LibraryLinks Spring 2005

Libraries among Few Institutions with Laser Turntable

By Herbert Poetzl

The Libraries recently acquired state-of-the-art technology to play vinyl records optically at the highest audiophile standards. The Japanese-made ELP LT- 1XA Laser Turntable plays grooved analog discs using laser beams instead of the conventional tone arm/stylus technology.

The Laser Turntable “transmits” the sound stored in the vinyl as opposed to an old-style tone/arm cartridge that “transcribes” the sound. The laser doesn’t alter the properties of the sound in any way, unlike conventional replays or even re-mastered CDs of older analog recordings. It also plays cracked or warped records with ease. Deep scratches still register as a click, but seldom will the sound skip. In fact, older worn records can sound better, since the laser will read above or below the point of contact at which a stylus may have caused damage.

The turntable has the capacity to play 7 to 12 inch diameter discs, and the RMP can be varied from 30-90 rpm to take into account “early” discs recorded at non-standard speeds. Moreover, the aim of the lasers can be adjusted to compensate for record damage and variable groove widths.

The fact that there is no direct physical contact between groove and turntable means that there is virtually no chance of damaging an audio document during playback. Discs too fragile for replay on a conventional turntable can now be played safely and surrogate copies created and customized. This is an important consideration for preserving the many rare instrumental, opera, and spoken word recordings in Special Collections’ 75,000-item Frances Conole Archives of Recorded Sound. The Laser Turntable would allow faculty members to use this world-class archival resource to create specific audio “programs” for their classes, music studios, or lecture presentations. For now at least, until audio can be retrieved by direct scanning of the disc, the laser turntable offers the best playback technology currently available.