Thanks for the Music, iPod …

… but they are gone, now!

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Released on October 23, 2001, just eight and a half months after iTunes came out on the Mac, I bought this at the end of November, 2001. What a delightful piece (and still my favourite iPod).

I soon got one for Nuzhat and she listens to it everyday at her work and travel. And its always carried by her in her old Altoids box.

Both iPods still work!
Of course! They are Apple Products, so obviously they work.

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In a few years the iPods changed a bit in style and form … and, eventually, they got Screens. We could view and choose from lists of things we could put on them. By the way, they arrived with Apple Covers and Labels.

As I bought my 2nd and 3rd iPods almost as soon as they came out I could use them on different days with my Apple Speakers that are amazing. Sitting on a side table in our Dining Room, the air is filled with music all the time. The 2nd iPod (playing in the picture) has Eastern Music; the 3rd iPod has Western Music.

The last iPod I bought and gave to my wife was the little one … and she will use it some day. Heheh. Well, she does, on a couple of days - but mainly its her first iPod that's heard by her all the time. 

My own first iPod was used for my morning walks. When I got my Pacemaker fitted I was told that I could not have the speakers in my ear and would need to have Bluetooth or ELS stuff. So I did buy 3 Bluetooth headphones.

One for Travel on long flights. The Naztech one has 30 hours of running time on it, so it works on my US Flights. And back.

One more that stays on my Treadmill at home.

And an Earbud that I use at work.

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Of course the old iPod has no Bluetooth! But I added a little gadget to it and it works with any one of my Bluetooth Headphones. Isn't life wonderful.

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Thanks, Apple.

We all knew the iPods had to go at some point.

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Oh. Just one more thing :)
Here's a quote from my Facebook post when SJ died.

When engineers working on the very first iPod completed the prototype, they presented their work to Steve Jobs for his approval. Jobs played with the device, scrutinized it, weighed it in his hands, and promptly rejected it. It was too big.

The engineers explained that they had to reinvent inventing to create the iPod, and that it was simply impossible to make it any smaller.

Jobs was quiet for a moment. Finally he stood, walked over to an aquarium, and dropped the iPod in the tank. After it touched bottom, bubbles floated to the top.

 "Those are air bubbles," he snapped. "That means there's space in there. Make it smaller."

[Steve Jobs, we loved your insights and your involvement in design … and the perfection you brought to the world.]

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And when one is talking about Music:

The STAX Electronic Headphone I bought in 1982 when I was in Hong Kong. Expensive (USD $1000) but brilliant. They are 35 years old and work beautifully. Generally attached to my HiFi system, they also attach to my iMac and, occasionally, to my Zoom Recorder for live recordings, I adore it.

Electronic Speakers are a must! Mine are Quad ESLand they have no standard speakers in them. They just have a stretch of a flat substance inside that is powered by electrics through a plug. The substance stays flat until the sound vibrates it and it moves forward and backwards, producing the cleanest sound possible. They were brought in Hong Kong in 1984 while I was there and shipped with my (late) friend Jalal Akbar's luggage when he came to Pakistan.

Take a look at how thin they are …

There is no added heavy Bass, so many Pop listeners don't use these … but for many people who listen to Classical and Pop, they do want to add Bass. Mordaunt Short makes a set-up with Quad's Speakers and their own Woofer added to it. A friend of mine has them and they do sound brilliant. Specially if you love the Bass.

I am an Analogue lover (oh I do have CDs, too) so my LPs and Tapes sound remarkable through my set-up. Specially my Reel-to-Reels, recorded on a Revox A77.

I had to spend my last £150 in 1971 (on my first trip on the ship with my wife, Nuzhat) to buy this at Imhofs in London. That makes it 46 years old. And what a piece of art and sound it is. Still used, if we have a classical session at home.

But I do add a Zoom H4

so that I can make CDs for T2F.

And all said and done, the Zoom is remarkably good,

specially with its wonderful microphones.

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I listen to Western Classical, Opera, Jazz, Many Vocals, Eastern Shüdh Classical, Qavvāli, Some Pops from East and West, and tons of Spoken Word - much of which I have recorded (including Müshāérahs). Not too fond of heavy bass, I am fine with my Quad ESLs. But you've got to send good clean sound to them.

Since all my music is listened to on a Flat Setting (not in the way my photos below show, where I wanted you to see the Controls they have), my Quad Pre-Amp and Amp are the best bets. I have had their first product which has inputs for different forms of 78s, as well. Great for my large collection of 78s dating back to the First World War PLUS a few of much older classical pieces.

They started with a Pre-Amp called Acoustical

and eventually moved on to the Quad 33 that could play LPs, 45s, 78s, Reel-to-Reel Tape Formats and Cassettes … with controls that filtered the sounds to a T! Naturally I bought the 33.

But the PreAmps need an Amplifier, so the Quad 303was a must. It stayed for many, many years with me but it died during a Pakistani Electrical Whoooof … and no one could repair it here.

Sad to see you go, 303 :(

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But Quad had a new Amp out, so I bought it; The Quad 306.

Sitting between my favourite Classical Composers.

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The old Quad ESLs do exceedingly well. In any case, as old age approaches, my ears aren't as good as they were once … so no change of speakers would be welcome, now, anyway :)

•••••

Bye, guys. I have to go back and listen to Sant Andreu Jazz Band on my CD. Although I have a load of LPs that I listen to — and they are a lot better than CDs, anyway — I have stopped buying them. They disappeared and have now come back, but not sold here (and are far too expensive abroad).

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Incidentally, Cassette Tapes are back, too. And a good Cassette Player beats the CDs, as well.  Analogue is a lot better than Digital … at least so far. However, while finding the right piece and turning the tape over has been made easier, the best player is an expensive piece and you'll have to wait until more Cassette Tapes are released. But if you've got a large selection of Cassettes in your house, go for it. And get one like this that turns them into CDs or MP3.

Bye!