The PCM-D1 is an intriguing object before it is a recording device. Online reviews say it is expensive, but sexy: it does retail for about $1,900, which is indeed far from the $350 price range for a basic voice digital recorder (although someone would say that is like comparing a Trabant with a Porsche). As to sexy, it is difficult for me to fully understand how that adjective could possibly apply to this object, even metaphorically: what makes a portable recorder sexy? Is it good performance, or just good looks? The PCM-D1 has many high-end features such as its 1 mm-thick titanium body, its black nitrate titanium scratch-resistant coating or its unusual-looking pair of built-in microphones capable of pivoting just enough to convince the user that (s)he is in control. But from there to sexy… I recently used a borrowed PCM-D1 and do understand that it has a dignified and sophisticated presence beyond its function. Far as we are from the dubious times when objects wanted to be whimsical and meaningful before they were good, and were designed and manufactured that way, I have to agree that this recorder displays a refreshing austerity, embodied in his form based on the just-enough-and-not-more philosophy. I appreciate that and know by experience that when you look at the PCM-D1 and hold it in your hand, you have the certainty it is a great recorder. And that is a design lesson that has nothing to do with sexy.
