Rokblok - follow up & tear down

Use the sledgehammer of justice on it, please.

0:20 *Insert Initial D meme here*

This fellow goes Rokblok one better. Seems there are other, simpler, off-the-wall ways to play vinyl: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUlu-XjCgtk" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUlu-XjCgtk</a>

This is a truly horrid product. I "invested" in it 'cause I liked the quirky idea and had very low expectations for it. I was shocked at how awful it is. I can't possibly imagine how they got at all into the development of this and didn't realized it was going to be crap. Maybe that's why we see the TV appearance and subsequent sale of the company. Pulled a Bobbie Sue.

For 50 years I have been taught to play LPs with an elliptical (or better) stylus; that tracking weights should never exceed 2 grams; that stylus / groove angle is critical; that correct side forces are critical; and that NOTHING should rub or slide against the surface of an LP. Rokblok violates every one of those guidelines. Methinks it might be more fun to use Rokblok on a slot car track than on my vinyl.

Hopefully people don't do what this Vinyl Eyezz video suggests, i.e. bring the Rokblok to the record shop to preview records! 😦 <a href="https://youtu.be/gYmpPKr-ako?t=3m24s" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/gYmpPKr-ako?t=3m24s</a> It would be great if they tried using some sort of laser pick-up mechanism to read the groove instead of a stylus, such as a modified laser mouse pick up. Even if the laser had the issue of picking up dust noise (which a needle would push away), at least it wouldn't ruin the records, especially if it goes wandering like Techmoan's earlier Rokblok video.

Mat, you aren't alone: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV0Du72uTpI" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV0Du72uTpI</a>

Thank you for putting aside the comparison with the original music, as it should sound. As a fan of Anders Enger Jensen’s music I must say that I was very annoyed to hear how that junk completely ruined it.

I think Andy stated it best above as to Mat's review. Mat is a trusted reviewer and he has given us NO reason to think otherwise. I understand getting the questions...I test audio amplifiers on my channel and I'm often questioned as to my results. Too many manufacturers overstate ratings and I test and call them out if so. I even recently had a "well known" pro audio amplifier manufacturer comment on some of my videos saying "peak" power was what was important, not true RMS power. Unreal!

Well, it's only natural for people to be skeptical of your findings. It defies all rational logic that a motorized toy car that pushes a needle into the record while driving around and around on top of it would produce anything less than a true audiophile experience.

Apparently, it's supposed to sound like this: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s959JsxRPGI&index=7&list=WL" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s959JsxRPGI&index=7&list=WL</a>

They released a Troubleshooting update for their backers on the Kickstarter page, any leads there? I read someone's theory that the Rokblok might cause the record to move around, and that the latter needs to be put on a special slipmat supplied by Rokblok. I know you initially tried it with one of your own slipmats unsuccessfully, but perhaps another type of rough surface could stabilize the record and improve the pitch issues? (For the record, half of me wants this product to fail miserably, but the other half sort of wonders if it's just an easy fix.)

I suspect that Anders will now need a new coffee mug, having dropped his in frozen horror at witnessing the first spin of the vinyl destroyer on his record. :)

I read an interview with the creator of this monstrosity, he said that he wasn't even aware of old "vinyl killers" before! That's really unbelievable. It's funny to see YouTube videos from irate backers, guess they hadn't heard of vinyl killers either. They're all so surprised at how bad it is. Fools and their money.

Thanks for the follow up Mat, One thing that did occur to me is that it really must be forcing that stylus down hard and because it is driving in the direction with the stylus that would perhaps generate enough friction to slow the unit or at least explains why it moves with variable speed. Giving that warbling effect. Might also explain those nasty leftover rings on the records after playing.

Yep, the company(?) is smiling big right now, 352k funded, 3600 backers, cost from China probably 10 dollars each, less Kickstarter's cut still leaves a mighty tidy Christmas present. (wish I had thought of it) A moment of silence for all the records that were sacrificed in the making of this product.

$100 for that? Looks more like dollar store material inside.

Did you play it back without the wood case?

I noticed that the needle is "backwards" because the design requires that the needle is the steering that "drives" the whole thing. However with a good stylus like most DJs use (to scratch records) it shouldn't be an issue...but I did say "good stylus" didn't I? :) I just can't believe people though this might have decent sound. It's a novelty at best and people should have understood that.

I hadn't even noticed it was pushing the cartridge rather than pulling.

I think the speed of the gadget along the record's groove is constant and is therefore causing problems. On a standard record deck, the stylus moves along more groove per rotation when it is near the outside than when it is near the centre. The gadget does not do this, I think. Good video thank you. 8-)

Thank sfor the follow up Sir! Seems liek an intresting novelty item. For the price point, I feel it should be working a lot better.

There's also the fact that literally every comment on the Kickstarter says that it sounds like warbly crap, and not a single person is happy with it

It would help to play Retro Grooves on a real turntable, to give a reference as to how it should sound. Nice to see they went with a direct drive, quality stuff!