Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!info-high-audio-request
From: infmx!simond@uunet.UU.NET (Simon David)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Laser turntables
Message-ID: <8972@uwm.edu>
Date: 16 Jan 91 14:27:32 GMT
Sender: news@uwm.edu
Lines: 39
Approved: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

In article <8896@uwm.edu> cowles@convex.com (John Cowles) writes:

>During a recent visit to Japan I got a chance to play with a laser
>turntable. The turn table was (I think) made by a company in Germany,
>and could play 78's as well as 33 1/3rpm and 45's. The documentation was
>in English and Japanese. From the owner's hints, I would guess that the
>equipment was VERY expensive.

I think this is the Finial turntable now being produced in Japan. The
project has taken a long time to produce any thing and has been droped
and restarted by another company. They _are_ very expensive, about 20,000
UK pounds was once quoted but i believe that will change.

>One of the controls allowed the user to vary the width and depth of the
It was reviewed in the UK rag Hi-Fi News & Record Review where it got a
positive but guarded reception. It was liked for the lack of normal
turntable nasties (pitch instability, rumble) but was a real pain with
anything other than records in perfect condition. A disk washer had to be
used before playing each record. There was an anti click feature that did
not work too well but the thing did actually seem to work.

For a record library unwilling to let a lump of diamond touch their records
it would be ideal when fully debugged, but at the moment it is a bit too
much money and trouble for mere mortals. 

>cowles@hydra.convex.com
>Convex Computer Corp.
>3000 Waterview Parkway
>Richardson, Tx
>214-497-4375

Still dreaming...

Cosmo
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon David
Informix UK Tech Support
simond@informix.com