Burn Vinyl & Cassettes to CDs with the TEAC LP-R500 Multi-Format Player
The TEAC LP-R500 may not look like much, but it makes up in function what it falls short of in form. Vinyl records, cassette tapes and even FM radio can be played for a listen and burned onto CDs for perpetuity.
TEAC has always been a leading manufacturer of high quality sound and audio equipment. This writer fondly recalls taping records and the radio onto TEAC brand cassette tapes on a TEAC tape deck back in the early 80s. Those tapes are still with me, and now thanks to the new TEAC LP-R500 they can be burned onto CDs.
The LP-R500 isn’t going to win any Good Design contests, but that’s not its main selling point anyway. It’s versatile, performing many functions using a variety of media. The vinyl LP player alone takes up a LOT of space but then TEAC adds in cassette tape and CD players.
In fact, this somewhat clunky unit is a throwback to those big ol’ radio / record player cabinets that took pride of place in Grandma’s living room way back when.
What’s really appealing about the TEAC LP-R500 is that it packs a CD burner that lets you transfer any and all of your old vinyl and tape cassettes to longer lasting – or at least, more convenient – audio CDs. Get out those old mix tapes and transfer them before they crumble into ferric rust & dust!
The LP-R500 is rather pricey at approximately $700 and it has a few shortcomings. According to Yersys Technology Blog, "Of course, if you look hard enough you can find much cheaper USB dual- or single-cassette decks and USB record players, which could be a much better choice if you want to literally digitize your songs without sound degradation, as they connect directly to your computer."
