Philipps Mignon-AG2100D-75 (1959)

...mumbling
Saturn: (silently) It’s been so long, I’ve almost forgotten the feeling. When? -pause- Who? –pause- How?
-pause-.
S: (Even more silently) I only need t-
silence
S: (Yelling) You there! Yeah you, come over here!
S: (hesitantly) I’m sure you’re not really interested in the rumblings of an old man like me.
S: (grinning) But I’d wager there is something in it for you. You’re here for a reason aren't you? This might be your chance for a once in a lifetime story.
S: (quietly) It is after all,. my life story.
S: As you can see, I’m quite the masterpiece wouldn’t you say? Especially considering that you can’t even see what’s underneath the surface.
S: (exclaiming) Hah! You should have seen my predecessors, my father Ouranos for example!¹ Compared to me he was big!
S: (under breath) Good riddance…
silence falls again
S: (stumbling on words) Oh, erhm. Where was I? Oh right, yeah. You see, size is not everything in this world and though he was big I am better. That is the truth we are all facing, trapped in a cycle, one that will mean the end of one and the beginning of another.²
S: (grinding teeth and rumbling) Not for me though, I will not let that happen to me. I’m prepared. (silent ominous laughter).
S: (boasting) You see, I’m innovative, I’m new and most of all I’m loved! By women above all! Hah! Especially by the youth. I am the newest fad and stand for much more than just looking good in the corner of a room. Why you ask?
^3
4
S: (contemplative) Hmm. Maybe they like that I’m smaller than my father, my practical usability or they’re just all about looks?⁵ (exclaiming) Cause oh boy do I have looks.
S: But I don’t care, I’ll take my time in the spotlight and glory. Forever even, I am not alone after all.
S: (clearing throat) This body of mine, it does not function on its own. I have the ability to produce any sound, but it comes at a cost. For which I need the help of my children. To properly draw out my power, I, -pause-, I need to consume them first.
S: (contemplating) I remember the first time… (silence). It was hard, terrifying even for me. But as soon as I realized… Right from the first note, I knew, this was my calling, this was what I was made to do.And though it hurt, I pushed through.
S: (nonchalantly) Now I don’t even think about it anymore. It just comes naturally and I often don’t even realize that it is happening sometimes.
S: (proudly) Want me to show you? I don’t mind really! Yeah, ok let’s see…
⁶
S: After devouring them and using them as the source for my ability I get a tingly feeling, as if electricity would flow through my veins. I’m sure I could somehow amplify this power,⁷ but I don’t know how… yet.
S: (reluctantly) Now that we’re so honest with each other, though I don’t like to admit it, even my ability has its limits.
S: Maybe I’m not powerful⁸ enough or maybe my children are just too imperfect⁹.
S: (gasping) Aaah yes my children. I haven’t talked much about them yet. Oh dear lord let me tell you all about them. They are even smaller than I am, with dents and bruises on their skin,¹⁰ that just bother me when trying to use my power through them. Though small, they are useful nonetheless and of high quality.¹¹ They don’t allow me to use my power for too long, but they are very versatile allowing me to produce two completely different sounds by just flipping them around in my belly hehe.¹²
S: (confident) I doubt they’ll ever get the best of me, limited in size and content, they’re no threat to me. I would only need to start to worry when they would take on a completely different form.¹³ HA! The mere thought of that is ridiculous hahaha!
S: (ominously) When my time should come, when this cycle should find its end. It must be by the hand of something powerful. Something so novel, I will not even notice it coming. Something or even someone that will reproduce sound so authentically that I will have no choice, but to turn to dust.
S: Until then, I, with the help of my children, will remain the closest to actual sound. Though I, myself, fear that in itself, we are merely copying to the best of our abilities what never can be copied.
S: I remember once hearing someone say: “The copy is that which is similar to the original but has failed to be the same…”¹⁴. Those words stuck to me and would never let go of me again. I can only hope that they’ll cling to, the same way they did to me. Though I will never know if the sound I produce will arrive in the ears of every listener as authentic, but I’d wager that for every cycle, the fidelity of sound will reach its peak and I am this one’s.¹⁵
S: I could continue about how fine the distinction between real and copy has become over the years. But my main point is, that aiming for a realistic reproduction, is not to come as close as possible to the source. But to transmit the joy, sound can generate in someone. If I reproduce a song for example, I am not displaying the absolute best performance everyone has ever seen just because it should come close to the original.
S: (interjection): I do it to boast yeah. But!
S: Aside from wanting to boast, I do it because I want to reproduce the things that bring joy to the ones listening. Be that something they never heard, but come to like due to various reasons, or a melody that evokes a kind of nostalgia, familiarity or even feeling of home. I mean, what even is an original authentic sound? Isn’t your larynx just a device made out of flesh to copy sound? Sorry, sorry for going off on a tangent here, what I’m trying to say is that high-fidelity in sound should be measured by the impact on the listener and not on its evaluated degree of perfection. Enough about tha-
¹⁶
S: (confused) I’m sorry.
-pause-
S: Sometimes I have the feeling a higher power forces me to swallow another one of my children. I’m glad that, though I don’t have the power to stop the process from starting, that I can at least interrupt it at any moment.¹⁷ Even I’ve come to enjoy the occasional time off, don't wanna break due to overworking, right?
S: You know, I’m glad you came along and listened to what I had to say. Honestly, I called out to you to have someone to talk to. You might think that I only wanted to display my superiority, but in reality I was starting to lose my mind. The pressure of always performing at your best, of being trapped in an automatic process that you can’t really control, hell even having to swallow your own children. (sigh) All of it is exhausting.
S: But. You showed me that it is worth it. That there is someone who listens to you, who accepts you the way you are. Who is interested in what you say even if at one point all you might still do is collect dust in dark storage space.
S: At least it won’t be in vain, because now all of this has become a part of your memory. And though this physical form of mine might rust, decompose or wither away one day. In your memory I remain in my ideal form and will continue to live as long as you remember me. After all, I have done my best to make an impression that is worthy of earning a place in the palace that is your memory.

Akrich, M. (1992), The De-Scription of Technical Objects, in: ShapingTechnology, Building Society: Studies in Sociotechnical Change, Bijker, W. & and Law, J. (Eds.), P. 205-224, Cambridge.
Beardsley, R. & Leech-Wilkinson, D. (2009), A brief History of Recording to ca. 1950, online from: https://www.charm.rhul.ac.uk/history/p20_4_1.html.
Course Sidekick (online), Technology and Innovation, online from: https://www.coursesidekick.com/management/study-guides/boundless-management/technology-and-innovation.
DAS (n.d.), Eine kurze Geschichte der Tonaufzeichnung, online from: https://digital-audio-systems.com/eine-kurze-geschichte-der-tonaufzeichnung/.
Drate, S. (2002), 45 RPM: a visual history of the seven-inch record, New York, online from: https://archive.org/details/45rpmvisualhisto00drate/page/n1/mode/2up.
Eargle, J. (2002), Handbook of Recording Engineering, 4th edition, New York.
Katz, M. (2004), Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music, Berkeley.
Levaux, Christophe, Une Musique Pour Tous Les Jours: Explorer Les Liens Entre Son Et Quotidien, SigMa (2019).
Milner, G. (2009), Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music, New York.
Ogorek, Alexej C., Eine kurze Geschichte der Tonaufzeichnung, online from Digitale Audio Systeme, https://digital-audio-systems.com/eine-kurze-geschichte-der-tonaufzeichnung/.
Poss, R. M. (1998), Distortion Is Truth, in: Leonardo Music Journal, 8, P. 45–48, online from: https://doi.org/10.2307/1513399. Schoenherr, S. (2005), Recording Technology History, online from: https://www.aes-media.org/historical/html/recording.technology.history/notes.html.
Schouhamer Immink, K. (2010), "Any Song, Anytime, Anywhere", in: Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 58, P. 171–172, online from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241729280_Any_Song_Anytime_Anywhere.
Sterne, J. (2003), The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction, Durham.
Sterne, J. (2012), MP3: The Meaning of a Format, Durham, online from: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1131dh6.
The sound of Vinyl (online), What is a 7-Inch Record?, online from: https://thesoundofvinyl.us/blogs/vinyl-101/7-inch-record.

1. Referring to a predecessor model such as the Philips AG 2102 A for example, see Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (online), Philips AG 2102 A, online from: https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/RK4QI2RSSLRK4OV4ETNFSMFQOBFRLE4F.
2. Life cycle of technology as shown in: Course Sidekick (online), Technology and Innovation, online from: https://www.coursesidekick.com/management/study-guides/boundless-management/technology-and-innovation.
3. Picture retrieved from RadioWiki (online), Philips Mignon AG2100, online from: https://www.radiomuseum-bocket.de/wiki/index.php?title=Datei:Philips_ag2100_mignon_werbung_001.jpg.
4. Picture retrieved from Bliss Modern Antiques (online), PHILIPS Mignon “Plattenschlucker” 1957(!sic), online from: https://bliss-shop.ch/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/64ddb1a44bdeeaf8b85656dfcdc3b8a3-2.jpg.
5. The Mignon is 22 x 22,5 cm in size with a height of 9,2 cm. It weighs around 1,7 kg and does 45 turns per minute. It is specifically made for 17 cm (7-inch) vinyl singles. For more cf. Philips Service (n.d.), Philips AG 2100 D / AG 9123 Manual, P. 1-2, online from: https://www.vinylengine.com/library/philips/mignon-ag-2100d.shtml and Drate, S. (2002), 45 RPM: a visual history of the seven-inch record, New York, P.7-9, online from: https://archive.org/details/45rpmvisualhisto00drate/page/n1/mode/2up.
6. Own recording cf. Uhrig, L. (19.06.2023), Soundscape of Modernity_MignonInUse [Video], Courtesy of M. Albert Wolter, online from: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6ue0uk0eqanjqh/Soundscape%20of%20Modernity_MignonInUse.mp4?dl=0.
7. The actual playing is very faint, compare the recording of the previous footnote to True Reviews (online), Philips mignon record player [Video], online from: https://youtu.be/Jc9vnOeIWZI?t=29 . Which is why the Mignon needs an amplifier either an external one (in Albert Wolter’s case) or a built in one such as the Philips AG 9123 D. For more on the latter cf. Philips Service, AG Manual, P. 1.
8. Both amplification, loudspeaker and even the needles needed to play the music continuously evolved in the following years resulting in better and better players. Another thing to note is that the radio is playing mono since stereo would establish itself in the 60’s. Mentioned in discussion with Albert Wolter, also partly in True Reviews’s video cf. footnote 7.
9. Continuous improvements would be made to the vinyls to improve their quality to the degree it convinced even audiophiles, cf. Eargle, J. (2002), Handbook of Recording Engineering, 4th edition, New York, P.371.
10. Referring to the surface noise on vinyls leading to some imperfection that could not be overcome by the medium. Cf. Beardsley, R. & Leech-Wilkinson, D. (2009), A brief History of Recording to ca. 1950, online from: https://www.charm.rhul.ac.uk/history/p20_4_1.html .DAS (n.d.), Eine kurze Geschichte der Tonaufzeichnung, online from: https://digital-audio-systems.com/eine-kurze-geschichte-der-tonaufzeichnung/.
11. Due to their high rotation, the 45’s generally offer a better sound quality. Though the subject still remains the object of many discussions of audiophiles. For more cf. The sound of Vinyl (online), What is a 7-Inch Record?, online from: https://thesoundofvinyl.us/blogs/vinyl-101/7-inch-record.
12. Due to their size and fast rotation, the Discs could only play for a couple of minutes. Furthermore, the 7-inch 45’s also have an A and B side. Out of discussion with Albert Wolter and confirmed in cf. The sound of Vinyl, What is a 7-inch Record? The A-side was often used as a way to promote a new single/LP(a bigger Vinyl record that can store an Album). While the B-side was often used to promote unknown artists or songs, liked by the band/artist featured on the A-side.
13. The gramophone would see itself be superseded by the cassette player, though it would take until the 70’s until the new medium of cassettes would settle and steadily replace the vinyl records. Cf. Fiol, M. (2022), Restauration d’un mange-disque Lansay Modèle Penny, in: Radiofil, 113 (Novembre-Décembre), P. 36-43, kindly provided by M. Albert Wolter, P. 37.
14. Sterne, J. (2003), The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction, Durham, P.220.
15. Ibid., P. 222-223.
16. Chosen by Playback.fm to be the most popular song of 1959, the Mignon’s release year. Played on a 7-inch 45 in mono. Cf. https://playback.fm/charts/top-100-songs/1959. Audio extract courtesy of Brian Richmond (online), Bobby Darin - Mack the Knife ((Mono)) 1959 [Video], online under: https://youtu.be/_94p5UFiuNw?t=30.
17. The Mignon has only one interface button, which is the ejection button. Can be seen used, cf. Chorzów Music and Picture Art Gallery (online), Philips Mignon AG - 2100 D - 75 [Video], translation by authoourser, 7:20-7:22, online from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waUmmlWnxWs.