Needles, cartridges, tonearms, platter quality and weight, cleaning methods… listening to vinyl records is a true art these days, and the passion some people demonstrate deserves recognition. However, that does not change the fact that running a stylus through a groove slowly wears down each record. The solution comes from Japan in the form of the ELP Turntable, which uses a laser system instead of the cartridge and needle, so it never touches the surface of the disc.
There was never a turntable in my home. The generational jump went directly from cassette to CD, so my experiences with vinyl records were through friends and other music enthusiasts. I would never dare to enter the debate about which medium sounds better. I have witnessed conversations that turned into true battles, where those involved gave every ounce of hatred and passion they had left. Today vinyl records are considered audiophile territory or a simple hipster whim, but nobody can deny that the market is still there, and that the difference in prices keeps the interest of artists and companies alive. As an example, the CD of Random Access Memories costs about 12 dollars, while in vinyl format it costs more than double. When it comes to choosing equipment to listen to records, the discussions have become even more intense, but from Japanese lands comes something a little different.
The Idea Behind Laser Turntables
The idea of reproducing vinyl records with a laser system is not new. The first patents were developed in the mid-'70s, and the world was amazed by the Finial LT-1, although it never reached its final production phase. Finial's technology ended up on the other side of the planet, under the wing of ELP Japan, a company that has been manufacturing laser turntables to order for several years. The main advantage of a laser turntable is that it generates no wear whatsoever on the surface of the vinyl. While there are studies that minimize the impact of wear (more than 1,200 plays without loss of quality with proper cartridge and cleaning), an ELP Turntable completely eliminates that factor, without digitization processes in between. As if that were not enough, the laser turntable can play warped records, or those with different levels of damage.
The Drawbacks and the Price
Of course, what we gain on one side we lose on the other. The first problem of a laser turntable like the ELP Turntable is that it does its job "too well", and every particle of dust or unexpected stain can be misinterpreted by the system, generating spontaneous pops and clicks, which forces you to dedicate even more time to maintaining each record. The second drawback is that it lacks the ability to play colored or transparent vinyls, sometimes seen as promotional material. Finally, we arrive at the price. If you want an ELP Turntable, the magic number is $15,000.
