Examples of good usability in hi-fi equipment

[Talisman]

I like these functions:

1. The Direct button below here when I play music normal to loud but when I play at night which is people are sleeping, I push Loudness button so Bass and Treble can pick-up Vocal or mid.
2. D1 and D2 will be blinking when music stop playing.
3. Automaticaly go to stand-by when not being used for 20 minutes.

There 8 inputs which are more than enough for me:

1. D1 for player/streamer
2. D2 for airplay/bluetooth receiver
3. Line 1 for DAC 1
4. Line 2 for DAC 2
5. Line 3 for DAC 3
6. Line 4 for DAC 4
7. Line 5 for Portable player
8. Phono for Turntables

This amp has been serving me for almost 10 years which means VERY RELIABLE.View attachment 272116

I have an onkyo 9010 and I absolutely agree, the interface is identical to that of your image, it has all the functions I need and they can all be activated in an intuitive and ergonomic way. The rotary control for input selection is simply the best system I've ever experienced. The loudness that so many despise is a blessing listening to low volume music in the evening, the direct button cuts out any tone at any time (including loudness when activated) and it's all immediately apparent from the info leds (which also have different colors depending on the for example, the "warm" orange LED for loudness, the "transparent" blue one for direct)
Plus it has a set of digital inputs, a nice big, motorized volume knob.
Last but not least it sounds wonderful to my ears, when I "upgraded" to the Cambridge audio CXA61 I couldn't notice any improvement in perceived audio quality, but I did notice worse ergonomics and the absence of many features I liked .
And I paid just over 200 euros for it new.
What a fantastic product!

 

[Jack Harrison]

Quad 44 Preamp:

View attachment 272087

A basic and remarkably intuitive design for a preamp...

Pushbuttons for source (with LED indicators), that superb "tilt" control - this is a brilliant example of well executed user interface.
mid 1980's

I’ve got a grey Mk II. As well as the clever tone controls, the phono inputs are adjustable for the output and load capacitance requirements of the cartridge. And the source inputs (radio, aux/cd, phono, tape x 2) are all on swappable cards a bit like a pc which all makes it very usable and it sounds great also.

 

[SSS]

One of my SPL meters, really vintage. Professional by Rohde&Schwarz. Condensor-Mic, first stage with vacuum electronic tube. Still working OK.

 

[DJBonoBobo]

My first CD-Player was a Technics SL PG 540. I loved the search-wheel and never understood why this function has not been praised and adapted universally. Hated every other CD-player's search function.

 

[fpitas]

My J2 features Vampire binding posts for speaker connection. At first I dismissed them as audiophile fluff, but then I noticed that the cap unscrews off the post entirely, and one can use a ring terminal and copper crush washer. Also the cap is all metal and can be wrenched. I was so impressed I bought a zillion for all my DIY speaker connections.

 

[gnarly]

Seeing this thread is about what folks like in hardware, I'll leave my love for modern digital I/O design and processing aside.

So here's a piece of analog equipment I continue to enjoy...an EQ that I use only with headphones.

"Knobs galore" for only a stereo 4-band per channel EQ, with high-pass and low pass thrown in..

 

[JktHifi]

I have an onkyo 9010 and I absolutely agree, the interface is identical to that of your image, it has all the functions I need and they can all be activated in an intuitive and ergonomic way. The rotary control for input selection is simply the best system I've ever experienced. The loudness that so many despise is a blessing listening to low volume music in the evening, the direct button cuts out any tone at any time (including loudness when activated) and it's all immediately apparent from the info leds (which also have different colors depending on the for example, the "warm" orange LED for loudness, the "transparent" blue one for direct)
Plus it has a set of digital inputs, a nice big, motorized volume knob.
Last but not least it sounds wonderful to my ears, when I "upgraded" to the Cambridge audio CXA61 I couldn't notice any improvement in perceived audio quality, but I did notice worse ergonomics and the absence of many features I liked .
And I paid just over 200 euros for it new.
What a fantastic product!

Thank you for your experience info of CXA61. It means that I shouldn't upgrade to CXA61, right? Probably will upgrade on the speaker because my wharfedale speakers already more than 10 years. Quite old and a little bit tired but can still punch.

 

[eddantes]

OOOF... I feel I'm gonna get some hate for this, but for me good usability is my digital chain: CCA>Toslink>DAC>AMP
I preset the volume on my DAC to my preferrable MAX level (not absolute max) once on setup. Now, I just whip out my phone, launch spotify, and do track selection and volume from there. No fuss no muss.

 

[Talisman]

Thank you for your experience info of CXA61. It means that I shouldn't upgrade to CXA61, right? Probably will upgrade on the speaker because my wharfedale speakers already more than 10 years. Quite old and a little bit tired but can still punch.

This has been my experience, I would have expected a noticeable improvement in sound but it wasn't what I got, no more clarity, no better dynamics, no silky mids or crystal clear highs. They sounded exactly the same to my ears (so good anyway).
Not a worthwhile Onkyo upgrade to me, much better to spend that money on better speakers.
My two cents

 

[Mr. Widget]

Regardless of performance, please share your experience with equipment which has made a great impression on your perception of great usability.

Specifically, I am focused on the tactile enjoyment of operating a piece of equipment. For example, the usefulness of a certain layout or selective use of switches, knobs or buttons etc.

For pure tactile pleasure the nicest piece of gear I ever owned or used was the Threshold NS-10 preamp. The feel of every control felt precise and damped. The detents in the volume control were "just right"... it was a wonderfully overbuilt piece of gear I wish I had kept. The image is not mine.

 

[tomchris]

Tandberg TCD-3014A :

Focusing on cassette deck usability, I have owned several high-end cassette players and the Tandberg TCD-3014 presents the fastest and most silent cassette mechanism I have ever encountered. Shifting between fast forward, rewind and play is lightning fast. This deck is a pleasure to operate.

Try watching the this video around 8:30 and forward. It shows just how fast the mechanism responds when you change between cueing functionality, stop and play.

 

[tomchris]

For pure tactile pleasure the nicest piece of gear I ever owned or used was the Threshold NS-10 preamp. The feel of every control felt precise and damped. The detents in the volume control were "just right"... it was a wonderfully overbuilt piece of gear I wish I had kept.

I concur wholeheartedly. The Threshold NS-10 preamp is a benchmark of some of the nicest, no-nonsense controls I have experienced. Minimalistic selection and great feel.

 

[Joe Smith]

I have an onkyo 9010 and I absolutely agree, the interface is identical to that of your image, it has all the functions I need and they can all be activated in an intuitive and ergonomic way. The rotary control for input selection is simply the best system I've ever experienced. The loudness that so many despise is a blessing listening to low volume music in the evening, the direct button cuts out any tone at any time (including loudness when activated) and it's all immediately apparent from the info leds (which also have different colors depending on the for example, the "warm" orange LED for loudness, the "transparent" blue one for direct)
Plus it has a set of digital inputs, a nice big, motorized volume knob.
Last but not least it sounds wonderful to my ears, when I "upgraded" to the Cambridge audio CXA61 I couldn't notice any improvement in perceived audio quality, but I did notice worse ergonomics and the absence of many features I liked .
And I paid just over 200 euros for it new.
What a fantastic product!

Onkyo is/was a consistently under-rated brand. All Onkyo stuff I have has been very durable. My DX-1400 cd player purchased in 1987 when we moved into our first house is still going strong and has never required ANY maintenance. Impressive. 36+ years.

 

[dshreter]

It's certainly not what you've asked, but my Sonos AMP has the best usability of any product I own. I just about never have to interact with it at all, and volume is controlled by my TV HDMI-ARC when using that input or Spotify Connect when using that input. It switches inputs automatically too, so I never have to control that either. It runs cool, so it's tucked away where I never see it.

 

[student of history]

A few that come to mind: I really liked the solenoid operation of some of the later tape decks, like the Tandberg open reel (a TD-20A I think?) at my old job and my Sony TCK-670. This combined with full logic operation. I was also very satisfied with the audio quality of this tape system at the time, far preferring it to record players. I could take the cassettes on the road and play them in my Walkman D6C.

Back in the day you could get these amazing, heavy ceramic cased metal cassette tapes. Anyone remember those?

From the same era: The industrial design of the Sony MDR-V6 stands out. They were (are) indestructible, easily foldable, and sounded good to me. I still have them 30 years later, good as new.

I like the direct source input buttons of my NAD-320BEE, though they don't 'feel' as nice as old school knobs, my favorite probably being the Yamaha amps of the 70s.

I had an old Marantz receiver with the gyroscope tuner, but honestly I preferred the simple and clean-sounding digital tuners that came later. My NAD 412, Sony XDR-F1HD, and Sangean HDT-20 are standouts. The last one has TOSLINK.

I like that my Sony CDP-C445 carousel has direct track and disc buttons, and all of the other buttons on the remote. It also has a very nice display. The whole tactile experience of loading the CDs is a pleasure: being able to hold the Cd case, find the tracks I want, push the track button and off we go. The Play-Exchange feature allows me to keep loading discs as I play an album. It might be my favorite paradigm for enjoying music.

But it's hard to beat the current paradigm, which amounts to a small black box with a very nice feeling volume knob (e.g. SMSL AO100 DAC). A typical setup in my house: iPhone => WIFI device => DAC => Amp => Speakers. You can even have EQ! The Spotify and Plexamp apps have decent EQs built in (also loudness leveling, limiter, gapless, track fading, etc.).

Combining the paradigms is also nice: Sony carousel or HDT-20 => DAC => Amp => Speakers.

 

[Steven Holt]

my Sonos AMP has the best usability of any product I own

I kind of hate to admit this, but that is one cool little piece of gear.

 

[dshreter]

I used to LOVE my minidisc collection. The discs felt great in the hand, the players were not much larger than the discs themselves and were dense and mechanical, and having the overall experience of playback, portable recording, and desktop recording components was a delight.

 

[Sal1950]

Realistic

So here's a piece of analog equipment I continue to enjoy...an EQ that I use only with headphones.

That's a mighty pricey tool for headphone EQ

 

[JRS]

No sexy feel to speak of but oh so useful are EQ filter sets that can be accessed by remote.

I suspect their origin was with AVRs, but the first time I encountered them was with a DEQX PDP 2.6 which enabled one to access 4 separate stored convolver files which allowed for instantaneous access to 4 different 2 or 3 way system xo's/EQ.
Ironically the unit itself had one button and 4 LED's. Talk about spare. The GUI for z ca 2001 product was notably impressive for it's time all due to Alan Langford. The product was groundbreaking in every way IMHO.
The coolest thing about it was at turn on--after a short delay a number of relays clicked sequentially anc quite audibly into position. Loved that sound and the anticipation that went with--similar I suppose ice cubes into a tumbler are for a serious drinker.

 

[mhardy6647]

One of my SPL meters, really vintage. Professional by Rohde&Schwarz. Condensor-Mic, first stage with vacuum electronic tube. Still working OK.
View attachment 272499

That is sehr schön.