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INport Reviews:
John L. Gilkey from News Tribune (USA)
'The INport is a USB audio capture device that can produce excellent sound quality, eliminating many of the problems you would typically encounter in capturing audio. The company says it contains professional-level technologies, and based on the sound I was capable of recording, I would have no issues with that statement.''The device itself is designed to import the highest quality signal possible because it is designed as a single purpose device rather than a general purpose interface.' 'It does its job exceptionally well, and it does so without the need to crack open the case and install a new sound card.' |
Charles Wright from The Age Newspaper (Australia)
'Your PC is a playground for potentially noisy electromagnetic fields, emitted by the power supply, the CPU and hard drive. The USB connection does a much better job of quelling the noise.' 'The INport is bundled with two pieces of software - LP Recorder and LP Ripper, from Adelaide based CFB Software. Given that the retail price of those two packages is $99, the Inport represents extraordinary value.'
Tania Binns from South Africa Computer Magazine (South Africa)
'I tested the Xitel INport on my personal hi-fi to see how good the sound quality really is. I also wanted to see if there would be any difference in the sound quality when it comes to the audio source. I took 60 seconds of audio from a CD, a radio, a DVD, and a tape to see if there was any difference. The sound quality produced by the Xitel INport was amazing: there's no noise and the audio is clear. In fact, it is unlikely that you would be able to tell the difference between a recording and the real thing.' 'The Xitel INport is an incredibly useful package for music lovers with collections on outdated formats, so if you still have LPs lying around and you're not able to purchase or find the same LP on CD, purchase the Xitel INport. It's easy to set up, record, and rip, and it produces excellent sound.' |
David Drucker from Laptop Magazine (USA)
'Digitizing your analog tracks has always been a hassle. That is until Xitel introduced its INport. The INport is an external analog-to-digital converter that sits between your audio system's output and your PC's USB port. It moves the conversion process away from the electromagnetic firestorm inside the computer case, relieving the converter built into the system's audio card.' 'The INport does what it's supposed to do, is easy to set up and use, and is priced as an impulse buy. If you've got a bunch of records or tapes and want to move their contents into the 21st Century, Xitel's INport is the way to go.'
Russell Kay from Computerworld.com (USA)
'I've winnowed my collection down, but I still have hundreds of LP records and tapes I haven't played in years but I can't bear to part with. Using the INport, I can now transfer those recordings into my computer and then burn them onto CDs or download them to an MP3 player. INport is a small hardware device into which you plug your turntable or tape deck (using the included studio-grade cable), then connect directly to your computer's USB port. The INport uses professional recording technology to produce crystal-clear digital audio. Software that comes with the units helps to set recording levels automatically and produces excellent results.' |
Digital Silence.com (USA)
'The premise behind the INPort is simple - record from a separate audio source (phono, cassette deck or CD player) into a PC. What sets the INport apart is that signal is routed through the USB port and not the PC's soundcard.''Once I had the INport connected, recording was a breeze. Recording is done via the LP Recorder application bundled with the INport. With its auto-level feature, it was quite easy to set the recording levels. Before pressing record, I would let the source run for a minute or so to determine the optium recording levels. After that, press Record and walk away.''The sound quality of the final track is only as good as the input source. Vinyl records, even though they might have been 20 years old, sounded clean and crisp. The INport seemed to even remove some of the background noises.''I love this device! It has given me an opportunity to save old cassette albums that were deteriorating rapidly. It also has allowed me to play old records that were sitting on the shelf collecting dust.'
Russell Kay from Computerworld (USA)
'I really like INport a lot. I used it to help a friend transfer some old reel-to-reel tape recordings and edit them for CD for use in a memorial service for an organist. INport worked like a charm and made a potentially difficult situation into a piece of cake.' |
Times Out New York Magazine (USA)
'If you demand a more refined sound...you could also upgrade your audio interface. Xitel, a provider of audio technology for Sony, recently debuted the INport ($70 at xitel.com) interface for PCs. It's super easy to use, and the included RCA connector is 30 feet long, which meant I didn't have to lug my computer into the next room to hook it up to my stereo.'
Daniel Rutter from Dansdata.com (Australia)
'The INport is a typically slick-and-simple Xitel product. Connect it to a USB port on a Windows 98SE or later PC, and it gives you one new line in, via a pair of RCA jacks.' 'For your money, you get the INport box itself, and a USB cable, and a great big high quality 30 foot RCA-to-RCA lead for connecting the INport to your stereo. This is an excellent inclusion. You don't have to use the long cable if you've got a suitable shorter one and it's no trouble for you to put the sound source near the computer, but if you need to run a wire to the next room, this big blighter will make things easier. The cable also ought not to harm the sound much in transit. 30 feet is a fair bit of cable to run line level audio down, but this lead's got quality connectors and beefy conductors.' 'If you just want to add a high quality analogue audio input to pretty much any vaguely recent Windows PC or laptop, though, the INport gets the job done as quickly and easily as possible (you'll still have to flip your own records, I'm afraid).' 'Recommended' |
David Price from Hi-Fi World Magazine (UK)
'The INport sounds very good.' 'Much like Xitel's Digital Hi-Fi Link USB DAC, it has a smooth and even sound with a decently lithe bass and sweet treble. There's a lot of midband detail, and a good degree of space and atmosphere. Most importantly, there's no harshness, hum, noise or other nasties all of which are standard practice with cheapo $10 bundled soundcards!' 'With the INport, you can archive your analogue safe in the knowledge that you're getting a good hi-fi sound. Can't say fairer than that!' 'The winning formula continues - high sound quality at an affordable price' '...it's two large thumbs aloft.' Awarded 4 out of 5 stars
Greg Borrowman from The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
'The INport is a plastic box a little larger than a matchbox. It converts analogue audio signals from a cassette deck or a turntable into digital signals and transmits them to your computer via a USB link.''Xitel supplies 10m of audio cable so you can keep your audio equipment far enough away from your computer to prevent RF interference.' 'Included with the INport is a fully licensed version of a software package called LP Recorder.''Unlike most other computer audio recording programs, LP recorder is specifically designed to capture sounds from LPs. It's incredibly easy to use. Simply open the program, click 'Record' and the sounds going into the INport will be recorded onto your hard disk as a WAV file. What the INport or it's software can't do is burn this WAV file from your computer onto a CD. For this, you need to use the program originally supplied with your CD burner.''Despite this, it's still a bargain.' |
Clyde Kirkham from 3D World (Australia)
'After playing with this magic box I had a bit of a look over their website (www.xitel.com) and realised why the INport works so well... Xitel have been manufacturing high-end audio gear for over 27 years we just never heard of them as they were making the components for companies such as Sony. The INport is one small box that will make life a lot easier for all DJs and musicians out there when it comes to backing up vinyl as a digital file, recording those all INportant mic CDs to send out to the promotors at your favourite club or capturing any other form of audio emanating from a stereo at line level.' 'In terms of performance and sound quality the INport is right on the money.' 'If you are serious about your music check this out - the first gig you get with your professional new demo could cover the cost of getting it.'
Charles Bermant from PC World.com (USA)
'The INport is overly simple to use--the hardware design is foolproof, and doesn't allow you to plug in any incorrect cables. The software is equally easy to use. Due to its compact size, the INport also is easy to use when connected to a laptop. You can take the laptop to the stereo, transfer the files, and later move them to a desktop system or MP3 player.''The INport is able to compensate for the varying sounds of early recordings with a module that automatically adjusts recording levels. Because the unit is external, it is not subject to noise interference from the PC.' |
Spank Records (Australia)
'The INport bypasses the soundcard altogether and connects through your computer's USB port. The idea is that you avoid a lot of the electrical 'noise' you normally get from a soundcard, which should result in a better sounding recording. There are several good uses we can think of for something like this. Recording your sets to promote yourself is the obvious one, making a recording of a track as a backup in case the original vinyl gets damaged is another (I can think of a few tracks I have that I would cry for days over if I couldn't play them anymore!) and so on. It's also a great idea for those of you with a laptop, as a lot of laptop computers don't have any way of allowing you to record audio into them.'
'To test it, we recorded the same 20 seconds of a track 2 different ways. One was recorded using the soundcard in a computer, the other using the INport. We then put these on a cd and played them out here in the store to ourselves and to a few customers, and we all noticed a significant difference. The one from the INport is definitely cleaner and richer, even on our store speakers which tend to be a little bass heavy. On a really good system you should hear quite a marked difference. So, all in all a really neat bit of kit. Pretty easy to setup, very easy to record, and great sound quality. The build quality of the hardware itself is also of a really high standard. If you're after a better recording than you're getting now, or if you need a way to record your music to cd, then this could be for you.'
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