ELP Laser Turntable video

madpioneer

madpioneer

Super Member
So years ago when the laser TT surfaced threads were started here about it.
I always thought it was a great innovation, but the prices were way out of my league to own.

Saw this video on the big cheese of the company and thought someone here might enjoy revisiting the laser TT.

I can say the guy is passionate about analog vs digital.
His english is not the best and can be a tad hard to understand here and there but I applause him for even learning the language.

Wish I had the bucks to own one of these!

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_4sooWCh_Y&feature=plcp
 
Register to hide this ad
The Laser Turntables still need considerable improvement to be ready for general playback use for audiophiles. Would still like to see it further developed and improved though. Eventually, they will get superior sounding.
 
Last edited:
Wow cool video seems like an awesome person. Want one of those bad boys now. ;)

Edit: Anyone have 10,120 bucks I can borrow for well forever.
 
Last edited:
Record wear hasn't been a problem since about 1966 so, to be honest, the laser turntable is a pretty invention that at the same time is a little pointless.

They are also much more sensitive to dirt and surface cleaniness problems than a regular tonearm player.

I pass.
 
Quite interesting. Only 1500 sold?
It only plays Black Vinyl and seems it must be perfectly clean for the best playback. It would be interesting to experiment with.

The Optical system seems interesting as well. As it can be mad to work with any TT base. Would look like a regular linear tracking table.
 
Pretty cool stuff. I came up with a concept that I think would work also. Digital photography. Not for real-time playback, but for recording and archival purposes. You would not even need a TT, just a flat surface in a controlled environment on which to photograph the record in question.

You'd need sufficient resolution in the resulting image to be able to do essentially microscopy of the grooves, and sophisticated algorithms and monstrous CPU power to be able to reconstruct the sound from the grooves made in the vinyl, but there is not really any question that it could be done. The information is all encoded there, whether it is read by mechanical, opto-mechanical, or optical means. Photography just means it would take it out of the realm of real-time playback, but would also not require a TT at all. It could be done. Not by me, but it could be done.
 
Wigwam Jones said:
Pretty cool stuff. I came up with a concept that I think would work also. Digital photography. Not for real-time playback, but for recording and archival purposes. You would not even need a TT, just a flat surface in a controlled environment on which to photograph the record in question.

You'd need sufficient resolution in the resulting image to be able to do essentially microscopy of the grooves, and sophisticated algorithms and monstrous CPU power to be able to reconstruct the sound from the grooves made in the vinyl, but there is not really any question that it could be done. The information is all encoded there, whether it is read by mechanical, opto-mechanical, or optical means. Photography just means it would take it out of the realm of real-time playback, but would also not require a TT at all. It could be done. Not by me, but it could be done.
Click to expand...

Interesting idea. My main concern would be that a planar picture (provided that this is actually your proposal) would imply a projection from three to two dimensions, since the depth in the grooves carries important information. Did you mean this or a sort of holographic, 3D photography of the grooves, including its depth? Otherwise, do you think that there is a way for reconstruction the lost third dimension from its 2D projected image?
 
guiller said:
Interesting idea. My main concern would be that a planar picture (provided that this is actually your proposal) would imply a projection from three to two dimensions, since the depth in the grooves carries important information. Did you mean this or a sort of holographic, 3D photography of the grooves, including its depth? Otherwise, do you think that there is a way for reconstruction the lost third dimension from its 2D projected image?
Click to expand...

Good point. You would have to take at least two photos, and from two slightly different angles. Then you could compute the depth. Lighting would be of importance as well. That would be no different than the 3D photography currently being pushed by Fujifilm in a couple of their new consumer cameras.
 
G'day all, very interesting. I seem to recall that something like that has actually been done. Quite remarkable idea actually. :yes: Regards, Felix aka catman.
 
Wigwam Jones said:
Good point. You would have to take at least two photos, and from two slightly different angles. Then you could compute the depth. Lighting would be of importance as well. That would be no different than the 3D photography currently being pushed by Fujifilm in a couple of their new consumer cameras.
Click to expand...

Sounds reasonable to me. As you said, a lot of work would has to be done to resconstruct all the initial information, but the technique you mentioned could be a solution (at least in principle) to my question. It would be interesting to try a research attempt with, e.g, a 45 rpm single disc, but it would involve lots of programming, and optical research, I guess.
 
I had imagined someone very different being behind that TT; it's nice to see the real guy. His passion for music and dedication to what he does, really comes through. Very interesting; thanks for sharing that! :thmbsp:


flavio81 said:
Record wear hasn't been a problem since about 1966 so, to be honest, the laser turntable is a pretty invention that at the same time is a little pointless.

They are also much more sensitive to dirt and surface cleaniness problems than a regular tonearm player.

I pass.
Click to expand...

I don't think they are pointless. Such devices can read cracked and broken records, even fragments of records, which conventional TTs cannot. They have an important place in the archival preservation of rare, old recordings, some of which may only exist as single (or very few) examples.


mackat said:
This one's far more suitable for archival purposes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnGh7FADitg&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Ben aka MacKat
Click to expand...

Very interesting, as well. It actually "rides" on the record surface, albeit at an extremely light tracking weight. I wonder if that makes any difference, and whether there is much difference between the performance of these two optical technologies?

Homerx said:
Quite interesting. Only 1500 sold?
....
Click to expand...

I think he said they have that many CUSTOMERS. Some of those customers may well be governments and such, who may have ordered more than one unit, so the actual number of players sold probably exceeds that figure, at least a little. Probably not by much, though, because of the cost and narrow-niche usefulness of the device.

Given the production line for the laser assemblies, though (one guy working through 12 machines in sequence!), I doubt their production capacity is very high.
 
guiller said:
Sounds reasonable to me. As you said, a lot of work would has to be done to resconstruct all the initial information, but the technique you mentioned could be a solution (at least in principle) to my question. It would be interesting to try a research attempt with, e.g, a 45 rpm single disc, but it would involve lots of programming, and optical research, I guess.
Click to expand...

I suspect it would be a Herculean task to even do a Proof of Concept, but the theory is, I think, sound (no pun intended). Unlike magnetic tape, all the information encoded onto the surface of a record - or a cylinder - is visible, even if encoded (essentially encrypted).

I got the idea from something I read online about scientists 'playing back' the sounds of ancient times when workmen created clay vessels; the idea being that ambient noise was 'recorded' into the grooves made by their stylii as they inscribed rotating wet clay pots, or something like that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeoacoustics

Those were unintentional recordings, but the theory is the same. In fact, I'm not entirely persuaded that ancient voices and sounds were recorded to be played back - but the concept was what I found interesting.

And did you know that the first intentional recording of the human voice was recorded like a drawing on paper? Looked kind of like an EKG readout.

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/03/the-first-audio-recording-1860-optical/

If you read the linked NY Times article, that's how the extracted the music from that very early recording; using photography to get it back.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/a...07281600&en=5657a5508af06d36&ei=5070&emc=eta1

If they can take a photo of a squiggly line on paper and turn it back into music, I believe it could also be done with an LP. Just about a gazillion times harder.
 
I think computer analyzed scan reproductions will sidestep the ELP, leaving it a gadget for the well-to-do audiophile. I could see something very cost-effective like a super-smartphone app to play engraved analogue recordings in the future.
 
This has turned into an interesting thread to say the least.

I get there is better more complex ways to store and playback the music.

I would only want the ELP TT to experiment and enjoy it for what it is, but not at the retail price their asking. A new toy to play back my best condition LP's. Who knows it might replace the mid-fi ones I have now.

Also you have to remember, there are many here and in the World that just have the need to actually, clean, touch, handle, place, look at the tangible piece with their hands and eyes not to mention listen with their ears.

I am one of those, I need to handle the actual LP/vinyl, cassette, CD, Laserdisc, VHS, DVD, Blu Ray. Check out the artwork, liner notes, booklet, pictures and sometimes insightful notes on the actual recordings themselves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom