Do You Miss Knobs and Dials and Switches?

[MattHooper]

I don’t know if this one showed up in the thread yet, but this looks like a nice unit for the knobs and switches crowd.

The Luxman L-504:

 

[pderousse]

 

[DVinylfan]

In the spirit of the largesse of controls from a certain era, here is my Meridian 209 remote, at work in my modest system.

Full disclosure I usually use a Marantz RC4000CD, which not only performs all the major functions but is also less likely to break a toe if dropped from anywhere above coffee table height

 

[obsessive9119]

Yes and no. I have a NAD 3050 in the garage that has plenty of knobs and buttons, and never touch any of them - everything’s controlled via the WiiM (same as my main system). For me personally I’m happy with that.

Where I do miss physical controls is when other people need to use my setup. If the WiiM had a physical input selector and physical volume control it’d make life a lot easier.

 

[dlaloum]

@MattHooper Do you remember the early-mid 1980s in HiFi?

We went from knobs and physical switches to electronic touch controls, up/down micro controlled with mimic style indicators and flat panels with little to no protrusions. Slider pots instead of rotary. Some brands did it well, others were just a mess.

Think of that beautiful Sansui above in the thread and then within a few years they had this atrocious thing:
View attachment 432321

Akai did it well, even in their midi range. Notice, not a knob in sight. And those awesome flow charts...
View attachment 432322


It was generally (not always) a horrible time stylistically for mid-fi and some hi-fi. Lots of plastic, space age laser stuff with flow charts illuminated diagrams on the front panels etc.

Then we thankfully went back to proper controls and clean designs for about 10 years until the wretched home theatre craze went up a notch and design went out the window again. We are just at the end of it IMO, peak adoption of stupid touch panels and useless indicators, fake VU meters and tons of lit-up garbage that just distracts from the music.

I eschew remote controls now. And I was a full-on early adopter of universal/learning remotes back in the late 1980s, programmable to control everything and anything (even my A/C) and any bit of HiFi with an IR window or link. Now I hate remotes for my HiFi. I love interacting with the gear and the physical music. No streaming for me. And I've tried it, often. It sucks the life out of high fidelity for me. The remotes are without batteries in their boxes or in the remote drawer.

I just bought a new dishwasher and it has bluetooth/wifi connection and its own app. Ridiculous. Clever for sure, but is this where we are in 2025? Of course, the first thing it did (brand new) was download a giant "security update" that took 15 minutes to download, install and reboot. And I get hundreds of recipes- wow that's useful. Remote control of everything. Suggesting to me when is the best time to turn on based on my usage. etc.

I really disliked that Sansui generation....

I don't think it did them any favors in the marketplace - that was when they started going downhill and then disappeared

 

[Snoopy]

I’ve ordered a Yamaha As2200.
Should arrive in the next couple of days

Was a bit on the fence between no Volume Meters (like a luxman that Matt posted), big VU meters like the AS3200, McIntosh etc .
So I think this is a good compromise, since I can turn them also off.

 

[mhardy6647]

I’ve ordered a Yamaha As2200.
Should arrive in the next couple of days View attachment 446640

Was a bit on the fence between no Volume Meters (like a luxman that Matt posted), big VU meters like the AS3200, McIntosh etc .
So I think this is a good compromise, since I can turn them also off.

... or just cover 'em up with a piece of duct tape! Colour coordinated and everything!

 

[Snoopy]

... or just cover 'em up with a piece of duct tape! Colour coordinated and everything!

Im already doing that with non HiFi-equipment like power-strips , WiFi repeater and such things. Also disabled the display of my steamer / dac .

 

[cavedriver]

I don’t know if this one showed up in the thread yet, but this looks like a nice unit for the knobs and switches crowd.

The Luxman L-504:
View attachment 446064

I wish more car manufacturers would use aesthetics like this for their knobs and switches. Even near-luxury brands, with a couple exceptions, have basically abandoned all switches in favor of miserable touch interfaces.

Also, since we're talking Nagra's, here's another one of their pieces. I admit I don't have much desire to have all these buttons when listening to music, but I do wish my car had everything on a button or switch:

 

[Waxx]

Those knobs are not the kind i like, i prefer something like this old Nagra IV tape machine. And this was also a great design. I used it a lot when i was a kid as a friend had one (decomissioned by his father who was a journalist). We made a lot of field recordings with it, without any knowledge about the tech side of it. And that is also a great design, when 2 14 years old can figure it out without a manual or any education in that matters...

 

[ChrisG]

I wish more car manufacturers would use aesthetics like this for their knobs and switches. Even near-luxury brands, with a couple exceptions, have basically abandoned all switches in favor of miserable touch interfaces.

One of the reasons I bought my current car is that the screen is not a touchscreen. There's an easily-accessed control knob just below the gearstick. Push down to select, rotate, push side-to-side.
The AC, heated seats, volume, anything that you'd want to adjust during the journey - all knobs and buttons.

I don't ever want to use a touchscreen in a moving vehicle. The workflow is usually:
- Try to touch a particular (small) icon on-screen.
- Hit a bump while doing so, resulting in the wrong thing being pressed
- Try to figure out how to go back for another attempt

Which is grossly unsuitable.


Thankfully, car manufacturers are taking notice: https://www.carscoops.com/2025/03/v...ns-for-volume-heating-fans-and-hazard-lights/



As a live sound engineer, I enjoy working on analogue gear. One control per function per channel. That makes it really really quick to make adjustments from one channel to the next.
However, digital desks are ubiquitous. Lots of people are "mixing on glass" (iPads) these days, but I built an add-on bank of motorised faders so that I can keep fingers on multiple channels at once.


Chris

 

[sergeauckland]

One of the reasons I bought my current car is that the screen is not a touchscreen. There's an easily-accessed control knob just below the gearstick. Push down to select, rotate, push side-to-side.
The AC, heated seats, volume, anything that you'd want to adjust during the journey - all knobs and buttons.

I don't ever want to use a touchscreen in a moving vehicle. The workflow is usually:
- Try to touch a particular (small) icon on-screen.
- Hit a bump while doing so, resulting in the wrong thing being pressed
- Try to figure out how to go back for another attempt

Which is grossly unsuitable.


Thankfully, car manufacturers are taking notice: https://www.carscoops.com/2025/03/v...ns-for-volume-heating-fans-and-hazard-lights/



As a live sound engineer, I enjoy working on analogue gear. One control per function per channel. That makes it really really quick to make adjustments from one channel to the next.
However, digital desks are ubiquitous. Lots of people are "mixing on glass" (iPads) these days, but I built an add-on bank of motorised faders so that I can keep fingers on multiple channels at once.


Chris

That's exactly the reason I am keeping my present car, no touchscreen.

As to mixers, a knob a function is the only sensible way. I supplied a lot of digital mixing desks before I retired, and in every case, rather than use the assignable functions, clients had them configured as one fader per channel, EQs per channel, just like a conventional analogue console. Presenters on-air don't have the time to sort through menus, they have to be able to lay their hands directly on a button or knob as needed.

S

 

[Waxx]

One of the reasons I bought my current car is that the screen is not a touchscreen. There's an easily-accessed control knob just below the gearstick. Push down to select, rotate, push side-to-side.
The AC, heated seats, volume, anything that you'd want to adjust during the journey - all knobs and buttons.

I don't ever want to use a touchscreen in a moving vehicle. The workflow is usually:
- Try to touch a particular (small) icon on-screen.
- Hit a bump while doing so, resulting in the wrong thing being pressed
- Try to figure out how to go back for another attempt

Which is grossly unsuitable.


Thankfully, car manufacturers are taking notice: https://www.carscoops.com/2025/03/v...ns-for-volume-heating-fans-and-hazard-lights/

Chris

Well, I probally drive the same brand, because it sounds like my car. I've driven cars where everything is on the touchscreen (that weren't mine luckely) and it's very distracting to need to go trough menu's to activate lights or heating. With my car, every essential functions has a button and for what i need the screen, i have the that infamous round controller on the right position below the gearbox to do it all...

But not so long ago i did a long road trip with an old earky 1970's Mercedes, and having a button for everything like there is still the best. There were way less functions and no computers at all, but what was there was easy to find and operate, also while driving. Modern cars will have a cockpit like dashboard probally when doing that, but i would prefer that more than all those menu's, even when all is digital behind it.

 

[MattHooper]

Those knobs are not the kind i like, i prefer something like this old Nagra IV tape machine. And this was also a great design. I used it a lot when i was a kid as a friend had one (decomissioned by his father who was a journalist). We made a lot of field recordings with it, without any knowledge about the tech side of it. And that is also a great design, when 2 14 years old can figure it out without a manual or any education in that matters...

View attachment 446855

Not me.

Seeing all the Nagra buttons triggers my PTSD from all those field recordings and days freezing on location using one of those things to record.

I was very happy for the digital revolution.

 

[DMill]

I’ve ordered a Yamaha As2200.
Should arrive in the next couple of days View attachment 446640

Was a bit on the fence between no Volume Meters (like a luxman that Matt posted), big VU meters like the AS3200, McIntosh etc .
So I think this is a good compromise, since I can turn them also off.

Congratulations. It’s a beauty. It may not measure better than other amps that are cheaper. But damn! It’s a lovely thing and would take it in a second over any Class D stuff. And btw it will sound just as good, and probably better when you see true craft in building an amp you’ll give to your kids at an Ok price.

 

[Waxx]

Not me.

Seeing all the Nagra buttons triggers my PTSD from all those field recordings and days freezing on location using one of those things to record.

I was very happy for the digital revolution.

I'm happy for the digital revolution also, but not for the screens with endless menu's. I think this kind of interface, with physical buttons is way easier on the field than modern digital equivalents like the zoom recorders (that i also used). I don't want the tape back (because that is tricky), i want a digital recorder with the knobs like this analog recorder, but recording in pcm format to an HD or memory card.

And the same with hifi, i don't need the old tech (except where i want it), i want a modern system where i can do everything but maybe DSP programming and the media player itself with physical buttons, not menu's on a screen.

 

[Snoopy]

. And btw it will sound just as good, and probably better when you see true craft in building an amp you’ll give to your kids at an Ok price.

The main motivation for the Yamaha was exactly that. I wanted something that won’t be another „landfill“ gadget.
Something by company that has been around since forever and is part of History. Musicians playing on their instruments, LPs recorded by them.
I could also have gone with Denon , Marantz and a couple others

 

[ChrisG]

Well, I probally drive the same brand, because it sounds like my car. I've driven cars where everything is on the touchscreen (that weren't mine luckely) and it's very distracting to need to go trough menu's to activate lights or heating. With my car, every essential functions has a button and for what i need the screen, i have the that infamous round controller on the right position below the gearbox to do it all...

But not so long ago i did a long road trip with an old earky 1970's Mercedes, and having a button for everything like there is still the best. There were way less functions and no computers at all, but what was there was easy to find and operate, also while driving. Modern cars will have a cockpit like dashboard probally when doing that, but i would prefer that more than all those menu's, even when all is digital behind it.

Mine's a Mazda CX30, but I'm aware of at least one other manufacturer that has a similar control system.

 

[Waxx]

Mine's a Mazda CX30, but I'm aware of at least one other manufacturer that has a similar control system.

Yes, Mazda did copy the design from the 2022 BMW 116i i drive, it's almost exact the same layout. The display is bigger on the BMW and it has an automatic gearbox (at least mine), but the general layout is the same. I know BMW use that layout since at least 2012 (and older versions since 1999), while the Mazda is fairly new in this. It's the best system i know of today, altough it also got some menu's. I don't know how the Mazda version is (never drove Mazda), but it's not a bad id to try to copy BMW on this because it works very well.

 

[thewas]

Yes, Mazda did copy the design from the 2022 BMW 116i i drive, it's almost exact the same layout. The display is bigger on the BMW and it has an automatic gearbox (at least mine), but the general layout is the same. I know BMW use that layout since at least 2012 (and older versions since 1999), while the Mazda is fairly new in this. It's the best system i know of today, altough it also got some menu's. I don't know how the Mazda version is (never drove Mazda), but it's not a bad id to try to copy BMW on this because it works very well.

The sad thing is that BMW is replacing the fantastic i-Drive controller with a touch one in the last years, but Mazda kept it and is for me currently the only relative affordable car manufacturer with sensible engineering like no touchscreen and large no or low boost engines which probably will cause in the long run less expenses, not to talk about design, exemplary

current Mazda CX-80

current BMW X3

As it can be seen the Mazda has the more classic driver oriented design which used to be a BMW speciality while the BMW looks like a designed for a teenage PC gamer. I used to be a big BMW fan and owned several of their cars but if I had to buy a current car I wouldn't, due to its design and not optimal user interface. The good thing though is that NCAP plans to punish in the future important controls if they are only per touch, so I guess and hope we will see a comeback to physical controls, which are more expensive to manufacture but also more reliable in the long run.