Do You Miss Knobs and Dials and Switches?

[Waxx]

I dont know how this Sharp Optonica sounds, but on looks this is great for me...

 

[MattHooper]

I am sad to report that I lost taste in any adjustments that require physical movement except for the fingers taping on a smartphone. If I was doing my adjustments through the front board, it would be burdensome to stand up and do it again and again for 10 times or so.

I can understand that.

For quite a while, I found it kind of magical operating my system with my smart phone or tablet.

 

[mhardy6647]

I dont know how this Sharp Optonica sounds, but on looks this is great for me...

View attachment 458947

Pretty decent amplifiers of their day.
Never quite caught on in the US due to the Sharp heritage (methinks), plus these were at the tail end of the 1970s hifi boomlet, just as a rising inflation rate and the energy crisis (crises) led to substantial price increases in equipment of this kind in the US (at least).

 

[dlaloum]

Pretty decent amplifiers of their day.
Never quite caught on in the US due to the Sharp heritage (methinks), plus these were at the tail end of the 1970s hifi boomlet, just as a rising inflation rate and the energy crisis (crises) led to substantial price increases in equipment of this kind in the US (at least).

The Sharp Optonica range was high end and high tech - included a really fancy linear tracking turntable, with programable track identification and CD like controls... But it never really succeeded anywhere in the "west" that I can tell...

Disappeared without a trace within a few years sadly.

 

[AdrianusG]

I dont know how this Sharp Optonica sounds, but on looks this is great for me...

View attachment 458947

Beautiful Amp

 

[sergeauckland]

The Sharp Optonica range was high end and high tech - included a really fancy linear tracking turntable, with programable track identification and CD like controls... But it never really succeeded anywhere in the "west" that I can tell...

Disappeared without a trace within a few years sadly.

In the UK, I think it suffered from being associated with Sharp, which was sold in 'electrical' shops rather than in 'proper' HiFi shops. Many Japanese brands at the time had similar problems. Technics did for example, Sony a bit less so, as they had Sony Centres at the time that specialised in their products and looked prestigious, a bit like Apple shops now.

None of that was helped by the magazines being rabid Pro-British with some grudging acceptance of US product like Krell and Audio Research.

S.

 

[Mart68]

In the UK, I think it suffered from being associated with Sharp, which was sold in 'electrical' shops rather than in 'proper' HiFi shops. Many Japanese brands at the time had similar problems. Technics did for example, Sony a bit less so, as they had Sony Centres at the time that specialised in their products and looked prestigious, a bit like Apple shops now.

None of that was helped by the magazines being rabid Pro-British with some grudging acceptance of US product like Krell and Audio Research.

S.

Didn't JVC also have their own shops? I seem to recall there was one at the end of my street when I first moved here but it closed down almost immediately and it's a convenience store now.

The sign was still visible on the side wall until a few years back when it got covered by one of those huge 'Bladerunner style' video advertising screens.

 

[sergeauckland]

Didn't JVC also have their own shops? I seem to recall there was one at the end of my street when I first moved here but it closed down almost immediately and it's a convenience store now.

The sign was still visible on the side wall until a few years back when it got covered by one of those huge 'Bladerunner style' video advertising screens.

Wasn't aware of any JVC own shops. Certainly, some of the 'electrical' shops that also sold audio were heavily branded JVC (also Pioneer). In our local town there was one such shop that did JVC and Pioneer (and washing machines) that was heavily branded with those two.

S.

 

[Mart68]

Wasn't aware of any JVC own shops. Certainly, some of the 'electrical' shops that also sold audio were heavily branded JVC (also Pioneer)

S.

That's probably what I'm thinking of. Not the same as Sony Centres then.

I recall Sony Centres being breathtakingly expensive, top RRP on everything, no discounts.

 

[Gorgonzola]

A favorite of mine from the "silver" era is the Kenwood KA-9800. This is particular pic seems to be a "dark" silver mode which quite appeals to me.

Here's a silver rack handle version under the 'Trio" brand ...

 

[mhardy6647]

A favorite of mine from the "silver" era is the Kenwood KA-9800. This is particular pic seems to be a "dark" silver mode which quite appeals to me.

Here's a silver rack handle version under the 'Trio" brand ...

More of a gunmetal or even bronze anodized aluminum finish.
Apropos of nothing (except my usual egocentric asides ), courtesy of my son, I have the tuner that matches that Kenwood amp. It's very attractive, and it's also quite a good tuner actually. Electrically (AFAIK) it's identical to the KT-8300.

 

[MattHooper]

Well, if any video would be apt for this thread, it would be this one.

A “ knob and button feel” tour of vintage audio equipment:

I don’t know who the presenter is, but this kid seems surprisingly familiar with the equipment!

 

[mhardy6647]

^^^
heh. Accuphase. Nice stuff.

You know... and this may sound a little... odd...
Yesterday I was upstairs in the hifi loft gathering some resources for a little project* we prosecuted today. As I was picking up some XLR cables, my gaze wandered to a lovely and fairly capable Sansui TU-717 that gathers dust on a shelf.
Doubtless spurred by thoughts of this very thread, I was struck with an irresistible temptation to spin that big ol' satin black tuning knob.
Willikers, the smoothness, balance, heft, and right-ness of that spin was - in all seriousness - striking.

(in full disclosure, the other Sansui tuner visible in the photo above is not so silky, buttery smooth vis-a-vis tuning )
_________________
* with regards to the nature of the project, FWIW:

Bluetooth receiver (low latency) with XLR output - any recommendation?

We're finally finishing "phase 2" of a sound reinforcement upgrade at our church. We have a moderate-sized (capacity ca. 80-100 people) "parish hall" space that was wired up a little before COVID with four 70 V speakers connected to our "house" (sanctuary) PA amp. THe room also was wired with a...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[egellings]

No. However, they should have a purpose on more integrated or complicated devices in the event of failure of the ubiquitous remote control—just as a fallback.

That, or the remote does a dive between the couch cushions and you can't find the darn thing.

 

[xanalog]

Agreed. Darwin would be laughing his ass off at us.

You better not be trying to make an association between Darwinism and buttons.

If I have to use a cell phone to do anything to get my music fix, then I'll live without music.
Of course, I mostly live without using the cellphone, anyway.

I guess, gifting you my mostly unused pair of KEF LSXII will be out of the question.
They are useless to me (both the remote and the non-Windows app) but living without music never should be an option.

I understand that they are no longer referred to as 'cellphones' or even as 'smart' phones. When my HTC One M8 reached its EOL, I realized they were getting way too 'smart' and dispensed with them, altogether.

 

[BigVU's]

Well, if any video would be apt for this thread, it would be this one.

A “ knob and button feel” tour of vintage audio equipment:

Matt you nailed it. lol

 

[EJ3]

You better not be trying to make an association between Darwinism and buttons.
View attachment 460550


I understand that they are no longer referred to as 'cellphones' or even as 'smart' phones. When my HTC One M8 reached its EOL, I realized they were getting way too 'smart' and dispensed with them, altogether.

Well, the only other thing that I have hard them called is "Handy Phone". Please enlighten me if they are being called something else.
Being as my 95 old mother lives aloe 12 miles from me & both my wife & my son (he lives overseas & always has) are overseas at the moment, dispensing with them is not an option at the moment.
And, I can see using the computer or cellphone to set something up or a process up for the stereo.
But if one or the other needs to be connected to operate the stereo, well, that will not happen with my stereo.
As to the phones, there are "dumb" & semi "dumb" ones available (some will still take pictures & do texts).
And, naturally, I will not be without music. But, as to me personally, I can get by just fine without a cell phone.
There is nothing that I personally "NEED" a cell phone for.
It's that a few others "NEED" for me to have one.

 

[mhardy6647]

I understand that they are no longer referred to as 'cellphones' or even as 'smart' phones. When my HTC One M8 reached its EOL, I realized they were getting way too 'smart' and dispensed with them, altogether.

The generic term seems to me to be devices... but that smacks of the Cold War and another class of gizmos* entirely.

_____________
* Didn't Oppenheimer refer to the device that made him both famous and infamous as the Gizmo, or am I fabricating memories again?
EDIT: Not memories, just vocabulary. The Gadget.

 

[EJ3]

The generic term seems to me to be devices... but that smacks of the Cold War and another class of gizmos* entirely.

_____________
* Didn't Oppenheimer refer to the device that made him both famous and infamous as the Gizmo, or am I fabricating memories again?
EDIT: Not memories, just vocabulary. The Gadget.

Yes, there is always some kind of snafu or things becoming fubar with these whatcha-ma-callit's.

 

[xanalog]

The generic term seems to me to be devices...

Phone.