If you’ve been wanting to jump aboard the vinyl revival then, naturally, you’re going to need a turntable. If you’re unsure which model to get or don’t have the budget for a deck and the necessary extra hi-fi components, the Audio-Technica Sound Burger represents a fantastic first step. And now it’s received a mega 56% at The Good Guys, bringing its price down to just AU$188, I can’t recommend it enough.
Effortless to set up and even easier to use, the Sound Burger – first released in 1983 and now updated for the modern age – exudes retro-tastic charm. If you have a burgeoning record collection, the Sound Burger is the perfect medium to get them spinning.
Vinyl records have undergone a major resurgence in recent years, overtaking CDs as the preferred method of physical music playback. It doesn’t hold a candle to streaming, of course, but it’s easy to see why vinyl is proving so popular: the physical act of loading a record onto a turntable platter and seeing it spin is quite magical, in my opinion. Plus, record sleeves can double up as an excellent piece of artwork.
If I didn’t already own a turntable – the JBL Spinner BT, if you’re interested – then I’d be snapping up a Sound Burger for myself without hesitation. I’ve not actually heard this fascinating turntable with my own ears, but my colleagues at What Hi-Fi? have reviewed and found it “gets the core message of a song and the tone of an instrument right – and does so in a rather confident, friendly manner that makes for an undemanding but likeable performance”.
Ultimately, it’s not going to worry more traditional-looking turntables, but then they’re not portable like the Sound Burger. Nor do they cost as little. (Nor are they as cool, to be honest.)
So, what is it? It’s a portable turntable that runs off mains or battery power. It can stream whatever record is playing to a Bluetooth speaker or be plugged directly into an amplifier and a wider hi-fi system. A 3.5mm to RCA cable is included in the box.
It can play both 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records, although admittedly, lugging around some full-size LPs with you is going to be trickier than travelling with the Sound Burger. And, if you do plan to travel with it, you’ll be wise to invest in a carry case.
It’s such an iconic product, having first launched just over 60 years ago, and now it’s been reissued for the modern vinyl fan, I’m sure its legacy will continue for another 60 years at least.
Keen on a new spinner but aren’t swayed by the burg’? Sony’s excellent PSX-L310BT is also on sale for AU$399 AU$295.