Record players or turntables, whose sales wound down to a halt almost a decade ago, are coming around again. No one expects an exodus from the dominant compact disc to the nostalgic format. Sales of turntables and the vinyl LPs played on them are experiencing a resurgence as younger listeners are buying less of today's music and rediscovering relatives' archives.
"Records sound so much better than CDs, (which) are harsh and pristine. And the cover art is much better," says Al Shaw of Manhattan Beach, Calif., who at 17 is too young to remember the LP's heyday. But he found Rolling Stones and Beatles albums in his grandparents' attic, and an uncle went on ebay to get him a player, which is front-and-center in his room.
Many electronic manufacturers are now coming up with replica turntable systems with designs of the past but the technology of today. Some of these manufacturers include Crosely, Teac, Memorex and jWin. You can find many useful features and functions in these systems including cd recording capability, ability to stack multiple records and computer usb connection.
Raman of Classic Buys says that Nostalgia turntables are among the best seller audio electronics during gift giving Christmas season. Nostalgia turntables from popular brands like Crosley, Teac, Memorex and Thomas Pacconi are the top picks.
When shopping for turntables consumers are looking for top brand and multiple features says president of The Magma Group. Consumers preffer 4 in one systems that will play records, cd, cassette and radio. They usually buy the top brands like Crosley and Teac. Consumer also look for other distinct features such as CD Recorder and Stack-O-Matic feature. Cd Recorder allows you to record from LP to CD and Stack-O-Matic allows you to stack multiple records and play them one by one just like a multiple cd changer.
"Music in its purest form is on vinyl," says Bo LeMastus, president of Crosley Radio, which makes nostalgic reproductions of 1940s and 1950s record players, items that were promoted heavily in department stores this holiday season. "It captures everything the producer wanted to put in the record. On CD, you lose a certain something."
Today the Crosley name lives on with superbly detailed replicas that truly transcend time. Reintroductions of original vintage radios and turntables feature the newest technologies graced by unforgettable Crosley stylings. The Crosley Collection includes AM/FM radios, portable suitcase - styled record players and turntables, record changers, multi-functional audio cassette/compact disc players, jukeboxes, music boxes, telephones and more. Rich lines, retro designs and authentic crafting have made Crosley today's premier vintage electronics manufacturer. True to the Crosley tradition, these replicas are as fabulous as they are functional, providing a delightful dose of nostalgia.
Crosley sold 400,000 record players in 2005, and he predicts greater sales this year. Joe D'Angelo of Teac, which also sells reproductions, says sales tripled last year. He figures 10 billion albums are still sitting on home shelves. With the new units -- Teac's and Crosley's players, with speakers, start at 0 -- "here's a way to play the music again."
Even those sales are an asterisk compared with CD players, which sold more than 40 million units. Turntable sales are so small that the Consumer Electronics Association doesn't track them. But turntables have always had a home among DJ and rap fans, who like the scratching sound created by manipulating the needle in the grooves.
Among new turntable buyers, "You've got two camps," says Dave Glassman of Restoration Hardware, which has turntables and sampler 45s in heavy rotation at its 105 stores, as well as in its catalog and on its Web site. "Thirty-five years and older, who grew up on LPs and still have them, and their kids, who have found these records in the closet and want to hear them." Teac and Crosley unveiled new models that meld old and new at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, such as Crosley's 9 4 in 1 Entertainment Center, with a CD player, cassette deck, radio and the ability to play vinyl at 33, 45 and 78 rpm.
