Do You Miss Knobs and Dials and Switches?

[mhardy6647]

Kinda lousy picture of the old rig from my pre-ASR days. View attachment 511992
Cheers

I have mentioned those h/k components in multiple contexts here before; thank you so much for posting those photos!
The aesthetics of that era of h/k hifi components is hard to fault (IMO... de gustibus and all that).

The little A-401 amp is one of the most handsome little components I've ever seen. Absolutely no nonsense, but still very elegant. Love the typography, too.
Plus, it was a nice little amp.
(I do wish I had one)

There is an A-402 here, and it is also a pretty nice component -- but it's not quite in the same aesthetic league as the A-401.

(It's another one that deserves a cleaned-up photo )

 

[mhardy6647]

OK, one last h/k from Memory Lane... apropos of knobs, buttons, switches, dials, etc.
I have, to date, yet to encounter one of these in the flesh (so to speak), even though I know a couple of folks who have owned one.
I didn't even know of this model back in the day, having learned about it only in recent years via the internet.

PS This one, too, from the folks in Hamamatsu. It is the one model from its precise era that I haven't collected (and likely never will).

 

[xanalog]

Kinda lousy picture of the old rig from my pre-ASR days.
Cheers

+3

 

[pinger]

Those vintage amps with the knobs and switches are cool. Brings back memories. I had a Harman amp back in the day. Can't remember which one though

 

[xanalog]

Recalling the old days, where you had to "Dial 1 to stay on hold or dial 2 to continue hating music, or ...dial 9 to give hate to the representative."

I now have an air-monitor gizmo, that you have to press the same SINGLE button up to 5 quick times for it to reach many different/nested settings.
But you can't click the button too quickly as it thinks you are doing a press/hold (OFF) command.
Brilliant!

 

[Rick63]

Way back in the early 80's when all the computer controlled receivers took over I started missing knobs, dials, and switches.

Man I hated these, nothing worse than push-button or slider volume controls!

 

[Audionaut]

I always thought that as a button fetishist, you need your own recording studio.

 

[Mart68]

Way back in the early 80's when all the computer controlled receivers took over I started missing knobs, dials, and switches.

Man I hated these, nothing worse than push-button or slider volume controls!

View attachment 512013View attachment 512014

That JVC is cool enough that I think I could live with the up-down buttons for volume.

 

[Audionaut]

Man I hated these, nothing worse than push-button or slider volume controls!

In the 1980s, I had this Grundig Preceiver, which was designed to be used with active speakers.
I thought it was pretty cool because it sounded great to me and because it had so many LEDs.

 

[xanalog]

I always thought that as a button fetishist, you need your own recording studio.

Well!!!!!
Did you or do you?

Instead of owning one, I worked for one!
Cheap satisfaction, for a life long knob-twirler!

 

[Audionaut]

Well!!!!!
Did you or do you?

No, I just did an internship at WDR in Cologne because I was considering becoming a sound engineer, but that was a very complicated matter in Germany at the time because you couldn't just enroll at a university for it.

You had to study first and then specialize at an institution or private company.

 

[EJ3]

Why People Engage in Shaming:

• 
  
• • To feel superior: Shaming can be a way for people to feel powerful and in control.
  • To enforce social norms: People may shame others to get them to conform to certain standards of behavior.
  • To express anger or frustration: Shaming can be a way for people to vent their negative emotions.
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That's funny! (Yes, there is a such thing [I have not seen it here]).
At least not until you posted this: which appears to have the intent that you are referencing.

I forgot to mention: I could be wrong, as it is hard to tell with just the printed word to go by.
My wife tells me that I am wrong sometimes: so...

 

[EJ3]

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


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.

You'd be right about that gifting (but I am sure that my wife would make it work and then say: let me show you how this works [on the other hand, she cannot operate my tri-amped system and doesn't understand why I would own something so "complex" to operate.
I agree about never being without music: nothing I have in my stereo is computerized in any way, except (maybe) the 1984 Technics SL-M3 TT, a couple of the CD players and the oPPo 205 UCD. If the SL-M3 goes wonky, I have a DUAL 1229 as backup.

 

[AA63]

Well!!!!!
Did you or do you?

Instead of owning one, I worked for one!
Cheap satisfaction, for a life long knob-twirler!

Why yes I did in fact - LOL. I went so far as building a small mix room - biggest "preamp" ever for listening to music - I have a thing for faders.

 

[dlaloum]

In the 1980s, I had this Grundig Preceiver, which was designed to be used with active speakers.
I thought it was pretty cool because it sounded great to me and because it had so many LEDs.

View attachment 512093View attachment 512094

Preceivers seem to have been a German thing... Revox had a preceiver too - designed to go with its Agora B active speakers...

 

[Sal1950]

Preceivers seem to have been a German thing..

What is a Preceiver, what type of functionality does it describe?
TIA

 

[mhardy6647]

What is a Preceiver, what type of functionality does it describe?
TIA

Like a Receiver, but sans power amplifier.

Here's one that's not European from back in the day. You'll like this one, too -- quad-capable!




Scanned from a Heathkit catalog in my - ahem - collection, but similar catalog copy is also available from WRH at, e.g.,
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Catalogs/Heathkit-Catalogs/Heathkit-Christmas-1975.pdf
(beginning on pg. 30 of the catalog)

 

[dlaloum]

What is a Preceiver, what type of functionality does it describe?
TIA

For the Revox, it was identical in features and interface to their stereo receiver, with all the usual interfaces, radio, phono stage, loudness etc...

But it had no amps onboard, and was intended for use with either the matching power amp, or the active speakers

So it was a pre-amp with onboard radio/tuner... a "pre-ceiver "

Revox A720

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/revox/a720.shtml

 

[Sal1950]

Like a Receiver, but sans power amplifier.

So it was a pre-amp with onboard radio/tuner... a "pre-ceiver "

So it's a Pre/Pro. OK

Here's one that's not European from back in the day. You'll like this one, too -- quad-capable!

A Heathkit, KOOL. I never had a chance to build one. Allied Radio and their KnightKits were right in my backyard in Chicago so I always went that way.

 

[Mart68]

Never heard 'Preceiver' before, here it's a tuner/preamplifier.

We did have the 'Casseiver' which was tuner, tapedeck and pre-amp.