Yeah, I brought it—the one pulled out of storage a few weeks ago—to work. When my supe saw it sitting on my desk, he pointed and said, "Oh my god…is that a Discman?!" like it was some newly unearthed relic. (Which, I suppose it honestly is these days.) This of course led into a long, refreshing non-work related discussion about why I've gone back to listening to CDs, the price of vinyl, the general need for physical media in our lives, and the never-ending greed of the music industry.
He told me he'd be all over physical media again if it weren't for the fact he had small children and an even smaller house. What one had to do with the other—or in fact how either one prevented him from owning physical media, especially CDs— escaped me, but I just did what I so often do around the office: I smiled an nodded.
But I gotta tell you, when I'm plugged in and some Japanese jazz or 70s disco is spinning away, it really does wonders for my attitude. And it's even different from just playing tunes from my laptop into my AirPods. There's something about the physicality of the process that just seems more—intimate—and puts a smile on my face.
Am I obsessed? I'm a Gemini; of course I am. I get obsessed with whatever shiny object captures my attention at any given time for a while and then I move on. I expect the same thing to happen here, but it may take a while. (I mean, look at how long my vinyl obsession lasted—decades!) I dropped $35 on eBay last night for yet another model Discman; this one more contemporary to either this D-171 or my all-metal 80s era D-10. The one I bought last night has anti-skip protection—"G-Force" something or other that neither the D-171 or the D-10 had—so I suspect this will be my daily driver for in-office use going forward even though the D-10 will remain my ultimate hi-fi desk mate at home where it's much less likely to get jostled. It will at least make those three days a week when I have to physically be present at HQ much more enjoyable.