Onkyo, in an attempt to recover from financial problems, turned to the most popular segment of technology today – budget vinyl players. The newly formed Classic Series launched its first device, the OCP-1 retro turntable.
As befits such devices, the model is made in a suitcase format. Especially for this series, Onkyo has also restored its old logo that adorned the inside of the turntable lid.
The functionality is wide: the player operates at speeds of 33.3, 45 and 78 rpm, is equipped with a built-in phono stage, amplifier and even acoustics, as well as Bluetooth – that is, you can send a signal from any wireless device to the turntable and use it as a music center.
The drive is a belt drive, the support disk, as is customary in devices of this type, is small – 198 mm in diameter. But there is a hitchhiking function. The declared parameters of the roar are less than 3%, the signal-to-noise ratio is 47 dB.
The turntable comes with a cartridge already installed, and Onkyo has promised that the stylus can be easily replaced if worn out. AUX input, line output and headphone output are available from the connectors. There are two speakers – 7.62 cm in diameter and 3 watts each. We didn’t forget about the DJ functionality: there is a pitch regulator.
According to Onkyo, this turntable is designed for both young people who are just getting started in vinyl and the older generation who do not want to understand complex devices. The Japanese vinyl market reached 2.12 billion yen in 2020, and sold more than 1.09 million records during this time – which is 121% and 116%, respectively, compared to the results obtained a year earlier. Onkyo itself plans to further launch advertising campaigns and collaborations with various stores – both specializing in records and focused on lifestyle.
Interestingly, Onkyo offered OCP-1 on Japanese crowdfunding platform Greenfunding – the player, available in sky blue, black or creamy white, costs 9,180 yen. With a goal of 500,000 yen, the project already has 8.5 million yen, and there are still 30 days left until the end of the campaign. The turntables will be sent out in July.
