DanielT
Major Contributor
A little video about that. I think a lot of what he says about modern design trends makes sense. I say that without being a professional designer, BUT you see the modern design trend on a daily basis, even as a layman.
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Why All Products Look The Same
- Thread starter DanielT
- Start date
i feel like this place is the worst in this regard simple because most of us are males from mostly wealthy countries who are of advanced age with fairly conservative tastes... and worse, tastes that do not change and cannot change because many of us are resistant to change...
we love our square boxes. companies strive to hit the mass market, mostly, so they will tend to create a product that wont offend and appeal to most
i can see this when some of us do not even want to accept black boxes that are not traditionally shaped.
i am reminded of this product
does anyone here want this? i cant deal with this
my other half has accepted my tastes are staid... and wont ever change
we love our square boxes. companies strive to hit the mass market, mostly, so they will tend to create a product that wont offend and appeal to most
i can see this when some of us do not even want to accept black boxes that are not traditionally shaped.
i am reminded of this product
does anyone here want this? i cant deal with this
my other half has accepted my tastes are staid... and wont ever change
Killingbeans
Major Contributor
I've been told that the reason why 99% of all cars look the same is because of pedestrian safety. No outrageous features alowed to stick out and rip people to shreds when you hit them. Don't know whether that's just an old wives' tale.
Also aerodynamics.
I really don't mind the look. But the buttons seem really anoying to use, and the placement of in/outputs is highly impractical.
It's just an overall bad design.
Also aerodynamics.
I really don't mind the look. But the buttons seem really anoying to use, and the placement of in/outputs is highly impractical.
It's just an overall bad design.
OP
DanielT
Major Contributor
- Thread Starter
- #5
Then there are small subtrends. Within the HiFi retro vintage design trend, for example.To satisfy old farts (yes, I'm one too and "fairly conservative" ) with a lot of money in the wallet, the market is not slow to fill the (small?) demand gap. An example, price around $40,000:i feel like this place is the worst in this regard simple because most of us are males from mostly wealthy countries who are of advanced age with fairly conservative tastes... and worse, tastes that do not change and cannot change because many of us are resistant to change...
we love our square boxes. companies strive to hit the mass market, mostly, so they will tend to create a product that wont offend and appeal to most
i can see this when some of us do not even want to accept black boxes that are not traditionally shaped.
i am reminded of this product
does anyone here want this? i cant deal with this
my other half has accepted my tastes are staid... and wont ever change
Vintage Fifteen Floorstanding Speaker | Hi-Fi - FYNE AUDIO
Built in the UK and featuring a 15" IsoFlare, the flagship Vintage Fifteen is the full embodiment of Dr Paul Mills’ uncompromising design in a timeless aesthetic.
www.fyneaudio.com
Even if I could, I wouldn't buy any speakers for $40,000. My HiFi interest doesn't go that far.
Killingbeans
Major Contributor
Just noticed the Loxjie page talking about "Humanized operation" 
Couldn't help thinking about:
Couldn't help thinking about:
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Apple thought very different with the iMac G4, but I wouldn't say that the design was entirely successful:
Loved the ease with which the screen could be adjusted, but it was internally complex, making upgrades and maintenance more difficult than they needed to be, it must have been super-inefficient to ship due to bulky packaging needed, and the matching sphere-shaped speakers tended to roll off one's desk. It might have made some sense as a "forever" purchase, but aside from vintage computing enthusiasts, who actually regards computers in that manner?
In the case of audio electronics, what value do I gain from odd form factors? There may be visually pleasing elements to their design, but generally, I regard them as neither furniture nor art object.
Loved the ease with which the screen could be adjusted, but it was internally complex, making upgrades and maintenance more difficult than they needed to be, it must have been super-inefficient to ship due to bulky packaging needed, and the matching sphere-shaped speakers tended to roll off one's desk. It might have made some sense as a "forever" purchase, but aside from vintage computing enthusiasts, who actually regards computers in that manner?
In the case of audio electronics, what value do I gain from odd form factors? There may be visually pleasing elements to their design, but generally, I regard them as neither furniture nor art object.
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Portables would seem to have more room to maneuver than most other audio product categories as portability can open up new design possibilities. I’ve seen a lot of variation in portable headphone amps. For home audio electronics, rectangular cubes will dominate as proximity is paramount and stacking becomes critical. But you still get brand differentiation based on try to lock you in to a single brand of stack via aesthetics. In the pro world you loose even that and everything is standardized to rack sizes. When we get to speakers, there is a ton of differentiation at the low and high end. Just think of how many shapes of BT sound bars there are. And the shapes of high end speakers. Though, everything in the middle, with a few exceptions, is a rectangular box.
OP
DanielT
Major Contributor
- Thread Starter
- #9
Speaking of design and apples. That combined with the craze for turntables plus a well-known HiFi brand, Linn. It will then be this, with this price tag:
Jony Ive's LoveFrom Just Made This Gorgeous $60,000 Turntable
In celebration of Linn's 50th anniversary.
hiconsumption.com
KSTR
Major Contributor
Clear lie, today, on both counts. If pedestrian/bicyclist safety and aerodynamics really would be concern for car designers or their bosses, SUV's wouldn't even exist.
If you get crashed by an SUV's this usually results in a completely destroyed pelvis and broken back, more often than not with deadly outcome because of inner bleedings. When hit by traditional cars, soft-lined front or not, you often got away with a pair of broken legs.
SUV's are the plague in all regards.
Killingbeans
Major Contributor
Not surprised. Had a feeling it was just a BS story I had picked up somewhere.
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SUVs aren't the worst, trucks are
But they're more like a specifically USA problem
Size comparison of the most popular SUV and truck of 2022
But they're more like a specifically USA problem
Size comparison of the most popular SUV and truck of 2022
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JayGilb
Major Contributor
Just the name of that on-line magazine makes me gag. "hiconsumption"Speaking of design and apples. That combined with the craze for turntables plus a well-known HiFi brand, Linn. It will then be this, with this price tag:
View attachment 298927View attachment 298928
Jony Ive's LoveFrom Just Made This Gorgeous $60,000 Turntable
In celebration of Linn's 50th anniversary.
High consumption. Consume mass quantities, freely! Be a Conehead.
This is why i drive a Humvee. I need lots of space and wanted to be prepared to handle potential apocalyptic conditions, but didn't want to be lumped in with SUV's. Those things are death machines.
might have known it is computers that are to blame.
For hi-fi my favourite design period was about 78 to 87, kit from that era is what looks proper to me. Todays designs are so bland I suppose partly due to WAF
I've been looking for a CD transport for ages, rather buy new for obvious reasons and there's just nothing out there I would get pleasure from looking at or using. Function follows form nowadays.
Schitt have a new transport coming out with all-metal loading tray. But it looks like this (and you have to pay extra for black)
Other downside is the name: 'Urd'
How did I find out about it? I Urd it on the grapevine.
For hi-fi my favourite design period was about 78 to 87, kit from that era is what looks proper to me. Todays designs are so bland I suppose partly due to WAF
I've been looking for a CD transport for ages, rather buy new for obvious reasons and there's just nothing out there I would get pleasure from looking at or using. Function follows form nowadays.
Schitt have a new transport coming out with all-metal loading tray. But it looks like this (and you have to pay extra for black)
Other downside is the name: 'Urd'
How did I find out about it? I Urd it on the grapevine.
ta240
Major Contributor
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They did actually change the shape of cars for pedestrian safety.
There are specific regulation on the distance the hood has to dent before it hits anything solid in the engine compartment, specifically for pedestrian safety. That required raising the hood of the car up, which made the beltline (bottom of the windows) need to be moved up to flow with the line of the hood and thus the trunk also had to be raised up to keep the overall flow. The larger side panels then lead to the need for larger wheels so they wouldn't look tiny by contrast.
OP
DanielT
Major Contributor
- Thread Starter
- #18
Ha, what a coincidence that you mention CD- transport. Right now I listen to CDs just as a change to streaming.I've been looking for a CD-transport for ages, rather buy new for obvious reasons and there's just nothing out there I would get pleasure from looking at or using. Function follows form nowadays.
Schitt have a new transport coming out with all-metal loading tray. But it looks like this (and you have to pay extra for black)
Other downside is the name: 'Urd'
How did I find out about it? I Urd it on the grapevine.
I use a Sony Bluray player. Beautiful, it's not but which CD, DVD, Bluray player is that?
Digital out from the Sony in to a Topping E30 DAC. Works superbly well. Remote control for both. I think I bought the Sony for around $20 or something like that. I don't really remember. See attached pictures how it looks.
Just buy a DVD/Bluray player and you have digital output and use it as transport. Used ones cost almost no money at all. Buy for around $20-40 and test.
One thing to think about. DVD and or Bluray players may have a mechanical ticking sound. Just check it before you buy. Or just buy and try.
I suspect you know everything I wrote above so it might be a tip for others in that case.
Attachments
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Prana Ferox
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Correct, and it goes beyond this. You don't have popup headlights because you can't have the wedge shape that takes advantage of them, because of pedestrian safety regs; the hood not only has to be high, the front of the vehicle can't be pointy. This gives us cars with baleen grilles even for electrical vehicles without front radiators.
The high beltlines are also a consequence of modern side impact standards, which themselves have to keep up with taller incoming vehicles. This also contributes to a lot of modern cars having tiny greenhouses (short windows.)
US vehicle sizes have increased largely, and somewhat ironically, because of fuel economy regulations. Regs were tighter for cars than for 'light trucks' (including most SUVs), discouraging carmakers from building cars instead of SUVs, and resulting in car designs (i.e. big sedans with four-cylinder engines) people didn't want to buy. Truck standards were based on the length and width between the wheels, so shorter and narrower vehicles had to hit stricter limits; it became easier to just increase the stance of the vehicle. Larger vehicles with higher prices also more easily absorb the cost of other mandated equipment (like backup cameras).
The cab-forward shape and other general shape-sameness is dictated by the laws of physics, to hit fuel economy targets within the constraints applied above.
Even things like the general shape and spacing of headlights, placement and arrangement of the steering wheel etc are all regulated. That's why you can't buy a Tesla with a joystick, and give up on your dreams of any future zany Citroens.
