ELP LT-Master MkI
LT-Master MKI Features:
- Black Record Playback
- Album Size 7", 10" and 12"
- Supports 33-1/3 RPM, 45RPM
- Best Sound Quality
- Remote Control Unit
- RCA Line out or Phono Out
Available Options:
- Wood Body
- Wood Stand
- Full-Size
- XLR with other output
All Models Include:
- Belt-drive with computer servo
- Forward and back scanning (two speeds)
- Forward and back seek
- Pause, Hover, Repeat
- Programming (15 Selections Maximum)
- Phono RCA Out
- Line RCA or XLR (Valance)
- Power: 100V, 120V, 220V, 230V or 240V 50/60Hz
- Calibration record
- Platter Adaptor for EP
- RCA cable (1.5m long)
- Owner's Guide
- Power cord
The Laser Reads New Audio Information
The same audio information is engraved from the shoulder to the bottom of a record groove. Audio information read by the laser is 10 microns below the shoulder (see diagram below). Therefore, the laser is picking up audio information which never been touched or possibly damaged by a needle. It plays the virgin audio information on the groove without any digitization.
The laser reads the audio signal with much greater precision than any needle, making the laser sound quality quite similar to the original music on the master tape. This has been acknowledged by professional sound engineers in Japan.
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.
The Laser Turntable has Five Laser Beams
The first two beams aim at the left and right shoulders of the groove for tracking.
The next two read the stereo sound at 10 microns below the shoulder (the standard position).
The final beam maintains the height between the laser head and the surface of record, to manage thicker or warped records.
The Laser Turntable allows you to:
Play your vinyl records without damaging them.
Discover great new analog sound in your vinyl records.
Play damaged records with better results than a needle.
Have the convenience, control, and safety of playing vinyl records just like a modern CD player (the record is contained inside the machine, and with a remote control (sold separately) you can click to play any track while the LT tells you the elapsed and remaining times).
The Laser Sound
The laser reads the audio information engraved on the wall of the groove, and can read the signal in the upper reaches of the groove wall, something that is impossible for a needle to do. This area is never touched by the needle and has no wear. The laser reads the audio signal with much greater precision than any needle, making the laser sound quite similar to the original music on the master tape — acknowledged by professional sound engineers in Japan. The Laser Turntable (LT) brings musicians and analog music lovers excitingly closer to the master tape, revealing the beauty of analog music captured in vinyl records.
The performance of the Laser Turntable means No Needle, No Wear. The LT features an absolutely contact-free optical pickup system. Play a record thousands of times with no damage to the record. Get the same sparkling sound on the thousandth play as on the first play.
Laser Beam Position is Easily Adjusted
Occasionally, audio information read at the standard laser position is seriously damaged due to wear from a very big needle. In this instance, you can adjust the laser position up or down using a button on the LT's front panel in order to enjoy better sound quality (this is called the VSO system).
Mechanically-Independent Left and Right Lasers
These lasers can reproduce true superior stereo separation, greater than the capability of a cutter at all frequencies.
Continuous Turntable Speed Control
Control 0.1 RPM steps throughout the 30 to 50 RPM range for LP's and 45s on the LT-1LRC. The LT-11XRC and LT-1XRC models that play 78s also offer a 0.2 RPM step control over the 60 to 90 RPM range.
Superb Fidelity
The incident area of the laser beam on the groove is only one-fourth the contact area of the best stereo needle and twenty-six times smaller than a mono needle (see below). That's why the laser beam reads everything – including dirt and dust in addition to the audio signal – in the groove, so the vinyl record must be absolutely clean and free of debris.
This diagram illustrates how the tiny laser beams from the LT read the walls of the groove compared to a standard monaural stylus.
True Analog Playback
The laser beam travels to the wall of the groove and back. The reflection angle is transferred to the audio signal, meaning that the LT maintains analog sound through the entire process, without any digitization. As a result, the LT cannot differentiate between an audio signal or dirt on the record. To keep your records clean and improve the overall audio signal, we recommend a record vacuum cleaner.
No Sound Coloration
Any kind of cartridge contacts a record groove, so it cannot reproduce sound without some coloration. Additionally, cantilever resonance, moving coils and magnets, inertia and mass, and tone arm resonance all produce their own sound coloration. Therefore, some cartridges may be suited to jazz or classical music. However, the LT has no contact and therefore no coloration added, so the audio reproduction is as close as possible to the master tape.
No Acoustic Feedback or Sound Alteration
Feedback is typically caused by sound from your speakers (or from elsewhere) reaching the turntable and mechanically picking up the vibrations, to be amplified again. No needle "singing." The LP is safely in a drawer and the laser reads only the undulations of the groove. No need for elaborate vibration isolation pads and "gizmos." The LT will not hear outside noises such as footsteps on the floor, door slamming, or other vibrations in the area. To demonstrate this, pound the table on which the LT rests with your fist. Nothing but the music on the groove is heard on the playback system or transfer to CD.
Plays Warped and Rippled Records (Up to 5mm Deviation)
In some cases, the LT plays even broken records when all the pieces are placed on a tray without tape or glue.