2. analog
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$12K Laser turntable vs $12k hi-fi turntable?

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I just read up on the ELP laser turntable. They have a model for $12k that plays 33&45 rpm records. You already know the skinny on laser tables that there is no contact with the lp. The question here is that will that same $12k put into a conventional table, arm and cartridge outperform its laser counterpart. I rarely see laser tables mentioned here. With their cost within the range of some conventional turntable setups, why don't we see more of them on Audiogon? Are they musical? I hear that they are very accurate.
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mitch4t

Showing 2 responses by bigbucks5

bigbucks5
184 posts
 
09-23-10: Drjoe
I have friend who has one. For the brief time I got to hear it, to me it had a digital sound opposed to an analog
sound IMO.
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I can imagine not liking the sound, but I wonder how it could sound 'digital' when it is all analog in the playback chain. Could it be that it is more resolving and we're not use to that, or that since the record was cut with a mechanical device, the ELP is in essence trying to read stuff that isn't there in the first place?
bigbucks5
184 posts
 
Even if the ELP and a conventional system gave equal performance, I would still go conventional.

Why? Because with an ELP I would end up using it like a CD player...skipping from track to track to only play the tracks I really like (like TV channel flipping).

One reason I got back into analog was to just listen to the record; a complete side at a time. I love picking an album, placing it on the TT, cueing it up and then just relaxing for 15 to 20 minutes w/o messing with a remote to jump between tracks.

Once I realized that I 'like the process' of playing records, it became obvious that an ELP would completely defeat the record playing experience for me.
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