Late-stage-capitalism has us longing for a simpler time
One of the earliest teenage memories I have is sitting by the radio at 8pm every night to listen in to the DJ take requests and song dedications. I used to have a blank cassette tape ready to record the latest and greatest songs. I had to hit the record and play buttons at the same time to actually record the songs!
That period was also the time where we transitioned from cassette tapes to CDs. One of the first CDs I recall buying was the Enigma – The Cross of Changes album (the one with Return to Innocence) when I was on the way home from school. There was a small little music shop at the bus interchange, and it was where I usually bought my CDs, before Tower Records landed on these shores. The early 90’s were magical, with so many different genres all battling for prominence – rock, pop, hip-hop (hooray), grunge, alternative and so many more. My CD collection is a testament to that fact!
We used to pass around CDs in my class, with the one who owned the latest CDs being the most popular kid for the day. It was an easy way to get cred amongst my peers, and the feeling of being the cool kid (for a day) is something that triggers fond memories and nostalgia for me. So many songs of that era connect to so many memories for me and I recently had the opportunity to rekindle some of those memories when I picked up a CD player and some new/old CDs in Japan.
The Fiio DM13
I have been eyeing the Fiio DM13 for a couple of months. The version with the see-through top reminded me of the old Sony Discman I used to carry around everywhere strapped to my waist. It is a cool piece of kit, and the tech specs are pretty decent for a device in this price range:
- Op-amp: 2 x SGM8262
- DAC: 2 x CS43198
- USB Out
- Bluetooth support for SBC/aptX/aptX Low Latency/aptX HD
- 3.5mm headphone Output
- 4.4mm balanced headphone output
- Electronic Skip Protection
- Optical and coaxial outputs
- 3750mAh battery for 10 hours of playback
The DM13 runs about US$150 for the Bluetooth version (US$140 for the non-Bluetooth one), depending on retailer. I picked mine up in Japan for ¥21,000 — around US$132 at the exchange rate when I bought it, cheaper than buying it retail elsewhere.
The use of the CS43198 DAC gives the audio output a deep but slightly warmer tone. It delivers almost perfect bass and makes full use of the superior lossless audio that CDs can deliver. I pair it with the Simgot Supermix 4 IEM, and it transports me back to a time when Shaggy was still Mr Boombastic. 🤣
If you already have a CD collection and just want an excuse to spin it again, the DM13 is an easy buy — the dual CS43198 DACs punch above the price, and Electronic Skip Protection means it survives being tossed in a bag. If you’re starting a collection from zero, it’s a bigger ask: you’re budgeting for discs on top of the player, and buying into a single-purpose device in a world where your phone already does everything. For me, that’s the whole point.
Music as an Escape
Having a CD player let’s me focus on one thing, and one thing alone: the music. I’ve been using my PC and my phone as my primary audio devices for the last decade, and while they can deliver amazing audio quality, they also let me become easily distracted with emails, notifications and all the other attention-suckers of this modern world.
A CD player and a set of good headphones/IEMs is intentional and immersive. You sit down and let it take you on a 40 minute journey through the creative process of an artist. It’s just the music, you and your emotions. Nothing else matters for the duration of the CD you’re listening to. That is something I’ve dearly missed in this world of constant digital connections and interruptions. CDs (new and old), the Fiio DM13 and the Simgot Supermix 4 are the cheapest and easiest way to chase my worries away.
What is old will become new again
There is a silent rebellion going on in this late-stage-capitalist timeline we’re in. The younger generation is pushing back against the “own nothing and be happy” narrative being pushed down our throats by the billionaire overlords (that’s my lefty politics slipping through). A couple of recent headlines in the news that show the trend:
- Google pulls the Lord of the Rings digital editions from one user’s library
- Sony ending Playstation disks
- GTA 6 Retail Copies Will Include a Download Code Instead of a Disc
Consumers are being forced to subscribe to the cloud, and the people are having none of it. CD, blu-rays, records, wired headphones and film cameras are all flying off the shelves. Stop Killing Games got 1.2 million signatures and still failed to pass. Self-hosted media solutions like Plex and Jellyfin are more popular than ever. Personally, the privacy implications and the ever-changing “ownership” models were enough to drive me to set up an entire homelab to ensure I don’t give a single cent to the Epstein-class unless I have no other choice.
The Matrix was right
There’s a line from the Matrix that has been stuck in my head for almost 2 decades. It’s when Agent Smith is torturing Morpheus and tells him:
The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this: the peak of your civilization.
Agent Smith was right. The 90’s were the best. It was a time when we didn’t have to worry about whether we’re already in WW3, about enshittification, about technofeudalism, and the rise and fall of great powers. Instead of doomscrolling it away with the inane rubbish that’s on social media, I’ll let music smooth the savage beast: