Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Sony Unveils a New "Digital" Turntable
By James Grahame
You've got to hand it to Sony -- they've got their sticky mitts in everything, as their newfangled $149.99 PS-LX300USB turntable illustrates. As you might guess (or not) from the model number, this sucker includes a USB connection that lets you transform all of your old Duran Duran, Tangerine Dream and Ozzy LPs into the pristine digital domain. Never mind that analog purists decry the act of converting lush, warm analog fuzziness into brittle, thin and unsatisfying digital audio... that's a battle to be fought another day.
The Sony staffers were obviously at a loss while writing ad copy for this thing, remarking that "the PS-LX300USB USB turntable is also a fully functional turntable that can connect to your current system and playback your vinyl albums..." Uhh, yeah. It offers all the usual home turntable capabilities - a 33/45 RPM belt-driven platter, semi-automatic operation, early 1990s styling, and stereo analog outputs with old-school "greater than 50 dB signal to noise ratio."
[Update from the comments: Billy pointed out the Audio-Technica AT-LP2DA LP-to-Digital Recording System, which looks suspiciously similar to the Sony, but without USB. Numark also makes a USB-equipped model that retails for just over $100.]
Sony PS-LX300USB Stereo Turntable System
related:
Affordable Turntable Roundup
Sound Burger: Vintage Portable Turntable
The World's Largest Selection of Turntables
