MAG-LEV Audio is the world’s first levitating turntable.
This project was launched on Kickstarter on October 12th 2016. Although the first day was quite slow for the campaign, Mashable, DJ Mag, The Verge, Vinyl Factory and many others publications picked up the news. The next day this campaign became viral.
Levitating Turntable funding
Within just one week MAG-LEV Audio reached its funding goal of $300,000. Over 400 backers pledged $780 or more in order to see this project come to life. At the moment of writing this almost $350k have been given to this project. I guess people really want to own this turn table.
“Bringing the feeling of zero gravity into your living room.”
The main concern potential backers have is the stability of the platter. Since the platter floats in mid-air, how can we be sure that there is no vertical movement that would definitely ruin the sound quality? How can we be sure that the platter will spin at the very accurate speed? The folks from Mag-Lev assure us there is nothing to worry about:
“By using our innovative and patented technology, we were able to achieve not only magnetic levitation, but we’ve also been able to maintain the incredibly precise turning of the platter with sensor regulating software. Air is the smoothest medium with least amount of friction, which further elevates this project into a truly unique listening experience.”
MAG-LEV Official Promo Video
Levitating Record Player Features
Let’s admit it, the Mag-LEV looks awesome. The floating platters looks very futuristic and unreal, the whole machine looks very clean and sophisticated. However it isn’t just about the looks. The Mag-Lev is semi-automatic meaning the tonearm lifts automatically when the record is done playing (I kind of wish my SL1200 did that). The table comes with a cueing mechanism so you don’t have to “drop the needle” like you would with a cheap Crosley player. Of course you got your 33/45rmp switch as well. The base comes with little supports that hold the platter in the “off” position.
For a full description, features and benefits check out their Kickstarter page.
MAG-LEV Levitating Turntable Availability
Although this new futuristic product managed to create a lot of buzz over the week, it’s still just a project. Assuming that everything goes well they will make the final prototype in December of this year. The pre-production run will start in March of 2017 and the final product will start shipping out to backers in August of 2017.
The designers of MAG-LEV have worked on another successful Kickstarter project called Goat Story Goat Mug. It was successfully funded and created.
What do you think of this project? Let us know in the comments below!
– Sasha