Audio on somemisopaste

PSone as a CD player

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:54:22 +0000

I didn’t really need this, but I didn’t have a good enough answer to the question “Why not?” so here we are.

Backstory

Some time ago I was looking at getting a CD player for my work room, as I already had a turntable and a tape deck, so a CD player was the missing piece of the puzzle. Every time I looked around at what was available I came back disappointed - most of the CD players are dull black or grey rectangular boxes of sadness, and the ones blessed with a modicum of attention to the design cost stupid amounts of money. So, while I care about functionality, aesthetics are also very important to me. Sometimes even more so, like in this case for example, because, let’s be real - there are really no good reasons to deal with CDs nowadays. They are just pieces of plastic with digital data stamped on them, so I might just as well rip them and listen on my PC. But where’s the fun in that? Files are virtual and CDs very much are not. While maybe not as nice as vinyl as physical objects, I grew up with them so they carry that nostalgic vibe I wanted to have nearby. Personally, they remind me both of my childhood and the techno-optimism that was prevalent in the early ’00s. They also remind me of the times I played games on PSone. Games on CDs, music on CDs, tons of backup data CDs… CDs were everywhere in the household at a certain point and then they just vanished.

Rotel RP-3300 turntable restoration

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 19:01:56 +0200

Rotel RP-3300 turntable restoration

Backstory

The very same moment when I climbed to the attic to find my fathers Unitra deck there, I’ve noticed a turntable sitting right next to it as well. I did not recognize it at first, but then I remembered. Way back when I was still at college, a colleague of mine offered me his old turntable in exchange for a pair of headphones I had at the time (can’t remember which ones any more - probably some Sennheisers). The prospect of owning a turntable seemed really cool back then, but I didn’t stop for a second to think the plan through (something that plagues me to this very day - hastiness is my Achilles’ heel). For starters, the turntable itself wasn’t in an ideal condition - at the very least the stylus needed to be replaced. The model also doesn’t have a preamp so I needed that as well. Then I also needed either a receiver or a sound interface to plug the turntable into. I had no records at all and most importantly - since I was a student - I didn’t have money for any of these things. And yet I didn’t think about any of this at all, I just wanted the turntable. As you can imagine, I did absolutely nothing with it for years, and then at some point it ended up on the attic, the place where you store things you don’t want to throw away so instead you leave them there to rot until they disintegrate while you pretend that you kept them safe, instead of throwing them in the first place or even better, giving them to someone who would actually use them.

Unitra M3015 tapedeck restoration, Part 1

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:01:09 +0200

Unitra M3015 tapedeck restoration, Part 1

Backstory

I inherited this cassette deck from my recently deceased father and since it holds a great sentimental value to me I decided to do full restoration on it. Now, despite this brand being derided online (on top of it being pretty unknown if you’re not from Europe) to me it sounds really good. I’m no audiophile but I care deeply about my gear and music. If it sounds good to me I’m happy and this deck sits firmly in the “sounds good” category to me. It’s not like I’m expecting miracles, we’re talking about a entry-level cassette deck here. Type 1, type 2, record, Dolby B and that’s pretty much it feature-wise. Another reason I like it so much actually, not to mention how much easier is it to do repairs on.