Do You Miss Knobs and Dials and Switches?

[mhardy6647]

The generation of (post-WWII) bottle babies, I think, may be the psychological source of at least the American assessment with big knobs...

Prove me wrong.

 

[Zek]

the American assessment with big knobs...

big boobs ...

 

[mhardy6647]

was my allusion too subtle?

 

[cavedriver]

was my allusion too subtle?

I like my cow milk with bST

 

[Snoopy]

 

[Mart68]

I was watching 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane' last night. Two characters are watching a Zenith TV set and the mother says 'Turn the sound up.' The girl walks over to the TV and adjusts the sound. Seemed incongruous to me until I remembered - no remote control in those days!

 

[mhardy6647]

I was watching 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane' last night. Two characters are watching a Zenith TV set and the mother says 'Turn the sound up.' The girl walks over to the TV and adjusts the sound. Seemed incongruous to me until I remembered - no remote control in those days!

... although Zenith pioneered the ultrasonic remote control TVs in the second half of the 1950s. Zenith "Space Command".

 

[mhardy6647]

Great fun to, e.g., jangle a ring of keys in front of the TV's receiver and randomly change a channel or alter the volume level.

 

[Mart68]

... although Zenith pioneered the ultrasonic remote control TVs in the second half of the 1950s. Zenith "Space Command".

Our first telly with remote was ultrasonic but that was in the 1980s. We were a few decades behind America in creature comforts in those days.

It doesn't seem that long ago that powered windows, power steering and air conditioning in cars were novelties here. Certainly none of those things were standard until the late 1990s. Now I know people who will pass on a model if it does not have a heated steering wheel.

 

[Ropeburn]

Generally, I don't miss physical controls on hifi gear. Mainly because I live out my apeish fumbling and pushing and turning knobs desires in other ways:

That's actually just leftovers from old homestudio days, except for the Roland sampler in front. Analog monosynth, FM synth, effects, vocoder, etc..

Only just getting into music again after a years long drought, but generally, turning a knob is so much more satisfying if it's an actual instrument control changing the sound, instead of a simple EQ or volume control on an amp or something. Push a button, make a noise... immensely satisfying. Don't need anything like that on hifi devices.

 

[Snoopy]

Added a Teac UD507 to my setup. More knobs and switches

 

[MattHooper]

I was watching 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane' last night. Two characters are watching a Zenith TV set and the mother says 'Turn the sound up.' The girl walks over to the TV and adjusts the sound. Seemed incongruous to me until I remembered - no remote control in those days!

This one was a mainstay remote for the TV in our house for a long time:

It was actually remarkably simple to use and effective:

 

[dlaloum]

This one was a mainstay remote for the TV in our house for a long time:

It was actually remarkably simple to use and effective:

View attachment 492924

My grandparents had an ultrasonic "clicker" and the channel dial was motorised... when you pressed the up and down channel button, the TV console would turn the dial with a clearly audible thump, thump, thump as it dialed through the channels.

 

[tineared]

This one was a mainstay remote for the TV in our house for a long time:

It was actually remarkably simple to use and effective:

View attachment 492924

 

[AndyMorris]

There's a latch , it's for jackets I think, on the new GWR trains ( Hitachi) . It's a work of art , how it feels when you pull it down and how it smoothly goes back into place . It's perfection and imo the only redeeming feature of not just those trains but the whole UK train network.

I loved the dials and yes knobs on my dad's old Japanese hifi from the 70s , something soothing , reassuring, mechanical, relatable ,, human about those things . Didn't realise it until they were gone .

They put a lot of research these days into how car door close and sound , the feel etc so I recommend those who miss the good old days of weighty knobs and such to go close a few car doors, get that fix .

Or jump on a Hitachi GWR train , just pack a sandwich and beer , it might be more of a adventure than you bargained for .

These?

 

[Ropeburn]

 

[Liberal Democracy]

These? View attachment 493010

Yes

 

[Sal1950]

In this modern digital day and age, when so many of us have moved to digital playback, very often using some form of computer control via a touchpad, smart phone, keyboard or whatever to control the system…

…. Does anybody miss the look and tactile experience of using volume knobs/dials/switches, etc.?

Or do you still have those in your system?

Yes I miss them very much, I tend to keep gear for a long time and all form of electronic switching/control is long term unreliable for me and mostly unserviceable when things start going south with their operation.
Touch screens and switches suck long term. If manual switching gets a bit wonky, normally a squirt or two of Deoxit will get the control working noise free and as intended in a minute or two. The gear with these "ole school" controls can go on and on for decades and often easily replaced if required. I've hated the two main electronic controls on my D-M AV units for over a decade now. The left one that switches between inputs just has no real "feel". It has some sort of vague knotching but it has no real "stops" between the inputs, its just junk. Same for the volume control, after a lifetime of using real variable resistance pots, the knob just doesn't feel connected to something real. Guess I'm just a geezer over this details but if the new stuff was really "better" in some way I wouldn't hate it but as it stands, it's all negatives to me.

 

[dlaloum]

Yes I miss them very much, I tend to keep gear for a long time and all form of electronic switching/control is long term unreliable for me and mostly unserviceable when things start going south with their operation.
Touch screens and switches suck long term. If manual switching gets a bit wonky, normally a squirt or two of Deoxit will get the control working noise free and as intended in a minute or two. The gear with these "ole school" controls can go on and on for decades and often easily replaced if required. I've hated the two main electronic controls on my D-M AV units for over a decade now. The left one that switches between inputs just has no real "feel". It has some sort of vague knotching but it has no real "stops" between the inputs, its just junk. Same for the volume control, after a lifetime of using real variable resistance pots, the knob just doesn't feel connected to something real. Guess I'm just a geezer over this details but if the new stuff was really "better" in some way I wouldn't hate it but as it stands, it's all negatives to me.

I agree with the curmudgeon geezer from chicago...

signed:
Curmudgeon Geezer from Melbourne

 

[audioguy272727]

Nope - I've always enjoyed the switches knobs and things and I never really left them along the way