The Stanton T.92 is similar to the Stanton T.55 USB unit in look, but it is slightly more expensive – and for good reason. It has everything the Stanton T.55 USB turntable does plus a reverse button that plays your records backward, a pitch lock that disables the adjustable pitch slider from changing the pitch and an antiskating mechanism that keeps the needle from jumping on the record.
We tested all the turntables by converting three LPs to digital audio files – a standard 33 rpm Beatles album, a 45 rpm Beatles record and a brand new Jack White album. After listening to a digital download of the same content and comparing it to the conversions, we determined that the Stanton T.92 creates high-quality conversions, comparable to our best vinyl converter turntables.
The sample from Jack White lacked volume compared to the digital download, but overall the clarity and the definition were there. The bass line in one of the songs has a stereo delay that bounces between left and right speakers, and the conversion of the song included those same details. There was some static noise at the beginning of the song that is associated with vinyl conversions, but you can use Audacity to remove that noise after the conversion. We were impressed with the T.92's conversion.
This Stanton turntable did have some trouble with the 45. This record in particular was not in good shape. It was slightly warped and had its share of scratches. The conversion of the record was noisy with plenty of pops and some loud scratches. The Audio-Technica LP120 produced better results converting this worn out 45 LP.
We also compared "Norwegian Wood," from the standard-size "Rubber Soul" LP, to a digital download of the same song. Again, we ran into volume issues where the converted audio was much quieter than the digital download. There were also scratches that were picked up that didn't clean, but the audio had fewer inaccuracies than other turntables we reviewed. Overall, we were pleased with the results from our audio tests.
This converter turntable has a direct drive motor. Direct drive motors tend to have a smaller failure rate than belt drives, but in some cases they create more noise during conversions because the motor is directly under the record. Direct drive motors are also said to have faster startup speeds and spin at a more consistent speed to maintain better pitch when your record is playing.
This digital record player comes with RCA cables, a USB cable and a soft dust cover for protection while it is not in use.
This vinyl to digital converter turntable comes with iZotope Audio Cleanup and Enhancement Suite. The program features audio recording and cleaning tools to help enhance the sound of your files after conversion. The cleaning tools are especially easy to use. You can engage them with a click of the button and adjust the slider to determine how much of the effect to apply to the audio.
Stanton T.92 holds its own not only as a record player with quality components, but as a USB converter turntable as it produces quality digital audio files from LPs. This turntable did have some trouble with records that are more worn out, but some of the extra noise can be removed by using the noise reduction tools within the audio editing software. This is a high-quality turntable is worth consideration.
