Oh look – portable record player and albums in public. That’s so hip! I wonder what he’s listening to? Shovels and Rope? Arcade Fire? Songs of the Humpbacked Whale? I bet it’s something amazing we’ve never heard of.
I like the slim player – the headphones not to so much. You could get a similar look and likely better sound with the Sennheiser HD-1 (Ivory). And really, why doesn’t he have a portable amp? Who listens to analog without an amp?
Anyway – digital music is where it’s at.
My Dream Rig is Digital
In college, I toted around a fancy portable computer, an IBM Portable PC 5155 and an extension cord. I’d sit outside and compose poetry on its tiny green screen and save to floppies. If I was a hipster, that’s what I’d choose for my rig.
You know, if it was capable of playing a decent digital audio file. It wasn’t – 8-bit with an expansion card, maybe. And a single 24-bit 96Khz copy of The Doors’ song, Light My Fire would run between 150,000 KB – 300,000 KB. The IBM 5155 had no internal storage. It sported dual 320 KB 5.25″ floppy drives. The DSF version would require about 903 disks.
And yes, this is a challenge
I want to walk into a cafe and see someone sipping a Pabst or an IPA, listening to 24-bit FLAC or DSF on an IBM 5155 through a pair of portable/closed back audiophile grade headphones* while composing stories or poems on a vintage manual typewriter. Tartan jacket with elbow pads would be a nice touch.
*Or these Hear Muffs, because they’re so damned sexy!:
