Hmmm. 4 Days later and mine still hasn't shipped yet... What can I do?

ThunderThighs wrote:Drat. We did just find out that there was a mid-production change. Even the vendor didn't know until we asked after seeing dwhearne's post. So if you need the 78rpm, contact service@woot.com and they'll see what they can do. So sorry about the problem.

As to the fast shipping, we're using new and various methods to try to speed things up such as drop shipping, Fulfillment by Amazon where we instruct our vendors to deliver the goods to various Amazon warehouses around the country for later shipping, and then our usual slow SmartPost. So hey, it's a like a crapshoot as to when you'll get your stuff.

I got mine today. The audio at max is barely hearable. I set it up with an external JBL portable speaker and the sound is unexpectedly clean, with things like harpsichords very clear and also the attack of instruments. Lyrics are really clear. Sound is smooth. Solid bass is missing.

I switched to Sinatra's old Concerts disc with Nelson Riddle. The whole thing is surprisingly 'musical' and I'm enjoying it. Haven't tried to record to Audacity or Cool Edit or to the recommended free Windows record-to-wav file mentioned yet.

I have something they call perfect pitch (can tell minute differences and identify notes) and there's no discernable wow and flutter. Tonal vocal quality is really nice. Not over-bright but with good presence on my portable JBL On Stage IIIp.

Besides the really almost soundless built-in speakers my package had NO spare cartridge, which means that's $15 I'd have to spend after awhile. HQ said it was in there, which means it should have been.

I did get the paper Guide, which is usable and also the little mini-CD.

I actually have a very good turntable but my Adcom amp and preamp died after 2 decades and I'm looking for a good stereo received. So wanted to try this out, since it does easy record-to-mp3 (or to wav w/ the right software).

The sound is NOT muffled the way it would be if the arm was digging in too deeply. It NEVER skips, so I guess it's a matter of quality control and luck then. Even then, I don't repeat a track for at least 30 minutes even with a good turntable. We'll see. Right now, I'm really enjoying it, except for the built-in speakers and knowing I don't have a spare that they said would be in the unit. Should I call them for the added spare?

The info page for this Woot and the photos all said it included 2 extra cartridges but I didn't find any extras in mine.

Anybody get extra cartridges with theirs?

sensibull wrote:The info page for this Woot and the photos all said it included 2 extra cartridges but I didn't find any extras in mine.

Anybody get extra cartridges with theirs?

Sorry about that. I'm sending you a PM regarding this issue.

kkshields wrote:Sorry about that. I'm sending you a PM regarding this issue.

Can you PM everyone or at least post about what happened to the extra (2) Spare Cartridge / Needles that was supposed to come with the units. They might come in handy while recording all our albums that I have from the 70's and 80's.

kkshields wrote:Sorry about that. I'm sending you a PM regarding this issue.

Hi, I posted shortly before you, I think. I got no spares (and my speaker button doesn't affect volume beyond 12:00 - it just stays the same (barely hearable). But it plays records well for transferring and to an external speaker set.

thandar wrote:This description claims it plays 78's yet the same item, with exact model number on Amazon never mentions 78's. Customer reviews on amazon say it used to claim it played 78's but when item was received it was just a 2 speed player.

I guess I'm seeing things. When I first read the description, I thought it said it would play 78s, so when I received it (them, actually, as I had ordered two of them, one for myself and one for my elderly parents) I was disappointed to see that it doesn't play 78s. And as I re-read the description, it clearly only mentions 33s and 45s. It was the people in the discussion who were talking about 78s. And that's a big problem to me, as many of our old family records are 78s. I guess I need to be more careful to read the description before ordering. :-(
In addition to its inability to play 78s, I was disappointed in the overall sound quality, and I'm not very fussy about those things. I might try a different needle to see whether the results are any different.

sensibull wrote:The info page for this Woot and the photos all said it included 2 extra cartridges but I didn't find any extras in mine.

Anybody get extra cartridges with theirs?

I didn't get any either. :-(

ojohn wrote:The one that has (fake) chrome grills over the speakers, like seen in the video review in the posts here, does not have 78. The plain one with no grills like Woot shows does have 78. Mine does have 78. Woot generally but not always shows pictures it has taken in its own studio from the stock it has - woot has a video about taking those pictures somewhere in the site. So, very most likely, this batch really is a batch with 78.

I ordered and received two, and they don't play 78s. Very disappointed.

comivan wrote:Sure can, MP3s have variable quality so it matters on your source. If you come from a lossless format to a high quality mp3, you would end up with something better. Then again not everyone will spend the time to do this, they just pull their 128 mp3s from cds ><

I really don't know much about MP3, but I'm not too impressed with the quality of the music I saved. Would it be better if I saved it as wav or some other format?

Alohamora wrote:Compatibility: Windows 7, Vista, ME, 2000, 98SE, 97


XP isn't listed? If it works with Vista and 2000, I would expect XP to be OK as well.

It works with XP. I'm not overly impressed with the product, but using it with Windows XP did not present a problem.

Well, it's 5 days after it shipped and I'm not able to use the tracking info because I get this messsage at USPS:

Delivery status information is not available for your item via this web site.

How soon should I be expecting this? I live in an apartment building and packages have been known to disappear if you don't grab them soon after they're delivered.

elsieanne wrote:I guess I'm seeing things. When I first read the description, I thought it said it would play 78s ... as I re-read the description, it clearly only mentions 33s and 45s. :-(

No, you were right the first time. They've changed the description. Check out: http://www.woot.com/blog/post/vibe-usb-turntable-with-speakers or, google VIBE USB Turntable with Speakers - Woot (and click on "cached").

The description used to say, "This here Vibe USB Turntable with Speakers also has an extra-special secret that lets you go head-to-head with the hipsters: it plays 78s."

NO extra needles were included in the packaging. The box it came in only list the package contents as: USB turntable, USB cord, Installation CD, and Opertion manual.

edited to add: DOES NOT play 78 records as advertised in the ad.

Got mine today. No 78 speed...which sucks, but since I only have like one 78, isn't really a deal breaker. The bigger issue is the two missing spare cartridges/needles. Emailed service@woot.com. Hopefully they can get the spares sent out.

Other than that, only spent about 5 minutes with it, but seems to work well.

Just got the Turntable today, it is just what I expected. It is perfect for listening to records I have not heard in years. The quality of sound could be better, but that is reflected in the price, you get what you pay for, and I paid for a deal and got it. Down the road I might change out the needle for a diamond needle. Thank You Woot!!!

thandar wrote:This description claims it plays 78's yet the same item, with exact model number on Amazon never mentions 78's. Customer reviews on amazon say it used to claim it played 78's but when item was received it was just a 2 speed player.

I thought my memory was going - this isn't the first time I have made a purchase and then the specs changed on a device - I'll have to start print to PDF a copy of all descriptions on the day of purchase moving forward.

I have quite a few old LP's and 45's but my parents have 10-20 Office storage boxes full of 78's.

After reading these reviews, I'll try 1 of my non-valuable LP's - no idea what that may be, but i will have to choose one that wont upset me if it gets trashed.

I have some original monkeys/beetles/elvis/sonny and cher's i wont be trying it on after reading these reviews

can we put a better needle on this player?

for some reason I thought this turntable could play at 78 rpm's .....anybody else see this?

elsieanne wrote:I ordered and received two, and they don't play 78s. Very disappointed.

I too have one with no 78 rpm speed, i want to return and get my money back. what are you doing?

Turntable doesn't turn. Emailed manufacturer at address provided. No reply.

I have no 78 either, but it doesn't turn so mute point.

ThunderThighs wrote:I'm confused. Is there reason to believe they're not included?

BTW, you forgot to say please.

Update: The man in the know at HQ said the sample had the them. He sleeps as little as I do, it seems. Make sure you say thank you to Eric.

Thunderth...

I forgot to say please and thank you; however, I received my item on Thursday, Aug 2d, and guess what? There were no spare cartridge w needle assembly's as specifically listed:

In the box:

VIBE Sound VS-2002-SPK USB Turntable with Speakers
USB Cable
Installation CD
45 RPM adapter
(2) Spare Cartridge / Needle
Operation Manual

And as others have mentioned, no provisioning for playing 78rpm. Also the dustcover is dark smoke, not exactly transparent and the speaker grills and volume knob are cheap looking black plastic as opposed to the photos Woot shows. Bottom of carton shows a 2012 copyright date.

Is this what buyers are receiving? Anyone get the two spare cartridges
with needles assemblies? 78 switches? If so, please let others know.

Where are the two extra cartridges that were promised?

This thing sucks! Top broke off as I was taking it out of the box, won't play any of my brand-new vinyls. Very disappointed.

For the Price - I can play my old records and that is Great!
Was dancing around the house while listening to the Beatles Help album. I have been carrying around every where I have moved for the last 30 years until I got another record player. Easy to use with or with out the software.
Thanks WOOT!

ThunderThighs wrote:Alas, we know about the 78RPM issue and I explain it above.

I'm not sure what the deal is on the extra cartridges. Either way, sounds like you might want to write a nice email to service@woot.com so they can help you. They're great like that.

I did ask about the extra spare cartridges earlier in this thread and you said that they were included and verified by Eric. I didn't make the purchase until after that.

I have written as suggested but it may take a few days for a response since they may be somewhat busy. Thanks

Ordered early am on 7/23, didnt receive til pm 8/03!!! Who dropped the ball shipping this? Must be due to the fact that i am a west coaster? The turn table works, and the software is simple. There is NO extra cartridge as stated in the ad... overall, its worth the $15 for nostalgia and i have no reservations playin Falco..... just wish a hadnt had to wait 10 days for this mediocre product!

I received my Vibe a few days ago and have 3 issues with it:
1. Does not play 78s as advertised.
2. No extra needles as advertised.
3. Recordings are HORRIBLE.

I was not expecting much, but the recordings are very bad and I suspect the unit may be defective. I am not sure of the exact terminology here, but it seems like the turntable is "clipping" the sound wave which comes in perfectly flat on the bottom and tops. Just for the heck of it, I tried recording using a cheap PC microphone placed in front of the turntable speaker and that produced a more natural looking sound wave.

Does anyone else see this effect? Or do I have a defective unit?

Is there some setting I am missing in Audacity? I have tried adjusting the microphone input level and all this does is make the flat topped wave shorter.

What a crap!!! I thought it was a good deal, but once I received it oh boy! It’s a piece of crap in a nice box, everything inside was loose, it sounds like a maracas and the worst thing is that there is nobody to answer for it, I’m going to put it in the trash bin, it’s not worth even for free. I’m done with woot forever, don’t waste your money with them…

kingsoft24 wrote:I received my Vibe a few days ago and have 3 issues with it:
1. Does not play 78s as advertised.
2. No extra needles as advertised.
3. Recordings are HORRIBLE.

I was not expecting much, but the recordings are very bad and I suspect the unit may be defective. I am not sure of the exact terminology here, but it seems like the turntable is "clipping" the sound wave which comes in perfectly flat on the bottom and tops. Just for the heck of it, I tried recording using a cheap PC microphone placed in front of the turntable speaker and that produced a more natural looking sound wave.

Does anyone else see this effect? Or do I have a defective unit?

Is there some setting I am missing in Audacity? I have tried adjusting the microphone input level and all this does is make the flat topped wave shorter.

I just opened mine and am in complete agreement with the above comments. To me, it seems like the recording level is way over-modulated but trying to reduce it is impossible (at least with Audacity). Like Kingsoft said, the mic control only flattens the top and bottom.

By the way, my recording level meter only shows only the left channel while the right seems dead. But both channels display and play during playback.

Oddly, the sound quality through the unit's own speakers is much, much better which leads me to believe there's gotta be a way to extract a better recording.

If this thing won't make a minimally acceptable mp3, then I wasted my money. As it stands right now, it doesn't look promising.

When recording, do you see 2 separate waveforms? If not you may have to change Audacity's settings to do a stereo recording rather than mono.

Hi everyone..

I have to admit thta at least the customer service is very good!!! After I complained about the quality of this VIBE USB turntable, they processed a full refund in a few hours, Thanks you so much Woot, but please, do not put on sale things that are not worth, someone has to check them and tested before going out for sale, other than that good!! Thanks..

The not playing 78s is annoying as the description said clearly "This here Vibe USB Turntable with Speakers also has an extra-special secret that lets you go head-to-head with the hipsters: it plays 78s." It even put the "it plays 78s" in bold!

So annoying, this is my first bad experience with these guys which sucks since I'm on the site everyday looking around.

dmw804 wrote:I just opened mine and am in complete agreement with the above comments. To me, it seems like the recording level is way over-modulated but trying to reduce it is impossible (at least with Audacity). Like Kingsoft said, the mic control only flattens the top and bottom.

By the way, my recording level meter only shows only the left channel while the right seems dead. But both channels display and play during playback.

Oddly, the sound quality through the unit's own speakers is much, much better which leads me to believe there's gotta be a way to extract a better recording.

If this thing won't make a minimally acceptable mp3, then I wasted my money. As it stands right now, it doesn't look promising.

Just to let others know: I complained to Woot about this (service@woot.com) and asked for a refund. They applied the credit to my card already and did not even want the turntable back. Thank you Woot!