Opinion

There are often affordable solutions to tech problems, says Barry Fox, whether that’s a cable failure or a stuttering home network. You might even want to write your own ‘Idiot’s Guide’

We need to talk about Freely. Why? Because it’s a clear pointer to the future of radio. Broadcasters are already planning for a time when TV and radio are delivered as an IP Internet stream and not a linear over-the-air transmission. Hence the BBC’s huge investment in its iPlayer and Sounds streaming services.

I was particularly interested to read the recent review of the Technics SL-1200GR2 [HFN Sep ’24]. This is because for a very long time I’ve owned and been happily using a much earlier example of the direct-drive breed. I can’t now recall exactly when I bought it, but I’ve had a Panasonic/Technics SL-1500 turntable and arm with a Shure V15 series cartridge since about 1973. And it has continued to deliver good performance for about half a century!

The main sign of the SL-1500’s age after so many decades of use is that the small rotary potentiometer, which tweaks the rotation speed, has developed a ‘burn spot’ just at the place that sets 33.33rpm. This means that, nowadays, I have to let the deck run for about a quarter of an hour before use and then check if the speed has settled down correctly, or needs a slight tweak.