RokBlok puts a clever spin on the portable vinyl player

Shawn Knight

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Staff member

Portability has never been vinyl’s strong suit. Records themselves are a bit unwieldy (at least, compared to other audio platforms) but the fact that you also need a turntable to listen away from home further complicates things.

If you’re heading to a buddy’s place that has one, that’s great… but what if they don’t? That’s where something like the RokBlok could come in handy.

The RokBlok is an infinitely portable, wireless record player currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. Although apparently not entirely original, the concept is quite clever. Instead of having a stationary turntable that spins a record, the RokBlok does all the heavy lifting while the record remains stationary as it is equipped with a needle, pre-amp and speakers.

The gadget is compatible with both 45 and 33 1/3 RPM records and utilizes Bluetooth technology so you can stream audio to a Bluetooth speaker system. Pink Donut, the San Francisco-based concept company behind RokBlok, says its rechargeable battery offers up to four hours of music playback and two days of standby on a full charge (a full recharge takes about two hours).

While incredibly clever, something like the RokBlok is more of a novelty than anything else.

Anyone that is serious about their record collection most likely has at least a few friends that also appreciate the nostalgia associated with them which probably means they have a record player as well, thus negating the need for you to bring something to play them.

Also, as TechCrunch correctly highlights, some enthusiasts appreciate the nostalgia associated with using a traditional turntable. What’s more, without a paired Bluetooth speaker handling playback duties, the RokBlok is going to sound pretty bad partially because the audio source is moving and directing sound waves all around the room in the process.

The RokBlok is designed in such a way that its center of gravity does not rest on the needle and thus, shouldn’t widen a record’s grooves. It also utilizes rubber wheels as to limit the potential wear and tear on your vinyl but even still, hazards like these will no doubt keep some at bay.

I grew up listening to cassette tapes, CDs and eventually, MP3s meaning vinyl was before my time. I’m far from an audiophile and have zero hipster tendencies but there’s just something really neat about the RokBlok.

Pink Donut is seeking $50,000 which developer Logan Riley says will be used for tooling, manufacturing and ultimately, shipping products to backers. As of writing, they’ve raised nearly 18 percent of the goal although with 49 days remaining, there’s still plenty of time to make it happen. A pledge of $59 is all that’s needed to be among the first to own a RokBlok once it ships in September of 2017.

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Defeats the entire purpose of vinyl .... Why would I want to turn an analog signal into a crappy compressed digital output?

From a strictly engineering stand point it is pretty cool, but so are microwave ovens.
 
My complaint would be, why would I want anything other than a needle touching my precious records? I may not have any records, but I did come up in a time where they were used. I know the tedious process of cleaning them and how easy they are to scratch. This apparatus doesn't help prevent either of those conditions.
 
Perhaps this truly will appeal to the hipsters out there, but I wouldn't know because I don't know any on a personal level. Any true collector of vinyl would never put their beloved record through such torture, I'm almost positive the sound quality will be absolutely miserable.
 
This makes me think of an Pawn Stars episode. Someone had brought in a portable record player that was just a little model of the VW Bus. It drove around on the vinyl, playing back the record through a speaker built in it. I'm not really seeing anything original here....
 
This thing has to be dead in the water, it's not original. You can see plenty of videos of the original VW Bus record player on youtube, just search on Tamco Soundwagon (Vinyl Killer). RokBlok might get sued if they go ahead and market these things. And they were called "vinyl killer" for a reason.
 
I am an old person and have a very large vinyl collection. I listen to them on a phonograph.

I have tried transferring the sound to my computer and I have used several programs to try to get rid of the surface sound, but alas and alack, the sound that I get from them does not compare to that which is from a CD or mp3.

What is so great to hear surface hiss?
 
...the sound that I get from them does not compare to that which is from a CD or mp3.
Exactly. Back in the days of vinyl, the more you spent on your equipment and the more time you spent fine tuning it were rewarded with less distortion, less noise, better frequency response, and just better reproduction. The CD changed all that forever. The sound from the cheapest CD player is amazing by comparison. The only reason to go to all the trouble of digitising your vinyl records would be if they have not been reissued on CD. MP3s have a few problems, but they pale in comparison to the electro-mechanical kludge that is a phonograph.
 
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