Laser Turntable

Considering the price of many "ordinary" high end turntable systems, I'm surprised the laser turntable hasn't generated more buzz and more discussion in the high end press.

 

All I can say is, if you do get it, we're gonna parTAY at feinstein's house! I'll drive over a CD-R deck and a truckload of vinyl.

 

If it was just a bit cheaper, or if I earned more money, I would seriously consider purchasing one. As others have pointed out, you can easily spend far more than $10k US for a vinyl playback set up. There are moving-coil cartridges that alone cost almost as much as the ELP (certain models by Koetsu, Clearaudio, ZYX, et al).

A few of my friends were astonished when I told them I spent $230 US for my Shure V15. They were even more surprised when I told them that "as decent cartridges go, it's a fantastic bargain".

 

I have seen the Clearaudio Insider Reference Gold advertised at a retail price of $10,500 (insert silent scream) - the problem for the ELP is that they are about as easy to get to audition as it is to find fresh Unicorn droppings. (feinstein you must have great rhubarb )

All the best - Andrew

 

Well, I unfortunately lost the Powerball to a neighbor West Virginian millionaire (what's that expression about the rich just keep getting richer?) but this thread has certainly justified the price if I ever fall into lottery type money. When you consider all the hassles involved in getting a turntable to produce high quality sound and all the problems inherent in the medium, this system sounds like the way to go as far as vinyl. It would be interesting to know whether this would have been the wave of the future for music if the CD technology hadn't appeared when it did...