Sure, CDs deliver near perfect music quality. But they'll never have the personality or sexiness of an old-school vinyl disc. Worn down by years of repeated listening, the scratches and pops became familiar, personal. Dropping the needle onto the groove started the hisses and static that announced the music was coming. Over time that record became unique, never sounding like anyone else's again.

It's been a long time since anyone has rocked out to an 80's hair band "album" in their parent's basement. I only know a handful of people who still own any vinyl records at all. The ones that do usually have cherished collector's editions they wouldn't dare put back on a turntable. Or the discs are so warped even the highest-end equipment wouldn't play them anyway.

You audiophiles with vast vinyl collections (and a ton of disposable income) can start dusting off those dust jackets. ELP just knocked one-third off the price of their leading product, the Laser Turntable. Before you get too excited, it'll still run you nearly ten large, but that's nothing compared to hearing the sweet song of vinyl once again.

The Laser Turntable has patented technology that replaces a needle with a precision laser... so nothing ever physically touches your record. Giving it the advantage of being able to play your most warped and damaged records. And the remote control will let you pause and scan the record just like a CD to find the tracks you want to hear. A modern touch to an old-style technology.

When the laser picks up the audio info from the disc's surface it reproduces it without digitization, maintaining true analog sound as close as possible to when the master tape was recorded. You get to hear your disc exactly the way you did back in the day. Just without the basement smell.

Starting at $9,900
www.laserturntable.com