Retro Thing

1960s Calrad DM-12 Microphone Got Back

In my line of work, I end up using a lot of microphones. Overwhelmingly these days, a mic is a fairly utilitarian cylinder (with occasional exceptions, of course). However when you cast an ear over microphones of the past, not only do you experience microphones with many different aural characteristics, you also get a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

We all recognize the Shure "Elvis" microphone, the classic RCA capsule shaped mic (and its innumerable knockoffs), and I still get email from people wanting to buy the "Bob Barker" microphone I wrote about years ago. I do remember seeing the curvy Calrad DM-12 around years ago, probably at the local Czech polka hall. The mic is unusually... um... sensual for a microphone. I imagine that the DM-12 was designed to be seen as well as heard - though I don't have the proper cord to tell you whether it sounds as good as it looks.

In poking around online, I couldn't find anyone speaking too much about the actual sound of the microphone, just its looks. Several studios I found will rent these mics to you to capture that "vintage sound", but it doesn't take long to figure out that just because a mic is old, that doesn't mean you're going to get any special results out of it. Several of the vintage mics I have around my office look awesome, but make it sound like I've been gargling chain-saws.

When I record a voice-over, I'm usually alone in a room recording into a stubby gun-metal condenser mic. It does a great job, but there's little pizazz. Maybe a swingin' design like the DM-12 is what I need to give those long recording session a little kick. or maybe I should remember that I just referred to a microphone as "sensual", and call it a day. 

A Shockingly Decent $50 Stereo System

I've used a pair of Logitech computer speakers with a powered subwoofer in my office for years. I've never been particularly happy with the quality; yes, they can make the floor joists vibrate and sever the auditory hair cells from my cochlear nerve. Just not in a nice way.

So I set out to find a replacement.

I realized in a hurry that mainstream big box stores weren't going to be much help; they've been overrun by plasticy iDocks and a smattering of component systems – replacing my sound system with something that sounded better was looking to be an expensive proposition.

Then I remembered a product that I wrote about in 2009 – a tiny bargain-priced amplifier that used a digital amplifier chip manufactured by Tripath. It offered surprisingly clean sound for the money. Sure enough, Parts Express still offers a range of Tripath-based amplifiers and the price has come down considerably. Figuring that they'd all sound much the same, I opted for the no-frills Lepai LP-2020A+, a $20 unit based on a Tripath TA2020 chip. It's capable of outputting 20W + 20W into 4 Ohms at full power and includes a 12V, 2A power supply.

This minuscule amp is just about as bare-bones as they come, with defeatable treble and bass controls and a volume knob on the front panel. The back offers a 3.5mm jack for an MP3 player, alongside stereo RCA jacks. The inputs are tied together, so you can only use a single source.

Of course, finding the right amplifier was only half of the battle.

Luckily, I stumbed across a review in Stereophile that praised a $29.98 pair of Dayton B652 bookshelf speakers, also from Parts Express. The review concluded, "Keep a pair in your dorm room, a pair on your desktop, a pair in your office. As long as your expectations are realistic and you're willing to have fun, the Daytons are sure to please." That was good enough for me.

These moderately sized speakers measure 11-13/16" H x 7-1/16" W x 6-7/16" and can be placed almost anywhere because they don't have a rear bass port that needs to be kept open. You shouldn't expect great beauty at this price; the B652s are basic black vinyl-covered rectangles with cheesy plastic spring clip connectors on the back. There's a wall mounting hook (these would be perfect in a reception area or small restaurant), and the removable cloth grilles are mounted on fiberboard, but they do the job.

Inside, you'll find a 6 1/2" polypropylene cone and a 5/8" ferrofluid-cooled polycarbonate dome tweeter. Each speaker is rated to handle 40W RMS (70W maximum) into 8 Ohms, with a 70-20,000 Hz frequency response and a sensitivity of 87 dB 1W/1m. They're well suited to the little Tripath amplifier.

All in all, this combination offers amazing bang for the buck. As long as you keep the volume at a reasonable level and defeat the tone controls, you're rewarded with clean, uncolored sound. Don't expect floor-shaking bass from this setup, but this minor shortcoming is shared by other inexpensive bookshelf speakers that tend to bottom out well above 50 Hz.

Pricewise, there's nothing to complain about. You're looking at a total of $49.98 plus around $10 for UPS ground shipping, a fraction of the cost of an MP3 player dock. In return, you'll receive a system that should offer years of faithful service in an office, garage or workshop.

Check out the Dayton B652 Bookshelf speakers and Lepai LP02020A+ amp at Parts Express.

Radio Shack APM-200 Power Meter Lets You See The Music

  For those of us who worship at the temple of the Most Holy Bouncing Light In Time To Music Phenomenon, it’s a good time. Every software music player has some sort of swirly visualization that morphs in time to the music. It used to be more of a trick to pull off. The Atari Jaguar video game console could do some colored patterns driven by the music spooling off of a CD, but to enjoy that you had to have an obscure game system with few good titles to justify keeping it around.

Atari knew from its earliest days that it’s fun to “see” you music in action, so they developed the venerable Atari Video Music (yes, mine is hooked up to my contemporary flatscreen) which we’ve written about more than a few times here on Retro Thing. Yes, these are all very fun ways to get your eyes going as well as your ears, but sometimes visualizations can be practical too.

Radio Shack’s APM-200 is about the simplest form of music visualization there is, i.e. two VU meters bouncing along in time to the sound coming out of your amp. This unit has speaker terminal inputs because you’re meant to install it inline with your speakers (which involves some cable splicing, or stuffing a few too many wires into those spring terminals). The meters show how much wattage is actually making it out of your amp and going into your speakers.

Retro stereo covet these units, but fortunately it’s not an expensive covetousness. These can be hand on Ebay for around $20-25 with some regularity. You can even get different styles depending on the era of your system. The APM-100 is more or less identical, except it has (drumroll) woodgrain on the sides. The APM-500 is a bit more 80s Knight Rider in its design sense. Sleeker, smaller, with an all-LED display pulsing out from the center of the unit while you pump out the sweet jams.

These are not a bad idea whether you’re a connoisseur or not. If you’ve got a high-powered amp, it’s good to know just how much signal you can pile on to your speakers before they distort, or worse yet… start smokin'.  It’s also a good way to actually see whether each speaker is getting an equal level of your stereo output. Mostly though, any of these units are a cool way to pay homage to the Most Holy Bouncing Light In Time To Music Phenomenon.

BlueTube Wireless Tube Amplifier

Adam Clarkson writes, "I was hoping that you would take the time to look over a new project that we are just releasing. It is a hand built wood enclosed blue tooth enabled vacuum tube amplifier."

While I'm usually leery of contraptions that meld vintage audio technology with modern digital doodads, the BlueTube Audio Tube Amplifier is nicely done. And, honestly, nearly every modern phone has a bluetooth chip to allow wireless audio transfer; it would be silly not to use it.

This clever little stereo amp puts out 8W per channel from its Class A push-pull design. It includes dual inputs (1/8" audio in and stereo RCA in), built-in bluetooth receiver, a USB charging port, spring loaded speaker connections and a solid 3/4" walnut and cherry hand-rubbed case.

The project was recently posted on Kickstarter, but it's already full funded. That means production will go ahead with the first batch of amplifiers shipping in April, 2013. A pledge of $550 gets you the amplifier for use with your own 8 ohm speakers, while $775 buys the amp with a matching pair of 4" speakers.

BlueTube Audio vacuum tube amplifier with built-in Bluetooth [Kickstarter]

Get Your Own Designer Radio

Once upon a time, radios were magnificent handcrafted creations that stood regally in the corner of living rooms across the nation. The arrival of cheap plastic-cased transistor sets in the 1950s put an end to all of that, as mass-produced radios became affordable status symbols for youth around the globe. The glamor evaporated as we raced into The Gadget Age.

There are still a few holdouts, however. Tom Kipgen is a retired salesman who launched a second career as a creator of whimsical radio sets a few years ago. Each is a handmade masterpiece, and no two are quite alike. Best of all, they're reasonably priced. 

The E.T. Crystal Radio is Tom's take on a curvy little green alien. In addition to an AM crystal receiver with a hand-wound coil, it incorporates a compact but powerful amplified speaker in its head. There's an on/off volume knob on the front panel, along with a headphone jack on the back. The tuner is a vintage 1937 FADA Radio mechanism that allows a full 360 degrees of motion. In exchange for a mere $245 earth dollars, E.T. could phone home from your house.

Retro Picture Frames At Target

I was just at my local Target store and found a couple of cute picture frames that cater to those of us who are Old Media Old Timers. They're not available from Target's website - these are specialty items that you have to go into the store to find.

I'm not sure what they're made of (a testimony to the modern world that I can't tell what sort of space age material we're dealing with here), I think they're made of wood, but the frames may be some sort of plastic. In any case, they're adorable and affordable.

For $5.95 you can pick up either a television inspired frame, or a sketchy looking cassette (with room for two photos appropriately). Funny to have reached the age that even a mass market retailer like Target is catering to my nostalgia. I've found that these non-catalog items are sometimes not stocked too deeply, so you may want to trot to your local Target soon. Let us know if you need some pictures of James and myself to fill up your snazzy new frames.

[For the cynics among you, no... Retro Thing didn't get paid for this post.]

Lanier VW35 Microcassette Recorder, And The Days Of Moving Parts

[after publishing this post, eagle-eye reader "GaryShadyray" pointed out that this Lanier unit isn't for microcassettes, but the incompatible "minicassette". The main point of the post doesn't change much, so here it is. Thanks for helping us keep the story straight, Gary!]

James and I are interviewed from time to time about this whole "retro" world that we trade in. One recurring question we get every time asks what we think makes retro gadgets special. Of course there's the nostalgia and sentimentality that we imprint on our retro favorites, whether it's your first first car or your first Atari game... That personal connection is one that no one can tell us is right or wrong.

I also tend to bring up miniaturization. In the past, if a company managed to miniaturize a sophisticated mechanical something, that used to signal real quality and precision. A modern MP3 player is a matchbook-sized collection of off-the-shelf bits; mostly commodity electronics. Even the cheapest no-name MP3 player can be impossibly tiny - the only thing keeping audio players from getting any smaller is that our human sausage fingers still have to work the buttons.

There were note-taking cassette players that were about the size of a Walkman, but they were still kind of bulky. By making the cassettes smaller, the entire recorder could fit comfortably in the hand. It's the smae idea behind scaling down camcorders by introducing smaller cassette formats like VHS-C and Video8. Back in the days of moving parts, this was quite a trick. Amazingly, microcassettes worked. The format neve proved to be proactical for music reproduction, so microcassettes brought their barely-there fidelity to handheld notetaking gadets and answering machines.

When I got a microcassette of my own in the 80s, I marveled at how small the machinery of the microcassette player actually was, but then recently I found this Lanier VW35 that's even smaller. Even when sheathed it its leatherette case, the entire player is only about the size of a conventional cassette. Heck, I've seen modern digital recorders (with no moving parts, mind you) at about the same size.

You can still find blank microcassettes, and even the handheld recorders in stores... and it's not just legions of Twin Peaks fans buying them up (for those who may not remember, Twin Peaks featured Kyle MacLachlan as a peculiar detective recording his observations for someone named "Diane". I still have a theory that "Diane" was actually the name of the microcassette recorder itself... but I digress...)

We are at the point where a cheap digital audio recorder and a $5 memory card has pretty much seen the microcassette run out of tape. I do marvel at the Lanier's astonishing small size, but I don't feel like I'm going to get a lot of use out of it. At least until some crowd of hipsters picks microcassettes as the latest retro smug and ironic music format. Which I guess wouldn't actually be that crazy. Conventional cassettes were first used as a lo-fi dictation format for businesses. Who knows if someone in the 80s could have goosed microcassette performance to be a format suitable for music?

Fidelity aside, this truly miniature microcassette recorder is an amazing achievement. Lanier didn't have to wait until the digital revolution for things to get miraculously small.

Michael's Shortwave Holy Grail: Hallicrafters SX-100

[Here's a guest post from Michael Nyberg - Ed.]

I have been listening to shortwave stations since I was probably 9, give or take a year. Spent many a night in front of my Dad's Realistic DX-150A shortwave receiver. Later on, I would come to find a Realistic DX-160 and brag to my Dad I got a newer model. All in fun of course. It was still about 25 years old when I bought it. However, I would "DX" (DX = listening to "distant" radio stations) all up and down the AM dial and log them as best I could. Of course, night hours are when you actively DX. I grew up at a time when "modern" electronics (like an LED wristwatch) was prohibitively expensive (in 1974) and yet things that ran with tubes were considered old fashioned ( I still remember when we bought our first color TV in 1975).

As time moved on, kids like me kept trying to reach to the latest electronic thing only to see it obsolete within a year or two. Much like how video games replaced pinball machines, digital watches replaced analog watches, etc. It seemed that those modern electronics always stayed out of reach.

So, fast forward to today and suddenly much of the baby boomer generation is selling off to the younger folks but most of Generation Y and the Millennials don't want anything to do with dated technology. Sure, a few hipsters may buy old bikes and convert them to fixies, but even that trend seems declining now that bike companies offer fixies as a brand new product for the masses. However, in the smaller Generation-X crowd, it seems there are some real gems that we still love and can be found with little or no competition from older, more deep-pocketed people. Either that or I am simply the last sucker born, one of the two.

Sure, some technologies are indeed so limited that paying for the media is prohibitive enough to discourage their use entirely (35mm photography and Super 8mm film-making are two examples that pretty much everyone bypasses for the essentially free digital version), but some things like radios, stereo systems, and turntables are remain useful and supported by major companies to this day. They still offer a difference that is discernible and, perhaps most importantly, are inexpensive enough to encourage the continued pursuit of the hobby.

In the case of vintage radios, replacement vacuum tubes are still available and foreign countries are still broadcasting. "Recap" kits are available to those who have the patience and skills to replace leaking and dried out paper capacitors with modern replacement versions. Not quite plug and play but very close.

As most people with collector-itus do, I searched Craigslist on a whim to see what was out there. The pickings were slim but up popped a Hallicrafters SX-100 radio. Now, since the last radio guide I had read was the 1972 White's Communication Log with the annual rundown of newest shortwave receivers, I knew the SX-100 was a quality unit and that it offered pretty much every feature I would want in a dream radio short of a digital readout. Remember, in 1972 a digital readout was a BIG deal. But these days, I no longer require that as everything is digital and very few things are analog. Call me crazy, but I still do not like the way my bathroom scale magically shows my weight on its digital readout with no run-up in the numbers. I would prefer an old-fashioned scale in that regard.

Transistor Radio Redux

I've linked to this collection before, but here is some more gratuitous radio porn to inspire your weekend. Props to Mr. Roadsidepictures from Kansas City, Missouri for sharing his collection with the world on Flickr.

He comments, "Right now they're keeping each other company in storage. I love to work on them, but haven't had the time for quite a while. Most of them do work and there are recap kits available if they don't work. I'm shakey, so it's kind of tedious sometimes."

U.S. Radio's Relevance Is Fading Out

I'm a kid who grew up on all kinds of American radio. Certainly television was the bigger portion on my plate, but I've always been entranced by audio-only entertainment. In the 5th grade when I discovered National Public Radio's dramas, jazz music, and also a local Chicago show dedicated to old time radio. I still have hundreds of cassettes from back then filled with Jack Benny and Suspense shows from radio's heyday.

Oddly, it wasn't until the late 80s in high school that I got into pop music. If you weren't on top of the top 40 in my school, you simply weren't part of youth culture. Again I have countless cassettes I taped off of the radio. I can download digital copies of those songs easily enough, but the parts of those tapes I cherish most are the local DJs that made me feel like they were talking right to me. The on-air talent on my favorite stations were from Chicago, they had all the lowdown on what was happening around town and in the world of music... local radio DJs were a crucial part of the snapshot of that time in my life.

Spin the dial to radio today. The recent deaths of Davy Jones and Whitney Houston are so sad for so many of us, but it further underlines the U.S. radio industry's fading relevance. Jones died on a weekday, so DJs were able to inform their listeners live on the air, perhaps even adding a few impromptu words of tribute. Houston died on a weekend. While TV and celebrity websites like the onerous TMZ were able to quickly spread the news, there was a scarcely a murmur on radio.

While in other countries, weekends are where radio goes into high gear (lots of ambitious and experimental shows broadcast in those hours when people can listen longer), in the U.S. the weekend is when many radio stations go into auto-pilot. Talent often pre-records homogeneous copy weeks ahead of time in the odious practice known as "tracking". It's a common radio practice today. Rather than hire local live talent, one voice records bland "evergreen" copy that stations can play back as part of pre-recorded programming anytime. This is also why you'll hear long "dance-party" or "countdown the hits" shows on American radio most weekends. Besides a skeleton crew to keep an eye on the transmitter, many times there are few people in the actual station on a weekend to handle live local broadcasts.

This isn't new. Corporate media owners have been downsizing U.S. radio interests for years, being especially savage in smaller markets. There is no regard for local flavor, nor is there a feeling of duty or service to the community ears they're selling to advertisers. In a bid to make radio cheaper, they've made it feel cheaper too. Yet the reality is that radio can be done on a shoestring. CHIRP Radio is a Chicago volunteer group that's 200 strong. Every day they produce compelling, dynamic, and fun real-live programming that streams on the web (the group is at the forefront of the legal fight for opening up more local over-the-air frequencies). Shawn Campbell, the director of CHIRP, has often said that people didn't leave radio, radio left the people.

It's sad to be reminded that this in many parts of this country, the fantastic world of radio... really relevant local radio... could soon fizz out in a sad burst of static. It seems that the future of radio is in the hands of volunteers and enthusiasts. Perhaps that's for the best. As smartphones become more and more common, streaming your favorite internet station while on the move is a reality. As the corporate types continue to create content with the balance sheet instead of listening with their hearts, more and more disenfranchised listeners will simply create radio of their own. Maybe it's up to more groups like CHIRP to remind us of what has always made radio great... when it's done right, radio is that intimate little voice in your ear speaking only to you.

Maverick Audio's $199 Tube Amplifier

Last night's episode of Top Gear offered a look at the Chinese automotive industry, which has gone from almost nothing to almost respectable in less than a decade. The same can be said of the burgeoning Chinese boutique stereo industry, which sometimes serves up suspiciously good deals. Like this one.

The Maverick Audio TubeMagic A1 is either an oddly named Audi subcompact or a shockingly affordable hybrid integrated amplifier. For the sake of my sanity, I'll go with the latter. The diminutive 10" W x 2.1″ H x 6.5″ D case  features a brushed aluminum front panel "in black color" with a power switch, large volume knob, smaller audio source selector (RCA analog in on the rear or line in from the front panel) and a headphone jack. That's it. The back panel is similarly spartan:

Watch out for the manual voltage selector switch.

The hybrid Class A/B circuit incorporates a pair of matched NOS 6J1 tubes that feed into a solid state final stage capable of driving 20W x 2 into 8 Ohms. It's a necessary compromise to get reasonably high volumes out of an inexpensive design. If you enjoy experimenting with your gadgets, the company offers several tube upgrades including a pair of military grade factory matched Raytheon 6AK5 tubes for $45.

Straightforward through-hole construction.

There's a special treat in store for late night music lovers -- the headphone output is driven solely by the tube circuit. It's beefy enough to drive heaphones with an impedence of 16 ~ 600 ohms with an output power of between 300mW ~ 1000mW. As the company succinctly points out, "It has tons of power to drive any kind of headphones on the planet."

All in all, it's a rather appealing package if you're looking to put together a simple stereo system for your office, garage or basement. Paired with sensitive bookshelf speakers, the A1 should adequately fill a small space. The A1 sells for $199, plus around $30 to ship the unit from China by DHL.

Maverick Audio TubeMagic A1 Hybrid Integrated Amp

IKEA Helps Store Your Records In Style

I've joked many times that collecting records qualifies as a "lifestyle choice". Once you're bitten by the vinyl bug, you'll find yourself scouring the bins at collector shops, scanning the tables at flea markets, and sorting through boxes at the thrift to find your next treasure. It doesn't take long for the records to start stacking up and needing a home of their own. When LPs were more of a mainstay, there were plenty of storage choices out there, but these days its often specialized and very expensive.

That's what makes IKEA's Expedit shelving system a godsend for those of us who have too many records. The biggest one costs in the range of $200, and is perfect for holding thousands of records. Once I'd discovered this for myself, I started sharing the word and found that many of my other record collector friends found the same solution. I've had mine for close to ten years without a hint of sag (you can even see mine in the background of episodes of Retro Thing TV). So there is a whole network of DJs and vinyl fans who have made the trek to their local IKEA (or Amazon) to find a home for their LPs.

A clever Kickstarter project just secured the funding to create a set of front doors for the Expedit that would also display your favorite LP art. I'm totally on board as it's not only stylish, but it's easy to change the whole look of the unit with a whim. Though because it's a small run, it looks like it won't be able to match IKEAs usual economy for these sorts of things i.e. it's not going to be IKEA-level cheap. Looks like we're talking $35 per door.

Even more, I'd also really like IKEA to get on something like this custom DJ booth a friend turned me on to.

Let's make it happen, IKEA - I hereby dub this fantastic contrivance the Expedit 360!

links:

No Ikea nearby? Order your Expedit from Amazon.
Kickstarter project to create LP fronted doors

Playskool Rockin' Robot - The Grinning Cassette Recorder

If there's a theme we encounter time and time again here on Retro Thing, it's the irrational emotional bond people form with retro tech... but this 80's (or 90's? This particular one is labeled 1991) tape recorder makes me a little uneasy. Is it just me, or is it almost like this kiddie cassette player is looking and grinning at us?

There have been lots of tape recorders (fewer these days, I suppose) made expressly for children. Usually these were just chunkier versions of regular adult tape recorders with giant colorful buttons. Playskool took kid-friendly design that extra step to create a funny faced recorder that my adult friends seem to take a shine to, even today.

As a budding junior audio engineer, I would have killed for a tape recorder with features like built-in AM/FM radio, and a hardwired mic for recording my own tapes as well as barking out my demands over the PA system. It's in this public address role that we saw the Rockin' Robot make an appearance in the first two Toy Story movies. Our lanky lead, Woody, used Mr. Mike (the recorder's stage name) to make speeches to the other characters.

Mr. Mike was even issued in non tape-recorder mini version as a Toy Story tie-in later in the 90's. The hard-to-find toy includes a voice-changer to turn you into any of several robots, which is very cool... but doesn't really explain the high prices either version of the toy seems to command on Ebay. I've seen this analog relic go for over a hundred dollars - which may be just enough to break my irrational emotional bond with this grimacing tape deck.

There Is Such A Thing As Too Many Records

With all the trouble this guy's million strong record collection is causing, it makes me glad that I stopped at just a couple thousand.

Thrift Store Score - 85 CDs For $6.90

It's got to be pretty obvious by now that I'm very fond of going to thrift stores - so much so that it's greatly affected my idea of what stuff is worth. If you're a retro fan, and a cheapskate, the thrifts of this nation are pretty much one stop shopping. But even this deal knocked me on my heels when one of my local haunts decided to ditch CDs.

CDs still hold a futuristic charm for me. Tiny (some might say "compact"), rainbow metallic finish... Drop one into a player, and just stand back as the digital sound roars out of your speakers. I have a large collection of CD's that I've put together since the late 80's, and while my acquisitions have slowed, I figure I'll be buying CD's as long as they're available.

The shift to digital downloads has tilted at an amazing rate. Many of my friends have freed themselves from the pressed aluminum bonds of a CD collection to be completely virtual. Of course I understand the appeal of having all of your music collection on a hard drive the size of a paperback (and of course nothing EVER goes wrong with a hard drive, right?). Still, there's just something in my head that wants to hold CD's and look at the artwork, and all of that.

We've all probably made this point - for or against - at some point in the last few years. My main issue with downloads is the heavy compression. Yeah, yeah, I know... compression schemes have gotten so good that you can hardly hear any difference. I guess it's that "hardly" part that still gets me. CD's are already a lovely uncompressed format that we can translate to our various devices. Why mess with that?

I can't argue with how great downloadble music has been for artists who would never have gotten a recording contract. Now no one has to decide whether you can release your tunes to a large audience or not. You just need a Facebook account. There are several artists I like who have never released a physical container for their music, but I'm still undecided whether the non-physical music world is truly better or not.

One unexpected bonus of the massive change to digital is that used CD's have become darned near worthless. I feel rotten for my friends who own record stores, and I mourn the day when I won't be able to idly troll the aisles discovering new tunes - but right now it seems like if there are any gaps in your music collection you want to fill, the CD format is a really cheap way to do it.

At the thrift, I just bought a binder full of 85 CD's and booklets for $6.90. That's less than 9 cents per album - which last I checked is quite a better price than iTunes. I'm also an album guy whereas the digital world caters to "hit single" listening... so this thrift score is going to be a lot of fun for me. Maybe you should check your local thrift to see if that retro CD technology is going to be on blowout soon. You can pick up a few albums worth of tunes for what you would have paid for a few singles online... and get uncompressed music to boot.

related:
1986 Hitachi portable CD player
Hard Format: The Art Of Physical Music Media
Audiophile Magazine reviews Sony's first CD player
PlayStation 1: An Audiophile Bargain or Fool's Gold?