Think vinyl is dead? Not at all. In fact, in the last few years, vinyl records have made a comeback. Whether it's the smooth analog sound, the tactile joy of removing a record from its sleeve and admiring the album art while you listen to the needle hit the groove, or just a hankering for simpler times, vinyl LP records are more popular now than they have been in years.
And all that vinyl needs something to play it on. And that's where Japanese CE giants Sony and Panasonic come in. At this year's CES in Las Vegas, both companies unveiled their first new turntable products in quite some time. And while they both lean toward the high end, each offers unique features.
From Panasonic, we find the Technics SL-1200G turntable. It's an updated version of the classic SL-1200, much beloved by audiophiles and DJs back in vinyl's heyday in the 1970s and 80s. When Panasonic re-launched the Technics brand in late 2014, fans of the brand hoped for a new turntable offering and the company granted their wish this week. The SL-1200G builds on the excellent foundation of its predecessor, with significant refinements to the plinth and to the direct drive motor.
The tonearm employs a lightweight material (aluminum for the SL-1200G and magnesium for the SL-1200GAE) which has been cold-drawn to improve the characteristics of the material and increase the dampening effect. I listened to the new 'table through Technics' high-end high-res audio-capable system at the Venetian this week, and it sounded fantastic.
The new Technics turntable will be offered in a limited edition SL-1200GAE (limited to 1200 units) this summer and a non-limited SL-1200G version later this year. Pricing has not yet been announced.
Sony's new turntable offering is a bit different. The PSX-H500 plays back records, of course, but it gives the owner the option of ripping that vinyl directly to high res audio files. This approach was something I actually suggested to Technics engineers last year at CES, but it looks like Sony beat them to the punch.
Why would one want to rip vinyl to ultra high quality digital music files? Many audiophiles feel that lossy M3s, and even CDs, are inferior to high quality analog reqordings, due to artifacts of digital sampling and compression. However, many, if not all of these artifacts go away as you increase the bit rate and sample size. High Resolution audio files preserve the smooth texture and sound quality of analog recordings while making them much more portable and easily accessible. So if you've got a decent selection of records, Sony's new turntable may be an excellent way to take that vinyl collection on the road with you, with all the convenience and portability of digital audio files.
The only catch? The PSX-H500 converts the analog recordings into Sony's proprietary DSD (Direct Stream Digital) format, so you will need a compatible player in order to play these files back. The new turntable looks a step above the mass market USB turntable dreck, with an aluminum platter and rubber mat to dampen vibrations. The cabinet itself is reportedly made of MDF to further dampen resonance. The turntable also comes with editing software for your PC or Mac so you'll be able to trim out blank spaces between songs and add meta data to your music in order to make it easier to categorize and access later. Pricing and availability has not yet been announced.
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