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Audio aesthetics disasters : what were they thinking.

Tony L said:
I don’t mind that at all. I assume it’s a big class A amp and if you want passive cooling (i.e. no noisy fans) lots of heat-sinks on the periphery is the only way to do it. Basic form dictated by function and a nice clean look. I do like class A amps, so I’ve kind of accepted they are big and covered in heat-sinks. I’d take that over fans any day.
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Yes, but Class A amps don't need to have exposed heat sinks these days. Due to the heat sinks, the amps cannot be carried by conventional way and one would need to lift them by the handles provided on the front and rear panels. Modern Class A amps have concealed heat sinks and they look much elegant and can be moved easily although they are still heavy (25 to 30kg). No handles on the front and rear panels.

Some examples.
Vitus SIA-025 Mk2

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Luxman L-590AXII (Class A)

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By the way, the Plinius which I owned is a SA-100Mk3. Nice glowing Class A sound but sounds like mud. I've had it matched with few preamps without much success. Perhaps the newer iterations SA-102 and latest models are improved but no more Plinius for me.
 
I wouldn't really call that Vitus 'enclosed'. It has thick top and bottom plates that protect the corners but the sharp fins are still exposed on the top, bottom and sides. And it likely adds a significant amount of weight to an already heavy amp, so it's hard to say if it's any easier to handle with the big covers added.

I do like the simplicity of the Vitus design. But I don't mind exposed fins either.
 
ryder said:
Once upon a time, I have this power amp in the same silver finish. At that time I thought it's beautiful. Now that it's gone, I think it looks quite hideous. It's big, heavy, difficult to carry and a waste of space, something which I tend to avoid these days.

A visitor who wasn't into hifi once thought it's a high-end microwave oven after seeing it sitting on the floor away from the speakers (it's not connected to the system at that time). True story.

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Lovely. That's how a big amp should look.
 
Riotvan said:
I know the waters i'm currently in but i have to say it, make me walk the plank if you must. But i think Naim is fugly. Looks like 90's plastic fantastic to me.
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The shoebox is a classic, hewn from solid design. A lot of my diy builds are in shoeboxes. I love 'em.
 
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