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Ultimate Decks For $24,000 Each British turntable company Avid HiFi unveiled the latest model of their Acutus decks last week and revealed that the key design feature for the US$24,000 (each) turntables are their ten times more powerful super sensitive motor drives. “Why would a turntable need such a tremendous power supply? Continuousness!” Avid explained in press release unveiling the decks, “The power supply drives the motor with such precision, the pace and timing of the music takes on a whole new perspective. We can guarantee your records have never sounded this good before!” The astonishingly expensive belt drive turntables appeared on the market some 12 months after superstar DJ Sasha suggested vinyl’s dwindling sales would be restricted to ‘hardcore collectors only’, going on to dismiss ‘vinyl sounds better than digital’ arguments as ‘bollocks’. “Sure if you play cheap mp3s with low quality sound and if you use a really cheap sound card through a cheap mixer, it’s going to sound absolutely dreadful but If you use high-end equipment, proper AIFF or WAV files and run them through a decent mixer, you’ll end up with a pretty amazing sound,” Sasha told Skrufff, “I’m
not sure if I agree with the whole vinyl debate.” Digital evangelist Dave Clarke also dismissed the format last year telling Skrufff ‘“Adapt and survive is the message from evolution . . . that can also be applied to technology.” “Vinyl is dead, there is no future on a sustainable commercial level. There will be 7inch releases for the odd guitar band and vinyl will be around in Berlin and Germany for a while, but everywhere else it's already history. It's also becoming more and more impossible for the parts to be found for the lathes,” he said. “Vinyl is also ecologically irresponsible, CDs are better and hard drives are better still on a weight and manufacturing basis,” the techno don argued, “There’s no longer any need to have records driven around to stores or delivered by the postman. The winner is the environment and the DJ for having to learn new skills,” Dave added. Techno pioneer Jeff Mills also spoke about the future of vinyl to Skrufff several years ago and revealed a slightly more ambiguous attitude than his British peer. “I think it’s logical to realize that some tracks just sound better, more resonant, somehow a little warmer, on vinyl. Though for me personally it’s not so important what the format is, as long as the DJ can play it for the people and the people can be affected by it,” said Jeff. “To be honest, I don’t feel any emotional attachment to vinyl, no,” he added, “I love it, because it’s what I grew up on, like cassettes too, but I’m not attached to it.” http://www.avidhifi.co.uk
Article by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)
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