If you do something, do it with intentionality. That is advice that I have heard from Scott Hanselman. I can't find the exactly link - but his site is worth a visit anyway!

As I come up to 1/2 a century on this planet it's something that is making me think.

How did I want to celebrate that milestone. It needed to be something that stayed with me. A once-in-a-lifetime experience was out (because my brain doesn't work that way), and most tech was too - that doesn't stay, it grows old, outdated, and obsolete...

So what I decided was time. Time that I can spend intentionally doing something to relax. I've always loved music, but have noticed that ironically, the easier music is to access, the less I listen to it. Finding what you want to listen to is a nightmare these days, there is so much out there, that finding what you want is near impossible.

So it's more, put on the music in the background, and just listen to whatever. But that is more using music to help you in your day. It's not listening to music.

So I've gone old school. And I mean old school!

I wanted something with the physical process of finding something to listen to, and then an act of playing the music, and a set amount of time where I can just sit down, and lose myself into the music.

I got a turntable! Midlife crisis much?

But it answers everything that I wanted. I'll have a limited vinyl library - not every song available. So there will be less there to choose from.

It will grow by 6 to 12 albums per year. So it's not going to explode on me.

And it is a whole physical process from selecting it, to putting it into the turntable, to listening. Wonderful!

But then what turntable? Buying hifi gear is always a nightmare. what's good, what's bad, what's hyped, what's worth the cost? And turntables can run into the 10s of thousands (no, they were never on my radar!)

Growing up, my dad had the Panasonic SL-H350

I always thought this looked space age A square record player, and a needle that moved in a linear fashion. And the sound quality was way better than normal!

So I looked these up to see what I could find! None in NL, plenty in the UK, but I am not buying a second hand record player from a different country...

What I learnt in this search is that Technics (who made the SL-H350 for Panasonic as they have the same parent company and this was Panasonic's flagship - rebadged technics kit), made a whole series of these decks in various levels of quality - and the 350, as good a it is, was the base model 🤯.

Move up a couple of levels and they got quartz controlled direct drive for better speed modulation. And at the top was their first ever model: the SL-10

These are available! That quartz controlled direct drive, auto recognition of record size, milled aluminium base and deck, and... If you are lucky, a moving coil element! So much more sensitive than a moving magnet stylus that most turntables use.

Sure, it looks like something from the 70s. Because it was made in the 70s. This was Technics "engineering before bean-counters" era of builds. The mechanism is spectacular, and, well, to buy something like this today is well outside of my price range 😅

However, buying second hand gives you something spectacular, for the price of a low/mid range Pro-ject turntable. I knew which direction I wanted to go in!

I found a shop that specializes in vintage kit, and has done for decades, they seem to have a great reputation, and so I called. They had done all of the work that is needed to the tone arm to make sure that delicate linear drive will run for another 45 years, and it had that MC element that is like gold dust!

I'm not 50 yet, but tried it today to make sure that it works. It does. On a 34 year old single that I washed a few weeks ago ready for today, there wasn't a crack or hiss to be heard! Everything was so clear! I even tried a 46 year old album. Same thing. Amazing!

So... Its not being played again until my birthday, but when it is, I can listen intentionally. I can spend time listening to the music. No screen, no book, just chill and listen again. Something that I have missed.

What is it that you wish you could do intentionally to get some you time back?