Tech - News
The Portable Vinyl Player That Tried To Cash In On The Walkman Craze
By KAYLA DUBE
With the release of Sony’s Walkman in the 1980s, portable music became a craze, and scores of companies created products to try and cater to this entirely new market. One memorable gadget, created by Audio Technica, was a portable vinyl player that allowed enthusiasts to play their records wherever they went — but it came with a (very impractical) twist.
Called the AT-727 Sound Burger, the device was battery-powered, had two headphone jacks, and could play 45 and 33 1/3 RPM records. However, it needed a flat surface to actually play the records, so users couldn’t exactly walk and listen to music; plus, it required them to carry around the records they wanted to play, which weren’t as easy to do as cassette tapes.
Despite its obvious disadvantages, the Sound Burger is now highly revered and sought after due to its sound quality and novelty, especially with the rise in popularity of vinyl. A working device can be found for hundreds of dollars on eBay, while Crosley Radio has come up with a modern recreation of the iconic device, called Revolution, with a USB port and a FM transmitter.