Design icons in the hi-fi and audio sector

[JRowland]

Oh if I knew then what I feel I know now...

We basically are who we are because we didn’t and had to learn things the hard way. Better to learn by experience than not to experience at all though. But my lord yes if I only knew then…

 

[JeffS7444]

If the design of Tecsun's S2200x radio seems familiar, it's because it was originally sold as the Grundig Satellit 750 starting in 2008. The design and operation of the older radio were well-liked, though it's performance wasn't considered the very best. But in this latest iteration, they've kept the exterior design while completely revamping the circuitry (DSP of course), and reviews indicate it's now a great performer.

 

[mhardy6647]

If the design of Tecsun's S2200x radio seems familiar, it's because it was originally sold as the Grundig Satellit 750 starting in 2008. The design and operation of the older radio were well-liked, though it's performance wasn't considered the very best. But in this latest iteration, they've kept the exterior design while completely revamping the circuitry (DSP of course), and reviews indicate it's now a great performer.

View attachment 512983

crud -- now I want one!
(I have wanted one before -- but now I am being called to want one again...)

 

[JeffS7444]

I was very fond of my Naim NAIT 1, and it's one of the few items I maybe should have kept. Probably would have measured pretty badly though, and the operation of the balance control was eccentric, and so was the factory's insistence that their amplifiers be used with their own speaker wire: Supposedly the wire provided just the right amount of inductance (but wouldn't it have been easier just to incorporate an inductor within the amplifier?)

I gave away my dad's AR turntable long ago. Kind of interesting how AR's designers weren't terribly concerned about overhang, VTA or antiskate, but paid a great deal of attention to isolating the stylus from the environment - perhaps there's a lesson to be learned there. Was aware that the tonearm was an adjustable, damped design, though the foam parts only lasted for a few years.

 

[JeffS7444]

crud -- now I want one!
(I have wanted one before -- but now I am being called to want one again...)

Well shoot, where's the evil grin emoji when you need it?

 

[DSJR]

I was very fond of my Naim NAIT 1, and it's one of the few items I maybe should have kept. Probably would have measured pretty badly though, and the operation of the balance control was eccentric, and so was the factory's insistence that their amplifiers be used with their own speaker wire: Supposedly the wire provided just the right amount of inductance (but wouldn't it have been easier just to incorporate an inductor within the amplifier?)

I gave away my dad's AR turntable long ago. Kind of interesting how AR's designers weren't terribly concerned about overhang, VTA or antiskate, but paid a great deal of attention to isolating the stylus from the environment - perhaps there's a lesson to be learned there. Was aware that the tonearm was an adjustable, damped design, though the foam parts only lasted for a few years.

Overhang difference of Stevenson and Bearwald (s'cuse spelling) difference is 5-7mm difference in the inner null point which on an approx 9" tonearm is a couple of (genuinely inaudible) millimetres adjustment, any more major difference at the beginning of a 12" record being largely irrelevant really, due to the higher rotation speed at disc edge. The old AR arm did have some limited VTA I seem to remember (it's decades since I set one up) and as for bias correction/anti-skate, the drag in the lateral arm bearing and stiff tonearm wire dressing sorted it very well at 1.25g certainly and maybe up to 1.75G with a standard elliptical stylus which was the best they had back then before the fancy stylus profiles of the mid 70s onwards.

Being now an oldie to all this, I'd gently suggest the AR XA/XB deck was for music lovers who wanted to play records, NOT for anal gear freaks who tweak the living daylights out of all their gear. In later years, B&O filled this niche with some mechanically-expert auto decks which all were easily up to Rega standards sonically I found, the 6002 and 8002 giving a certain Scottish turntable we loved a close call...

We sold a lot of Nait mk1s. Deliberate RIAA error favouring the mid kHz region where our favoured pickups dipped down, 17WPC with the wind behind it and subjectively delightful soft-clipping to die for as all it did was compress when pushed too hard. Tech review in mid to late 80s HiFi Choice amp test books on worldradiohistory.

Apologies everyone for my diversions into history. The UK scene from th elate 70s was seemingly very different to mainland Europe and certainly worlds apart from the US posher-end of the audio market.