There is something faintly sacrilegious about transferring vinyl to a compressed music format. The concept is nothing new of course; people used to do it all the time with cassette, and both CD-R and MiniDisc still have their followers on this front. However, if it's ease of access you want, then hard disc storage really is an impressive option.

Getting vinyl onto a computer has always been surprisingly complicated. The traditional method has been to record the original to CD and then rip this to hard disk.

The USB turntable - by virtue of an onboard phono stage and analogue to USB converter - simplifies the process by sending the signal from a vinyl LP straight into a PC or Mac. You need software to record it with of course, but you can find excellent packages online, often for free. Pro-Ject recommends Audacity, a multi-track audio editor for Linux, Mac and PC.

The Debut III USB is based heavily on Pro-Ject's entry-level model, which in standard form sells for £160 and features the Ortofon OM-5E moving magnet cartridge and gimbal bearing tonearm, as well as an onboard phono stage found here.

The platter is pressed steel with a felt mat to reduce ringing, while the motor is suspended on rubber to stop it from causing the plinth to resonate. The latter is available in black or silver paint finishes and has a moulded plastic lid. Power is courtesy of a plug-top transformer and on/off switching hidden under the plinth, which keeps the top looking clean.

The arm cable is a separate interconnect and thus easily upgraded. In this instance, it comes with a phono to mini-jack adaptor, so that you can plug it into a wider range of components.

Inevitably, the Debut is not the most refined of turntables, yet manages to avoid sounding thin or abrasive by virtue of a rolled-off and soft balance that is easy to live with, if lacking in dynamics or genuine high frequencies.

Pro-Ject's Expression II at £250, which features the Ortofon OM-10 - the next needle up in the range - sounds a lot more dynamic and open when passed through the phono stage of a Pioneer A-A9 integrated amplifier. This leads one to suspect that the Debut's built-in phono stage is also a limiting factor.