Great Last Minute Gift for Dad: A Turntable

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We all know that the cliche' Fathers Day presents are out. No ties, tie-racks, socks. golf balls, or cologne. It's played out.

Better idea: a turntable. If Dad is over 45 chances are he may have a stack of vinyl albums that haven't been played since Ronald Reagan was thumbing his nose at the Soviet Union. Turntables are cool again, you can buy new music on vinyl as well as spin the classic Beatles, Led Zep, Who, or jazz from John Coltrane.

While state of the art turntables with esoteric cartridges can be extremely pricey, the good news is that USB turntables can range from 70 dollars to several hundred dollars. Essentially, a USB turntable will play 45rpms as well as albums, and allow you to digitize your collection into MP3's.

The first category of USB turntables is for the guy who just wants to digitize his old albums. period. There is no need for amplification, since the turntables comes with software which will transfer the record into digital files. The downside is you don't get the analog turntable effect.

The second category of USB turntables  offer the best of both worlds, combining conventional analog audio outputs for connection to your stereo, as well as a USB port for hooking up to your computer.  Playing your favorite vinyl collection through a good-quality stereo system can provide exceptional sound quality, with a warmth and organic quality that digital audio struggles to match. On the other hand, the crisp clarity of digital -- and the ability to put your favorite songs on your iPod -- are major benefits with USB.

I've found very reasonably priced USB turntables in local stores such as Books A Million & Target. This is one present which will be a huge hit with dads of a certain age.