[78-L] Can 78 rpm needles be found for the USB turntables

[Ken Matheson]

Orignal message,
a 2.8 or 3 mil will sound a lot better for 78's than a .7 would!! Or 
is there some way to connect a regular turntable to a soundcard or 
usb port? Which would be the better choice? I just want to put some 
of my old 78's onto audio CD's for playing in my truck as I drive around.....
 
It will depend on what quality you want and your pocket book. The easiest solution would to buy an, All In One, turntable that will record CDs off your records. What ever you do, don’t use a LP (.7 mil.) needle on a 78. It will degrade the record and the sound you will get will also be of lesser quality.
 
If you have a turntable that plays 78s, and a computer, you can get a cheap preamp off Ebay. A preamp from an old component stereo will also work. Make sure the preamp has volume controls, to keep from overdriving your sound card. Don’t worry about equalization now. The only other hardware item you will need is a mini jack to RCA plugs Y adapter to go from your preamp to your computer. This you can  get at Radio Shack, or computer store. Like the previous poster said you can get freeware, or shareware of the Internet. I have used Audio City, but there may be better ones. The preamp and cable should be around 25 dollars, or less. This should do most records from the mid 1920’s to the 1960’s.
 
As far as 78 needles, I use Stanton series 500 AL II stereo cartridge with a Stanton D5127 needle. I think a Stanton 500.3 cartridge will also work.