Flippin’ heck!
Audio-Technica has concluded its 60th-anniversary celebrations with a whopper: it has brought back its iconic Sound Burger portable turntable. But this is no mere re-heating — it’s been thoroughly modernised with fresh new ingredients in a bid to make it a record player to relish.
If you missed it the first time around, the Sound Burger was a portable deck that, thanks to its mix of pop art style and high-fidelity sonics, took the 1980s vinyl scene by storm. The new model rocks a similar look but has some modern touches such as wireless Bluetooth connectivity and a USB-C port for charging.
The battery lasts 12 hours, which provides plenty of out-and-about listening time. And for those who want to listen to it at home too, there is an RCA port for physically connecting it to a home stereo or speaker system.
The belt drive system plays either 33 1/3 or 45 RPM records, while a dynamic balance system applies pressure to the stylus via a spring alongside a DC motor to ensure smooth playback.
While this may appear to be one of Audio-Technica’s more gimmicky launches in recent memory, the editor of Sound+Image and a regular contributor to this publication, Jez Ford, concluded his recent review of it with: “this is not a toy! In fact, this limited-edition battery-powered turntable turns out to be something of a burger king.”
He explains: “Obviously the Sound Burger is a desirable object in itself, but we can confirm that the performance is also up to speed for this price bracket, regardless of the unusual approach, and notably the lack of support under the outer edge of discs. We did find some mechanical noise, groove noise and occasionally stability issues more notable than we’d expect from a conventional deck. But otherwise the Burger matched its price peers note for note.” You can read his full review on www.whathifi.com. And then, when you’re entirely sold on adding one to your household, you can prepare yourself to part with $429 for it. While this launch was supposed to have a limited anniversary run, Audio-Technica has just confirmed that availability of the Sound Burger will continue into 2023.