Retro Thing

The Sweet Sounds Of The Classic PEZ MP3 Player

In 2005, MP3 players were still an up and coming thing. 512 Megs didn't seem like a ridiculously small storage space, the iPod wasn't yet the only game in town, and we'd come along far enough to have collectioble MP3 players too. One of the first articles I wrote here on Retro Thing was about an unusual MP3 player - one that fit into a Game Boy Color.... but even that one doesn't approach the kitsch value of the the PEZ MP3 player.

News of this nostalgic MP3 player seemed to hit every gadget "blog" (also a new-ish idea at the time) back then. It wasn't an official product of the candy company - rather it was the dream of online entrepreneur Patrick Misterovich, who licensed the iconic design from PEZ. The player is the same size as a genuine PEZ dispenser, and the plastic boy head on top a duplicate of one of the first collectible PEZ dispensers back in 1955.

When you flip open the head, instead of being greeted by that familiar chalky candy, instead there's a power switch. One side of the player features simple navigation controls (forget any playlists here people - this is just a very basic player), as well as the mini USB player for loading up the built in memory. The headphone jack is in the dispenser's nape, and it's all powered by a single AAA battery.

The player was a limited edition of 1200 (though there are conflicting reports,  there may be more out there), with the promise of more designs to come. As it turned out, the plastic faced boy model was the only style to ever hit the market (which seems odd - all you'd have to do for future models is change heads, right?), so this model became a hot collectible. Even when it was new, the player was on the expensive side at $100 for 512 megs of non-expandable memory. Nevertheless, it apparently made Patrick Misterovich an internet millionaire, at least according to one report. These days, your only hope of finding a player is on Ebay where they are quite scarce, and can command over a hundred bucks.

Sadly with all that MP3 player technology crammed into the dispenser, there is no room left over for any candy. I wish they'd left room for at least one of the candy bricks,,. just for emergency purposes, you understand.

related:
the first mp3 player
mp3 player in the shape of a cassette
Elaborate mp3 system for Game Boy that never got very far

The Wireless Walkman... From 1988

In 1988, Sony unveiled a remarkably small unit, the WM-505 (I can't confirm this was ever released in the USA - mine has Japanese writing on it...). There was no shape-shifting transformation needed to play cassettes, and the unit boasted wireless headphones. That's right, 20 years before Bluetooth you could jam out to your mix tapes without getting tangled up in cords. Sadly, I can't report how well it works as I don't have the wireless earbuds, which also would have been relatively new in 1988.

Key to this model's compactness is the use of a slim ni-cad battery (sometimes called a "gumstick") in both the player and the headphones' wireless receiver. Fortunately an add-on unit lets you plug in a regular AA battery. Also the playback head is tucked into the door like on the WM-10 to save space. All metal construction is thinner and more durable than plastic would have been, and does a superior job of protecting the expensive unit from inevitable knocks. 

Back In 1983, Sony had created the WM-10; a miniaturized Walkman not much larger than the cassette itself, though it was a bit of a cheat. In order to play a cassette, the WM-10 has to expand to actually fit the tape. A new sort of motor, and new ideas about how to drive it with a single AA battery made it possible to create a cassette player about the size of a cassette case. The result was tres chic, and predictably fragile. Sony was justifiably proud of their achievement, and even show off the WM-10's innards in a commercial from the 80s.

These two aren't the only examples of miniaturization of the portable cassette player. Other manufacturers toyed with reducing the size of portable cassette players, but Sony was always at the forefront in the portable cassette player game in those years. Even non-brand players tried to get small. We once featured a cheap knock-off unit that paid tribute to (stole?) many of Sony's space-saving strategies - which would have been great if the darned thing actually worked.

Mega Giveaway: AutoValve Tape & Vinyl Effects For iPod

The isupr8 film emulator guys have a new app that adds the warmth of analog to your iPod Touch or iPhone music library. AutoValve adds real-time vinyl, reel-to-reel tape and even 8-track effects to your music. You can add needle drops, pops and crackle using three different vinyl samples, or select reel-to-reel to add a bit of tape noise. To complete the illusion, you can select a 60s or 70s skin and enjoy bouncing VU meters and vintage knobs and switches.

I know it's not the same as the real thing, but there's something exciting about the silence between the needle hitting the track and the first few seconds of a well-loved song. Besides, dragging a Revox A77 reel-to-reel deck along in the car is dangerously impractical, even for a vintage gear nut like me.

If you'd like to take AutoValve for a spin on your iPod Touch or iPhone, leave a comment on this post. We've got a couple of dozen free copies to give away to randomly selected commenters. The contest closes at midnight GMT on Friday, Sept 30, 2011, winners will be notified by email.

AutoValve: Retro Analog Audio Processor

Charming Canadian Clairtones

Sleek industrial design and cutting-edge electronics have always gone hand in hand. A case in point: Clairtone, founded in 1958 by serial entrepreneur Peter Munk and designer David Gilmour.

From the bachelor pad cool Clairtone Model G to the futuristic colour G-TV, Clairtone put Canadian technology on the world stage for a decade until the company faltered and vanished overnight in the late 1960s.

Here's a look at some outstanding equipment from the Clairtone Facebook group.

Clairtone.ca explains: "In the sixties, Clairtone’s Project G stereo was the epitome of bachelor pad cool. It transformed the traditional console box by cantilevering its speakers outside the Scandinavian-style modern cabinet. It won a silver medal at the 1964 Milan Triennale, the international design industry’s most prestigious exhibition, and was adopted by progressives within the arts and entertainment community.

Frank Sinatra endorsed it, and G series models appeared in films such as The Graduate with Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman and A Fine Madness with Sean Connery. Hugh Hefner bought a unit for the Playboy Mansion and jazz legend Oscar Peterson claimed that his music sounded as good on a Project G as it did live."

Join the Clairtone Facebook group and help build an online Clairtone community!

After Months of Breathless Anticipation, Sony Introduces A New AM/FM Radio

It's like 1991 all over again, except without the cassette tapes. Sony is set to debut the SRF-18 transistor radio in Japan at the end of October. Its cleverest feature: It can output audio to an mp3 player or phone. Its second cleverest feature: You can play audio from your mp3 player through its 80 mW speakers.

In all seriousness, this the perfect radio to have around if a Godzilla were to suddenly plunge your seaside town into a dark and scary radioactive nightmare, since two AA batteries will provide almost 2 days of up-to-the-minute emergency broadcasts.

The price for all this analog awesomeness? About $45.

Sony SRF-18 Portable Radio [translated]

Minimus 7 - Classic Speakers From Radio Shack

 
If you're a lifelong Radio Shack fan like me, this time of year used to mean one thing to you... the "dads and grads" sale at Radio Shack. The main product I was usually looking for was the stalwart Minimus 7 bookshelf speakers - a perennial favorite at Radio Shack for nearly 30 years. In the spring you could get them for 50% off, making your buy-in for a good basic set of mini speakers somewhere in the $30 range - a difficult deal to duplicate today.

The basic model folks remember is probably the steel cased version, though over the years there were wooden cabinets, and even a sheilded "AV" variety when they started to carry the "Optimus" house brand. They are surprisingly good speakers, especially considering the size and price. Sadly Radio Shack doesn't carry them anymore. For a little while, they sold the Minimus 7 under the RCA brand, but they've been gone for some years. They still offer other low-cost bookshelf speakers, but they're not the same. Your best bet to find an authentic pair these days is Ebay.

Minimus speakers were ideal as part of a second stereo system in a bedroom or office, or as part of a surround sound setup. I paired them with a subwoofer I got from a Radio Shack outlet store for $20, and had a very nice satellite system for years. The Minimus 7 became the target of modders trying to coax even better sound out of these bargain speakers. You can find pre-made upgrade kits on Ebay.

It's not that the world is devoid of cheap speakers, the problem is simply that they often don't sound very good. There are all those little devices that people hook iPods up to, but sadly the speakers don't really move much air. Hard to get excited about music that sounds like that. It's always best to shop with your ears when buying speakers, but finding a place that will let you test speakers before you buy is getting more and more rare. I haven't found a common speaker that duplicates the price/performance ratio of the reliable Minimus 7. Despite their mini size, Minimus 7 speakers always packed a surprising punch without being a financial knockout.

link:

Radio Shack Minimus 7 speakers on Ebay
Upgrade kit to maximize your Minimus

related:

The real story of the "new" Radio Shack
Radio Shack's classic Flavoradio
Radio Shack Executive Decision Maker

Oh, How Far We've Come

Gerard recently sent a few photos of this old Sony table radio, asking for more information.

It's a Sony TR-72, released only a few months after the company's legendary TR-55 transistor set. This model was imported into Canada between 1956 and 1960 by Manitoba-based Gendis (General Distributors) -- hence the "Gendis / Sony" branding on the tuning knob. These radios were quite popular in Canada for a year or so before the Sony TR-63 made its way to the USA, and a total of around 40,000 TR-72s were produced. 

The 10 cm speaker puts out 0.2W of sound, and the set is powered by 3 x 1.5V batteries. There was apparently considerable variation in the color of the wooden case, which adds to the unit's charm and collectability.

Above all, the TR-72 is a wonderful reminder of how much technology has changed in only a few decades.

Build Your Own AM/FM Radio

There has been a fantastic resurgence in DIY over the past decade, driven in part by the emergence of thriving online communities and magazines such as Make. The coolest thing about making stuff is that once you've made or restored one thing, you find yourself moving on to bigger, better and cooler projects.

However, you need to find the perfect project to get started. If it's too simple, you'll lose interest. Too difficult and you're likely to fling a wrench into the crooked turbine blades of your half-finished stealth hovercraft.

That's why I love electronic kits like this Elenco AM/FM radio. It's been on the market for over 20 years, but that doesn't make it any less cool. The circuit board is cleverly laid out with the parts installed on top of a silk-screened schematic -- a great way to tie theory and practice together. Even if you don't understand precisely how it all works, you'll learn a far bit about the various stages of a superhet radio receiver.

The Elenco AM/FM radio kit is available from Amazon for $30.57. There's also a simpler AM-only version for $17.69.

Sony Finally Gets Something Right

Sony's new DAB+ radio is exactly the kind of retro-styled receiver I'd like to have kicking around the house. The XDR-S16DBP is encased in an attractive wood cabinet and offers DAB/DAB+/FM reception, 0.8W + 0.8W stereo speakers and a two line LCD display. It weighs 1.7 kg and measures approx. 270 mm × 140 mm × 112 mm. My only gripe is that it offers only 10 DAB and 10 FM presets -- why so stingy, Sony?

DAB+ is an updated version of the DAB digital standard that has been on the air since 1995. The new format makes use of the AAC+ codec, allowing twice as efficient compression as the original. It should alleviate quality complaints and improve reception in fringe areas thanks to more robust Reed-Solomon error correction.

Available in Europe, Australia and other advanced nations with free-to-air DAB service. Here in North America, we'll continue to pluck banjos on the front porch while cleaning our shotguns.

Sony Introduces First DAB+ Radios

The Briefcase Stereo

 

I might be revealing a bit too much about my deranged psyche, but if I owned this portable stereo I'd be inclined to take it along when traveling by air. Yes, I'll be the guy who holds up the security line while attracting the attention of a gaggle of screeners and a couple of nasty looking characters with guns.

And I'll take up three seats in the departure area -- one for me, one for my lunch and one for my "briefcase." Of course, I won't be able to hear your grumbling because I'll be blasting chiptune 45s through my stunningly pea-green Panasonic cans.

Uh. Forget I said all that. Well, except for the bit about chiptune 45s -- they'd be wickedly cool.

This Arc Stereo Sound System is thoroughly awesome. It'll cheerfully spin 33s, 45s and even your great-grandpa's 78s. There's a throroughtly modern AM/FM radio, cassette player, two pull-out speakers and it runs off either AC or batteries -- just like an ipod. Heck -- unlike an iPod -- it has two microphones, just in case you want to record the goings-on in a LaGuardia departure lounge in glorious stereo.

It goes without saying that this much 1970s hipness requires heavy security, provided by a pair of keys and a genuinely lockable lock. For once, I am speechless.

It can be yours on eBay for a mere AUS$349, plus a gazillion eurobucks to ship it from Australia. Unless you're already in Australia, in which case it's an absolute bargain. [thanks, Claymore!]

Koss PortaPro Headphones

I am always on the lookout for decent portable headphones. The foam-covered earbuds that come with Apple products just don't fit my ears that well and fall out. I have had decent luck with those rubber-tipped in-ear models, but I am too cheap to spend more than $10 on earbuds, so I expect them to invariably fail quickly. Which is why I think my next on-the-go headphones are going to be the Koss PortaPros.

The world of portable music has changed quite a bit since the PortaPro came out in 1984, but the headphones represent a nice compromise between big over-the-ear cans and tiny earbuds. They don't provide the noise-cancellation or the full musical privacy of full over-the-ear headphones, but they fold into a much smaller package than their bulkier brethren. And, by most accounts, they sound great.

The "temporal pad" above the speaker is an important design element of the PortaPro. The pad appeared on the PortaPro's predecessor, the Koss Sound Partner, and is designed to transfer headband pressure to the temporal bone above the ear. Koss says the design worked so well that John C. Koss "actually stood on his head on the convention floor of the Consumer Electronics Show to demonstrate its ability to stay put."

The PortaPro has a much more sophisticated speaker housing than the Sound Partner. An adjustable "comfort zone" setting for the temporal pad and pivoting ear cups allow the speaker to actually float over the ear.

Two years ago, Koss issued a special 25th anniversary edition of the PortaPro with a fancy case, an all-black finish and a cloth-covered cord. They seem to be sold out, but I probably wouldn't spend the extra money for them anyway. Standard PortaPros with retro blue accents run about $35 and come with a lifetime warranty.

Sounds good to me.

Tapes Banished From Car Showrooms. Is The Wagon Next?

A recent story in The New York Times said that the factory-installed cassette deck is dead. I found that notable, but not that surprising. I mean, I was mildly surprised that the last car to have a cassette deck as an option was a Lexus, not a Buick, but is anyone shocked that there's not much incentive for manufacturers to offer tape decks in cars in 2011? (Tapeheads, you can still rock out to wow and flutter with a new car receiver, but your options are limited. Crutchfield sells four head units that play tapes. Best Buy, according to its website, sells one.)

An even more ominous headline in Fortune, however, caught my eye: The death of the station wagon. The essay is pinned on Volvo, which will soon stop selling wagons in the U.S. The last Volvo wagon being sold stateside is the V50, but it won't be around dealers for much longer. The company sold fewer than 500 of them here last year.

According to Fortune, "Edmunds.com, the online-car buying site, lists 115 kinds of SUVs and 92 types of crossovers but only 31 varieties of station wagon. Even that count is suspect. It includes a Ford Flex, which is a minivan in disguise, and the bizarre Dodge Caliber."

Unlike Fortune, I actually think there's good news for American car buyers who dislike the compromises inherent in SUVs and crossovers. From what I have seen, there are plenty of new wagon-like cars out there. They're just not all called wagons.

Acura, for example, recently introduced a new TSX wagon, but it prefers the term "Sport Wagon." The five-door flavors of the Mazda 3 and Subaru Impreza are called hatchbacks, but you sure would have a hard time explaining the difference. And more hatchbacks are arriving every year, with companies like Mitsubishi and Kia recently bringing five-doors to the U.S. The Germans still seem to be selling wagons — or at least trying to. And some of the oddball Japanese boxes-on-wheels like the Nissan Cube and Scion xB might not be wagons, but I am not sure what else you can call them.

I doubt the station wagon will ever regain its total grip on American suburbia, but I think it's too soon to call the wagon dead. The name might be passé. They probably won't be as boxy. You might see fewer of them out there. But I have to think cars — and I do mean cars — with five doors will be around for a long time.

Schiit Lyr 6W Tube Headphone Amp

I am juvenile enough to admit that I enjoy writing about Schiit Audio just because of the name. Their latest aluminum-clad creation is the $449 Lyr hybrid headphone amp that pumps out a terrifying 6W RMS directly into your noggin. They explain:

"Now, if you’re a headphone guy, you’re thinking 'Holy Schiit! 6 watts! That’ll make the magic smoke come out of my headphones! Why the hell do you need that kind of power?' Well, we have one word for you: orthodynamics. And two more: Why not? If everyone wanted polite little low-power headphone amps, this would be one awfully boring world, wouldn’t it?"

For those who don't remember, orthodynamic headphones were a fad in the 1980s. They use magnets with opposing charges instead of more common electrostatic diaphragms. The result is a very musical set of cans, but they need a massive amount of power. That's where the Lyr comes in.

The Lyr claims 0.1% THD 20Hz- 20kHz at 1V and features a pair of ECC88 dual triode tubes.The company encourages you to try substituting 6DJ8 or 6922 tubes -- new or old -- in your quest for the perfect tube tone.

The amp includes a 5 year warranty (except for the tubes, which are covered for 90 days) and pre-orders will ship on March 1, 2011.

Schiit Lyr Headphone Amplifier [via OhGizmo!]

50 Years Later: Clairtone Braun T523 Radio

The beautiful Braun T523 was marketed in North America by Canadian audio manufacturer Clairtone. The understated 1962 Dieter Rams design hid a state of the art AM/FM/SW radio inside an equally modern all-plastic shell. It's hard to fully appreciate how forward-thinking this design was, because so many of Braun's design cues have become second nature in the electronics industry.

In this instance, the spartan control panel is perfectly balanced visually, right down to the minuscule silkscreen legends that are the norm these days. Even the power indicator wouldn't be out of place on a modern digital media box. To top everything off, there's a 10 cm speaker covertly hidden under the bottom/front panel that puts out 0.8 W.

The T523 was intended to be eminently portable and runs off 6 x 1.5V dry cell batteries, with an optional car mount so you could enjoy the glory of high fidelity FM wherever the road led. This example is currently on eBay with a bid price of $200, although it's not in working condition. Let's hope it finds a good home.

Braun Portable FM/AM/SW Radio by Dieter Rams [via Clairtone.ca]

A Beautiful Italian Micro Record Player

French synthesist Johannes Roussel spotted Pete Verando's Commodore micro turntable a few days ago and wrote, "I own a record player that is very similar but made in Italy by a company named Mo-El in Milano. Mine can play 45 and 33.

It has the same kind of small wheel that drives the record from below. It has no amplifier but instead includes an AM transmitter that works in the 250 to 300 m range. You have to put a radio next to the record player in order to play the music. This appliance is powered with batteries but unfortunately the size in not available anymore so I didn't have the opportiunity to see it running."