realm's word

Are the ‘oldies’ a shiny, rich yellow-orange colour and worthy of being likened to the precious metallic element globally considered as being a monetary benchmark? Why are oldies ‘golden’? Are the originals the best?

Now, this is a blog entry, so I’ll expand on what Is clearly a broad subject. Let’s make this topical and keep on point, as the rule/classification of ‘golden oldies’ can and is applied to all ‘originals’, be they TV shows, Art, Music, Movies and pretty much any other man-made creations which over time are updated, refined and altered.

Clearly, fashion dictates design in a big way, although is not the sole driving force behind change, as conditional requirements force the use of new materials in order to adapt an object to use under varied circumstances.

Let us put this into a context and as it’s my blog, I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I may direct this onto a blog train track of my choice.

Being a geek at heart, I will therefore make this specific to electronic devices and even more specific, three categories: Headphones, Turntables and Mixers. Furthermore, going back as far as the first ever Turntable and Headphones seems a step too far so our starting point is when I began my DJ career.

I actually didn’t own Turntables until I was 17 years old (although I had plenty of records!), four years after my DJing began. Instead I’d mix on friends’ Decks until my Parents decided it wasn’t a fad and were kind enough to buy me some second-hand Turntables, originally owned by a well known English D’n’B DJ.

My original DJ set –up consisted of 2x Technics 1210 mkII, Sony MDRV 500 Headphones and some 2 Channel RadioShack mixer.

Clearly the set-up changed and I soon upgraded. However I still own the Decks and simply don’t need to touch them, bumps and scratch marks aside, they are perfect, even if they’re well over 10 years old.

I remember the times before ‘everyone’ had Technics turntables, people had all sorts of brands with belt drive movement and cheap plastic facades. Those were the days – imagine trying to mix two records which were spinning at inconsistent speeds! Well, the 1210’s represented the antithesis of turntables and everyone aimed to own a pair.

Even with Vestax, Stanton and Numark all releasing ‘tables with more powerful motors and technological updates, the classic 1210 is yet to be dethroned and remains the industry standard in all nightclubs.

My Sony headphones were OK, but as soon as I could afford to upgrade, I did so. But me being me, I had to research. I’d seen some older DJ’s using skimpy, ugly looking ‘Cans’ with twisted wires and electro tape holding them together and I’d always wondered...’why??!?!?!?!’.

It turned out that they we Sennheiser HD-25sp cans. So I read up and learnt that these basic, plain headphones were monsters, the stats outshone all others which included competition from Technics, Sony, Pioneer. Whilst the others admittedly looked aesthetically pleasing, the Sennheiser’s – then a relatively unknown, niche brand – were statistically unparalleled AND all parts were replaceable, so they’re headphones for life. The sound’s rich, clear and the design blocks outside noise well. I decided to go up the Sennheiser pecking order and opt for the HD25 model which had a knot-free cable and more sturdy head band. I’m using them whilst writing this, I’ve owned them for years and they’re like new.

Are there better options available on the market now? It’s possible, but I wouldn’t know – I have no reason to look.

My original mixer, retrospectively, was abysmal. At the time it was great to me – it was my first and I was ecstatic to simply have a mixer. For the first year of owning it I was totally happy, it served the purpose. But mixer’s are strange objects. I have an emotional attachment to my Decks and to a certain extent, my Headphones – I think they’re the best and won’t hear anything to counter my factual opinion!

I upgraded my mixer to a Stanton SK2F Limited Edition but as much as I liked my new mixer, I had a wandering eye, committing mixer bigamy on whatever sweet piece of mixer goodness was released into the market.

All DJ’s are mixer agnostic. Why? Easy enough to explain – we want reliability from Turntables and quality from Headphones. These are elements which require consistent performance. Mixer’s however are the element which when changed, allow DJ’s to expand their techniques. A paddle-shift gear changes on a sports car will allow for a quicker gear shift, thus the race driver can concentrate on winning the race. A zip-fly on a pair of jeans was a nice addition to speed up and simplify getting dressed, no more fiddly buttons. The Apple iPhone allows for a full media experience, no need for a portable DVD player, separate MP3 player or PDA. I think you get the direction I’m headed, mixers are the element to a DJ’s arsenal which allows for innovation and adaptation – it excites us.

The Technics 1210 wont relinquish its thrown. It will never be replaced by another Turntable for the ‘industry standard’ title. Mark my words, the day that it steps down. Its replacement will be a fully Digital alternative. It’s a true Golden Oldie. As for the Headphones and Mixer, there is no such thing as a Golden Oldie – there’s always room for improvement – lighter headphones, wireless, better crossfader, increased functionality etc.

It’ll always amaze me that once in a blue moon, a designer or engineer will produce a revelation, something so good that it is unnecessary and near on impossible to improve upon.

The Technics 1210, perfect, Golden.