Review on Teac LP-R550USBB CD Recorder With Cassette Turntable Black LPR550USBB by John Fenton

I purchased this unit so I could convert old LPs and tapes to CDs or MP3s. The Teac LP-R550USB looks pretty good and the turntable is adequate. The sound, however is very flat and one-dimensional. I tested it playing an old LP and then a brand new one. In each case, the sound from the built-in speakers is unimpressive (more on that in a moment). CDs sound a bit better, but not so much that I'd give the unit a 5-star rating.There are no "tone" controls on the unit, only volume. The tape player has to be manually stopped at the end of a side. The turntable has to be operated manually to start playing a record (the turntable rotates when the tone arm is moved into position; you must then lower the tone arm to the record manually using the cue arm). None of these aspects should be a deal-breaker, though. The Teac LP-R550USB seems to me to be well-made overall and fairly easy to operate once you've taken the time to read the manual carefully.I've been using the Teac LP-R550USB for a week now and have successfully recorded several cassette tapes and LPs to CD (I'm using CD-Rs exclusively). The newly created CDs, in turn, have played correctly on my other devices . Further, I've been able to add these newly recorded CDs to my iTunes without any real issues arising. I have tried connecting the unit directly to my computer via the USB cable provided. Perhaps others who have already done so have spoken to how well the USB cable method works.While external speakers (such as those you'd use with a component system - CD player, tuner, tape deck, etc.) cannot be connected to the LP-R550USB), I've found that a pair of desktop computer speakers, such as the Bose Companion IIs can be connected to the Teac LP-R550USB via the headphone jack located in the lower left corner of the controls on the front. The sound from the Bose speakers is definitely an improvement over the sound coming from the built-in speakers.