Although the golden age of vinyl records is long gone, there are quite a lot of people out there who claim that this particular media offered a much “warmer” and more “melodious” sound that CDs', for example, and for this reason they hang on to their old disc collections for as much as possible.

Nevertheless, vinyl discs tend to age pretty fast, and for this reason, the Ion-Audio company has launched back in the second half of 2008 the LP 2 FLASH, a device that allows users to convert their vinyl recordings directly to an SD card or USB device without the need for a computer.

Like any vinyl player, this one features a belt-drive turntable with premium tonearm and cartridge, which supports 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM discs. Additionally, it features an automatic silence detection system with track split, and an USB audio interface (44.1kHz, 16-bit).

The LP 2 FLASH has a large display and familiar controls for Record, Playback, and navigation. Users can even control the quality of the MP3s without connecting a computer. And speaking of quality, it's interesting to note that the device can encode audio tracks at a high-resolution sample rate, up to 192kHz.

Even if this thing is designed especially to allow users to record directly onto flash drives or SD cards, it can be also easily connected to a host computer, via an USB 2.0 cable. Moreover, the LP 2 FLASH comes with EZ Vinyl Converter software for PC and EZ Audio Converter for Mac, a couple of software applications that allow users to get the music on the vinyl directly into iTunes.

Beside the USB and SD card interfaces, the LP 2 FLASH also comes equipped with a front-panel input jack that allows users to convert other music sources, as well as an audio output, which can be used for connecting a pair of headphones or even outputting audio to one's home entertainment system.

The LP 2 FLASH sells for an estimate 230 US dollars, which is not exactly a very small price, but it's rather worth it, especially for those users who are really in love with their vinyl disc collection.