Late 1800s

Did you know the turntable’s earliest precursor was an invention as early as in 1877? Designed by Thomas Edison, the Phonograph was essentially a cardboard cylinder that employed a stylus to record sounds on a dense tinfoil sheet wrapped around it. Years later, Graham Bell enriched the audio quality by substituting the tinfoil with wax and named the device Graphophone. Both these gadgets became popular in the late 1800s at offices and at arcades for different purposes.

The First Turntable As We Know It

Though these were the first ever devices that recorded and replayed audio, the first turntable as we know it today was the Gramophone devised by Emile Berliner in 1895 and consisted of a flat disc in place of the cardboard cylinder. The records were initially made from zinc or hard rubber, followed by shellac till the 1940s. Since it now became easier to mass-produce these records, the gramophone soon gained popularity among the public. In about 10 years from the disc’s invention, the 10” 78 RPM double-sided records caught on across the globe.

In the 1920s, the electric record players were in more demand than the wind-up models. Furthermore, the invention of the low-cost radio around the same time started to emerge as a threat to the recording industry. The radio technology was, however, used to improve record-making, and by 1925, electronically amplified disc cutters were used to manufacture all phonograph discs.

Technological Advancements since WW-II

The record industry barely managed to survive the Great Depression, but during the Second World War, the industry got the big push it needed, thanks to the technological advancements during that time. The “long playing” record, or LP, was introduced by Peter Goldmark in 1948, which was a 12” disc made of vinyl in place of shellac. It was played at 33? RPM and produced a much superior sound quality than before. The following year, RCA Victor introduced the 45 RPM 7” disc. This soon became the standard disc sizes for singles, while the 12″ disc was the go-to medium for albums. Around the same time, an easy-to-replace phonograph stylus was also manufactured, making the turntable even more convenient for consumers. Within a decade, the affordability of these devices became a common sight at most homes.

Today, though digitized audio has become the in thing, the demand for turntables (the at lp 60) hasn’t died. Audiophiles continue to enjoy the simple pleasure of enjoying the unique music quality that only an LP can provide. The other highly popular application for this device is turntabling by DJs and hip-hop artists. Manufacturers are keen on keeping up with the needs of the present-day users and provide the best technology has to offer today.