We know, we know, $17,000 for a turntable. What's it do, fly? Ignore the dollars for a second and listen up -this thing sounds spectacular. Using lasers, mirrors, lenses, and a lot of math, the 1XRC works audio magic -all the bright crispness of CD's coupled with the lush, velvety warmth of vinyl. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the technology, the laser amplifies every speck of dust on a record. The ELP practically mandates the purchase of a specialized $500 record vacuum cleaner and/or a $2,800 ELP record Declicker. Expensive, finicky, labor-intensive- this baby ain't for everyone. And in fact, it might be better to stay away; after one listen, you might never want to hear an MP3 again.
Review: ELP Corporation of Japan 1XRC Laser Turntable
We know, we know, $17,000 for a turntable. What’s it do, fly? Ignore the dollars for a second and listen up -this thing sounds spectacular. Using lasers, mirrors, lenses, and a lot of math, the 1XRC works audio magic -all the bright crispness of CD’s coupled with the lush, velvety warmth of vinyl. Unfortunately, due […]
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WIRED
Sound is clear, precise, warm... incredible. Lasers pick up minute details traditional cartridges miss. Skip free. Claimed frequency range of 10Hz-40kHz. CD-like controls. Plays warped, cracked, even broken records. Doesn't degrade vinyl.
TIRED
Big, ungainly, relatively ugly -looks like a 1986 laserdisc player. Dirt and dust have a much more pronounced effect than with a traditional needle. Clear and colored records are often unplayable. Playback occasionally halts due to dust saturation or positioning errors. Requires an extra $3300 in accessories to function correctly.