This as-expensive-as-a-small-car vinyl turntable doesn’t have a USB connector like the Ion iTTUSB Turntable so that you can digitize your record collection, because that would be defeating one of the points of it. The ELP Turntable doesn’t use a standard needle to read those grooves in your vinyl records, but a laser. I can just hear Dr. Evil now… Japan’s ELP Corp is banking on music afficionados, audiophiles, wanting to hear their music in all of its audio glory, and getting to preserve their records from further damage by needles that wear and scratch the vinyl surfaces. Did I mention that it comes with a remote control?
If you’re at all interested in this gadget, you’ll want to take a look at the detailed pages on their site, but here is the executive summary. The Laser Turntable has 5 lasers and claims to ‘read’ the vinyl better than any cartridge can. You can adjust the speed of rotation by 0.1 RPM on 33s and 45s. There is no sound coloration by the lasers, as occurs with cartridges, but you do need to keep your records clean as the laser will pick up dirt and dust as well. Oh yes, the ELP Laser turntable won’t play clear or colored discs. Apart from the price, I was starting to like this gadget until that last ding.
Price: models start at $15,000
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)