Here comes a new device! And nope, it's not a computer... Once again, it's something for audiophiles a treat for music lovers—a DAT device. This time, it's the Sony TCD-D8, which is widely considered the peak of portable DAT evolution. It's one of the most compact DAT recorders out there (yep, it's not just a player; it's a proper semi-professional recorder)—only the TCD-D100, released at the very end of the format's era, was smaller and newer. But this right here is from back in 1995! Back in 1998, my regular cassette player wasn't any smaller than this. And that was just a player!

It definitely has its quirks. There's a ton of buttons and switches. You get three analog jacks (headphones/mic/line-in), a proprietary digital port, a display with a gorgeous turquoise backlight, a metal chassis, and a 1-bit DAC. I'm not really an audiophile, so I won't go on about how "warm" or "harsh" it sounds through a pair of $20 "Pornoslonic" headphones. I'll just say this: the device feels incredibly nice to use! Check it out!