Another Laser-Guided Turntable

January 6, 2016 Alan Cross 0 Comments

Ever since Emile Berliner invented the gramophone, records have been played by dragging a piece of metal or mineral at the tip of a stylus through grooves. This creates friction and wear. Yet in the 100+ years since, we’ve yet to come up with a better way of getting musical information off a record.

Well, that’s not entirely true. After the introduction of the CD player in 1982, a number of manufacturers have launched turntables that read records using lasers instead of the tonearm-and-stylus apparatus. Bobby points us to this new laser turntable that costs just $15,000 USD.

Thanks, but I’ll stick with my SL-1200, thank you.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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