ION AUDIO LP DOCK unlocks the value in your vinyl

The ION AUDIO LP DOCK has all the hallmarks of a killer gizmo in our humble opinion. Firstly, it enables the direct conversion of legacy music collections you’ve paid for in 33 1/3 and 45 RPM vinyl format to iTunes and/or iPod. Throw a computer into the mix and the included software cleans up the pops and scratches and will even consult Gracenote MusicID technology to automatically retrieve album, artist and song information from the Internet, simplifying the conversion and cataloging process of your entire record collection to a few mouse clicks. It even has line level outputs and can hence add a turntable to any AV set-up.

We’d warrant there are few homes without a vinyl collection of some sort, and given how much that vinyl is worth based on the music it contains, the LP DOCK is effective value mining at its best. Even ancient 78 RPM recordings can be converted using the included software

Users of earlier iPod models can transfer captured vinyl recordings from LP DOCK to their iPod through iTunes; included software easily transfers vinyl directly to the user’s iTunes Library. Owners of iPod Classic or 5th generation (Video) and 2nd or 3rd generation iPod nano can record directly from vinyl to iPod without a computer.

If there’s a potential drawback, it’s possibly the quality because at its suggested retail price of $300, it’s unlikely to deliver the quality reproduction required by audiophiles. It is however, a cost effective way of unlocking the value of the music heritage of previous generations that might otherwise just gather dust and take up space.