- Battery-powered turntable for listening at home and on mobile devices
- DJ-focused Play turntable has filters and loops
- More premium versions have tube preamps
Korg has announced a trio of very unusual turntables that you can take anywhere. The new Handytraxx range can be powered by AA batteries and a mains socket, and includes built-in speakers for listening to music on the go. But these are not toys. They are designed for DJs and serious music fans just like the best turntables are.
There are three or so models in the Handytraxx range. There is Play, which is designed for clicking on mobile devices; the Tube, which comes with a tube preamp for a warmer sound and can convert your vinyl to digital files; and 1bit, which offers improved digital recording. There is also a limited edition of the Tube in collaboration with the Japanese cartridge company JICO.
Korg Handytraxx Turntable: Portability, Power Features, and Pricing
The Handytraxx are a kind of tribute to a tribute; They are inspired by the Vestax Handy Trax portable turntable from the early 1990s, which in turn was inspired by the portable players of the 1960s and 1970s and found favor with DJs.
Each model is designed to be highly portable, with the Play as an entry-level model and the 1-bit and Limited Edition Tube as premium options.
The key difference between the models is that the Play is much more focused on DJ features: it has a high-quality “scratching-optimized” fader, built-in effects and a live looper. Tube and 1bit remove that hardware and put a Nutube vacuum tube preamp in its place.
The Tube offers 16-bit, 44.1 kHz/48 kHz output via USB and the 1-bit also offers scanning to 5.6 MHz DSD and 24-bit 192 kHz PCM, creating audio files that you can then use on 1-bit or one of the best hi-resolution audio players.
The new Handytraxx turntables start at $399/£359 for the Play, $799/£699 for the Tube, $999/£919 for the i1bit and $1,199/£1,099 for the limited edition Tube J. Australian pricing has not been announced. , but it should be between 640 and 1,925 Australian dollars.
