Two Tracking Laser beams are directed to the left and to the right shoulders of the groove of the record. Only the part of the beams that reach the groove are reflected to two PSD (Position Sensitive Detector) optical semiconductors. The part of the beams that fall on the land area of the record are deflected and not picked up by the PSD devices. The signals are sent to a microprocessor via analog to digital converters, then to servos to maintain the reader head position directly above the groove.

The distance from the surface of the record to the traveling pickup head is kept constant by using a separate laser beam. This is very similar to every CD player that uses a "focus" laser to move the laser that reads digital bits to the proper spacing between the reader and the disc. Since phono records vary in thickness, this feature assures precision alignment from the pickup head to the record. The servos are fast and responsive allowing the LT to accommodate even warped records. Also the new audiophile 180 gram (thick) records are reproduced beautifully.

This is a view of the inside of the Laser Pickup Head.

The calibration disk should be used when you operate the machine for the first time. Every few months you may elect to run the calibration disk to maintain tracking accuracy, particularly if you notice any mis-tracking during playback. When the machine is moved to another location, it is wise to run the calibration disk again.

The Laser Turntable is, no doubt, the most sophisticated and state-of-the-art "Record player" ever designed.
 

What is the sound quality of Laser Turntable?

The Laser Turntable has no contact with the vinyl disc. Therefore, it can reproduce music and sound as close to its originally recording on vinyl. The LT's beam of light can read the record's groove in places that a conventional stylus cannot. This means that the LT performs high quality sound reproduction even on vinyl that has been worn by a needle. The Laser can also read below the depth of surface scratches, which improves playback.

If both the musical recording and the vinyl itself are of high quality, the LT will reproduce excellent sound quality accordingly. But if the quality of the recording or vinyl itself is poor, the LT can unfortunately do very little to improve or change the sound. Keep in mind that the LT is able to read some scratched and even warped records which may not be played on a conventional turntable.

On the other hand, cartridge/stylus/tonearm combinations (whether expensive or not), have a number of different characteristics that can alter or change the sound of a record. As a result, you will hear a range in sound quality (good or bad) as they make contact with the vinyl disc. However, they still cannot reproduce music as close to the original recording as the LT.

Because of personal preferences and the many cartridge/stylus/tonearm combinations being used, it is difficult to say if the LT will sound better for you, individually, than the turntable you currently own. If you'd like to hear the LT in action, listen to our Free Demo CD and let us know your opinion.
 

In the past 100 years approximately 30 billion phonograph records were produced and sold. Still the problematic method of playing a record using a diamond chip needle secured to a metal cantilever that moves a motor (moving coil or moving magnet) is still the common method of playing a record. Mechanical reproduction is fraught with "compromises" that limit the ability to play a record faithfully and accurately. Each time a record is played there is some damage and wear to the record.

It is important to note that none of the restrictions and limitations mentioned in this article relate to the laser playback method used in the ELP Laser Turntable. This article can be of value in setting up your playback system if you do not own a Laser Turntable.

The Archivist's Dream Machine

Most styli that are available on modern phono cartridges will not yield good results. The groove geometry varied greatly on early recordings. The stylus used on cutters may have been narrower than later recordings, or wider. You must match the stylus to the exact shape and depth of the original record. Many engineers that specialize in restoration of rare recordings have special styli manufactured for the specific record. Often, these elliptical styli are ordered with truncated tips so the needle will not reach the bottom of the groove where heavy damage, noise, and dirt may lie. This is not necessary with the LT because the optical system finds the shoulders of the groove and sets the microprocessor to the width of the groove.

1) Scratch damage on the land area of grooves.
2) Laser beams that read the audio modulations.
3) The area of the groove that is read avoids the scratch.
4) The area of the groove where stylus damage is found.
5) The Groove with damage from a needle.

Some types of records the LT will not play:

The laser beams must reflect from an opaque surface in order to be read. Clear or colored records are transparent, or translucent, and will not reflect light to the sensors. Other types of records that may have difficulty include:

1) Vertical cut records like the early Edison "Diamond Cut" series. The modulation is up and down rather than lateral. The code pbad is displayed in the message window.
2) Rounded groove shoulder. The code rbad is displayed in the message window.
3) A groove with a rounded bottom produces distortion.
 

When you place a record in the drawer and press the play button, the record tray closes and the LT will quickly scan the disk to identify the various bands (cuts). Bands are displayed on the front panel Record Profile LCD display. A single vertical line above the "bands" indicator will show you the position of the laser pickup head. The vertical indicator will travel across the record as it is played showing its exact position on the record, and which band is playing.

If you want to hear the record side more than once, you can specify multiple (1-4 times) by pressing the play button up to four times. PL4 will appear in the message window. If you press the play button 5 times the LT will play the side repeatedly and PL99 will appear in the window.

If you wish to repeat a cut on the record or program the machine to play selected bands in any order this is accomplished with the buttons on the front panel or remote control. All special functions are available then you use the programmed mode. Seek Forward () and Seek Backward () allows you to listen to a segment of the cut. At any time you may use the Scan Back () or Scan Forward () to defeat the programming and listen to another cut.

When a record starts to play the message window will display the rpm of the platter. When a record is playing, the display automatically shows the elapsed running time. If you press the "Side" button, you can see the elapsed time, the remaining time of the side, and total time of the side. Pressing the "cut" button will display the elapsed time of the current cut, the remaining time of the cut, and the total time of the cut while pressing the button multiple times.

The Hover button () allows you to play a single grove segment repeatedly. The player automatically goes into the pause mode if left in hover more than two minutes. The play light stays on during these operations. There is absolutely no damage to the record when using the hover or pause modes. Only light beams are touching the record.

The pause mode is very convenient for cueing a record when you are transferring the music to another medium. Seek Back or Seek Forward will quickly move the playback head to the beginning of the next track, or previous track.