The Laser Turntable

[The Black Adder]

This looks interesting if you have quite a bit of green to slosh about.

I remember seeing the idea on Tomorrow's World back in the early 80's I think.

Looks interesting all the same.. although they are pretty fugly.

http://elpj.com/

[ReggieB]

I seem to recall having seen that sort of deck advertised as being for library use.

[Spectral Morn]

This has been around for years, and years. I recall HiFi News reviewing it back in the early 90's and I think Stereophile have, as has The Absolute Sound too + others and the upshot was 'very sensitive to any dirt' more so than a conventional record player.

Here is an article on a newer version, same outcome - last paragraph

http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2011/11/lasers-get-groovy.cfm

Love the look of the newer one.

http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2011/11/images/640_laser-turntable-640.jpg

[awkwardbydesign]

The one in the '80s or '90s that Ken Kessler kept harping on about was the Finial. It eventually made it into production for about £10,000, IIRC, and read every speck of dust as a music signal. Not a great success.
Unless my memory has gone completely, which is quite possible.

[trio leo]

You are quite right awkwardbydesign, I had an ELP Laser player on trial for about six months trying to sell them in the 1980's, I even tried to get it on the James Bond film Golden Eye, it was £15,000 then, and it was good at playing records, including 78's, even cracked ones, but good is about the best I could say about it, it did read every spec of dust and tiny scratches as well.
I told the distributor that a clean record on a good player was better and a considerable amount cheaper.
TBH I'm surprised it's still going, for me it was design over function, interesting but that was about it IMHO. :)

Cheers Al

[CageyH]

I thought laser turntables were called CD players.