Turntables were more than audio instruments back in the day, it was a social statement where it expressed your love for music in a manner that sparked an interest in people around you. With that, Audio Technica has unveiled a plan for a rework of their popular Turntable called “SoundBurger”, which might seem like a stretch with turntables being relatively complex pieces of machinery. So, how does the “Portable” factor come into play, and more importantly, does this mean turntables are making a comeback?
Audio Technica “SoundBurger” AT-SB2022
World-renowned Japanese Audio-Equipment manufacturer Audio Technica has just announced the return of the fan-favorite, portable vinyl turntable that turned heads back in the 80s they dubbed the Soundburger. Originally debuted back in 1980, it was a big success for Audio Technica as the Soundburger was out of stock in just a matter of days, which might be the reasoning behind them re-releasing the turntable later this year, specifically from Spring ‘23. Talk about an incredible homage to the good old days for its 60th Anniversary.
The current director of Marketing from Audio Technica Gary Boss left a statement in which he said, and quote “The response to the 60th-anniversary limited-edition model of the Sound Burger portable turntable was nothing less than extraordinary. We heard loud and clear the frustration of those who hoped to buy one of these turntables but were unable to do so.” He added, “While the new model coming in the spring will not feature the 60th anniversary numbered badge, color, and packaging of the limited-edition version, it will be more widely accessible. We hope Sound Burger fans will be just as excited about this new model and that it will inspire the next generation of analog enthusiasts.”
So basically, props to Audio-Technica for doing their market research and figuring out where their strength lies apart from coming up with incredible audio technology. As for the re-vamped turntable, the Audio Technica AT-SB2022 comes with a usual belt-drive system that’s able to play both 33 1⁄3 and 45 rpm vinyl records, while making use of a tonearm that helps to achieve a dynamic balance system with the utilization of a spring-mechanic. But, since it’s a 21st-century remake, to add a dash of modernism, Audio Technica is offering BlueTooth connectivity to its SoundBurger that can play music for up to 12 hours, and of course, comes with a built-in rechargeable battery and a minijack output.
For the release date, Audio Technica is being surprisingly tight-lipped about the topic, even more so for the price, but we’ll relay that information to you right when we get our hands on them! For now, let’s keep our fingers crossed for Spring ‘23.
Wrapping Up
Now, what does it mean for people like us, who are accustomed to wireless consumption of music, and what made Audio Technica think that Vinyls might be coming back?
Well, it’s plain statistics, as you can see from here, 2022 was the year where vinyl records, in a surprising turn of events, outsold CDs for the time in 35 years! Apart from that, a love for nostalgia and retro technology has always been a charming topic, and Audio Technica apparently aims to take full advantage of that interest.
We’ll be back as soon as we get our hands on some new information regarding this vinyl player, but in the meantime, what do you think? Do you like the idea of vinyl records coming back? Or do you prefer the more modern approach in terms of enjoying music?
