It's beautiful and sparks joy. But a Zoom F3 is a strictly superior device in all dimensions and costs $350. This recorder doesn't even support microSD cards or replaceable batteries. It's fundamentally unserious.

After reading that I expected it to cost like $700 but it costs fucking $1500

TE have perfected milking hipsters to perfection

45+ burned out tech managers, but yes.

Hey now that's not fair. Some of us burned out tech managers with more money than sense are still in our 30s.

And some of us at 45+ are top-end techs who will continue to avoid managing (and burning out) like the plague.

Truly beautiful design, but you can also pick up vintage gear for cheap at a thrift store or garage sale, would be close enough.

Yea, and the F3 has 32-bit recording which means you don't really have to worry about gain and clipping. It's a big miss that this doesn't have 32-bit audio especially given that the OP-1 Field's audio pipeline is all 32-bit.

32-bit recording is so superior to 24-bit recording that no sound system is modern without it. The TP-7 is outdated on release.

It's a drab gray asymmetrical block with pastel colors, I do not understand people who think that teenage engineering possesses any aesthetic sensibilities whatsoever. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

I personally find their products beautiful, they remind me a lot of Dieter Rams.

Which designs would you consider aesthetically pleasing?

It looks like an off-brand 90s gaming console to me.

As for a design I personally consider timeless… how about the Lamy 2000 fountain pen?

Gorgeous bauhaus design, and completely user disassembleable by hand with 0 tools. The body is made from Makrolon, which is fiberglass infused lexan. Feels great in the hand, with a slight warmth and texture, and practically indestructable.

Writes like a dream, too. Been in continuous production for over 60 years.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/v2YAAOSwQr9hMHAN/s-l1600.jpg

Video of dissasembly https://youtu.be/x7DQSJHSaHE

I don't think Teeneage Engineering's looks is that different from Bauhaus, excluding maintainability.

Lamy 2000 is built with pure Bauhaus ideals and it nailed every one of them on the head. I have many and use them constantly. I think Lamy 2000 is the only "Objectively good" fountain I have ever seen and used, and it hides its properties so well, too. It's a very understated masterpiece of design and engineering.

There are three changes I’d make to it from a pragmatic standpoint, but it really is damn close to perfect

Those three are: engrave the nib size somewhere visible on the nib; make it in colors besides dark grey on a regular basis; and make the ink window out of a clearer plastic. If you could actually see the ink color that’s be nice.

People are talking about the beauty of the design of the TP-7 and I think that is a big part of the appeal, I don't know anything about either of these tools, I am totally ready to believe the Zoom F3 is superior BUT when I look at the TP-7 I have some immediate understandings of how to use it (wheel requires a couple seconds) when I look at the Zoom F3 I don't get that feeling.

That said based on the Zoom F3 site I do want one and it is also affordable for me, whereas the TP-7 is way too much for me to afford.

I generally write with bottom of the barrel Lamy Safari or Faber Castell Grip pens, however sometimes I reach for something much more expensive to spend some quality time with my thoughts or write a letter.

I think this strictly falls into second category, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Basically yes but I do somewhat appreciate the haptic interfaces (not enough to buy it) and I also deeply respect that it is a 4 channel recorder (also not enough to buy it).

It gets my goat that these systems are so stingy on channels. Add a couple more. It costs so so little. The attempts to price differentiate self-sabotage this market for me.

I hope we can see some good tactile peripherals emerge. Not full products, but like, a USB spinning disk one can also scrub on, as like this.

Every oral historian podcast that I listen to (Marc Maron WTF, Joe Pug Working Songwriter, I'm sure others) has lost incredibly valuable recordings on account of not pressing the button. I think the physical affordance of the spinning wheel is invaluable, along with the simple VU meter. The extravagance of the wheel is closer to the importance of a gun safety in that context.

It's not clear to me bit does the F3 have a built in mic or does it only use the XLR inputs?

it doesn't have the same $1500 aesthetic though..

This company is the best kind of self-indulgent. The product looks incredible and probably will be a joy to use. It's neat to see hardware that's not commoditized.

It honestly looks like "we just keep asking for more for less and people keep paying that"

It's like a Leica camera. You buy one to be seen with it, not so much to use it.

If you want the ultimate in a retro-cool field recorder, look for a Nagra IV.

https://www.nagraaudio.com/product/nagra-iv-family/

Have you ever used a Leica camera?

I did for a long time, and I haven't found anything that even comes close, at any price.

I have not, and I grant that at a point in time (1950s, 1960s) they were the camera for photojournalism and other field photography.

I was speaking of Leica today, I am sure they are still very nice cameras but professionals don't use them anymore. They are strictly for showing off that you paid a lot of money for your camera.

Leica’s are a fairly unique shooting experience though due to being basically the only rangefinders left.

Though I’d also argue you could get a Fuji X100 series and it replicates the experience really well.

Not even close from my experience, having used both.

What would you say is different?

When shooting in the hybrid mode, you get the OVF with frame lines and the centre phase shift overlay.

Imho that’s basically the same experience as any Leica rangefinder I’ve used.

Maybe the rest of the experience is different (interchangeable lens, body) but I think the rangefinder experience is very well replicated.

Some people love the physical focus tab on the Leica that makes it possible to focus using muscle memory: https://youtu.be/mH1t9cvNb08

Difficult to put into words, superior attention to detail and mechanical and optical quality is the closest thing to an explanation I can think of.

You can't beat an optical range finder by cheating, there's just no way.

Anyone know what their security devices are "Access to the NAGRA security devices is restricted to Law-enforcement and official government agencies only. "

I followed that link and audibly gasped... omg, thats gorgeous

Is the target audience for teenage engineering products people that like extremely sleekly designed products that also have nice features; or do people in their industry hold them as highly regarded products that have unique features and perform well beyond their sleek design?

I'm asking without judgement and out of ignorance of the field of audio engineering. I absolutely believe that there is a market for sleekly designed products that also happen to function well; but I don't know if audio engineers (and other people this targets) also believe that teenage engineer products are worth the price beyond that.

I don't personally understand why you would use their hardware for anything considering each of their devices have industry leading competitors that people like more.

I think you have to just want to buy their hardware. They're lifestyle devices.

These devices are ostensibly toys for rich people, but really more like advertisements for their product design services. You're supposed to see the TP-7 as a CEO of a hardware startup and want to hire Teenage Engineering to design the shell to go around your prototype.

What have they designed besides the Playdate?

The Ikea Frekvens line: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/newsroom/range-news/get-the-party...

Also the Nothing Ear (1). I don’t know if they’ve designed their phone too, but it at least follows their design language.

There's a whole page dedicated to it: https://teenage.engineering/designs/

Some notables:

  The Playdate (as mentioned)
  The Ikea Frevens series
  Impossible I-1 instant camera
  Mayku 3D printer

Oh man I'd buy that camera roll if it were Fuji Instax Wide or Square. Polaroids fim sucks so much these days but there aren't many good camera bodies for Fuji Wide/Square

To me, prioritizing technical specifications of equipment is no lesa lifestyle choice than prioritizing aesthetics or kinesthetics.

It is no less an expression of some cultural values and rejection of others.

I have the PO-128 and it's mediocre versus running LSDj or Nanoloop on a Game Boy if chiptune and programmability for self-expression is what you want.

They found a niche in selling aesthetically striking, slightly unwieldy products to people who have more money than sense. The OP-1 at least had a unique set of features (arguably, you're better off with an iPad), but these widgets they're cranking out are really just a tap into the luxury money firehose, and in a way, it's hard to knock them for it.

No one who's using Zoom field records (and that's mostly everybody who does field recordings) is going to buy this unless they've got nepo money - or tech & exec salaries, which is why I'm completely unsurprised by the appearance of this story here on HN.

Teenage Engineering - it looks cool

> arguably, you're better off with an iPad

Now that iPads have Logic Pro, you're almost certainly better off with an iPad.

The OP-1 (or the original, at least) has fans throughout the industry. You can find Thom Yorke performing with it, Tame Impala, can find Justin Vernon singing its praises. The rest of their lineup, not so much.

The marketing and fan hype is exactly same as for other lifestyle companies. Hence you buy these products so you can show and be seen having bought them and receive validation from your perceived peers.

Some people like being limited in features, and I guess small form factor is nice if you want to go make music in park or something

...that for OP-1/OP-Z which are synths/sequencers

This thing just records audio. It has no place in anything professional based on features, it's just sleek toy that happens to record audio. I'm sure some people will enjoy engineering with it but that's it, a toy for people with some spare spending money.

I used to love TE stuff, but with their latest products it’s no longer good design, it’s just plain parody. Even ignoring the price, which is always a part of the design, the controls are impractical (I would even say borderline comic) and just beg to get misused or broken. After which what, you throw the whole thing away?

Indeed “there are thoughts, ideas and fragments that - for the sake of humanity - we need to record and be able to return to as a reference”, but as a journalist I would sure as hell not use this device to record them, going instead for my trusty iPhone Voice Memos app backed up by an old-school $50 voice recorder running on AAA batteries.

It’s a bit sad, because I would love to indulge on seriously designed high-end recorder. But that’s not what this is.

I know everyone's going to complain about the price (which is ridiculous), but I think Teenage Engineering is the last company around that has that sleek Apple aesthetic and extremely premium feel. I get giddy every time I see them on the HN front page.

They've been around for a while, so I assume there's a decent professional audiophile community that is supporting them. I hope they continue doing well!

More like Braun and japanese industrial design than Apple (which apple is heavily inspired by)

Strong disagree. I bought an OP-1 and it felt like a cheap plastic toy. It's a cool UX concept and I'm glad they exist, but I wasn't impressed. Give me a (relatively) cheap Yamaha or Roland or Nord keyboard any day of the week (and if you want ultra-portability, then put an app on an iPad).

I was also disappointed with my OP-1. After receiving a unit that had a broken OLED display, I received a replacement whose rotary encoder knobs were visibly askew. When I reached out about it, TE told me that it was "normal". I would expect tighter QA control on a product that is $1000+, but since it is made offshore in China, I guess they can only do so much?

https://i.imgur.com/7KrxVZr.jpg

Apple products are also made in China. You get as much quality as you pay for, which may come in the form of having your own employee in the factory.

Yes, the inconsistent feel between their supposedly "avionics grade" rotary encoders was piss-poor on my unit. I can't imagine what planes they've flown with that level of poor QC on the encoders.

> cheap Nord keyboard

What now?

12 year old product. we're talking about recent ones. field improved casing quality

The refreshed OP-1 Field isn't that old. I tried it and thought it was a lot of fun, but still too expensive for me for what it does.

i own both the original op-1 and the field.

i find them both underwhelming personally

You might dig these folks https://electronicmaterialsoffice.com/

There is nothing audiophile about it. It's mostly hipster musicians or people having spare cash and wanting expensive toy. Which is fine.

I mean, look at the newest Sony phone:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/05/sonys-1400-xperia-1-...

That little microphone hole at the bottom is not lined up with the other items nor is is evenly spaced out like on the iPhones. Its bugging me.

Maybe it works better that way. Apple's been known to put form over function.

For the price you pay? Hell no. They better make it look good and work well.

What about it?

It doesn't look like anything to me. (westwood reference, but also it does not look like anything to me)

Ultra sleek design.

Looks like my iPhone and every other phone since the iPhone was released - am I missing something? The minimalist slab with a screen isn’t exactly unique any more?

except it has a zoom lens.

also, being able to use the phone as a screen via cable vs latency ridden wireless connection as a video screen is interesting

That’s not part of the design, that’s part of its capabilities.

It doesn’t seem ridiculous if you’re a professional whose life revolves around voice recording. Seems like prosumer quality pricing.

I dunno. I think that the Sound Devices MixPre-3 II is around $900, so things like this TE model seem kind of over priced even compared to professional tools that do more.

I have no problem with folks who want to pay whatever for whatever- I play pedal steel and own a modular synth, which are two of the dumbest, difficult, and expensive ways to create small variations in current.

But even professional level tools are less expensive than TE equipment.

Right, and I got a Sony PCM-D100 right before they were discontinued for half of what this costs.

In the cinema and pro production world, Sound Devices reign supreme.

If you're a professional you're going to be using a professional tool, not an overpriced shiny looking toy.

In this case almost every person I know who's doing field recordings is using a zoom Hx series or something similar.

If I saw a professional walking around with this thing, I'd avoid them like the plague. It screams "I care more about looking cool than making quality recordings" to me.

Prosumer pricing for these features would be €450-500 max. €1500 for €150 of audio quality is just smh.

Not really fair assesment. At pro level that price really doesnt matter. Saying that its bad because it looks is stupid. What matters is if its reliable and functions well. If it does it might just mean that the premium materials make it last longer.

Pro level mics have a lot to say about their audio quality: Why it's good, why it's innovative, etc.

This TP-7 doesn't. Not at all. Their marketing is heavily based on how cool it looks, with very little if any stuff like audio samples, frequency response, etc.

In other words, their marketing materials say "it's good, because it looks good"...

Teenage Engineering make shiny expensive toys, and market an 'experience'. Which is fine, if that's what you're after. But if you're after quality recording, get something twice as good and ten times cheaper.

I know pro musicians who love their stuff. TX-6 is great little mixer for both recording and performance. OP-1 despite the hate is portable focused audio lab that is perfect for creating little music ideas. Sure you can get something from Electron for less money but is it as portable or quirky to bring out new ideas? For some it's really important and so are the aesthetics.

I think there are qualities that are important in creative process that you overlook. The mood, your environment, quality of your tools even how "cool" they look is not something secondary.

Actually most good musicians i know care more about the feel of a tool (touch, how it clicks, how heavy it is) than they care about frequency response. They might even like things that sound in certain way and not always "correct".

For some usecases this doesn't matter sure - like if you are some reporter - get Zoom or Sound Devices. But there are people liking and buying these and they are not just posers.

If you are actual professional, TP-7 is just a toy

Not even XLR/mini-XLR for pro mics near instantly disqualifies it for most pro uses and lack of SD card is just plain silly. The app showing you transcribed text after does look neat tho

I feel like I'm the only person who isn't a fan of Teenage Engineering's design. It's all a bit too uncanny valley for me.

You are not. It's like Patrick Bateman's Fisher-Price to me.

This thing in particular is purely for posers, even more than their other stuff. I find it condescending, and nebulously offensive.

I have literally no experience with music or any of this stuff.

I've seen a few videos and the OP1 looks cool - how do these things perform?

Are they decent but expensive, or are they just pretty but trash?

IMO Apple pulls this off well because their devices work really decently while also holding that premium look.

They are ridiculously overpriced.

They are terribly limited, which is marketed as a bonus - I don't see it that way.

I wouldn't go so far as to call them trash - they're very expensive toys.

You may enjoy this video about the OP-1's feature set, even without the background knowledge to know everything he's saying is 100% true (which it is) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU8alMWUmDI

I like Apple, quite possibly too much. I put a lot of value on user experience. But I would never buy a Teenage Engineering product with my own money. I find that 'I only drink $500 bottles of wine' kind of thing deeply uncool.

“Patrick Bateman’s Fischer-Price” is a superb phrase, captures the essence of the situation. I can see Bateman and friends comparing their devices one upping each other - this one has “embossed buttons”…etc!

> Patrick Bateman's Fisher-Price

Oh wow, that one is going in the memory bank for future use.

Indeed, my mind field recorded that one!

Seems like literally everyone on HN tonight is right there with you.

Reading all these comments, I’m feeling equally lonely as a fan (but admittedly seldom a customer) of basically everything TE does.

You're not alone, and I'm kinda glad you posted. It's some sort of failed minimalism that just bothers me. It's like the bad Ikea manual of the music world.

I'm right there with you - I don't like the muted pastel color palette choices, the structural design, etc.

I also think at that price point, there is a sunken cost fallacy that contractually obligates people to defend the visual design to the death.

If there was ever a product page that needed a video...

Spinny jog wheel thingy is lovely. And apparently it moves while you're recording? If you put your thumb on it to slow it down does it pitch the audio up on playback?

It's not how I'd spent $1,500 but I'm glad it exists. Irritates the same itch that makes me want to buy an old Nagra SN. (Which is also not how I'm gonna spend multiple thousands either, but I get it.)

Looks like a feature borrowed from their radio

https://teenage.engineering/products/ob-4

I don't see a way to add a windscreen? A $50 field recorder with a $10 wind screen will probably sound better in the field than this. This looks like it's main intended to be used for transcription indoors. I also can't find any details on headroom. Will this clip when recording a concert, or a jam session, or recording a car engine revving?

If Wes Anderson were an Engineer I think he'd make stuff like this. Take a look at their new microphone as well https://teenage.engineering/products/cm-15

> self noise: 14 dBA

That's really not very good, especially for the price they're charging. I'm starting to sense a theme.

$1,500? For a field recorder?

That's not a crazy number for a digital synthesizer. It's eye-watering for a pocket-sized mixer. For a microphone though? This is madness. You carry a cell phone with you every day - if you need more, you buy a Zoom handheld for maybe ~$150.

There's no shortage of pissing-and-moaning about Teenage Engineering hardware, but goddamn. They are really betting on people not wanting to open the Voice Recordings app on their smartphone with this one.

I don't think they're betting on anything. They know they make somethings that no one else in the world does.

Are there designer microphones like this made by other companies anywhere else in the world? No. They have no real competitors despite making technologies you can easily purchase elsewhere.

> Are there designer microphones like this made by other companies anywhere else in the world? No.

You have apparently missed out on over 100 years of designer microphones built by companies exactly like this. The design of their mic is an apparent homage to old Neumann and Rode designs. Besides them, AKG, Beyerdynamics, Oktava, Electro Voice, Behringer, Buchla and dozens of smaller design shops have been doing this for decades. It's like claiming that "nobody else was making colorful hipster synths" before the OP-1 came out.

They're betting on people who love jawdropping gorgeous pieces of technology and have lots of money to spend on art

Poor people don't understand rich people, seems

Poor people literally cannot afford to understand rich people. That's what scarcity mindset is

Well quite a few try, like the folks on welfare buying luxury handbags and so on.

I will very likely buy one. I don't need it, or any field recorder really, although I do already own a "regular" Sony field recorder that I use occasionally, but not professionally.

I'll buy it because I love well made, beautiful, functional things. It's the reason I own and regularly use a Leica camera, a (custom) mechanical keyboard, specific reel to reel tape decks and turntables, etc. I also have a particular interest in recording and playback devices of all kinds. Fundamentally I just enjoy and appreciate them. By contrast, I don't care about cars and drive a cheap 15-year old one.

I do of course realize that for many people price must be a primary consideration. I'm grateful and lucky to be in a position where I can (carefully) spend more on certain things. For other people, price is just more important than the things I cited even if they could afford something like this. That's completely reasonable and understandable, too.

I have absolutely no use for it but I kind of want one. I think it's beautiful.

I also have no use for it and completely want one.

If it was 1/3rd the price and it was a bit smaller I might even actually buy one.

I could set it on the shelf beside the Leica camera I want but have no use for.

I assumed at first reading the model number "TP" on this thread that this was a discussion about their $75 modular tape dispenser. [0]

[0] https://www.jam.se/en/products/synthanalogvintage/teenage-en...

it's not a mic. the included mic is a subpar convenience function "in a pinch" not the primary purpose. it's $3000 for mic+recorder.

For those wondering, the CM-15 is their field mic at $1199 [1].

[1]: https://teenage.engineering/store/cm-15

Yeah although it seems like besides their pocket operators everything they sell costs around 1500. I'm sure its amazing but the mic on my cell phone is good enough for me to capture tons of samples with my phone.

Their stuff is design art first and foremost. Usually they are also high quality, functional products as well, but someone would buy this if they think it’s beautiful, not for practical purposes.

Eh, I feel like most people would never use 80% of the "features" of the TX-6, which mostly feel like bolt-on justifications for its price tag. If you want a super portable mixer, something like the 1010 Bluebox is infinitely better at being a proper mixer than the TX-6 is, for half the price.

bluebox being the closest comparable shows that the price is not absurd given how much bluebox lacks (aspects that I at least do use)

I think its a bit of a stretch to argue the OB-4 has no peers? There's no shortage of premium battery powered speakers out there. While the design may be much more to your liking, there are good options.

With hifi or monitor like response?

> With hifi or monitor like response?

Unless you are going to apply speaker or room correction, no speaker has a universally flat "hifi" or "monitor like" response in all environments. What you hear is a product of both the speaker and the room, not just the speaker. For this reason alone, a portable speaker makes little sense for use as a "monitor" and that's before we get to the pretty terrible stereo channel separation going on with the drivers mere inches apart on a flat surface on this particular model. This is a fairly big part of the reason people working on audio projects tend to rely on headphones to monitor in the field.

There are plenty of battery powered speakers with as close to a "neutral" (monitor) style response curve as just making a plain ole speaker can, but again, not like almost anyone will hear that neutral curve on a portable speaker anyway!

The Sonos units can at least perform sweep tests and some room correction via a phone mic ("Truplay" in their marketing), as one example - even the portable battery powered units like the Move. The Move is also a third cheaper. Room correction will generally provide significantly more accurate or "hifi" as you put it bass response.

I completely agree the design of the OB-4 is more attractive though!

Thx for the move reference, haven't researched in a few years. Tho I need two moves to match stereo need for production so it's quite a lot bigger, I'm sure that helps the sound. I have software for sweeps and eq.

I'm pretty sure the Juicero was a deadpan form of performance art, like Piero Manzoni's, ahem, crappy work.

Haha, I came to the same conclusion. Let's be buds.

Par for the course for Teenage Engineering.

I was sold until I clicked through to the store and saw the price: £1299. Absolutely ludicrous given a Zoom H2 is £149.

If you buy a Zoom H8 with all of the optional microphone sets, you don't quite get up to this price.

Teenage Engineering is selling the fantasy of being Hunter S Thompson's assistant.

As far as I can tell, it doesn't come with any adrenochrome laced bags of cocaine, so I think it would be missing a key part of that fantasy.

I assume a major part of the job is going on runs to acquire the salt shakers, the briefcases, and the bottles of ether.

Anyone know the model of typewriter they use in the image, where they sell up the ease of transcribing TP-7 audio to text?

Lexikon 83DL typewriter, 1970

https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/2004.187/

The audio recorder is cool, but that typewriter is *gorgeous*

FWIW, Chrome answers this question neatly. Just select "Search images with Google" from the menu and it scores a direct hit.

Nice, thank-you. A triple-press to take a screenshot, and the third icon down opens Google Lens.

Tapping on the typewriter draws a box around it, and Google tries to find it.

For the price you can buy state of the art mic and field recorder. For audio-to-text, simply use Microsoft office.

But you can buy this if you’re rich and don’t know where to burn your cash.

yeah to me a field-recorder with transcription is aimed at least somewhat towards journalists who can't even come close to affording this

The greatest offense is creating a product so refined in its exterior craft that offers a feature set barely competitive with the most entry level ZOOM.

I'll stick with my iPhone + TX-6 for multitrack recording. The TX-6 has definitely been worth the $1500.

re: size: It's fine for me, I adjusted quickly to the knobs. They can be turned without fully gripping your fingers around their sides. The size is a feature to me as I have a fully battery powered portable setup that sizes down enough that I can easily carry the parts on my person without a bag.

You don't find the TX-6 too small? That's what's preventing me from even considering buying it. If it were a little bigger, I'd be dreaming about getting it, or perhaps even actually getting it.

I got to fiddle around with one. I have probably average sized male fingers, and it really wasn't a problem at all. Tbh if there's one thing you can pretty reliably count on TE for it's spectacular minimalist design, but if there's a _second_ thing it's thoughtful ergonomics.

Look at the 1010music Bluebox. It's about twice the size of the TX-6, half the price, and infinitely more usable as an actual mixer and multitrack recorder.

i know it, it's a decent alternative. it's not useful as a bluetooth controller (I use TX-6 for both mixing inputs as well as software mixing sources on the iPhone), it's not an audio interface. the bluebox also has no battery so you have to increase the size further to attach one. does not fit the same use cases. not what you'd get bluebox for but I also use TX-6 as a BTLE performance device apart from its mixer capability (like the TX-7 stem player prototype was before it had any audio inputs) which again has nothing comparable that can be handheld.

End of the day TE products are closer to toys than they are tools. I mean that in a positive way in the sense the people who buy them get excited about them and using them makes them happy but you have to build your workflow around them.

Although their "Field" range is starting to feel overpriced by their standards, Kinda think if the mixer was around $500, the recorder around $600 and the Microphone around $350 the range would be a lot more compelling, like line the pricing up so buying all 3 is closer to the price of the OP-1 Field not double the price of the OP-1 Field.

I'm sure they'll sell enough, just think aiming for that pricing would have made buying the whole set a no brainer for the TE fans.

I love physical buttons. My keyboard has the exact right keyswitches for how I type. On the other end of the spectrum is my car's absolutely cursed touchscreen and capacitive buttons.

The TP-7's buttons look really great, until you get to the part about the motorized wheel. That thing is going to jam with lint or sand or beard hair and that's the end. Or something is going to accidentally touch it and you'll miss a key moment of an interview.

I wonder what the battery life would be without that thing.

I am sort of curious about their manufacturing. Say you wanted to create some really mundane object, like an anodized aluminum fidget spinner, with nice cut parts such as Apple's or teenage engineering's hardware?

I suppose you'd use an aluminum 6061 block cut with a CNC machine and anodize the finish. OK. Well, doing CNC parts at volume is quite expensive. I can see teenage engineer's expenses here from that alone.

But... is that all there is to it?

The trick is to make 1 item and then show it to a bunch of VCs who will then pay for a large batch at lower unit cost.

Expertise, time and money are indeed all it takes. But that doesn't mean it's easy. :)

You can absolutely build beautiful stuff in your own home shop.

The Chris Ramsay Playing Card Press https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PwAQZNLy0I

What you need to understand though is that these kinds of projects take ridiculous amounts of time.

CAUTION: That video is Clickspring. You will get sucked in and lose hours of time. Do not open unless you can afford to waste a lot of time. :)

They make their products in china so a bunch of CNC cut parts for $1500 toy recorder is tiny fraction of the price

I'm assuming the cost is entirely to make up for labor.

The rocker and the wheel both look like they would break under even moderate real-world use. And I get that not everyone is technical enough to do this but whisper.cpp gave basically everyone good-enough auto transcription, so that horse has kinda left the barn. Despite that, I hate how much I still want this.

How does the TP-7 compare to Zooms, the biggest competitor in this space?

https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/

Going out on a limb here, but I would guess it doesn't. If the pricing will be similar to the other entry in the field lineup (TX-6) we're looking at many multiples of the price of a Zoom H4n Pro, which I also would guess has a wider arrange of features - except the transcription.

That being said - teenage engineering is probably not looking to compete with Zoom. The branding is totally different. TE is looking for a premium market, while the first thing I was met with on zooms homepage was a button that said "New lower price!".

Teenage engineering continues doing something that I don't really understand - making me want to buy stuff that is really expensive that I have no need for. I won't buy these things, but every time I see them I do appreciate the craft.

I don't think you really need specs to compare them. Zoom's are ugly and used by actual professionals, and teenage engineering's are a monument to the functionalist school of industrial design and purchased probably by mostly enthusiasts.

I'd think that anyone in the market for a "field recorder" today would be completely insane to buy something that wont record in float32.

It seems much more prone to accidental stopping with the reel on the front. neat looking feature but not sure how practical it is.

Serious question, if you inherited tens of millions of dollars and wanted to spend it on premium things, where can you buy insanly luxurious every day items?

Like: An apple corer? A Yeti (like) cup? A mobile phone? Kids toys?

I've always wondered this. I live in a world of throw away quality every day items. Do the ultra wealthy have luxury options for these things?

There's a whole industry catering to that niche. Magazines like Luxury Launches [1] or Robb Report [2] and retailers like James Edition [3]. You can tell them apart from normal retailers because the menu will have categories for jewelry and helicopters.

For example, here's a $990 100mL bottle of Balsamic vinegar I found on Robb Report that's aged for a century [4].

Most of these are for private concierges and assistants, though, as very rich people don't usually bother with this stuff themselves. They get their staff to source it online or find someone to hand craft a custom piece to spec. "Personal shopper" is the generic term

[1] https://luxurylaunches.com/

[2] https://robbreport.com/

[3] https://www.jamesedition.com/

[4] https://giusti.it/en/prodotto/giusti-100-100ml/

Well, that's not it.

The OP's not asking about luxury, exclusive stuff, of which there's plenty. Just ordinary things that just aren't cheaply made.

I mean the wirecutter is pretty good.

Hermes makes some outrageously tacky "normal thing but it's the price of my car" products. Like a backgammon set for £6k: https://www.hermes.com/uk/en/product/palio-backgammon-game-H...

And they may also pretend that it's so scarce you have to apply to a waiting list for the right to buy things so you feel extra special (cynically I suspect this also weeds out riff-raff rich enough to afford the item's sticker price but not also the PA to faff about with the process).

It's very silly. And profitable, evidently.

I wondered this too until I saw a YouTube video [1] of Steve Jobs going to Japan to meet an artisan he admired who makes Japanese pottery. I guess you globe-trot to find the actual craftspeople.

[1] https://youtu.be/1_qcvhXdzXg?t=2472

I've been rich twice, now broke again. I can confirm purchase of ridiculous items, although in fairness of lot of high-end items do a better job at their given task, but it is absolutely an area of exponentially diminishing returns.

How did you lose your riches?

First time I just spent it all on crazy shit until I was broke. I made my first million selling Beanie Babies on eBay in 1997-1998. I knew it was a fad, but like a sports star I decided not to put any aside and just shit it all away.

Second time I made the money through a torrent tracker I built for TV shows. Then I went to jail for an unrelated charge and everything I had was gone when I got out.

Thank you for sharing.

I use https://old.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/ as a starting point, but it can be hit or miss depending on what you search.

I'm afraid using a real celebrity's name as your HN username falls into the sort of thing we don't allow here - see https://hn.algolia.com/?sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comme....

I've temporarily banned the account but if you want us to rename it for you to something untrollish, we can do that and unban it.

Sorry! I thought it was in good fun but I guess it's a little too soon.

Can you rename me to EscapeFromNewYork? (in reference to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_from_New_York)

The limit is 17 chars (edit: doh! I meant the limit is 15 chars and that one was 17.)

We could do EscapeFromNY if you like. Or pick something else?

But that is 17 chars. If it's too long EscapeFromNY is fine

I am idiot; the limit is 15 and I said 17 because I had just evaluated

  > (len "EscapeFromNewYork")
  17

Ok, you're now EscapeFromNY and are unbanned.

Thanks and sorry for the trouble!

I don't think there are many truly luxurious options in the category of everyday items. The ultra wealthy have the same options as the middle class in terms of apple corer, mobile phones, tablets, toilets, or streaming services.

Luxuries would be things like hiring personal assistants, hand-made/customized items, art collections, etc. An emperor wouldn't have a golden hoe, because he doesn't farm.

Funny you mention toilets. I've seen a $8k toilet. I think it was from kolher.

Found it: https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/kohler-numi-20-...

Michael Bloomberg had a $13,000 bespoke bathtub made of hammered copper by French artisans in Villedieu-les-Poëles near Mont Saint Michel, the only place with the skills to make such a thing. Copper conducts heat very well so it takes the temperature of water immediately. No cold bathtub walls for Michael. Compared to the $8K mass-produced toilet, it almost seems like a bargain now.

Mark Zuckerberg practicing jiu-jitsu is an example. Gym participation is a luxury display of leisure time. I wonder why he didn't take up golf. There seems to be a trendy desire to leisure train physical fighting ability as opposed to other recreational activities.

By the way, Japan emperor does rice farm because it's a symbol of country

I can't think of any store that caters to this specific type of thing. And now that you mention it, it's a real shame. Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom sell a lot of Veblen goods, not necessarily actual high-end anything.

Costco sells actual high-end products, but they're very limited in their selection. For various products, people in the know don't use them. However, for example, flashlights they sell from Duracell are stronger than anything you can pickup from Home Depot, curiously.

Isn't this what SkyMall used to be?

SkyMall was the cheapest shit hahaha

I wish I could find this link I found a while back - it was a furtniture store that sold one of a kind pieces made by legit artists. End tables were like 70k, etc.

It was so interesting. Like peering into a whole different world

Meanwhile your local amish communities probably make better quality stuff for pretty good prices.

If you want to be new rich, just hand someone a million dollars for a normal product, your peers only care about the sticker price anyway.

I will say, on this particular website, the furniture was literally artwork - By that I mean, it was clearly made by artists with great mastery of their craft. For example there were mirrors which were cut and framed in very unusual shapes. There upholstered pieces with atypical material/construction. So yes, amish people probably make more functional stuff, but this stuff was showcasing the skill of the builder, which is what brings the price. That said I don't care if you brought me and end table made out of moon rock, I aint payin' 70 grand for it, lmfao

When you're that rich, your "every day items" do not include yeti cups or apple corers.

Why not? It's not like I'm going to summon Jeeves every time I want to eat an apple. Not every rich person is a snobby aristocrat who faints at a thought of any manual labor.

I doubt people with tens of millions of dollars have a cook to slice up their kid's apple, but I wouldn't know.

Though, I'm sure Elon isn't doing something so mundane.

$10M is well above where you start seeing people have full time live in childcare.

Can always play craftsman or artist to make something custom

The most expensive things you can buy are bought at auction.

Who buys this stuff, honestly? I wonder what the market size is?

TE is the equivalent of Gucci handbags for hipster musicians.

Are there any other hardware companies out there that have a unique aesthetic or style?

$80 tape dispenser? Shut up and take my money!

Like a cyberpunk Nagra.

Every time I look at this company's products, I realize how useless they are. And that's before considering their absurd prices.

The big selling point for this thing is supposed to be its ready accessibility and "high quality" audio, but it can't record high quality as it stands. About its gimpy built-in mic they say "OR USE THE INTERNAL MIC IN A PINCH."

Or you can buy the Zoom F3, which costs $350, is small enough to strap to your wrist, and records in float. Then you can buy a good mic (or two) and still come out way ahead of the asinine product featured here.

This is so neat and the design looks so thoughtful. But USD$1500 is just… pornographic. I immediately wanted one and steeled myself for what I thought was going to be $300-400. I LoL’ed when I saw the real price.

Might as well charge $15000

Are they going to make more than 7 of these?

Usually they only manufacture 7 examples of what they sell.

Five to give to YouTube review channels and two to actually sell.

When those two sell out they wait 29 months and then make two more.

Or so it seems.

My local synth shop (Patchwerks in Seattle, heavily recommend, they even have an online store; no affiliation with them besides being an occasional customer) keeps restocking in noticeable numbers and selling out of their TE equipment (and no, not just Pocket Operator series) on regular. People actually buy it. The only time when it is somewhat not easy to acquire TE equipment is within the first month or two after the release for their more popular devices. You can even go on the official TE website now and easily purchase anything released last year (minus limited edition/limited run items, but that's just meh), with the only wait being the time it takes for package shipping from Sweden (which takes like a week or so to arrive to your address in the US).