ELP Laser Tunrtable I went back and re-read the data for the ELP Laser Turntable. Whats interesting is that it says there is a new model coming out in August. I wonder if they have solved some of the shortcomings of the original. You know, if they could ever get the price of this thing down to like 2500$ they would sell a ton of them. I would even bet you that if they put one out that JUST did Lps and not 45s, it would still sell in record numbers. 10K is just too high, even for audiophiles. 2,500, a lot of us could swing. What say you guys?
I saw the ad in Stereophile and wondered about that. Mighty cool, but my remaining truck payments are about where that kooky gizmo's list price is - calling Mikey Fremer...
Re: ELP Laser Tunrtable There was a public demonstration of the ELP a little while back, and the reports I read were not that glowing. Even at $2500, I doubt that it would be a big seller. You can get an excellent LP spinner at that price which would (just guessing) outperform the ELP. As you probably know, the vinyl record must be cleaned scrupulously to work correctly in the ELP. I would go to a demo though. Regards, Geoff
Definitely! It would certainly be a boon to archivists, and for playing otherwise untrackable records (assuming it could cope with them, which I think I remember reading that it could).
Some records sound like MP3's on it. Not a perfect idea, but neat. The groove was meant for a stylus. Case closed.
I agree with you Sckott. If you read the ad in Stereophile it makes this thing out to be better than a Rockport or a Walker, this I have to hear to believe. (you know there is no-way!) If this out-fit keeps advertising full page ad's with stereophile they are sure to get a good review, probably not from Mikey, but some new guy on staff. we will have to wait and see. rockon with the LP Ron
I e-mailed Micheal Fremer at Music Angle to see if he had heard one. He says he had at a show but under poor circumstances. He has asked the company for one to review for Stereophile but so far has not gotten one.
I've heard a few ELP laser turntable transfers on CDR and they sound pretty darn good. Admittedly, 16-bit 44.1 kHz digital transfer is NOT the way to evaluate the performance of a turntable, but comparing these to other LP transfers that I've done myself, I remain impressed. The MP3 comparison is out of line. These tables are 100% analog and AFAIK, there is no compression or any manipulation of the audio signal that would cause distortion. I agree that current prices remain ridiculous. I also agree that they would sell a ton of these things if they would lower the price to something reasonable.
A groove may be "made for a stylus" but it has long been possible to cut grooves that no practical stylus can trace without damage. A laser could do it, though.
I would personally put $5 into a VPI Aries setup, and another $5K into hirez or other component before purchasing this one. I also wonder about the fragility/reliability. I understand the earlier offering had some reliability issues.
There's thread about the ELP turntable in the Archives... and as I recall, at least one of our members has in fact auditioned one, and gave it quite a glowing review. -Kevin