Remember when we bought music on actual albums? 12-inch black vinyl discs that circled around at 33 or 45 RPM with a tiny diamond stuck in a groove in order to make music? Well, it's time to dust off your old record collection (assuming you didn't already donate it to the Salvation Army). Marantz is ready to rock all of those one-hit wonders and hair bands -- and the bad stuff, too. The company just announced the availability of its new TT42 High-Performance Turntable.
At $329.99, Marantz is billing this as an entry-level option, designed for all of the music lovers out there wanting to discover (or rediscover!) the beauty and warmth of that retro vinyl LP experience.
While your current turntable may seem a bit old-school and filled with cobwebs, this model features plenty of high-tech advancements to bring your vinyl collection into the current century. The DC Servo belt-driven TT42 has an automatic tone-arm return and stop functions designed to deliver a quiet, trouble-free operation. There's also a specially designed Moving Magnet cartridge, as well as a metal bearing and rubber belt drive, for stellar performance right out of the box.
It may have been some time since you've busted out that record collection. Not to worry. If your amplifier or receiver doesn't have a dedicated phono stage input (most don't these days), the TT42 is also available with a built-in phono preamplifier, the TT-42P, for an extra $30 ($359.99).
"Recent figures from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) show that vinyl LP sales grew 26 percent in 2010," says Jim Ludoviconi, Marantz's brand and product manager. "The resurgence of interest in vinyl music comes as a welcome development for Marantz, which has always understood and appreciated the rich, pure and warm musicality provided by analog gear. That's why we have continued to offer analog music lovers a full range of the world's most sophisticated, easy-to-use, high-performance analog componentry. With the introduction of the TT42, we are giving more people the opportunity to enjoy the elevated vinyl listening experience at a new accessible price."
Both models, the TT42 and TT-42P, are shipping now.
Where to Buy:
Note: updated on 10/28/11 with new lower pricing.
