Music lovers around the globe have enjoyed the pure sound of the Laser Turntable. These include Stevie Wonder and others in the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Public institutions that now own an LT include the Library of Congress USA), the National Library of Canada, the Yale Music Library, The University of Mississippi (USA), Chinese University of Hong Kong, Visva-Bharati University (India), the Berlin Broadcasting Station (BS), Mexico BS, Spain BS, Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Archive of Compositors ERESBIL (Spain).

Here are some letters and reviews from Laser Turntable owners and users about ELP of Japan:

A Typical Japanese User:

One of our customers wrote an extensive online review of the laser turntable based on his experiences. We believe his informative site reflects the LT experience of a typical Japanese user.

R. Charles Rownd, Brooklyn, NY, USA:

I don't know how I can thank you for making such a marvelous product despite all of the odds that you have endured, and finally having to custom make the LT yourself! Your laser record player arrived via FedEx on time, as promised. It was packaged so well that there could be no possibility of any damage during shipment — thus it arrived in perfect condition.

I am thoroughly amazed: records that do not play on any of my needle record players play on the LT. My test record was one I actually found in the garbage at a flea market: badly scratched and beat up (I did clean it; really a necessary step before playing). It skipped on the "0" setting but then I moved the laser adjustment and suddenly it no longer skipped; the sound was practically free of the surface noise and the scratches weren't as prominent. A 45RPM record that belongs in the garbage skipped badly, but with the laser adjustment, to my friends' amazement, it played. When I showed them how the record looked they couldn't believe that in that condition it even played.

Since most of my friends and family were hoping that the LT wouldn't work or improve the sound of records and, as they put it, "It wasn't worth that amount of money," now they have had to admit that the ELP is what it claims to be and, I'll add, worth every penny. Of course, I am convinced and will recommend the ELP to everyone.

Since most of my record collection is in near mint condition, these records sound better, flawless (less or no scratches and surface noise), and definitely better than the CD reissue. I am so glad that I kept my record collection.

I'd like to add that the LT is really a necessity for those collectors who won't and can't let a needle touch their precious mint copy — this is the record player you must own!

Thank you, Mr. Chiba, and all of those involved in the making of the ELP Laser Turntable.

Sydney Bellaiche, France:

Sorry about not telling you this before, but I was stuck to my listening room. I could not stop listening to music; you really conceived a masterpiece turntable. What a sound!! Precise and powerful, sharp and soft.

Only one suggestion: the remote control looks "cheap" for such a product. Retro-lighting and information display about the track and time would be an interesting upgrade. Again, thank you and best regards.

Dr. Philip Rome, Australia:

Many thanks; the ELP Laser Turntable arrived today in perhaps the biggest box I have ever seen. The exterior box looks very pristine and none of the corners have been dented. It's as though your factory was next door. Amazing to think it has traveled all the way from Japan via China and Singapore!

I have carefully unpacked the turntable and calibrated it and it is working beautifully. The instructions for unpacking were very clear on the carton and supplied documents. Records must be meticulously cleaned prior though as the lasers are just so sensitive.

Amazing for what I thought were worn out old records.

Congratulations to you and ELP and also many many thanks for persisting with the ELP product despite what your counterparts in Sony and JVC denied the Laser Turntable Technology.

I think that there is an irony that CDs are now becoming out of date (with digital downloads now the norm via iTunes store etc) and a resurgence in true high fidelity with vinyl records of classic albums being re-released (e.g. Universal Music's Back to Black project).

Kindest regards and best wishes.

Mr. Erez Maharal, Israel:

I got the LT yesterday and installed it and it works perfectly fine! This is a great machine and I do not have enough words to thank you for creating such a wonderful thing.

My wife and I are dancing Argentinian Tango, and we have very good equipment at home (for vinyl we have a Thorens turntable) and a good place to practice. Yesterday we danced with the LT, and old vinyl records started to sound much deeper and more interesting. It gave us great pleasure.

Mr. Ralph Glasgal, Ambiophonics Institute, USA:

One can fully enjoy the superb quality of analog music from vinyl records without losing the convenience of normal digital CD playback.

I have the upgraded LT now installed. This is the third ELP LT I have had here. It is by far the best. The processor seems to respond to commands faster, but the main difference is in the number of clicks and pops that are now not audible compared to the older version. I was able to operate this player even without the Declicker engaged. It is also much better at playing the outer inch of the records. There appear to be fewer skips, etc. Of course, it will take time to fully appreciate any other changes but it now sounds about as quiet as any cartridge type turntable, and there is no hum.

The advantage that the LT has in playing LPs is that the time differences and the level differences between the groove walls are not compromised as is the case when the summed cantilever stylus motion must be unraveled in the cartridge via coils and magnets which cannot be positioned or balanced with the precision inherent in the ELP. The result is that when LPs are played Ambiophonically via the ELP, the orchestral or any wide sound stage is full width (out to even 180 degrees). One has to hear SQ recordings reproduced this way even if not decoded in full surround to hear what is possible with such precise timing and phase angle in playback. The other nice thing about using this player is that I can demonstrate Ambiophonics using the same disc over an over again without wearing out the disc or the needle.

John Sellards, Marketing, USA, 35:

I just wanted to write to tell you how much I am enjoying the LT. I have thousands of records and had stopped listening on a regular basis until my purchase, mainly due to concern over wear to records and such. Now, I am listening to music practically every day. The LT is certainly one of the greatest inventions of the last 30 years, especially for those of us who love records. Thanks again!

B. Lee, CFO, Washington State, USA:

The ELP Laser Turntable is unique in that it uses laser beams instead of a phono cartridge to play the traditional analog LP records.

When the LP record is well maintained, the ELP laser turntable can reproduce music that is at par with or better than the Compact Disc. It is definitely one of the best analog LP sound reproduction systems that can pick up detail which cannot be traced even by the best phono cartridge.

In my opinion, the ELP Declicker is extremely well built and compact. The Declicker can virtually remove all ticks and pops on the record on a real-time basis without altering or degrading the sound fidelity. Obviously, if the record is damaged, the Declicker will not be able to "repair" the damaged LP.

For anyone who is seriously interested in analog LP sound reproduction and restoration, the Declicker is a must-have component.

Jan Bastiaenssens, Senior Clerk for a US Multinational, Belgium, 51:

My experience with reproducing LPs goes back more than 30 years now and a variety of turntables, pick-ups and tone arms have given me lots of hours of musical enjoyment. At present I still use my faithful Thorens TD160 super with Hadcock arm and Decca Gold, as well as a Technics sp25 with Dynavector 505 arm and Ruby element. So I would say I do have some experience when it comes to LPs.

Is my LT able to play all of my 5000 classical records (still growing) flawlessly? Ask me again in 10 years time! Give the LT a record in pristine condition (recent or old) and the music will sound transparent and effortless with a sense of realism I have never heard from any 'mechanical' means of record reproduction (and I have heard record players costing more than the LT).

'Pristine' means that you do have to wet clean (I use a VPI HW16 – a rather noisy, but very efficient machine) your records before playing (not every time off course) and put them in new sleeves. The ONLY records, I have come across, that do not need cleaning are recent Japanese pressings and some older Philips Minigrooves. I do — just for musical evaluation — sometimes play records uncleaned, which I would not do a normal turntable, but as the LT uses just a light beam, it does not 'wedge' any possible dust further into the record groove.

Flow and pulse are absolutely perfect (to me). Overall I can state the LT has given me very great pleasure in (re)discovering my record collection. The odd blot on the landscape I gladly accept. So far only three or four records (out of the 400-500 played) had to be removed from the player as being complete washouts although they 'looked' okay after cleaning. Not a bad score I would say.

Armando Santacruz González, Businessman, Mexico, 42:

My ELP turntable has allowed me to rediscover my old LPs. It is easy to forget the great fidelity that vinyl records have. The fact that the LT does not have physical contact with the records is a great advantage, because there is no more deterioration of the album's surface every time it is played.

I would caution any potential buyers to the fact that a good record cleaning system has to be used along with the ELP turntable, because, if the record is not very well cleaned, the sound quality suffers considerably.

All in all, I would highly recommend the ELP turntable to any serious LP collector.

Mark Spry, Traffic Control Engineer, United Kingdom, 40:

I have about a thousand LPs/78s that I've not played in years and an entry level AKAI turntable and AIWA amplifier that I've had 20 years. I came across ELP on the Internet and corresponded with Mr. Chiba for about a year or so.

Now I buy charity shop LPs for 50 pence and clean them up, sound great. You hear the clicks of course, but the sound is very bright and volume seems not to distort. In a few years when I get a decent amp and speakers (mine are Goodman Melodies again from the 80s) maybe I will feel the full benefit. Channel separation with Hi-Filter is also useful, some LPs/78s are graunched out on one side of groove, you can select the better half .

I have compared CD with LP quality (same albums). I think a lot of old LPs were several generation copies down the line? The crispness of the new 24 bit, etc. CD transfers from master tape can never be achieved with the ELP if the LP issue doesn't have the sound in the groove, but listening without the comparison one would not be aware. My Sinatra Digital LP reissues from the 80s sound good. I used to play Sinatra's "Academy Award Winners" on Reprise forever twenty years ago and it comes up big, brassy and fun on the ELP. Part of my justification to myself of the cost of the ELP was that with so many LPs (mostly classical/jazz/big band etc) I was basically creating for each of them a CD class environment, for about 5 pounds each.

On balance I have had a good experience of the ELP & VPI. Clean up the records and play them bright and loud, and without worrying about damage. For a few weeks my colleagues at work were winding me up asking if I was going to my girlfriend's or back to my record player - it was a tough call! If you have the money, then invest in the new model, or get on Mr Chiba's mailing list for discounted models.

Kelly Thistle, Manager, Ethereal Cafe, USA, 44:

The LT at least preserves and usually improves the sound of any record. Some records that are so damaged that they might ruin a regular stylus, or sound terrible, now have a new life because of LT.

Paul Gunther, Bank Chairman, USA, 50:

I purchased a (reconditioned) ELP laser turntable for my main stereo setup. I was so pleased with the results that I bought a second (reconditioned) ELP for my small bedroom unit. Both laser turntables have made a noticeable difference in the quality of the sound vs. traditional tables. I hear a deeper and broader sound stage, no distortion with better clarity.

The ELP has its idiosyncrasies; won't play colored vinyl, dirty records sound worse on a laser than a traditional turntable (which is why it's sold with a record cleaning machine), some records won't play (I haven't figured out why in every case, but thickness of the vinyl may be a factor and the manufacturer can supply a second platter for thicker vinyl).

The feature I like best is that I don't have to worry about stylus care and replacement (I'm not a "technical" person). I have my main unit set up with a top of the line Thorens turntable for A:B comparisons. I can invariably tell the (improved) difference with the laser turntable. I like the simplicity of operation compared to traditional tables which become less plug and play the more one pays.

Richard Reece, Teacher, USA, 43:

I am very satisfied with the ELP Laser Turntable (model LT-1LA). It accurately reproduces the sound recorded onto the vinyl without any of the problems encountered by a mechanical stylus. My favorite three qualities of the turntable are:

1. The complete absence of any crosstalk between channels. The ELP uses separate lasers to read each side of the groove.

2. No feedback during operation from low frequency sound allowing for nice tight base.

3. Phenomenal sound and no wear.

Recently I have been replacing some of my favorite records with new albums. The new albums sound incredible. With the ELP I know that these records will sound the same in the future regardless of playtime. I never realized the damage that can be done over time by using a conventional tonearm/stylus. If you care about your vinyl records then the Laser Turntable is the best way to enjoy them.

Bob Warfel, Telecommunications Technician, USA, 48:

I've had many turntables since I was buying LP's back in the late 60's, early 70's. They have been about mid- priced. The last turntable I had was a Philips quartz PPL Automatic 977 with a Signet 1Ea cartridge. It performed best and tracked best of anything I've ever had. I still have it as a backup to play LP's that the LT can't play, such as colored discs or picture discs, some flexi discs.

What I personally never liked about tonearm/cartridge setups was the 'high' sounds and 's and th' sounds mostly in the final tracks on an lp side. Of course this is related to tracking and anti-skate. I may have strange hearing, but these sounds always were fuzzy and undefined. Sometimes, it was a bad pressed LP, but other times, just the inability to have good tracking.

With the LT — this all disappears. You get perfect tracking. No overhang adjustments, weight adjustments or anti-skate. Linear tracking to beat all.

Now-speaking for sound, I feel that the LT 'transmits' the sound store in vinyl as opposed to a tonearm/cartridge 'transcribing' the sound. The laser doesn't change the sound in any way since it doesn't touch to groove. The light has consistency and constant reflective properties to extract sound that a stylus can never have. A stylus actually moves over the valleys and hills of the grooves, missing some musical information. The contact actually changes the sound to some extent. Some people are accustomed to this and prefer this. I definitely believe that the LT provides the truest sound. That's why I love the LT. The highs are very crisp and clear. (Violins and piano are astounding!) The lows are tight and will defined. (The bass lines in rock and roll don't seem muddled.) Singers no longer have a lisp (s and th sounds are clean).

Drawbacks. Dirty or damaged vinyl. Dirt can be conquered with a good cleaning. Since the light 'reads' the groove, it reads dust and dirt, too. I clean every side before playing, whether it looks clean or not. I use the standard VPI record cleaner and it takes about 50 to 60 seconds. It has merely become part of my record playing experience. It's quite easy after you get the hang of it.

As for damaged LP's, the LT plays warped or cracked records with great ease. If there are deep scratches, you will still hear a 'click', but seldom will it skip. Older worn LPs can sound better since the laser usually will read above the point of contact where a stylus has caused damage. Not always, depending if the record was an inferior pressing or not.

You should be able to plug the LT into your phono jack. That's what I have done. I'm not sure if this has changed or not.

I have found the web site to be quite true with the information it provides. The technical information explains much. Be sure to review it. It is amazing that the LT does what it does. I like that I know I can do no more damage to the vinyl and that the sound of my favorite records will remain unchanged, regardless of how many times it is played.

This is an article from the National Library of Canada. A copy of the original article appears below. by Gilles St. Laurent, Conservator, Recorded Sound Collection The National Library's Music Division welcomed Sanju Chiba, President and Izumi Tsuchiya, General Manager Engineering from ELP Corporation of Tokyo, Japan to install their company's newly developed laser turntable. The ELP laser turntable plays grooved, analog 33.3, 45 or 78 RPM discs using laser beams instead of the conventional tone arm/stylus technology. The walls of each groove are illuminated by five laser beams: two for the left and right channel audio pick-ups, two for the horizontal tracking (which assures that the audio pick-up is directly above the center of the groove), and one for the vertical tracking (which assures that the lasers are at the proper height to focus on the groove, compensating for warps or discs of varying thickness). Sensors capture the reflections from the walls and the system translates the optical imprint into and electrical signal. The turntable plays discs of different diameters and the standard RPM can be varied to compensate for discs recorded at non-standard speeds. The aim of the lasers can be adjusted to compensate for groove damage and variable groove widths. At start-up, the turntable scans the disc taking note of blank spaces between tracks. With this information, the turntable can be programmed to play certain tracks or can be instructed to jump directly to the next track (or the beginning of the current track) -- capabilities similar to those of a CD player. The most obvious and important advantage of this new technology is that there is no direct physical contact between record groove and turntable. Since there is no contact, there is virtually no chance of damaging an audio document during playback. Discs that might be too fragile to play on a conventional turntable can be played successfully and a surrogate created. Also, the drawbacks associated with the traditional tone arm-stylus combination, such as drag, inertia, rumble or acoustic feedback are absent. The Music Division is proud to add this new technology to its audio studio and is confident that the ELP Laser Turntable will play an important role in its preservation activities for many years to come.