Most recent top of the range TT's have that feature yeah.

yep.. pretty much all of the top end decks besides technics all have reverse, the Stantons, Vestax, even numark and gemini i think.

but still techs are beter. i would like decks that go backwards, it would be nice to have, and i think i would use it live. BUT, i am still going to pay twice the price for technics, even though they don't go backwards. just because techs are the standard, and so reliable and tested.

and as much as i want backward techs, i don't think i would bother installing a kit to do it, to much trouble, could fuck up my decks, and would probably void my warranty too.

BUT

if technics came out with new decks, with reverse, digital output, increased pitch control range, and maybe even key lock, then i would be into paying a lot more for them. probably $1000 canadian each although somehow i think they'd be more than that even.

i think it's time for technics to bring out a new deck, and i think that they probably will, will all the new competition.

digital outs? I think that would be more trouble to implement that it would do good.

Ever heard of the RIAA curve? The phono signal needs to be pre-amped as everybody knows, but it also has to run thru a specific Equalizer curve (which it runs thru when pluggin into a phono in). The record as it is has almost no low frequencies in it, they are very very soft. The high end on the other hand are much more dominant. This is because if they would press the signal on line-level-style frequencies on the vinyl the grooves would become so broad that you couldn't fit 2 minutes on a record.

Soo if they were gonna make a digital out, they would have to make sure the signal from the needle first runs thru this RIAA curve, otherwise it would sound just like running a turntable not thru a phono in, but thru a line in, and then amplified (or thru a mic pre-amp).

If you run the turntable thru a line in and amplify it, you will hear what i talked about, almost no low, lost of high.

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All rhythm evolves around a kick...

yes, i know all about the phono, line level, RIAA curve and stuff.

still, what i mean by digital out is an optical link, like on high quality CD players.

that would be awesome for PERFECT vinyl ripping to an archival format.

it could also be simply a line out, like on a CD player, so that you wouldn't HAVE to run it throught a phono preamp to get sound, and you could plug it directly into a MD player or something.

i know that some decks have this.

by converting the signal to digital at the source, you would avoid any distortion caused by transfer across a wire first, or in the A->D conversion (which in a computer can be really noisy due to all the hardware, the fan etc.)

although, i'm not sure, would the spinning motor and magnet interfere with the A->D conversion?

maybe a breakout box like on high end soundcards would be best.