake walk" didn't work for me; I used Goldwave to record instead. It's a great program although it costs about $30 I think (bought it online years ago).
Now I'm mad:
Perhaps worst is: there is a faint buzz in the recording that I made.
