I guess it was inevitable that technology would start to catch up with the vinyl boom that is currently peaking around the world. The turntable has always been the vessel on which records have spun, and it’s pretty hard to think about one without the other; but San Francisco-based company Pink Donut are trying to change that.
Meet RokBlok, the portable, wireless, 2 by 4 inch record player that plays vinyl by spinning on top of it.
Their newest invention is called the RokBlok – a portable record player made from MDF and bamboo that plays records by traveling in circles on top of them; all you do is drop the needle and it starts spinning.
The ‘block’ contains an in-built preamp and speaker, plus Bluetooth to connect with bigger speakers or headphones (within 30ft). It runs on a rechargeable battery with up to 4 hours playback time.
“RokBlok has been engineered to prevent damage to your records when in use,” the Pink Donut states on its Kickstarter campaign page. “We do this by carefully balancing and distributing the weight of the player across it’s scratch-proof rubber wheels and not the needle. This makes it so the needle does not take the brunt of the weight out on your record’s grooves.”
Pretty much what this is saying it that it won’t destroy your priceless records.
Admittedly, the RokBlok sounds fairly tinny – which is to be expected from a couple of 2-inch speakers – but that’s not to say it’s a pretty sweet idea. And the fact that you can pair with high quality speakers wirelessly means that you could actually listen to your records in decent fidelity outside – if you’re that way inclined.
The Kickstarter has already surpassed its $50,000 goal (doubled it in fact), with a little over a month to go. The campaign comes to a close on January 24, with rewards planned to begin shipping to backers in September. For more info, check out the campaign page.
[via Digital Trends]
