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Sound Burger: Audio-Technica Revives Cult Classic Portable Turntable

Audio-Technica celebrates 60 years with a limited run of their cult classic Sound Burger.
We’re a little late on this, but figured it makes sense to share anyway in case anyone missed the news… Earlier this week, Audio-Technica dropped a limited-edition model of their fan favorite Sound Burger portable turntable with modern updates including Bluetooth connectivity and USB-C charging for 12 hours of continuous playback. Originally launched in 1980, the Sound Burger was meant to be a competitor of the Sony Walkman, but has since reached cult status due to the rise in popularity of vinyl and its “near mythic” sound quality.
Unsurprisingly, the run of 7,000 sold out almost immediately and the turntables are already popping up on reseller sites for more than three times the original $199 MSRP. It’s crazy to think that drop culture has even made its way to audio equipment and turntables, but here we are!
The hype does seem warranted though as the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive so far with fans praising the brand “for not pushing out a cheap mechanism dressed up with their branding and actually caring how it sounds.” We also love that the promo materials are clearly intended for a younger generation of vinyl consumers. The “vintage retro” aesthetic is quite popular with Gen Z so the strategy seems completely on point.

Of course, we still have to give props to the original Sound Burger promo designs that are just incredibly creative, fun, and unlike any other turntable advertisements we’ve seen. Sound Island, Sound Coffee-Cup, Sound Crocodile… Just amazing!

From Audio-Technica:
“The limited-edition AT-SB2022 portable turntable is the return of the Sound Burger, a fan favorite since the 1980s thanks to its nostalgic design, quirky advertising campaigns, and unique listening experience, with modern updates including Bluetooth® connectivity and a USB-C charging cable. Connect to your Bluetooth headphones or speakers and enjoy your favorite vinyl records wirelessly for up to 12 hours. This turntable features a lightweight design making it perfect for parties, picnics, or compact living spaces.”

We hope the incredible response pushes Audio-Technica to do a mass non-limited release of the Sound Burger… We’d love to have a quality new turntable for record fairs, storage unit digs, or even just casually playing a few records at the park with friends. Until then, we’ll be checking the reseller sites to see if the prices go down a bit!
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