Buy the ION USB Cassette Deck on www.brookstone.com/ Print page iconPrint This Page
ION USB Cassette Deck image
 
(based on 93 ratings)
Read All Reviews
Model Number: 576330
Located in: Electronics, Audio & Video Media Converters, Cassette Ripper
ION USB cassette deck converts your favorite tunes to MP3.
Bring old tapes to life again by converting them to digital files on your computer’s hard drive. Add them to your MP3 library or use your PC’s recordable CD drive to transfer from cassette to CD. The ION® USB Cassette Deck makes it easy to preserve the memories and songs you have on cassette tape to CD. Order yours today!

Go from cassette to CD in minutes.
Brookstone’s plug-and-play deck takes your music from cassette to MP3 in just a few clicks. From there, listen and share your songs as part of your digital music collection or burn the cassette tape to CD to create a digital back-up.

Protect your collection with an ION USB cassette deck.

  • Plug-and-play USB interface (cable included).
  • Audacity recording software included.
  • Normal and high-speed cassette to MP3 conversion.
  • Use your PC’s recordable CD drive to burn any cassette to CD.
  • Supports Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP and Vista, or Mac OS9 and higher.

    Give old songs new life when you move them from cassette tape to CD.
    Relive the emotions behind your favorite mixtapes with our simple cassette to MP3 conversion system. It’s the best way to enhance your music collection and makes a perfect gift for any audiophile. Order today to take your collection from cassette to CD!

    • More information for the ION USB Cassette Deck
    Product Reviews Summary
    Avg. Customer Rating:
     
    (based on 93 reviews)
    96% of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

    Customers most agreed on the following attributes:

    How long have you owned it:
    A month or less (3)
    Pros:
    Simple controls (76), Clean sound (67), Attractive design (50), Durable (23), Powerful (12)
    Cons:
    Flimsy (5)
    Best Uses:
    Basic systems (37), Audiophiles (30), Smaller rooms (5)
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical (46), Tech savvy (35), Musically inclined (21), Professional (10), Technically challenged (10)
    Primary use:
    Personal (4)

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Converting Tapes
    By BethVerified Reviewer from Atlanta Ga on 11/14/2008
    Gift:
    No
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Durable, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Poor Sound
    Best Uses:
    Smaller Rooms
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Had difficulty making it record without picking up noise from the room. I figured it out tho, no help from the instructions...... Had trouble with the recording starting out fine & suddenly going into static, I'm going to see if I can get some advice about this.

     
    Gives just enough info to catch your eye
    By SallyBVerified Reviewer from Oxford, MA on 11/8/2008
    Gift:
    No
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls, Powerful
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Audiophile, Musically Inclined, Practical, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I'm basically getting to update my cassettes, which is great! Many of them are not (and probably won't be) available on CD nor as MP3s. This goes right along with the LP album converter I bought [...]. Now if someone would just invent a converter for 8 tracks, I'd be all set. :)

     
    works great
    By evikVerified Reviewer from nj on 10/31/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls

    happy to be able to save old tapes

     
    I would buy this product again
    By MitchVerified Reviewer from Merrick, NY on 10/25/2008
    Gift:
    No
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls, Powerful
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Technically Challenged
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Transfering all my casettes to MP3

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    This One works!!!
    By shereliseVerified Reviewer from Portland Or on 10/24/2008
    Gift:
    No
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable
    Cons:
    Not auto reverse, No way to suspend recordi, You have to monitor track
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical, Technically Challenged
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    this is a great idea. I have had a lot of fun with it. The only thing that could improve it is to have an auto reverse,or some way to suspend recording while you turn the tape over. Otherwise, it has really great soun d, easy directions, and has saved me a TON of money in replacement cd's.

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Simple to Use
    By JKentLVerified Reviewer from New York, NY on 9/24/2008
    Gift:
    No
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Pretty simple to use system to convert audio cassettes to mp3s. Although it does not distinguish separate tracks on its own, the interface is eay to set up and use.

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Anyone in their 50's will want this!!!
    By supershopperVerified Reviewer from Flint, Michigan on 9/20/2008
    Gift:
    No
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Durable, Easy to use
    Best Uses:
    Recording old cassettes
    Describe Yourself:
    Technically Challenged
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This was so easy to use. I was able to record all my old cassette tapes into CD's and even load some of them on my MP3. I didn't even know this device was available.

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Practical, efficient but could be better
    By Old manVerified Reviewer from Washington, DC on 9/12/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound
    Cons:
    Lack of controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Software easy to install. Product easy to use. Good sound & quality. But software should have something so simple as a PAUSE control. Need that when turning tapes over. That would make all the difference for this product.

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Works great
    By CecilVerified Reviewer from Mount Prospect, IL on 8/22/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This product works great for recording those old tapes to mp3 (and CD if you want to). The sound quality is as good as you can expect considering you are recording from tapes, and some of mine are very old!! I don't particularly like the time it takes since you need to be there to split the tracks and turn the tape, but there is no way around that. The only thing that annoys me is that after the recording the software tries to find the name of the tracks from Gracenote and that is just totally time-consuming, considering that out of the 16 tapes that I have recorded so far, it has not found one correct title and I have to type them in anyway - it should just let you type it in to start with.
    However, overall it is a great product for what it does.

     
    Love it, love it, love it!!
    By LoriVerified Reviewer from Jackson, TN on 8/10/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls, Powerful
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical, Technically Challenged
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I do a lot of solo performances and had several great accompaniment tapes that I could no longer use because of updated technology in the venues where I perform. I hated to lose these songs but they were not available in CD format. I've been looking for some type of equipment that could convert these songs to a CD format that I could use and this is it. It does take some time but for me it is worth the time to preserve these songs for future use.

     
    Operates as described
    By Forever MarineVerified Reviewer from Memphis, TN on 8/6/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls, Powerful
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I used the unit to convert my old cassettes to CDs. I'm glad I didn't have to give up my "oldies but goodies". My traveling vehicle doesn't even have a cassette deck!

     
    The Right Product for the Right Price
    By Dave the RaveVerified Reviewer from Teaneck, NJ on 8/6/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I use this to back up tapes that belonged to my father, collected over 40 years

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Works as advertised
    By Big BobVerified Reviewer from Memphis, TN on 8/1/2008
    Pros:
    Easy to set up, Easy to use
    Cons:
    Sound control tricky
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Technically Challenged
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I used the the product to convert old cassette tapes to CDs.

     
    This tape deck converter is great &easy
    By AnnVerified Reviewer from Fort Pierce, FL on 7/25/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I convert old cassetts into CD's
    I think it's easy to use
    It would be good if you could transfer directly into your own PC - Windows Media

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Great, Great!
    By Abe the ManVerified Reviewer from New Hempstead, NY on 7/20/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems, Smaller Rooms
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I had bought software previously to convert tapes to MP3, it didn't work. If u want a machine that does what u want without any hassles, then buy this product. I promise u will never regret it

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Just What The Doctor Ordered
    By TobsterVerified Reviewer from Tucson, AZ on 7/18/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This is just what I was looking for. I own so many cassettes that I have accumulated over the years and did not want to have to "repurchase" the songs on CDs or for my MP3.

    [3 of 3 customers found this review helpful]

     
    It worked perfectly the first time.
    By FannyVerified Reviewer from Miami, FL on 7/10/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This product is very easy to use, software was easy to set up. the first time I used it I copied an Oldies tape I had for over 20 years and my CD came out sounding perfect. I love it!

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Happiness is found in music
    By BernieVerified Reviewer from Houston,Texas on 7/7/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls, Powerful
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles, Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Audiophile, Musically Inclined, Professional
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Very pleased with product

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Works great on PC, not so great on Mac
    By FrankVerified Reviewer from Birmingham, AL on 7/4/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Even following the directions to the letter, I still couldn't get consistently good results using this with my Mac. But once I switched to a PC, it worked great.

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    If you have cassettes, you need this!
    By JonathanDVerified Reviewer from Newark, OH on 7/3/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls, Powerful
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Audiophile, Musically Inclined, Professional, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I have tons of old cassettes and I used it to download onto my system. I now have access to these songs via my Ipod. Even old sermons tapes from years ago can now be preserved.

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    I Like This Product!
    By LuckyshipperVerified Reviewer from Tucson, AZ on 6/20/2008
    Pros:
    Easy Controls, Easy to use
    Cons:
    None at this Time
    Best Uses:
    Transfer Tapes to iTunes
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I like things that work as planned, and this product was easy enough to setup and use. I was up and running with a couple of instructions. The program automatically transfers the songs to my iTunes library so I can easily turn my cassette tape songs into mp3s. If you want to make seperate tracks out of each song, you do have to sit there and be ready to split the songs.

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    OLD SCHOOL- New Amazing Technology in 1
    By Scott GEAR-HEAD EdwardsVerified Reviewer from Duluth, GA. on 5/23/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls, Powerful
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Professional
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This device is clever- extremely user friendly and great for the old school person who has a ton of quality cassettes and they want to archive those cassettes on the PC- then, THIS DEVICE IS FOR YOU!!! The HOOK-UP: Easy. The ION Cassette Deck does all the work!!! An amazing price and I am absolutely a friend to this machine for life!!!

    [6 of 6 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Makes my life easier
    By MattVerified Reviewer from GR MI on 5/19/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls, Easy to set up, Plug in and go
    Cons:
    No tape to CD high sp dub
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems, With computer
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This is a great item to own if you have tapes you want transferred to CD. The only problem I found was that the description talks about high-speed dubbing. I assumed since it didn't specify, that you could do high-speed dubbing from tape to CD. That is not the case. So although you have to sit and listen to whatever is on the tape, the process is easy to do. I've not had any problems so far after using it several times.

    [6 of 6 customers found this review helpful]

     
    It gets the job done
    By Books on tape guyVerified Purchaser from Seattle on 4/22/2008
    Pros:
    Easy Controls, Powerful
    Cons:
    Flimsy
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I have a very, very large collection of rare books on cassettes, and almost all of them are old out of production titles, and I have desperately been looking for a cost effective way to transfer them to not only a CD, but my laptop and I-Pod. When I saw the add for this machine, I ran right out and bought one, thinking it was the answer to my prayers; which is was. I have around 8 hours of use on it so far, but will need many more to transfer my library.My first impressions upon taking the unit out of the box was that for the price, it was Unnecessarily cheap and flimsy. As soon as I took it out of the packaging, the front door to one of the cassette bays FELL OFF ! They are only held on by tinny plastic tabs. I was able to replace it, but that along with its overall flimsy, fragile construction, will warrant you handling it with kit gloves, I don't think it will stand up to much use, and certainly will not hold up like even a cheap plastic $15.00 [...] tape deck, so this is very unfortunate thing. For [$] minus tax, I expected a lot higher quality unit.Because I am transfering books on tape where I am just starting the recording from the begining and letting it run to the end, I am not plagued with the same issues the other users who are transfering music with individual tracks, where it appears you have to sit and baby sit your recoring to insert gaps and new tracks.The software has a couple of glitches in it, where it doesn't smoothly transfer what you tell it the first couple of times, but you can get in manually and re-due it the way you want.I know it sounds like I am pretty hard on this, and I am. But if you asked me if I would purchase it again, I would say yes, because it is the only thing out there short of sending it to a very expensive service to make the transfers, that will do what I have been dreaming about.

    [3 of 3 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Great Item
    By JackhutVerified Reviewer from Clawson, MI on 4/18/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound
    Cons:
    Not that intuitive
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Once I learned which tape deck to put the cassette in, this worked like a charm. The instructions should have been much more clear on which deck to use, because it is not the one you would think. You need to put the cassette in the playback only deck to make this work. But when it did, oh, was it great!!!

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Greatest Item On The Planet.
    By dr. kacVerified Reviewer from cambria, ca on 4/11/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles, Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    The unit is easy to install and easy to use for basic one-sided transfers. It's great for that. However, if you need to turn the tape over or do any kind of editing, no matter how minor, you hvae to use the more complicated Audacity software. It is included in the CD installation disk, but there are no instructions of how to use the software program so it makes that part of the task difficult. A handbook of instructions would be very helpful. The minor task I refer to is the editing of one tape side to another, butting them up together if you will.

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Works as Advertised!
    By AliciaVerified Reviewer from Leesburg, VA on 4/2/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I was able to convert tapes pretty easily. The only issue is with the software. It requires you to manually put in stops betweens songs while the tape is playing so you pretty much have to monitor it the whole time. So no, set it up and come back later, which in the long time will make converting tapes a pretty time consuming thing.

    There doesn't seem to be any way to break apart the files at a later date.

    It does work well with iTunes.

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Making old music new again
    By remark1234Verified Reviewer from Virginia on 3/28/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Must babysit tapes
    Best Uses:
    Transferring old music
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I had so many tapes that I didn't listen to anymore now that I had an IPOD. This is a great way to transfer the old music to a new source. The only negative is that you have to sit to listen to each tape to add in the spaces between tracks. You can't just hit go and do something else. If you miss a track then you have to start over. No way to pick up where you left off and correct it later. Otherwise, it is a wonderful piece of machinery.

    [4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Work's Nicely
    By I Love MusicVerified Reviewer from Utica, NY on 3/16/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Audiophile
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Overall this is a very useful device. It does have SOME drawbacks. You lose some bass on normal cassette playback it seems. But the conversion to MP3 is pretty simple, though MAC users have to download the MP3 conversion programs -- they don't provide you with a CD of the MAC programs ... Why is this? Come on, don't discriminate against MAC users.

    That said, I like it so far. The easy version of the software is almost impossible to screw up and Audacity, while not perfect, does allow for more advanced editing and mixing techniques.

    I recommend!!!!!

    [0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    It's real cool!
    By SkyhawkVerified Reviewer from Plano, TX on 3/14/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Professional, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    It's a easy set and design makes recording a breeze.

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Pretty good for what I needed it for
    By DanVerified Reviewer from Satmaford CT on 3/9/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Flimsy
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Weak software. I had to buy Roxio audio program to really take advantage of this system...but it's the only thing like it on the market

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Great product!
    By History ProfVerified Reviewer from Pacific Palisades, CA on 3/7/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls, Efficient & easy to use
    Best Uses:
    Convert cassettes to MP3
    Describe Yourself:
    Technically Challenged
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Finally: a product that makes conversion of cassette tapes to MP3 format easy, fast, and efficient; even the technically-challenged can master this machine easily. No complicated intermediary software; this is great.

    [1 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    A great audio tool
    By JakeVerified Reviewer from Talladega, AL on 2/15/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls, Easy to use
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Easily converts my old cassettes to digital format for burning to CD. Easy to use and works just as expected.

    [0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Just What We Were Looking For!
    By GMANVerified Reviewer from Fairfield County, CT on 2/11/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls, Powerful
    Cons:
    Wish it were more compact
    Describe Yourself:
    Technically Challenged
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Just what we wanted and needed. Wish it could be more compact and not cost as much as it did, but overall pleased.

    [1 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    My wife loves this product
    By JohnVerified Reviewer from Tuscaloosa, AL on 2/8/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This product is very useful if you want to put songs from your cassette tapes on your IPOD or MP3 player.
    I gave this to my wife for her birthday and she loves it.

    [4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Does the job but....
    By AdriVerified Reviewer from Natick, MA on 2/6/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This product is very easy to use...load software, plug into USB port of computer, put in cassette tape and your off. My only disappointment is that it does not advance tracks automatically. For example, if you put in a cassette tape and hit convert it will load all the songs as track one. You have to sit at the computer, wait till the song ends and manually advance to track 2 and so on. This is very time consuming and something that I was trying to avoid when I purchased the product. If the product could do this automatically, that would be a huge improvement and save lots of time.

    [2 of 3 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Revive Old Musci
    By GNDVerified Reviewer from NJ on 1/26/2008
    Pros:
    Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Have to add song breaks
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Great for adding old music to Ipod

    [1 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Ion® Dual Ripping Cassette Deck with USB
    By Major DomoVerified Reviewer from Los Gatos, CA on 1/25/2008
    Best Uses:
    Gives old tapes new life, Great for archiving
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical, Professional, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Gives old cassette recordings a new lease on life by making them accessible via today's media channels.

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    VERY EASY TO USE!!!
    By DJVerified Reviewer from New York on 1/22/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This product is great to transfer all of those tape mixes to MP3 for an iPod (or other MP3 player). If you can use a tape deck, you can use this product. It is VERY simple! The only thing I wish it could do is to automatically flip the tape and continue recording to MP3. You do have to be physically present during the process... which isn't a big deal for a song or two; but transferring your entire tape collection can be quite tedious! Otherwise, it is a great product! I wish this company made one for VHS transfers too.

    [0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    So glad to have found this!
    By DebVerified Reviewer from Glendora, Ca. on 1/21/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles, Organize
    Describe Yourself:
    Audiophile, Musically Inclined, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    To be able to use music I no longer have access to!

    [1 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Great gift for a gadget loving hubby!
    By BuffiVerified Reviewer from San Francisco, CA on 1/20/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls, Powerful
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles, Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical, Tech mediocre
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    My husband had a lot tapes he wanted to put on his computer so I bought him this for Christmas. He loves it. He thinks he is a tech genius but the truth is, he is a bit clumsy and he never reads directions. Even he can use this and sits happily, making digital copies of all his old tapes.

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Attractive and useful
    By maeVerified Reviewer from Orange County, CA on 1/19/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Slim design
    Cons:
    Flimsy
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    It looks nice and is useful for a purpose not easily achieved with other machines. Was conveniently available through Brookstone. The most glaring "con" would be that is feels rather cheap when handled, even if it doesn't look that way on first glance. Otherwise it seems like an "ok" product. Since we just got it, I cannot comment on its true durability.

    [2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Great Item, Not So Great Software
    By Mr. BVerified Reviewer from Dublin, CA on 1/18/2008
    Pros:
    Durable, Easy Controls
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Advertising stated that it worked with Mac computers. The deck itself was recognized as soon as I plugged in the USB cable. However, there was no Mac software on the CD, even though it says so on the box. Mac version of the software can be downloaded from the manufacturer website, but it is not very robust and does not give you any options for quality adjustments. Fortunately, I had other software on my Mac that would do the trick. Besides the software issue, the unit performs as advertised. Cassettes can be converted to MP3 format and exported directly into iTunes or burned to CD.

     
    Bring 80's into the 00's
    By GDVerified Reviewer from NJ on 1/18/2008
    Pros:
    Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Too hard to song break
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Not bad!!

     
    Good Deal
    By GDVerified Reviewer from NJ on 1/18/2008
    Pros:
    Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Pretty nice

     
    This product is very user friendly.
    By KatheVerified Reviewer from Coatesville, PA on 1/18/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles, Smaller Rooms
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I found the initial setup to be very easy.

     
    Exactly what we wanted!
    By SouthsideVerified Reviewer from Fullerton, Ca. on 1/18/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical, Professional
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    The Ion deck was exactly what we were looking for to easily convert many cassette tapes to CD. We now can more safely preserve and transport the invaluable collection of music.

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Quick Start Could Be Better
    By DanVerified Reviewer from Charleston, SC on 1/13/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Quick Start Guide
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Easy to use once set up.

     
    good sound
    By RosemaryVerified Reviewer from Quakertown, Pa on 1/13/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Technically Challenged
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    easy to use, decent quality for the money

     
    Saving those classic cassettes
    By GfunkVerified Reviewer from Central Jersey on 1/13/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    A little big
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    If it included software to adjust the background noise and other levels. But theres alot of software outthere that can do this to make pefect copies of your tapes.

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Good Product For Windows, Not Mac!
    By ReazenVerified Reviewer from Erie, PA on 1/12/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Using EZ Tape Converter Software was a snap with Windows. The Audacity software is a challenge to learn however. Unfortunately EZ Tape Converter is not written for OS X.

     
    great technology
    By BJ the DJVerified Reviewer from clev, oh on 1/12/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    now I can get rid of those boxes of old tapes

    [1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

     
    works exactly as it says
    By honda guyVerified Reviewer from mpls, MN on 1/12/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    If I was to start over i would buy the turn table model, because it allows you to record from cassettes also. this model only allows me to convert cassettes, not albums

     
    Great product, have to pay attention
    By Me the buyerVerified Reviewer from Philadelphia, PA on 1/11/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound
    Cons:
    Difficult Controls, don't walk away
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Audiophile, Musically Inclined, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Not difficult to use but you have to pay attention and stay with it. One slip and you have to do it again - per track - but for my collection and hundreds of personal recordings MUCH better than paying a service.

     
    Difficult to set up but worth it.
    By CarlVerified Reviewer from Wilton, Ct on 1/11/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Confusing instructions, Poor manual
    Best Uses:
    Copying tapes
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    The description of the product talked about high speed copying. There are no instructions or reference to this in the manual.
    Otherwise the product seems to work.

     
    Ingenious!
    By she who loves musicVerified Reviewer from minneapolis, mn on 1/11/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This is great for those people who have held on to their old cassettes and wish to convert them. What a great way to be able to save the music that we used to cherish!

    [1 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

     
    Not as practical as I expected
    By DisappointedVerified Reviewer from Los Angeles, CA on 1/11/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Limited options
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    No, I would not recommend this to a friend

    It does not offer any new features other than eliminating the use of two devices. Could have been better designed to offer more capabilities and features (like ease of use)

     
    Just as it says
    By buffalorabadiVerified Reviewer from NY on 1/11/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    great for transfering those old cassettes...

     
    Awsome Product!
    By Lisa LisaVerified Reviewer from Miami, Florida on 1/11/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I have found a way to save all of my old tapes from the 80's!!! and it's easy to use!

     
    Great product at a great price
    By JanieVerified Reviewer from Aitkin, MN on 1/11/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    none
    Best Uses:
    Great for condensing tape
    Describe Yourself:
    Musically Inclined, Practical
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    This product is absolutely great for condensing that old pile of cassettes that I was holding onto because I didn't want to part with the old songs. Yes, you can buy software for your pc and then hook your stereo up to your pc as well, but this was much easier.

    I also used this for my mom who had tons of old cassette tapes HER father had made of old family stories and relative's visits before he died. She is now able to save them all for the kids and grandkids in a format everyone can use!

    [6 of 6 customers found this review helpful]

     
    not ideal but don't know better option
    By Saving TapesVerified Reviewer from New York, NY on 1/8/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Doesn't separate tracks, Too bulky
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical
    Bottom Line:
    No, I would not recommend this to a friend

    Product was needed for transfering old tapes into digital for iPod use. It does accomplish this but is very large and bulky and it does not have a fast speed recording option... you can only record as fast as the tape length, and worst of all you have to listen while you record and manually click at the end of each song to separate the tracks, otherwise it just records the entire tape as one long song. Kind of a pain but I don't know of any better option to transfer old tapes.

    [4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

     
    was looking for something different
    By AVerified Reviewer from New York, NY on 1/8/2008
    Pros:
    Clean Sound, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Doesn't separate songs, Too large
    Best Uses:
    Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Technically Challenged
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I bought this as a gift for someone who wanted to convert old mix tapes to digital format in order to play them on his MP3 player. He already has a tape deck and was looking for something slightly different... this is a double tape deck and he was hoping for just the software and connecting cables to accomplish the transfer. It does look nice and is user-friendly and does do what it is supposed to do. In terms of negatives, it doesn't have any high-speed option and you have to listen as you record and manually click to separate tracks, and this is the big turn-off (it doesn't record the songs on the tape as separate tracks on its own). Also it makes you use iTunes to store the converted files. However I don't know of any better options to convert old tapes so I guess I would recommend this product to someone who doesn't mind.

     
    Cassette tapes are not obsolete anymore!
    By HomeyVerified Reviewer from Wilmington, Ohio on 1/5/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles, Basic Systems
    Describe Yourself:
    Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    A very easy product to use. I was ripping cd's with in minutes of unpacking. Now I don't have to toss those old cassette tapes.

     
    This product works great!
    By Linda/Fitness TrainerVerified Reviewer from Trabuco Canyon, CA on 1/5/2008
    Pros:
    Attractive Design, Clean Sound, Durable, Easy Controls
    Cons:
    Very slow eject
    Best Uses:
    Audiophiles
    Describe Yourself:
    Practical, Tech Savvy
    Bottom Line:
    Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    I had been searching for a few years now for a product to transfer my cassette tapes to my MP3 player. This is a great product and very affordable.

     
    great