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include:

# Phono preamp with bypass switch (no need to hook it up to your stereo!)
# Balanced tone arm with soft damping controls and anti-skating adjuster
# Playback at 33.3 or 45 RPM (a 45 RPM adapter is included)
# Dual-magnet phono cartridge with replaceable ATN3600L stylus
# Stereo RCA-to-stereo minijack cable to hook to your PC
# Wow & flutter rating of: 0.25%

Sadly, it's only available for Windows XP/2000/ME/98SE, and requires at least a 500Mhz CPU, although a 1.5Ghz or better is recommended. Most PC's sold after 2000 will exceed the requirements.

What kills me is that this is the same exact turntable I bought when my old one died for US $150! Including the same cartridge and stylus (which I did upgrade.) Update: I have since purchased this turntable and tested it extensively. I can say that the turntable itself is a deal, since it's a $150 turntable available for now around US $80 (April 2007) that has a built-in phono pre-amp, which means you don't need to have it hooked up to a receiver or amp. It also comes with a version of Cakewalk LX as recording software. But nothing is automated, and there's really no difference between hooking up a turntable you already own to a receiver/amp and then taking the AUX output of that and sending it to the soundcard in your PC or Mac, and use any audio editing program (I recommended Audacity, which is Open Source and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux) to capture and edit the sound. The turntable is quite a deal, but it's hardly the type of automated system I was hoping for, which has made me decide to go ahead and buy a TT-USB turntable in the future, described below.

2. The Ion iTTUSB/Numark TT-USB turntable (same product in different packaging.) Retails for around US $150 and while I consider it far inferior to the A/T product, it does work with Windows or Mac OS X. It's pretty much the same package as the A/T product, except it comes with Audacity as the software, which is available for free download for the "lite" version. The main upside of this system is that it doesn't just have RCA cable output, but USB as well, which is how it works with both PCs and Macs. Some of its features are:

# Anti-skating control for increased stereo balance.
# Playback at 33.3 or 45 RPM (a 45 RPM adapter is included)
# +/- 10% adjustable pitch control (not sure why you'd want this?)
# USB cable and RCA-to-stereo minijack cable to hook to your PC or Mac
# RCA line outputs for play to your stereo system.
# Wow & flutter rating of: 0.40%

Conclusion: both systems are almost identical except that Numark's products tend to be more cheaply constructed and likely to break than Audio-Technica's, but the Ion/Numark product is your choice if you have a Mac.

Both can also handle 78 RPM records by recording them at 45 RPM and using the software to convert them to the proper speed. That's the one place where Audacity wins out over Cakewalk's Pyro - the results of this speed conversion are much better. So my suggestion is that even if you buy the A/T product, download the Audacity software from http://audacity.sourceforge.ne t/ and install that if you're going to copy any 78 RPM records. I keep both installed, Pyro for making CD covers, and Audacity for audio cleanup and speed conversion. Have fun copying those records!

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