Three Knobs

February 03, 2004

In this age of overachieving consumer electronics, there are instances in which less is definitely more. Such is the case of a recent and welcomed addition to my studio shelves, a little Model One, two-band radio from Tivoli audio.

The small and unpretentious square wooden box sports a grand total of three knobs, one for power and band, one for volume and one for tuning. As far as I can tell the radio has no digital components to it and there is no way to preset a station. To me, the charm of the radio lies in its simplicity and the unavoidable feel of its connection to the past.

It is hard to imagine that there was a time in which a small wooden box with perhaps no more than three knobs was the only window available for people to take a peek at the outside world. No wonder some older people often refer to the past as the good old days. When you have such a small and limited view of the outside world ignorance is certainly bliss.