When Audio-Technica resurrected the Sound Burger last year, I got a bit excited. It's a design classic, a Walkman for vinyl LPs, and it's brilliantly named: it makes me think of eating lukewarm plastic cheeseburgers on a horrible chair at a formica table in a Wimpy, the UK's long-gone burger chain. But unlike that experience, the Sound Burger is fun. And now it's back! Again!
The 2022 reissue sold out faster than I can whip the gherkins out of a cheeseburger, so Audio-Technica is having another go: this time the colours are black, white or yellow, with the first two going on sale at the end of May 2023 and the yellow one following later in the summer. It's a gorgeous thing, and it's particularly great with coloured vinyl.
Audio-Technica Sound Burger: key features and specs
Colours aside, these are identical to the 2022 model. There's a 3.5mm headphone out as well as USB-C power and Bluetooth for your best wireless headphones or best wireless earbuds, and there's a replaceable ATN3600L cartridge and a choice of 33 and 1/3 or 45rpm. Battery life is a claimed 12 hours.
Is it as good as the very best record players? No, but all the reviews say it's surprisingly good for the money. And while I love a high-end hi-fi turntable as much as anybody else, I've yet to meet an audiophile-spec turntable that makes me smile as much as the Sound Burger does. The only reason I'm not buying this right now is because I want to wait for the yellow one.
The Sound Burger has a RRP of £199.99 and you can find out more at Audio Technica's website.
