Audio Gadgets: The ‘Void’ LP Player

Do you still listen to records? My second son does, and has recently gotten hold of a very old record player (in a large wooden cabinet) from his grandfather. He collects LPs and singles from op shops, and has quite a collection.

If you prefer the sound of vinyl, our gadget this week might interest you. It was found by our site manager Scott recently on the interesting and entertaining DVICE blog (“powered by SciFi” – I love that!). It’s called the ‘Void’ LP Player, and it looks a lot more modern than my son’s record player. It’s almost cool enough to get me buying records again!

Designed in Korea by Rhea Jeong, the thing that sets this player apart is the way that it spins the records in mid-air. I also love its modern, minimalistic look. At first glance I thought that it might be an air current keeping the record in the air (or maybe a small Star Trek tractor beam), but it all works by magnets. The red ball above the record contains both needle and speaker, so although it doesn’t have a retro look, it probably does have a 1920s sound.

Designbook, who have seen the designs for the player, describe it like this:

The record player uses a carrier and dock outfitted with a magnetic and auto-calibrating control system which carries the LP into thin air as it is playing music. A self-running record player shaped in the form of a red sphere, contains a needle, amplifier and speaker, spins around the record, bringing the music to life.

The ‘Void’ LP Player has been reported widely on the blogs, and there is a lot of skepticism about the device in both articles and comments. Engadget conclude, “Designer Rhea Jeong’s Void LP player seems devoid of reality.”

Though the player is still just a concept, something this cool deserves to exist, and I wish Rhea lots of luck.