Bodkin
pfm Member
I agree. Leben amps are another one to ad the list.
Gear you can't stand the look of
- Thread starter Neil P
- Start date
Amber Audio
This is the Day
If that pair came up locally I’d be buying that, an older Yammy or the big Pioneer Elite pre/power are on the radar.Would black make it more acceptable?
Yank
Bulbous Also Tapered
With five channels, it's probably a recent AV rig, not "older Yammy".
Amber Audio
This is the Day
The top unit is a C-1 pre from late 70’s, they fetch £2K plus. Never seen the bottom unit in the flesh. The Pioneer pre/pwr I fancy is the C73/M73.
Luckily, my wife likes the Obelisks .... however, she hates black, big loudspeakers and that includes my Audio Physics Avanti V
It's because we can't correctly focus the blue light as it's scattered within the eye.
tuga
Legal Alien
That too.
Yank
Bulbous Also Tapered
I was wrong, the amp isn't a 5-channel AV amp, it just has switching for five pairs of stereo speakers. So I suppose it's a proper mate for the C-1.
Amber Audio
This is the Day
It’s a UC-1 box to let you control 5 sets of speakers. The matching power amp is the B-1.
wow&flutter
pfm Member
Was never a big fan of the looks of a Chord but actually I’m getting used to it now. I also caught a pic of some ATC electronics in black a few years back and I’m sure it had brown or orange knobs on it! Looked very strange as in all black it would gave been fine.
James
Lord of the Erg\o/s
Nowt wrong with the 80s
The problem with the C-1/B-1 is unobtainium FETs. I'd want a fully operational, unmolested set. But those command steep prices. I've settled for a set of Pioneer C-21/M-22 instead.
JezmondTutu
pfm Member
Oddly mine prefers black speakers!
Cereal Killer
432
Mike Hughes
pfm Member
I have a Hugo TT2. The sound wins out. The look of all their products do indeed have the smack of V-Tech toys though. That said, dim the light display, put it on the bottom shelf and I rarely look at it. I’d much rather focus on listening to music.
However, focusing on just the looks with Chord takes it down to a simplistic like/don’t like discussion. What that misses is that the usability of the things is awful and the usability is directly related to that dreadful design.
Using colour to distinguish volume or sample rate is a basic accessibility fail. However, why on earth would you place that on the top of the box when anyone using it would have racks of gear where the front is what gets viewed if anything. Equally, a device which can be switched from DAC mode to pre but is often used in pre mode into a pre to match voltages. Get that wrong and you could damage a pre and yet you’re expected to control it by colour and a tiny LCD display positioned halfway between the top and front so that viewing it at the angle most would expect to view it renders it unreadable. Add in the general failure of most manufacturer to sensibly label inputs and, if nominate, it would surely win some kind of award for appalling design.
By all means make your products distinct but please recognise when you make them far harder to use in consequence. I would love to have a serious word with their designer. Talk about being disconnected from the user experience.
However, focusing on just the looks with Chord takes it down to a simplistic like/don’t like discussion. What that misses is that the usability of the things is awful and the usability is directly related to that dreadful design.
Using colour to distinguish volume or sample rate is a basic accessibility fail. However, why on earth would you place that on the top of the box when anyone using it would have racks of gear where the front is what gets viewed if anything. Equally, a device which can be switched from DAC mode to pre but is often used in pre mode into a pre to match voltages. Get that wrong and you could damage a pre and yet you’re expected to control it by colour and a tiny LCD display positioned halfway between the top and front so that viewing it at the angle most would expect to view it renders it unreadable. Add in the general failure of most manufacturer to sensibly label inputs and, if nominate, it would surely win some kind of award for appalling design.
By all means make your products distinct but please recognise when you make them far harder to use in consequence. I would love to have a serious word with their designer. Talk about being disconnected from the user experience.
James
Lord of the Erg\o/s
The only mention of anything remotely associated with hifi is Betamax, and we all know how much better that is compared with VHS.
Try harder.