Better than the Project Carbon TT for $ 500.00

Sunnyjim, you don't have to determine if it's worth the trouble to convert the LPs. If you get the Debut Carbon DC, you get possibly the best TT you can get at $399, and you can get an outboard USB converter if and when you decide to rip your vinyl. In the meantime you get exactly what you were looking for--something to play your remaining LPs on a sub-$500 TT that's worth listening to.

And yes, the $399 for a Carbon DC is a true discount. The $399 everywhere else for the old model is just a closeout.

My friend paid the extra $50 to get the DC on my advice (it wasn't on sale then) and he's really happy with his decision.

Besides, SunnyJim, why limit yourself to your final 18 albums? There is a lot of wonderful vinyl out there. The bulk of my collection is from thrift shops and used record stores, mostly at $1 to $5 each. They really light me up. I also got the new Beatles Mono all-analog LP release, and it is simply fabulous. I have many recent-issue LPs that move me as no CD ever has.

BTW, I'd peg the significant step up from the Debut Carbon DC as the Pioneer PLX-1000, but it's $300 more, not $150, and you'd probably want a different cartridge than the one included. Still, it has way more torque, way more accurate speed, and is way more rugged and smoother to operate.

Even if you were to rip your LPs, that doesn't mean you get rid of them. For me, playing vinyl is like eating gourmet, HD downloads and better CDs are like Outback Steakhouse, and mp3s are McDonald's. You might want to hear the music on your vinyl in your car or on a player, but you'd still like to hear it at its best on a turntable.

08-22-15: Mmakshak
Is there a difference between DD turntables and belt-driven turntables(foot tapping?)?

Very much so. To quote VPI founder Harry Weisfeld in an Absolute Sound interview:

After studying the operation of belt-drive ’tables for 30+ years and the sound of direct- and rim-drive ’tables it was determined that the only way to get perfect (or as near to perfect as possible) speed accuracy was to go direct-drive. Spending many years listening to Denon DP-80s, JVC TT-101s, Kenwood LO-7s, etc. hardened my viewpoint on this.

No machining accuracy can make up for the fact that in belt-drive you deal with motor-shaft error, motor-pulley error, belt elasticity, and platter and bearing run-out and roundness errors. While on their own they are small, when added together it is impossible to get as accurate a speed as with direct-drive. All these errors compound and produce more errors in the belt motion. The DD is roughly three times lower in speed error than any belt- or rim-drive we have measured, with numbers running around +/-0.008% and noise levels near –100dB.

And Herb Reichert, writing for Stereophile, had this conclusion after listening to the DD Pioneer PLX-1000 vs. the VPI Traveler and decades of experience with belt drive turntables:

Yes, people, the Pioneer PLX-1000 plays music like a high-torque direct-drive record-playing machine. That is why I enjoyed it so much. It gave tangible force and soulful energy to pop, R&B, jazz, and electronica. Belts can't touch the PLX-1000's excitement, naturally formed detail, and clearly expressed forward momentum. And who could have imagined? This new Pioneer also showcases the complex tonal character and elegant structures of classical music better than any affordable belt-drive I've experienced.

Mmakshak, I don't get your point. Is this thread so narrowly focused that the latest conclusions of a long-time turntable designer are irrelevant?

My opinions pretty much match Weisfeld's and I've been enjoying a DD turntable for 8 years, but my experimental experience can't begin to match his.

You don't have to get a USB turntable. You can use any turntable you want to rip MP3s as long as you have something like this. Besides this Behringer, there are many ADCs with USB output at various prices.

Right now Audio Advisor has the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC on sale for $399. It comes with an Ortofon 2M red and is available in seven different glossy finishes--black, white, red, blue, green, yellow, and silver.

Bear in mind that the new Debut Carbon is the Debut Carbon *DC* with some improvements, including a AC-DC-AC power supply, heavier platter, and better suspension. With the sale price it's also the same or cheaper than the previous model.

I heard the earlier version of the Carbon a couple of years ago and was very
impressed. It was playing through a Naim preamp into a Perreaux amp and
did a nice job of playing music. I have a friend who bought one on my
recommendation and he's really pleased.

For me, the next notch up would be the Pioneer PLX-1000 at $697, but that's
a bit more than you wanted to spend.