Re: MiniDisk? Bah!
It's all been downhill since the reproducing piano went out of fashion. I'm not really joking, either - the early 20th Century tech let you listen to note-perfect performances by world-renowned musicians on your own instrument, in your own home, at much higher fidelity (ie - actual live acoustic sound) than most of the music that's 'consumed' nowadays. Sure, no one bothered with the effort and hassle of dragging one around on public transport - it really wasn't a portable option - but if they had, even out of tune and crashing madly on every pothole, it would've still sounded a lot better than the distorted hiss of an overdriven iPhone speaker at the back of a bus.