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Do You Miss Knobs and Dials and Switches?

I don't need knobs and switched on my hifi gear. Just a good remote. Where I do need them is in a car, where unfortunately everything is moving to screens with nested menus.
Honestly I couldn't agree more about needing them in a car. Last time I went shopping for cars I asked about a cd player and the salesman looked at me like I was insane. I'm not even that old.:facepalm:
 
Absolutely not. I love the Bauhaus simplicity or my Octo Dac 8 Pro whose functions are controlled by the small Apple remote. I don't want my home AV system to look like the cockpit of an old time DC-3 or Apollo space capsule with tens of switches and dials and knobs: that's just too busy for my taste. I prefer the serene and relaxing simplicity of the Apple design aesthetic to that any day of the week. But to each his own.

I get that.

I really enjoy seeing the photos and descriptions of the equipment in this thread, even though many of them don’t fit my own aesthetic inclinations towards more simplicity.

I like dials or knobs, and I always appreciate a quality button (eg power) with nice haptics.
But I want only the minimum required.
 
I get that.

I really enjoy seeing the photos and descriptions of the equipment in this thread, even though many of them don’t fit my own aesthetic inclinations towards more simplicity.

I like dials or knobs, and I always appreciate a quality button (eg power) with nice haptics.
But I want only the minimum required.
To each his/her own. Tastes and needs vary.

But just to be clear with respect to my own setup, its evolution had nothing to do with aesthetic appeal. In fact, I'm NOT particularly enamored by its appearance (especially from the back of the racks o_O ). It's just that I am much more willing than most to sacrifice visual appeal for the performance I'm after. Being an old fart, I prefer to handle much - but not all - of my audio processing in the analog domain, and this is where I've ended up. I'm lucky in that the system's basic topography preceded my current wife, and I made it clear to her from the very start that decisions about its further evolution, one way or another, would always be solely my decisions. Fortunately, she loves the sound that comes out of the thing as much as I do, so there has never been any friction between us with respect to those decisions. In fact, she has even bought a few of the devices for me as gifts. :)
 
In fact, she has even bought a few of the devices for me as gifts. :)
I will immediately and wholeheartedly show and share your particular comment with my wife (I believe the timing and situation should be critical), and I do expect she will agree with it!:D
 
If you grew up with this (Pioneer SX-535) as centerpiece of the audio system of your house, you probally like knobs and hardware switches that click. These drove Warfdale Linton XP3 (the originals) and had a Dual 601 Turntable with Shure cell and a Philips CD101 and later a Denon DCD800 cd player connected. That is the system i grew up with in the 1980's and 1990's.

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^^^ that era of "blackout-dial" Pioneers was indeed quite handsome. In fact, and FWIW (which ain't much!), I think Pioneer "owned" (as they say) the aesthetics of the blackout dial style of the first half of the 1970s.
 
Cool. Two birds with one stone. The combination of satisfying the nostalgic memory of the child who played spaceship with the adult who now gets music out of all the buttons, knobs and meters. :)

If you don't already have one, get a suitable listening chair such as this one::)
(note not meant ironically, go the full nine yards)


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I wonder if there'd be a market for something similar to an Eames recliner, but with a programmable remote - with screen - built into the armrests?
 
I wonder if there'd be a market for something similar to an Eames recliner, but with a programmable remote - with screen - built into the armrests?
Not with me there isn't. I like my furniture to be entirely passive. Next you'll be suggesting an App to control your washing machine...

S
 
Not with me there isn't. I like my furniture to be entirely passive. Next you'll be suggesting an App to control your washing machine...

S
If it can stop it walking round the kitchen and ripping up the floor tiles then I'm there!
 
That type of app already exists, BUT I won't get such an app until it also physically sorts and puts my laundry in and out of the washing machine.:);)
I know they exist, but rather think they are a waste of human resources and ingenuity. Now, your idea of loading and unloading is great. Should also iron and put away. That might be an app worth having!

S.
 
Most of the things in our lives in the 2020s are a waste of human resources and ingenuity.
:cool: :facepalm:
Yes. I am an old guy.
If you'll excuse me, I need to go outside for a moment. I have some clouds at which to yell.
;)
 
Most of the things in our lives in the 2020s are a waste of human resources and ingenuity.
:cool: :facepalm:
Yes. I am an old guy.
If you'll excuse me, I need to go outside for a moment. I have some clouds at which to yell.
;)
The only good thing about living in the future is the big televisions and even that comes with the irony that there's no new shows worth watching.

I'll join you outside.
 
Most of the things in our lives in the 2020s are a waste of human resources and ingenuity.
:cool: :facepalm:
Yes. I am an old guy.
If you'll excuse me, I need to go outside for a moment. I have some clouds at which to yell.
;)
Agreed. Darwin would be laughing his ass off at us.
 
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