Interesting things in cases #1
I often get sent links to things people have found for sale that they think I might be interested in. One of the more frequently suggested items is the subject of this video. There must be something about the way this looks that makes people think it’d be right up my street. While I do like ingenious, high tech gadgetry with plenty of clever features, this isn’t that - it just looks like it, provided you don’t look too closely. Its most interesting aspect is that it comes in a case…hence the video title.
Here’s the video: https://youtu.be/Nkd0b4qh8E8
Perhaps in a way this device could be categorised as a ‘Future-mugs eyeful’. By that I mean fifty years ago, when this was new, buying one would definitely not have been a foolish decision. The manufacturer wasn’t trying to deceive the customer into thinking it was any better than it was. It did exactly what it claimed to do and at a fair price. However with the passage of time it has managed to accrue a level of retro charm that now has the power to attract an unwitting person from 2023 towards it. Many who see one of these for the first time think they’ve uncovered a hidden gem from the past. The reality is rather more mundane. It’s still charming though, in its own simple way.
I had a lot of fun making the short intro to this video. Ideally I’d have shot this section in a city, with me wearing a sharp suit, walking past office blocks holding this briefcase, ascending up the outside of skyscraper in a glass lift, you get the idea. A 1970s look, 16mm film grain, accompanied by a soundtrack that mostly consisted of a rhythm played out on a high-hat and triangle. A bit Dirty Harry a bit New Avengers. However shooting this would have required a two person team, (I work alone) travelling to the nearest city (a lot of hassle), shooting in and around office buildings (that I wouldn’t be allowed in), composing a tune (with no musical abilities) and spending a couple of days (that I didn’t have) to shoot a few seconds of video (that in the grand scheme of things didn’t really matter). So I recorded it in a car park up the road with my camera on a tripod while avoiding people walking their dogs. I still like the results though…but it’s not exactly what I envisioned.
Anyway, that’s the video - hope you find it to be slightly interesting. Perhaps something to watch in the loo, I don't mind. Take care and enjoy your weekend.
Comments (69)
Looking forward to many more Case Studies!
I'm late to watch this one, but I just want to say I'm looking forward to a series about equipment in neat carrying cases. I don't know what it is, but if you take boring equipment and make it nominally portable in a classy built-in case, it becomes ten times cooler.
A really fascinating look at a machine that is now nothing more than a conversation piece. I actually have something similar in quality to this that I bought from Ebay. It’s called a DeeJay stereo turntable. It was made sometime in the late 1970’s and has a built in amplifier. I bought it because my main table bit the dust and this was cheap and not a new briefcase player. It’s fine and almost like this device, it has a direct drive turn table so thats cool lol. But yeah its fit and finish is terrible the built in amp is ok at best and is usable but its a cool conversation piece because for its time it is small. It came with matching speakers that are now long gone just like the company.
Loved it. Thanks. Did anyone make a similar product with higher-end components? I especially appreciated the clip from Star Trek IV: The One With The Whales! As for my fellow North Americans who think AM radio is still a thing: It isn't. There are still stations on the air and if you have a local one that has local programming count yourself lucky - most play the same old syndicated sports or syndicated political "talk" radio. Neither of those attracts much ad revenue and it's only a matter of time before the land under the station's antenna array is worth more than the station could ever make in 5 years ... or 50. ALL of those things annoy the heck out of me but that's where we are.
AM radio is still very much a thing in the U.S. The highest-rated morning show in New York City is on AM talk station WABC. I did a video about it recently.
Fantastic, well-rounded video. I love the intro sequence and the puns.
Amazing. I wish things like that were still made today.
Fantastic video as always! If you do need any music in future let me know, it would genuinely make my day/week/month etc.
Cool machine from a different time, it was a great video I would have been a very small child when this came out but I remember floor model TV's. I remember out first TV that went on a stand it was a Mitsubishi with stereo speakers we had it a probably 20 years or sometime into the late 90's. My parents had bought me an all in one unit sometime in the early 80's that had a colour organ in it and I thought it was AMAZING!!! Its nice to remember times in our lives and from different parts of the world!!
As always, excellent. Can’t wait for the following episodes! It reminded me of the TROMI series you did, which I thoroughly enjoyed too. It would have been interesting to have taken wow & flutter measurements from the tape and turntable. Whilst I am sure they would have not shown perfect performance, I wonder if they would have been better than contemporary tape and record decks? Got to love the 70’s look audio equipment, classic look. Better than the horrid “champagne” colour introduced in the 90’s.
I never think it’d be fair doing W&F tests on old tech because I could test a dozen examples of the same model and they’d all be wildly different depending on how worn out they are.
Just Another Excellent Video......
Yep, like this a lot. I'm also always interested in what's in these suitcases! There are even nucleair bombs in suitcases from Russia! Perhaps not the best for YouTube though.... ;)
I’ll have to look through my locker, it’s hard to remember what’s in all the cases.
Just spotted this on eBay Australia. I'd laugh if the seller jacks the price up once this video goes public. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/234877018255
I’ve yet to see that happen - you’ll always find a handful of these on ebay on any given day. I think after this video they might even prove slightly harder to shift.
Thanks! I love this series, looking forward to many episodes <3
I enjoyed the video, thank you! Regarding the beginning of your introduction to it ("I often get sent links to things people have found for sale..."), is it something you welcome or do you prefer to search for items on your own? I often see stuff on local auction sites and I'm not sure if it might be something for you. On the other hand I don't want to "spam" you with uninteresting stuff. So, what's the expected behaviour from our side here? ;-) Do you have a checklist to make a first assessment of the item?
I’ll make sure to answer this in the next Patreon update - its a bit too complicated a subject to answer in a few sentences.
Interesting device indeed. I look forward to more I.T.I.C
Absolutely love this series idea, can't wait to see where it goes!
I absolutely love all of your videos, and I always watch them in full. The Odd-cast is a welcome Patreon bonus that I really enjoy. To me none of your videos have ever been a “cheese sandwich” at all, they are all of exceptional quality and are a real joy to watch.
That’s very kind of you to say so.
I was gifted one of these by an aunt when I was about 10 y.o., and I thought it was the bees knees (even though the cassette player & turntable had given up the ghost)! It was my first intro to FM radio AND stereo sound! It allowed me to discover the weird & wonderful world of student radio, and an interest that continued for many years thereafter! 🙂
This is a great idea, and I love the James Bond look of the thing, and the punk Star Trek gag.
Fun video. I really liked the intro!
So much in life looks way cooler than it actually is.
My old school had one of these. I think it was used only to play the records or cassettes that acted as soundtracks to the learning French film strip slideshow things that we were subjected to. There was a beep to indicate the next frame in the film strip and a little acoustic guitar tune to indicate the start and finish. Anyone remember Le Francais d'Aujourd'hui? https://blogs.bl.uk/european/2017/09/bertillons-and-others-some-language-textbooks-of-the-past.html The obvious benefit for the school was that it could be locked away securely when not in use. It wasn’t used very often, presumably because it was a faff to get out and set up for one 40 minute lesson. Thanks for reviving a 44-year-old memory which no-one else here will have.
To quote Maurice Chevalier: Ah, yes, I remember it well.
I remember making a video about a case that was practically identical, but it was made by the Crown Radio Corporation in Japan. I dug it up and used it in other videos for some experiments as well. It definitely wasn't a high-quality product.
Crown were quite busy in this area, I’ve got one of their models lined up for the future.
No worries, Mat; I saw the footage you described in my mind's eye. As for the Sanyo briefcase system, my teenage self would have loved one of those when it came out! My little cassette recorder had the microphone switch, and I used to sit by the radio waiting for my favorite songs to come on, hoping that the DJ didn't talk to much over the beginning and ending. One question: Although it probably doesn't make any difference, did you check the stylus weight?
I didn’t - I’ve gone off that idea a bit after the Coturn video because whichever way I measure it ‘I’m doing it wrong’. Like Wargames, the only way to win, is not to play.
Love the Star Trek reference during that song ... very creative.
For some reason I was expecting more "colorful metaphors". One thing about old Sanyo components: We're dealing with medievalism, here ...
At last - the long-awaited Techmoan music centre video! It didn't disappoint.
I really enjoyed this - and yes, that looks very familiar 😀 I see different ones a lot on eBay. • I.T.I.C. ✔️ is a cool acronym, I imagine it could sound fun to say in various situations - looking forward to future eps. • Sony ChordMachine was the pilot episode of I.T.I.C.? #0 • This would be perfect to take to work to listen to LPs during my 45 minute lunch (joke) ..but it would give my coworkers a laugh. • Your incidental radio recordings make me chuckle: '...artefacts and objects online, and because of that allow us to continue..' it makes it sound like this thing is talking to you. • The 'School Drugs' record sounds exactly like I would imagine it would - thanks very much, Spock. • You made great clip edits and transitions, but (frankly-put question) how did you get the camera to track your bum while you were walking - edited in post? • my loo video-watching secrets have been revealed 🤧
Yes just a pan in the edit - I really should have shot at a wider angle then I could have done a longer one, more cropped in…maybe next time.
What a neat device and a fun video. BTW a likely reason why the Australian version didn't include an FM tuner is because Australia didn't get FM radio until 1976. Even then it took until the early-mid '80s to become mainstream, with some areas down here not getting FM until the the early "90s
I thought as much - I presumed it was due to the distances it’d need to cover combined with areas with low population numbers making the required transmitter infrastructure financially unviable.
Very cool. My brother owned something like this in the late 70s and we listened to our records on it.
I actually thought the punk record sounded pretty awesome, but then the ST4 Kirk Thatcher moment is even more awesome.
There’s a link to that in the YouTube video description if you want to hear more.
This brings back memories because my Grandfather had a unit like this ... it actually may have been this one exactly. As a kid fascinated with records and music I spent hours twiddling around with the device. And, as you said, I don't ever recall it being used as a portable device. It just stayed in his office in once place.
Is this a brief video?
You could certainly make the case for it.
The loo is likely where I will watch this. I'm glad I won't be a bother.
And...case closed. A nice ending. Nothing says "late 60s, early 70s" like silver knobs.
Interesting series, in this form, I never saw them before, but many other forms, I got 2 reel-to-reel tape recorders in a case: an old "Rhodex" one, which is tube-based and not very high-quality but unfortunately, all the plastic parts are disintegrating... The other one a suitcase version of the Revox A-77, which is of course a very elegant and high quality device, but also quite heavy. Looking forward to more videos in this series!
great vid, and I love your idea for this series! Looking forward to more things in briefcases.
I could imagine such a case Lo-Fi deck on a camping trip. Store it securely in its case when on the move and unpack it when at the destination. I would have certainly being able to live with said Lo-Fi just for listening to some music in the background when enjoying my Spanish beer in my open awning* in front of the camping van on the dunes at the Costa Blanca. :) *: Is that really the word for a tent attached to a caravan or camping van? We have "Vorzelt", which would translate to "in front of tent"...
Awning is right. By the way the other day I was reading an article in a car magazine that mentioned the boss of Mini was Stefanie Wurst. I can't help thinking that Stefanie Sausage is a funny name. Heidi Wurst would be worse though.
I'm getting very strong Mission Impossible vibes after watching this one, though after reading your notes on how you had to abandon your originally conceived style for this video, I'm pretty sure you'd have more difficulty recording something with an MI-style theme. Not to mention the trouble you'd experience in recording the inevitable tape self-destruct sequence. Inserting the Star Trek IV scene was an inspired bit of clever fun, but come on, Mat--couldn't you at least have worn the Jim Phelps wig for this one?🤣
I've lost that wig (not that I was going to use it here) but just in case I ever do make TROMI #3 I picked up another ...but this one makes it look like Jim Phelps has gone all hippy.
Looking forward to the inevitable PC Engine Briefcase video
It's a Boomcase! Brilliant video. I instantly want one. I see it's not HiFi, but the point of owning such a things is the fun and enjoyment of seeing it and using it. Your video production is inspiring, office buildings or no.
Matt, this is one of the reasons I like your channel: You share a wide variety and formats of videos. Although I really like your in-depth forays into an old tech, (100+ mini-disc players come to mind), I also really like these shorter ones that touch on a piece of audio history but doesn't overly dwell on it. I never owned this, but I would have loved it.
not watched yet, but looking forward to it! I owned one of these in the 1980s when I was about 9 or 10 years old. before it was handed down to me, my dad made good use of it. it came with a set of microphones and my dad mistakenly believed when you recorded a record on to cassette with the Sanyo case, you had to have the microphones plugged in and pointed at the speakers. we had quite a few cassettes with background sound of people walking into the room and talking, only to be "shushed" by my dad.
Shout out to Australia!
Straya!
Haven't even watched the video yet, but I like/agree with your vision of how the video should look.
Great video. Seeing it open up, I really expected the speakers to be able to be folded outwards like those triple screen laptops.
I know exactly what you mean and I thought much the same when I first saw one.
I have discovered that I like things in cases thanks to this video. When you opened it up, I said "Oh shit it's one of those Crosley All In One thingies!" Turns out that was fairly common back in the day. I may actually pick up one of these type of units for that 1970s chic wow factor. I even have a use for it. My girlfriend owns nothing. She has a TV but no method of putting media onto it (no DVD, antenna, vcr, smart tv thingy, it's literally just there as decoration; it is unusable). She has no radio. She has no speakers. She has no computer. It is infuriating. Hence, I bring the damn Panasonic whatever it is with the tray loading CD player you recommended over to her house. I feel like I'm 13 and I drew the short straw to bring my boom box to the baseball field so we could listen to Metallica while we play, except every day. I think she would appreciate this type of suitcase thing, and I can set it up for if we want to listen to an album or I want to listen to the radio. It's all a gambit for a "wife approved" piece of tech really, except I have my own house so if she wants to get married she's gonna have to suck it up and accept that I have a basement-dominating collection of music and old computers, and I'll compromise with her in moving my radios to the shed. I want a vwestlife style pirate radio station. That would be cool. Anyway now I am rambling. The point is, while this is not a particularly interesting device _TECHNICALLY_, it is a very cool device aesthetically, and so might be worth a punt on if you're not expecting more than the quality you get from a cheap boom box from the 90s. I'll try to win one cheap at an auction. EDIT: regarding the intro - next time you get a bit of time and inspiration you may want to film an intro consistent with the series at large with some Mission Impossible vibes. That would be cool. I will say it doesn't look like you filmed it during the day, it looks like you filmed it in the dead of night under sodium vapor lamps. Haha.
I feel that there must be something better - but also I'm not entirely sure what that would be. Perhaps a boombox with a slide out record player. I'm just not a fan of ceramic carts. I did see some of these for sale that seemed to have a different cart - when examining the pictures I could see the little flip out arm on the stylus that lets you choose the side between LP and 78, I don't know if that was yet another revision, or just a home made mod.
Very ‘James Bond’. Most enjoyable. Looking forward to you one day reviewing Bond’s Aston Martin with all it’s gadgetry. Now wouldn’t that be fun? 😛
It'd have to be the Aston Martin DBX - almost silent in operation.
You should have asked @Mat I could have signed you into our glitzy Manchester office as a guest. But you can play your own flipping triangle 😂
I haven't been to Manchester since 2016 - they've probably revoked my visa by now.