Objects Of Desire

It was the year 2000 on a cold February morning in central London when I first saw what could undeniably be described as a piece of ‘exotic’ Hi-Fi.  Much like an exotic supercar, to fall into this elite category, it seemed that three requirements had to be met.  

Firstly, to push the boundaries of conventional design and engineering constraints known at the time, something to make the rest of the industry stop and take note.  Then since all that extensive R&D investment had to be recouped from somewhere, it must be priced out of the reach of all but society’s most well healed.  Then lastly (and you might sense some bitterness in my tone here), it should fill you with as much desire for its ownership as it does frustration that you probably never will.

A window display of electronics in the form of shiny black boxes with lit displays is often enough to entice a young man on a lunch break from his first decent paying job in out of the cold alone.  But once inside that warm and cosy showroom, one product drew all my attention.

It was from a manufacturer called Pink Triangle who specialised hi-end vinyl turntables and had caused a stir by using inverted sapphire bearings in their design.  Way before giving products their own personality with emotive names caught on, this visually striking deck was labelled the Tarantella with a separate motor part named The Hornet for it’s oval shaped body and supporting spike tail no doubt.

What made it stand out the most was a clear triangular shaped base that was backlit with red LEDs.  Like a child in the 70s who had just seen their first jukebox light up, I simply wanted to stop and stair for a while before the sales assistant could size me up for credit worthiness.

To the present day and audio products to match this criteria are thankfully still being made to fill the Hi-Fi racks in Robbie Williams' penthouse and generate desire and ambition for the rest of us seeking exciting new audio experiences.

I’ll leave you with some modern equivalents from Bang & Olufsen, Chord Electronics and the now discontinued (but loving the retro digital VU meters) Logitech Transporter.