LAS VEGAS -- Sony didn't have many new products to announce during its CES press conference this year.
There was a 4K camcorder (meh) and a couple of pairs of high-resolution headphones and earbuds (also meh). The most interesting new product was probably the PS-HX500 stereo turntable system, which converts vinyl into high-resolution digital audio files.
The turntable looks like a retro record player, but plug it into a computer and it'll rip your vinyls into high-res audio tracks, much like those that play on Neil Young's PonoPlayer. The PS-HX500 can convert vinyl into either DSD audio files or 24-bit high-res wav files.
A Sony spokesperson says there will be an app for editing the digitized audio files. Sony only had a mockup of the PS-HX500 at its booth, so I didn't get to listen to any converted vinyl files. I'm told the digital files will reproduce all of the imperfections that vinyls have for that extra authentic audio experience.
Design-wise, this is Sony at its best. The turntable looks retro, yet modern. It's a beautiful piece of audio equipment.
The turntable will launch sometime this spring; pricing is to be announced at a later date.
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