Here is an odd turn of events. I have been saving for a nice pair of headphones (Shure 535’s) and decided to get a mini amp (Fiio - Mont Blanc) since phone’s don’t have the power to do them justice. The amp is nicely crafted with brushed aluminum for its enclosure. To turn it on and control volume there is a knob with a rough but pleasant to touch texture. It has a satisfying click and I find myself envying the control over volume more than with the rockers on the phones that I have used since as long as my memory goes back for that kind of thing. This input control is a throwback for me because the phone has completely replaced anything else as my music player. It’s been several years since I used a real, not the svg version of a, knob to control volume. I wonder if its the act of grasping the rough machined edges of the knob and turning that adds to my experience? Coupled to that and somewhere deep in the ancient recessed of my memory is fiddling with the audio systems that my dad had when I was a kid. I remember when he first hooked them up to video setup we had then and we watched Time Bandits. Still epic in my memory. The sound was awesome and I remember that more than the crappy crt tv that it played on. Can / will / should- digital ever be able to replace that kind of experience? Or, as the dependence on physical things like amps wanes, will the digital equivalents find there way into the next generation and they make memories with their own experiences?
6/1/2015 ~ 2 min read
