Audio-Technica’s Hotaru Turntable Makes Music Float and Glow—If You Can Take the Sticker Shock

Hotaru, in Japanese, means firefly. How fitting a name it is, then, for the newest turntable in Audio-Technica’s lineup. There’s a remarkable variation in the designs of turntables these days.

None have been as eye-catching as the attention sponge that is the Audio-Technica Hotaru.For one, it levitates. Comprising magnets to pull off its trick, music also pulses with a colorscape from the built-in lightning.



Like real-life fireflies, though, the Hotaru is a rare beast. Only 1,000 will be made, and each one comes with a sticker price of $9,999.audio-technica hotaru – credit: audio-technicafor looks or audio quality?There’s shock value in a levitating turntable.

Audio-Technica asserts that there’s a practical reason for using magnets to make the turntable float above the lower section of the device.“For a cartridge to function to its fullest, for its stylus to trace the record groove accurately and transmit a clean audio signal, the turntable must suppress external vibrations as much as possible,” reads Audio-Technica’s press release announcing the Hotaru.“The innovative floating structure of ‘Hotaru’ does this wonderfully, while also creating a stunning visual effect.

Magnets in both the upper turntable and lower speaker sections of ‘Hotaru’ repel one another, causing the turntable section to float, thus isolating it from sound-degrading vibrations.”As a record spins on the Hotaru, the music triggers light reactions from the turntable’s built-in lighting, mixing patterns from a “color palette” of 20 shades. There are three lighting modes to select from.

As Audio-Technica puts it, these are “Basic Mode, where the color of the light remains constant; Gradation Mode, where light smoothly transitions from one color to the next; and Link Mode, where the light’s color changes in response to the character of the music.”You can enquire about snagging one by clicking through here and filling out a form on Audio-Technica’s website.Or, if you don’t have $10,000 to spare on a levitating, magnetic turntable, you could check out Audio-Technica’s other turntables.

No waiting, no crazy price tags, and no jockeying for a limited spot alongside 999 other audiophiles.The post Audio-Technica’s Hotaru Turntable Makes Music Float and Glow—If You Can Take the Sticker Shock appeared first on VICE..