Gear Review - Behringer UCA202

I was overjoyed when I bought my MacBook Air last year. Ultra-low voltage CPUs had finally grown to respectable speeds and I had become tired of my old HP. In the first year of my MBA program I found it too cumbersome and too heavy to bring to class and never did. But at under 3 pounds, the Air was barely felt in my backpack and a joy to use in class. The only problem was I lost my ability to rip vinyl as the Air's have no line input.

This is a problem I have wanted to rectify for a long time now. Sadly, ADC's are not cheap. The commonly used EMU 0404 and Tascam 144 MKII are both $150, not terribly expensive but not affordable. Another unit that interested me is the HRT Linestreamer+. Michael Fremer of analogplanet.com recently used it to record samples for his cartridge shoot-out and I thought the samples sounded great. What's best, it only sports one RCA line input and a USB output; seemingly made for needledroping. Unfortunately the price on that unit is a terror-inducing $350.

After a bit more shopping around I discovered the Behringer UCA202, providing me line-in recording for a price of only $30. But is a $30 recording device really worth $30? According to NwAvGuy, maybe so: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/behringer-uca202-review.html

I've had my new toy for a few days now, and my impressions are very positive. My Satisfaction rips were done with the UCA202, so for the purposes of this blog, comparing sound samples to better inform collectors, the UCA202 performs spectacularly. The noise floor is non-existent and it is fully compatible on Mac or Windows with the popular free recording program Audacity. Even when putting the UCA202 under a higher stress test, namely ripping vinyl and conducting listening tests comparing the rip with vinyl playback, the unit performs admirably. Recording at the unit's maximum 48k 16 bit resolution, and with the volume set as high as it will go without clipping, I had a very hard time distinguishing the needledrop from real vinyl playback. However, at 44.1k and with the volume set slightly too low, the needledrop exhibited a touch less snap in the drums and the tight rumble of the bass sounded a hair flabbier. So remember, experiment with your settings to find what works best for you and your equipment.

An annoyance that must be mentioned is that the input level of the UCA202 is fixed. This means you must have a volume control somewhere in your chain if using this ADC. A home theater receiver, integrated amp, or headphone amp will do the trick.

I would also like to reiterate that he resolution is capped at 16-bit 48-khz. I believe this resolution adequate for vinyl ripping (were not mastering a multi-track album here!), but I know of some enthusiasts who must have 24-bit 96-khz recordings.

Bottom line, this is a great ADC. I feel comfortable archiving any of my records with the UCA202. I am happy I did not unnecessarily overspend on an overqualified unit. If you want your needledropping ticket for a twelfth the price of a Linestreamer+, this is the way to go.

Collector's Consultation - Originals vs Reissues (with Rolling Stone's Audio Example)

When purchasing vinyl, collectors are turned on by owning a copy of an original pressing. Knowing that what you hear is what people first heard on that fateful album release day is a warm feeling. Some records were instant hits and people lined up around the block to get a copy Day 1, while other albums, such as the Nick Drake catalog, took many years to gain in popularity resulting in the originals becoming a rare treasure. The problem is, these records are getting old and finding them in good shape is hard. With vinyl, condition is everything. A record previously owned by someone who may not have set the cartridge up correctly, or used a budget stylus made of something less desirable than diamond, will never regain the power of a fresh copy. Hearing a noisy background that sounds like a campfire is a dead giveaway that the record you hold was "well-loved," even if the surface is scratch-free.

The alternative to hunting down clean original pressings? Reissues. The problem is, some reissues are not made well. One clue to a bad reissue is shrink wrap packaging. Often (but not always) when I open up a modern vinyl that comes in shrink wrap, the thing is warped. I believe this is evidence of packaging the record too soon, before it has had a chance to cool from the press. On the other hand, every time I buy a record in a perforated bag (every RTI pressing I have come across is packaged like this), I get a nice flat record.

Another thing to be wary of are albums cut with a CD Master. Vinyl collectors love the wide dynamic range that is usually found on old vinyl and absent from many modern CDs. For an excellent explanation of what I'm on about here, please refer to this YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gmex_4hreQ
A good resource to check before dropping cash on a new record is the Dynamic Range Database:
http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/
Many users upload the dynamic range info of various CD and Vinyl releases. If the vinyl has a significantly wider range, chances are the source is a different from the CD.

Say you have the option to buy a clean original or a new reissue, and they are the same price. No brainer right? Why risk the reissue when you know it was cut from a 40-50 year old tape and may still have gone through a digital stage? The originals are guaranteed all-analog and cut from the master tapes in prime condition. Consider the listening comparison I have here today, the song "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones. The first clip is recorded from an original, blue-label US pressing of Hot Rocks, while the second clip is recorded from the 2013 Hot Rocks clear vinyl reissue, confirmed to be digitally (albeit DSD) mastered.

Satisfaction Original US:
http://www.filefactory.com/file/2506hb6yjjxt/1971_wav

Satisfaction 2013:
http://www.filefactory.com/file/5tnvsk08klwt/2013_wav

The conclusion here is to not fear the reissue. You're getting a clean, new piece of wax, and sometimes the mastering is expertly done. Anything pressed at RTI or QRP, or is sealed in a perforated bag, or makes some effort to convince you that the record inside was made with care such as listing the name of the mastering engineer should be a safe bet. I also recommend to not fear digitally mastered vinyl. In fact, lots of classical vinyl from the 80's proudly proclaimed the fact that a digital stage was used and those records sound immensely superior to many all-analog recordings.

Do not judge until the record is under the needle.