Buying my first CD in over 20 years
A trip down musical memory lane
I bought a CD recently, my first in over 20 years. It was the soundtrack from the Cowboy Bebop anime, which I had downloaded in MP3 format many years ago (thanks Napster!). Peeling off the shrink wrap, taking the CD out of its plastic case, and loading it in my newly-bought Fiio DM13 CD player (around S$192 on AliExpress) was certainly an experience that unearthed some long-dormant memories.
But first I had to wrest with the less-than-intuitive controls on the DM13. For starters, there’s no dedicated stop button. Instead you press the Power and Function buttons together. I was too lazy to bust out my wired headphones, so I connected the DM13 to my Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 speaker via Bluetooth.
Except there isn’t a Bluetooth pairing button. I had to use another shortcut — press and hold the Previous track button. I also realised — only after a couple of days — that pressing and holding the Next track button actually removed the existing Bluetooth pairing. Which explained why the Bluetooth speaker sometimes disconnected seemingly at random.
But fiddly controls aside, the Fiio DM13 sounded good. The sight of the spinning disc through its transparent window evoked an unexpected spark of joy. More importantly, it gave me the opportunity to revisit my CD collection, which I hadn’t touched in years.
Spanning my teenage years to early adulthood, these CDs were an insight into my musical tastes and influences, and how they had evolved over the years.
For example, I bought the soundtrack for Shine, after watching the movie about pianist David Helfgott (played by Geoffrey Rush in his breakthrough Oscar-winning role). This was my introduction to Russian Romantic composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. I would end up buying all his concertos and symphonies.
The easy-listening tunes of Kenny G led to other jazz musicians like John Coltrane and Miles Davis. There were a couple of CDs from Chinese pop singers from my teenage years — I was trying to fit in with my classmates — while the Beatles eventually led to Franz Ferdinand and Coldplay.
Then there were the memories. My 4-CD Star Wars Trilogy Original Soundtrack Anthology was purchased at a long-gone record store at a shopping centre which has since been demolished and rebuilt. It was expensive for a teenager. But I spent hours listening to it on the sofa on an Aiwa stereo system, flipping thru the liner notes ever so carefully. There are now specks of mold on the CDs. Thankfully, the DM13 still played them without any skips.
Spotting my late father’s small and neat handwriting — he would stamp the date of purchase and the family name on the price label when he bought a CD for me — brought a pang of sadness.
That world of physical media is mostly gone now. Yes, vinyl is back, and that’s great. But I grew up on cassettes and CDs. Vinyl doesn’t hold any nostalgia for me. While streaming music services are so convenient, they do feel lacking in some ways. The tactile feel of the disc, the human connection with a record store owner. Discovering new music isn’t quite the same, it’s all algorithms now.
While the Fiio DM13 is a portable CD player, I doubt I will use it on the go. That’s a step too far. But I will be looking to buy new CDs (and second-hand ones from Carousell). The DM13 will have a place in my bedroom, perhaps connected to Fiio’s new budget JT7 planar headphones or my Sonos Era 100 speakers.
In our latest reviews, we tried Razer’s new pro-grade controller for the PlayStation 5, entered a futuristic virtual world via Apple’s upgraded Vision Pro headset, and tested a versatile fan from a local brand.
The Razer Raiju V3 Pro controller for the PlayStation 5 (and PC) swaps the best feature of Sony’s DualSense controller — the haptics and rumble — for the latest advancement in joystick tech, TMR thumbsticks that are more accurate, and won’t suffer from stick drift like the DualSense. It also has extra remappable buttons that can be customised using Razer’s mobile or desktop app.
The latest Apple Vision Pro gets an upgrade with the more powerful M5 chip, but it’s the excellent Dual Knit Band, which makes the headset much more comfortable to wear, that’s the real improvement here. The downside is that the headset remains too expensive for most folks, while virtual reality is still too niche, and lacks a killer app.
If you’re wondering what to spend your climate vouchers on, consider the Nnio Lunar-Vortex. This 10” fan offers three adjustable heights and intuitive touch controls. It also runs relatively quiet, while the breeze from the fan is decent at up to 5 metres. Maintenance is also fuss-free, though I would have liked a longer power cable.