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How to pick a stylus to play a 78-rpm record
(www.vjm.biz)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
There is indeed a way to use lasers to read 78s without touching the surface, and the gear is availble. Though probably not at a price most of us would like. Here's one example: https://www.elpj.com/ But after decades of work, they seem to have problems ... /Laser_turntable#Performance