ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Audio-Technica Sound Burger retails for $199 and is available in yellow, black, or white.
- The Sound Burger has unparalleled portability, a protracted battery life, and offers a novel listening expertise.
- It does not have a counterweight, and likewise does not have an auto-return function.
The Audio-Technica Sound Burger is $24 whenever you purchase it on Amazon. This deal solely applies to the black coloration.
Know-how is all about embracing the now. So, though I’m a type of individuals who will be caught of their methods (resembling listening to vinyl data with the suitable analog setup), I am glad this time I branched out to see what’s potential.
I not too long ago acquired my palms on the Audio-Technica Sound Burger Bluetooth turntable. Whereas it initially got here out in 1983, the corporate not too long ago revived it and added modern-day tech like Bluetooth to make it the transportable document participant they envisioned manner again then.
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Whereas I actually do not assume it is a alternative for a extra customary vinyl setup, I loved listening to my data somewhere else in the home relatively than being tied to the basement. The Sound Burger, briefly, offers a novel expertise of one thing that has remained largely the identical for many years.
Within the Nineteen Eighties, this transportable participant (initially often called Grasp Disc) was powered by batteries and got here with a set of foldable headphones, so you can hearken to your vinyl wherever you needed. Now, the Sound Burger makes use of USB charging — which offers a battery lifetime of as much as 12 hours — and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, letting you join it to a transportable Bluetooth speaker, a soundbar, Bluetooth headphones, and extra.
The Sound Burger additionally comes with a wired cable in case you wish to hearken to vinyl the analog manner, though I assume you are shopping for this gadget for its portability relatively than to make use of as a wired document participant.
Another notable specs: it has a belt drive, a Die-cast aluminum alloy platter, a frequency band of two.402 GHz to 2.480 GHz, and a replaceable ATN3600L stylus.
The Sound Burger is simple to arrange. I had vinyl enjoying on the gadget by a Bluetooth speaker in minutes. My common vinyl setup is within the basement, so the Sound Burger satiated my craving (pun supposed) to hearken to vinyl in the lounge. I even took it out to my deck one evening, and it was enjoyable to vibe out to an authentic Fleetwood Mac document outdoors with a fireplace going.
The Sound Burger may be very delicate — strolling round or by it may well make the document skip a bit. It’s because the document participant lacks a counterweight, which might probably harm your data if the monitoring drive is simply too excessive. It additionally does not have auto-return, which is not essentially an enormous difficulty for me; it is extra of a nice-to-have function.
Additionally: The best speakers for vinyl
I might see the Sound Burger being enjoyable to carry alongside on a tenting journey. Because you’re already listening to music round a bonfire, why not make that music vinyl as a substitute of the identical previous Spotify playlist? I’d additionally advocate the Sound Burger to those that stay in a small house and haven’t got room for an expansive vinyl setup.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Sound Burger’s portability is unparalleled, and that is my favourite Bluetooth turntable as a result of it embodies what Bluetooth was meant for — portability. For those who plan to hearken to vinyl by way of Bluetooth, that is the way to do it.
After all, audiophiles or vinyl diehards would possibly argue that this transportable participant is a waste since portability is not the purpose of vinyl. However hear me out: if we are able to use expertise to take vinyl to the outside or on trip whereas tucked away in a cabin, why not take it for a spin?
