Elegy for a Stereo

When I was 14, I took my first "job" and babysat my newborn nephew every day for half a day in order to do one thing - buy a stereo. It was my first big purchase of anything, and as the time came to buy one, I convinced my mom to drive me from one store to the next while I conducted my research, a trait that continues to this day (my mom is getting really sick of driving me around). I finally settled on the AIWA NSX-V50, which I've had ever since. I think it cost me about $270. As you can see below, I brought it with me to NYC
Well, 12 years later, the CD player doesn't work, and the speakers have been put through their paces, and with part of my tax refund burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to replace my old trusty aiwa with a shiny new Denon, which sounds fantastic and looks great


I should be pretty happy, right? Well, I have to admit that I'm pretty sad to have lost my old stereo. I know, it sounds pretty lame, but last night I went to bed pretty bummed.

One last thought, here's a picture of my new remote (which, in my opinion isn't as cool as my old remote).

Notice anything strange? Yeah, at the top there is an "on" button and an "off" button. Can anyone tell me why this is a good thing?