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Sweet Vinyl Sugarcube - I Want It!!!

At the NY Audio Show this past weekend, I got to see and hear the demo of the Sweet Vinyl Sugarcube.  This PC-based stand alone unit is amazing.  Here is what it does:


1.  De-clicks vinyl - and does so completely transparently, and is user-adjustable (more or less filtering of clicks and pops). 

2.  Digitizes vinyl - MP3 through 24/192 resolution.

3.  Locates metadata for LPs being played/digitized, including cover art

4.  Inserts track divisions based on the metadata (wow!).

5.  Compensates for non-RIAA recordings

6.  Plug in apps will do even more, like reducing groove noise.

It inserts in a line-level loop or between your phono preamp and preamp.  It has digital (S/PDIF and USB) outputs as well as analog outputs.


Projected retail is $2500, and they plan a kickstarter campaign soon.


If you spend time digitizing vinyl, this thing is nothing short of a miracle.  I want one so badly I can taste it.


(I am not associated with Sweet Vinyl in any way.)

bondmanp
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,645 posts
 

bondsman, thanks for the explanation. With the exception of a few labels, I also didn't attempt to duplicate my LP collection by buying CDs but I'm finding myself using the streaming method more and more these days, particularly when on the move, etc. And from one New Jersian to another, I completely get your reference to the Garden State Parkway, especially during the morning rush.

Enjoy the music.

bondmanp OP
1,465 posts
 

@kalali - There is never any "rush" on the Garden State! :-)  More like the morning "mosey".


Being extremely cheap, and a bit of a ludite, I have yet to commit to monthly streaming fees, and my cheap cell phone has limited data, so I am still all about owning the media I listen to.  And the other problem is, how do you pick a place to start streaming when there are millions of choices?  I prefer my cycle-through-the- collection method.


BTW, if you're interested, we have a great audio society hear in Joisey:


www.njaudiosociety.com


I encourage you to check it out.


Cheers.

bondmanp OP
1,465 posts
 
Update - After some time away, I returned home, fired up my SC-2, and was pleased to see I got an update. Both the SC-2 and the Sugarcube Android app were updated. The biggest difference I noticed was that you can now customize the resolution for recording, both the bit rate and the sampling frequency. This is very welcome, as for the time being, my streamer (SBT) cannot handle anything over 96/24.

It could be my imagination, but the sound on an unfamiliar LP I digitized last night seemed even smoother and more detailed than I remember the SC-2 sounding.

On the downside, the "light show" issue was not fixed. If anything, it’s worse. But there does not seem to be any impact on the sound or functionality of the SC-2 as a result.

Also, although I haven’t read it yet, Fremer posted a review on his Analog Planet site of one of the Sugarcubes.
thaluza's avatar
thaluza
172 posts
 
Thanks bondmanp for reviving your thread,

Fremer reviewed the SC-1. The SC-1 as you know only does click and pop removal, no recording. He concluded:

"I think many will react as I did and come to see this is an indispensible addition to their vinyl playback systems. It will certainly change how I go used record shopping—especially in the bargain bins."

thaluza's avatar
thaluza
172 posts
 
I have had my SC-2 for two months and really like the click and pop remover. It has brought new life to some of my Goodwill finds. I do not hear any attenuation of high notes which apparently was a problem with older click and pop removers. Seems there is a subtle change in sound with the feature engaged, but listening is still quite enjoyable. I leave it on most of the time, but it can be easily switched on and off by pressing a button on my tablet.

I use an iPad. Most of the time, I can see the track names and album art on the iPad app. Very cool. Rock music works well with track naming and album art, but not so much with the few jazz albums that I have played.

Also, I recorded an album to hear what it is like. The process was not very intuitive, at least for me. I can get the tracks to appear on my computer after plugging in the usb stick, but that is as far as I have been able to get. Still trying to figure out how to get the recording into my JRiver music library, how to view the album art, and how to edit metadata.

Hoping the track splitting function is introduced soon, and that along with it, that improvements are made to the iPad app to make it more functional and intuitive for recording.

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