Korg’s first record players are designed for DJs, audiophiles, and archivists
Korg has announced a new collection of portable record players with each model featuring specialized functionality depending on what you like to do with your vinyl. The Handytraxx Play is designed for DJs who perform with their turntables, the Handytraxx Tube has a more premium build to maximize sound quality, while the Handytraxx 1bit includes additional tools and outputs for digitizing vinyl.
They don’t have release dates yet, but the collection will start at $399 for the Handytraxx Play. It’s a significant jump after that to the $799 Handytraxx Tube, while the 1bit will be even pricier at $999.
If the design of the Handytraxx turntables feel familiar, it’s because you’re probably old enough to remember a similar product from Vestax called the Handy Trax that debuted in the early aughts. Korg’s updated versions were developed in collaboration with Vestax’s former president and co-creator of the original Handy Trax, Toshihide Nakama, before he passed in 2023.
The Handytraxx Play is designed for DJs who like to scratch or sample vinyls as part of a live performance. It features a built-in crossfader, low-pass, high-pass, and EQ filters, a delay effect, and a built-in variable speed looper for recording samples and creating beats. Its control panel can also be flipped around for right or left-handed use.
The Play can be powered by an AC adapter or six AA batteries and features a pair of 2.5-watt speakers for entertaining a crowd without the need for additional equipment. You can also plug in a pair of headphones for a private performance.
The Handytraxx Tube upgrades the Play with an aluminium die-cast platter that uses software to monitoring its pitch and speed to maintain a stable rotation and optimize playback. Its tone arm also features an adjustable counterweight so you can swap needles while ensuring you always have the proper pressure on your records to prolong their life.
As the name implies, the Tube uses Korg’s Nutube vacuum tube technology that “operates exactly as a triode vacuum tube” and “creates the same characteristic rich overtones,” the company claims. The tube technology “adds pleasant harmonics characteristic of vacuum tubes for a rich, immersive sonic experience,” while bass and treble controls let you dial in your preferred balance.
Korg is also offering a limited edition version of this turntable called the Tube J as part of a collaboration with a Japanese company called JICO. The J version swaps the Tube’s standard JICO J44A 7 cartridge with JICO’s Clipper MM Cartridge featuring an upgraded design and improved performance. It also boosts the Tube’s price tag to $1,199.
The Handytraxx 1bit carries forward the hardware upgrades of the Tube but using Korg’s included AudioGate 4 software it can digitize vinyl to the Direct Stream Digital (DSD) format which was originally developed by Sony and Philips for the Super Audio CD (SACD). Instead of capturing 16 audio samples 44,100 times per second as is done with traditional audio CDs, the 1bit and Korg’s software captures single samples 5.6 million times per second, resulting in a much higher quality recordings suitable for archiving.