Radios, the older the better

I love old radios: They look great, sound great, and usually work better than most anything made now.  Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they take up a lot of space that I just don't have.  I truly don't understand why we, as a listening public, have accepted the tone of a digital tuner, and forfeited the opportunity to properly tune a station, to what usually does not have the programming to handle more than 0.1 Hz refinement.  If you were born prior to 1976, you can still name a few of those great American brands (sorry, I was born in the US, and don't know the international brands as well), or at least recognize them.  Prior to that, you probably owned one and most like a couple.  Philco, Zenith, GE, Heathkit, Westinghouse, RCA, Fisher, Singer, even Radio Shack turned out some great tuners in the 60's and 70's.  With the proper antenna and a steady hand, you could pull in stations from all over.  One of my favorite features on older radios, was a secondary fine tuning dial that in some cases covered only 1Hz so you could truly refine the signal.

The better radios were the size of a chair, had huge speakers and pushed a ton of air to get even sound reproduction.  Any radio was expensive, but table-top models were at least almost affordable.  A cabinet style radio started around $100 and could easily reach near $300, while the tabletop model would be $30-$40.  As hi-fi developed, speakers increased in size, and the equipment became more expensive.  A young MIT graduate was to change all that.  His name, Henry Kloss.

The technologies that Kloss invented, co-invented, or perfected made quality radio and sound reproduction affordable and compact: acoustic suspension and electrostatic speaker, the solid state record player, arguably the best solid state compact hi-fi system, Dolby B, projection television (the first affordable large-screen tv format), computer speakers, and a number of high-selectivity table radios providing definition usually only found in expensive stand-alone tuners.  Think of companies like Advent, KLH, Cambridge Soundworks, and Tivoli, that's Henry Kloss.  It would not be an understatement to say he was one of the most transformative figures in home sound during the second half of the 20th Century.

Growing up, I remember a lot of fine music coming out of my sister's (very) used Fisher console stereo, and my father's giant (also very used) mono Klipsch cabinet speaker.  The Fisher sounded great, the bass was nice, the balance pretty damn good, and it was only slightly smaller than queen size bed.  The Klipsch alone was the size of the Fisher.  Other than the room installation a university professor friend of the family had, this was the best I'd heard.  But then a friend showed me his parents KLH model eleven.  A small suitcase and two little speakers.  The whole unit was smaller than a single speaker cabinet on my sister's Fisher.  Other than the bass, it beat the Fisher easily.  Later, Cambridge Soundworks came along, and I remember being blown away by the quality of the speakers.  It was about that time I learned that the same designer was behind the two companies.  When I read about the Tivoli company being founded by Kloss, I had to have one of his radios.  I purchased one of the first model twos and a model CD and have not been disappointed.  But, when I had the opportunity to pick up a KLH model twenty one, I had to grab it.

The KLH Model twenty one was a game changer.  Smaller than a lunchbox with a jack for a second speaker alone, remote speaker, external and internal antenna, and tuner output alone.  I have a fairly early one, serial #12345, with a fully solid wood cabinet.  It has been reported that over 100,000 units were sold. With a second 8 watt Roland monitor speaker attached, it can fill a room, without, it's more than capable of being your everyday desk radio.  The first, truly compact, solid state hi-fi radio, it is still better than most anything out there.  I'd love to get a KLH extension speaker to hear what the full hi-fi system sounds like.  Furhter, the cavity is tuned for the speaker, and then adjusted and baffled with a bag of fiberglass.  The unused jacks are even capped to keep the air cavity sealed.  I currently have it lodged in my garage with a dipole antenna.  Even within that space, in a town notorious for a lot of signal overlap, I get 20-30 stations that sound fantastic.   Below is a sampling of the most famous radios Kloss produced: KLH model eight (tube), KLH model twenty one (solid state), and the Tivoli Model one (solid state).  There is a definite family resemblance, one might argue and evolution.  My model two (model one with a stereo speaker) probably sounds as good as the model twenty one without the balance capabilities.  After Henry Kloss' death Tivoli continues, and has offered some fine models based on his work.  I personally own two Model Tens (stereo), a great clock radio with an equalizer and two slightly larger speakers that is no longer offered and a Song Book.  If you are interested in exploring a quality product at a reasonable price (for top-end audio reproduction) that continues to evolve with new audio technology (I believe all current models are Blue Tooth compatible) you should check out Tivoli.

There's a range to cheap, Pakistan to Japan

There is a range to cheap.  I've not seen a fountain pen within the past decade, that was less than $1.50.  Then there's the to end of cheap, which hovers around $20.  Above that, I have to think a bit and consider quality, writing pleasure, aesthetics, the whole package, more than I would otherwise. Today I'm looking at two recent acquisitions where I spent just about the same. The difference being I spent the same amount on one pen as on ten of the other.   An order of magnitude, and I'd say the same for quality.  

Dollar 717i loaded with Seitz Kreuznach Cinnamon Brown, MoMa MUJI with Manuscript/calligraphy.co.uk blue

 Both brands of pen and ink are new to me.  The Dollar 717i was just under $20 for 10, while the MoMa MUJI pen was about the same with shipping.  The Seitz-Kreuznach had received some excellent reviews, especially for the price-point at just under $9.  The Manuscript blue was a desperate buy from a local art store when I needed a bright blue.  The store had misordered fountain pen ink instead of calligraphy ink, and was on sale for $2, at the latest exchange rate, off-sale it would be about $6.

First the pens:

Dollar 717i

 The Dollar 717i isn't quite a buck, but very close to it.  The general construction, is somewhat better than I would expect for the price, but still, I won't be expecting it to last more than a year or two, and won't care when it finally fails.  Except for the medium-fine nib, it is entirely plastic.  A couple nice bonuses, a clear section that allows for viewing the ink, and a piston fill action.  No leaks whatsoever, and a smooth fill.  I have carried this around all and had no problems at all starting flow, and the nib is fairly smooth.  The cap fits very tightly, almost uncomfortably, since it can take some effort to take off.  This might be something to do with plastic on plastic adhesion.  I can only hope it will become easier after awhile.  I have already handed one of these out to someone who was interested in trying a fountain pen and ball points exacerbate her carpal tunnel due the pressure she has to apply to lay down ink heavily enough.  She has had this a week and hopefully it will work for her.

MoMa MUJI

Here's a company I knew nothing about.  There's a store nearby, that I must see next time I'm in town. MUJI, reading their "About us" section and looking at their aesthetic, I appreciate what they are doing and think that the first paragraph from that about us section is worth reposting here:

MUJI was founded in 1980. Its origin was a thorough rationalization of the manufacturing process with an eye to creating simple, low-cost, good quality products. Specifically, we reexamined products through three lenses: material selection, inspection process and packaging simplification. For instance, if you omit the bleaching process for pulp, the resulting paper is light beige in color. MUJI used this paper for its packaging and labels. The ensuing products are remarkably pure and fresh. In notable contrast to the prevailing over-embellished products in the marketplace, MUJI’s products both won great appreciation and sent shock waves not only through Japan but across the entire world.

I think this pen speaks perfectly to this statement.  It is a simple, very well designed piece, constructed from beautiful, tightly fitting aluminum, and the packaging was a basic sleeve with what appear to be instructions (I do not read Japanese) printed on recycled paper.  My overall impression looking at it for the first time, much more for your money.  This is a pen that would be happy amongst any $40 or $50 pen.  The aluminum is a nice matte finish, with a knurled grip.  It is very difficult on such a simple design to hide joins between the barrel and section, and the cap and section and cap and barrel when posted.  That the join line is minimal speaks to the machining and design.  The weight is noticeable, but not heavy.  It came with one refill.  I ordered an international size converter, but while waiting for it to arrive, used a much older one that I had removed from another pen.  The MUJI pen must have very tight tolerances, or the old converter had warped, since it leaked like crazy.  The new converter fits perfectly, no leakage, and the flow is smooth and even.  The fountain pen being sold now is very similar, but do not know if the MoMa design is still being produced.  Stock is obviously available, but may not be replenished.  Though I cannot for sure say that they are the same innards, I do not see why they would not be.  This is a definite buy recommendation.  As an every day pen, this is great, hell, as an anytime writer, it will be enjoyed.  As testament to this, the ink loaded in it is not my favorite, not saturated and drying time is long, I still find this better than many of my pens.

Now to the inks.  First the not so great, Manuscript blue.  A few years back, I ran out of all my inks, almost simultaneously, and did not know that no local art or office store was carrying fountain pen ink.  I found this on a discount table and decided to give it a whirl.  I have written with this ink using extra fine nibs through medium, in cheap and luxury pens.  It's a nice color.  I like this blue.  Unfortunately, I find that the saturation is weak and no matter the pen, seems to come across as inconsistent, leaving blotches.  Why this happens I've no idea, and it really is the only ink I've seen it to this degree.

For just a few bucks more, you can have the joy of writing with the Seitz-Kreuznach.  Loaded in the Dollar 717i, I suspect the ink is actually adding a great deal to the writing quality of the pen.  It is a consistent, very easy flowing ink, with a moderate dry time.  While I really like the cinnamon color, I've had a few people say it looks like dried blood.  One way or the other, it is a smooth color that reads as a true brown.  So many browns are so dark to basically be black, or so light, it appears weak or washed out, this one is not.  At work, I've used this on a number of different color sticky notes, and even with the background color, it comes across strongly.  Unfortunately for me, I'm well stocked with ink, and should not be buying anymore in the near future, but I would really like to try some more in the Color of Nature series.

I'd love to see more people trying fountain pens as their go to writing instrument, and either of these would push that in the right direction.

Shopping and the internet, a double edged sword

The other day, our spot carpet washer gave out.  Having animals, this is a must.  I went to three different big box stores, none of which carried the one we used or even a similar product.  I then proceeded to a national brand hardware store, they didn't have it either.  I ended up with an ok product, but the point is, the item I wanted is an international brand, made in America, and I still could not buy it locally.  I wanted to, but couldn't.  The last place (where I purchased the sorta equivalent product) told me they didn't carry that brand because it does not have enough margin.  UGH!

It is a phenomenon being repeated across the country in towns big and small.

When we first moved to our growing town nearly 15 years ago, there was a stationers.  It had paper, pens, pencils, schools supplies, and a whole bunch of different cards.  Pens varied from cheap $0.25 ball points to a few $60+ fountain pens.  I bought some ink, got some blank stationary, and had a nice chat.

Around the corner from this store was a magical creature, rare as a unicorn these days, a proper hardware store.  It had a cheesy name, run by a local family, with a selection twice that of any big box store, and it had truly knowledgeable staff, the same family who'd been running it for almost 50 years.  I was doing some woodworking at the time, and picked up some fresh, properly made files, a handy, quality made sanding block, and got my chisels and plane sharpened.  To boot, he still sold nails by the pound, and had every size screw and bolt from nearly microscopic to marine size (I needed to replace an extremely small Euro size screw on my horn, he had it!), and kept a selection of ply and hard wood in the back lot.

Down the street from him was an honest-to-god hobby store, with rocketeering supplies, RC, radio (ham and CB), lots of electronics, and tons of free advice, plus, in the corner there were a few comics, and a table set up for "the kids" as the proprietor put it, so they could play D&D and whatever else.

Further down the street was a really good family jewelry store that had onsite watch repair.  Not just battery replacement, or cleanings, but honest-to-god real repairs.

But maybe most importantly, a music store, with used and new, some valve oil, tuning slide grease, and a few horn books on the rack.  Who could ask for more.

I was excited, it was a real town, with real services, and most everything was locally owned.  The grocery stores and gas-stations (and there were still some local family ones here) are really the only exceptions to that I can recall.  I had grown up around colleges and universities, with all that goes with that.  Sure, there were not the specialized art stores, home-brewing supplies, or even a fully dedicated gaming store, but the essentials were there, along with some mighty fine cinnamon rolls at the corner bakery, a fine panaderia with great tres leches, and I could walk down the street and see pigs, cows, horses, and still hear the coyotes sing every night.  I'd just managed to figure out all the great little stores when the first big box showed up.  It was a home improvement store with an orange sign.  Not two months later, Ye Olde Hardware Store was closed.

Of course, a lot of other box stores followed, plus two malls, and a lot of other national brands.  The sad thing about it is, I buy less locally now than I did then, and it's not because the internet came along, or maybe it is, but whatever the reason, these hundreds of thousands of extra shopping square feet provides less selection than I had when we first moved here.  Sure, there's a huge volume of stuff but it's a crappy variety.  So here's the double edged sword.  Or the self-perpetuating feedback death spiral that is the internet.  Property is expensive, so national store chains can displace locals, but in order to do that, they must sell volume, so pump up the size, reduce selection, and push the sale price. People become frustrated with the selection, turn to the internet for more and more, so to stay afloat, box stores now carry less variety, again pump up the volume, reduce the variety to guarantee the bottom line.  Meanwhile, the mid-size national chains are falling away because the rent has been driven up by the ultra-box stores, and now buildings are empty.  Chains see this as an opportunity, rent neighboring properties, and increase size, decrease selection, and force all but the daily or desperate shopper away, and the community begins to rely on internet for regular, daily needs.  It has become so bad in my area that I can no longer buy DE razor blades, aftershave brands that have been around for centuries, the toothpaste (a national brand) I use, almost anything American made, quality wood finishes (varnish and shellac), any utensil of quality, and now, our international food store chain was purchased by a non-competitor, and had half their selection removed.  So, I am doing the bulk of my shopping online, because I am literally left with junk.

It's not all bad, except for the huge traffic problem the delivery trucks are creating.