Listening to your records anywhere but home has long been an issue. Korg look to change that with portable players taking vinyl everywhere.

When you think of vinyl, you likely think of your prized collection at home sitting there with your audio setup. Now think of the limitations. How often are you ever going to listen to those records in a different room, let alone outside of the house?

Bulky audio setups are part and parcel of the vinyl record experience. But then think of DJs, especially the old-school; taking records on the go is a must. Finally, someone is tapping into the issue of making vinyl movable: Korg.

Korg launches 3 portable vinyl players in their handytraxx series

Korg are dipping their toes newly into the turntable market and they aren’t treading lightly. They aim to tackle a largely untapped corner of the market, releasing three portable vinyl players that are easy to carry around and setup.

The line-up ranges from the reasonably affordable and easily moved handytraxx play, designed for DJs to easily transport equipment to a set and scratch their favourite records, to the advanced and expensive handytraxx 1bit, with superior quality intended for audiophiles or committed DJs with the cash.

The handytraxx play is possibly the most interesting as it’s the most accessible in the range. It features an all-in-one, compact suitcase design. A built-in handle allows it to easily be grabbed and moved around.

The Play provides essential features including a built-in crossfader, low-pass, high-pass, and EQ filters, delay, and a speed looper. These features bring the essentials for a DJ in a small package that they can easily bring to the gig and place their vinyls into.

Noticeably, all of the Handytraxx series has only space for one vinyl at a time. DJ’s can get creative with a record function allowing you to loop sections of a track to then scratch and play over. Interestingly, the control panel can be flipped to suit both right and left-handed DJs.

The handytraxx play has been meticulously designed to provide an exceptional scratching experience.

Korg

The Play features in-built speakers and can be used with six AA batteries allowing for truly portable mixing. Korg promises the 2.5 watt speakers “delivers impressive sound with rich bass and clear playback”. The Play can supposedly last an impressive 11 hours on battery power with the volume in the middle.

An AC adapter and Phono out allows a larger setup, plugging in to external speakers. There is also a line-out for a personal mix with headphones. The handytraxx play will reportedly cost $399.

The handytraxx tube is a huge leap in price, coming in at $799. So, for double the price do you get double the features? Technically, no. The tube actually provides less features than the play but the intended audience is different.

The tube is designed for audiophiles who are looking for great sounding vinyl playback that they can take on the go. It’s not made for scratching, so it doesn’t feature many of the effects and functions of the play. Instead, it promises superior sound quality.

As the name suggests, the handytraxx tube features a “next-generation” vaccum tube that powers the phono amp. Korg say they’ve prioritised quality with the tube, with “an aluminium die-cast platter for precise and stable rotation, a balanced tone arm featuring an MM cartridge, and a phono amp powered by Korg’s innovative Nutube next-generation vacuum tube”.

At a time when many people listen to music on their smartphones through wireless earbuds, the handytraxx tube bridges the gap between modern convenience and analogue fascination, a love that transcends eras and tastes.

Korg

Users can customise the bass and treble to get the right sound, adjusting the tone to preference and individual records. The adjustable counterweight allows users to balance the needle pressure for the preservation of records and superior sound from a pre-installed JICO J44a 7* MM-type cartridge.

As with the play, users can take their vinyls anywhere using the handytraxx play. It can be powered by six AA batteries and features built-in speakers.

The handytraxx 1bit takes things another step further and will set you back $999. Whilst the tube offers a USB connection that allows you to record your records digitally, the 1bit’s raison d’etre seems to be to do the same thing but better.

Korg promise “unparalleled sound quality” allowing users to record audio in 5.6 MHz, 1-bit (DSD) format, with 5.6 million samples per second. Using Korg’s AudioGate 4 software, users can easily record and save the music on their records for safekeeping or listening on other devices. AudioGate 4 supports a variety of formats, including DSD, FLAC, and WAV, with the ability to convert high-resolution recordings into lightweight MP3 files for mobile use.

Now you can enjoy superior sound quality anytime, anywhere with the knowledge of your records have been backed up in the highest resolution possible.

Korg

Otherwise, the 1bit seems largely the same as the tube with dual tone controls and tube powered warmth. As with the tube, there is a ‘TUBE’ knob allowing users to adjust the playback and “fine-tune the richness of these tones”.

As with all of the other players in the handytraxx series, the 1bit is designed with portablity in mind. It features a built-in handle for carrying around, battery power, and built-in stereo speakers.

Korg haven’t yet announced when the handytraxx will release. As such, there are currently no pre-order purchasing options.