advertisement


Aesthetics - how important are they?

seethroughyou said:
Middle-aged men with their living rooms brimming with racks of black boxes - very yesteryear willy waving
Click to expand...

Possibly guilty as charged your honour. :(

In my defence I've now sold the Karik/ Numerik and am currently looking to replace 4 Naim boxes with the one Linn one. If only I believed the amplifiers in the Exactbox-I had what it took to drive Isobariks 'properly' I could look to getting rid of another 6 boxes..........

Aesthetics don't feature particularly highly for me - it just needs to sound good......

Regards

Richard
 
Someone mentioned cars, now there is something that needs a complete revision of back light design ever since the onset of SUVs and Led lamps. The immense majority are awful - have you seen the Mercedes oriental floral displays on the GLAs etc. To be honest I have lost interest but as far as I can see the only firm that has made an effort towards some sort of aesthetic in rear lights is Peugeot who at least keep it simple.
 
Richard Lines said:
Possibly guilty as charged your honour. :(

In my defence I've now sold the Karik/ Numerik and am currently looking to replace 4 Naim boxes with the one Linn one. If only I believed the amplifiers in the Exactbox-I had what it took to drive Isobariks 'properly' I could look to getting rid of another 6 boxes..........

Aesthetics don't feature particularly highly for me - it just needs to sound good......

Regards

Richard
Click to expand...
Can a dealer not set up a home demo on the Exaktbox i, along with the DSM? It’s a considerable chunk of money and that level of service should come without question.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
Can a dealer not set up a home demo on the Exaktbox i, along with the DSM? It’s a considerable chunk of money and that level of service should come without question.
Click to expand...

This could be an opening for a partial rant..........

My nearest Linn dealer is in Montrose. This is part of my EM to them;

"I need to hear what an Exactbox can do over and above what the current active set-up is doing. If this option proves to be sonically superior then I would look to sell the Naim front end components to finance an Exactbox.

Is it possible to arrange a demonstration of an Exactbox at my house currently?"

Their reply was;

"Unfortunately, that is not something I can do for you as I do not keep any stock of the Exaktbox."

They referred me to the dealer in Edinburgh who is getting an Exactbox from Linn to post up to me.

Guess where I won't be going in future for any Linn equipment?

I have resisted the urger to contact Linn asking them the simple question "Can their dealers pick and choose which equipment they 'support'?"

Support your local dealer - ha ha

Regards

Richard
 
Last edited:
Richard Lines said:
This could be an opening for a partial rant..........

My nearest Linn dealer is in Montrose. This is part of my EM to them;

"I need to hear what an Exactbox can do over and above what the current active set-up is doing. If this option proves to be sonically superior then I would look to sell the Naim front end components to finance an Exactbox.

Is it possible to arrange a demonstration of an Exactbox at my house currently?"

There reply was;

"Unfortunately, that is not something I can do for you as I do not keep any stock of the Exaktbox."

They referred me to the dealer in Edinburgh who is getting an Exactbox from Linn to post up to me.

Guess where I won't be going in future for any Linn equipment?

I have resisted the urger to contact Linn asking them the simple question "Can their dealers pick and choose which equipment they 'support'?"

Support your local dealer - ha ha

Regards

Richard
Click to expand...
They can and do pick and choose what they stock, my dealer essentially carries Linn for the LP12, he will however get anything in for demo for genuine customers. Hope the Exaktbox i works out for you, Exakt is a remarkable system!
 
tiggers said:
E39 and E46 were the high points for me, timeless looks. I owned an E92 which I think is not a bad effort and I like it in M3 guise, but an E46 is still my favourite 3.
Click to expand...

I had an E39 M5 and an E92 M3 (coupe), both with 6 speed manual 'boxes. Awesome in all respects, both to look at and to drive. Neither were yellow though!

Back on topic, I always liked the look of the shoebox Olive Naims, e.g., 72/HiCap/140, timeless in my opinion.
 
Fancy expensive casework and styling on an amp can and are often used to cover a multitude of evils!

I've recounted the tale before about when at Alchemist our biggest customer (Singapore importer) came over to London and didn't even want to hear the amplifier but insisted on even more bling which meant the PSU had to be cheapened to keep the price the same.... This sort of thing happens all the time!

Often a company will design a good amp topology (circuit) which sounds great and decide to use it a range of products. If the casework etc was kept cheap then the TOTR £8K model could have been offered for £4K with the same sound quality and innards as the £8K version!

Instant eye appeal on the dealers shelf is what many companies go for beyond everything else! Having worked in the industry for years and been there when discussions and decisions have taken place at Alchemist and MF etc I can assure you that sound quality comes WAY down the list of priorities!

I could take the casework from some yank bling bling £10K amp with 1" thick gold plated alloy front panel and speaker terminals that look like they are suitable for welding use and cost £100 each, remove the innards and fit some gain clone chip amp circuitry I've built for a tenner and you know what... hardly any one would question it's sound quality!! A gain clone chip amp can sound perfectly decent, even if it is cheap, and in the lack of any obvious boomy bass, screechy mid or harsh top end the eye candy looks and "obvious amazing build quality" would do the rest of the work ;)
 
Richard Lines said:
I have resisted the urger to contact Linn asking them the simple question "Can their dealers pick and choose which equipment they 'support'?"

Support your local dealer - ha ha
Click to expand...

What a Linn dealer stocks was historically a bone of contention for a while back in the day.

I guess now they can sell what they want.

Not sure I see your problem, the dealer in question is presumably buying stock they choose because they basically like the manufacturer, like the product(s) and believe they fill a gap in their overall product range.

Relatively few dealers will stock everything from any given manufacturer, where they are doing so, they'll typically get a better base trade price as a 'premium dealer,' or a retrospective discount, or demo stock on loan or at a discount – or any combination of those. Let's not forget hifi dealerships are businesses, not evangelical crusades (well, again on a bit of a sticky wicket there with Linn, but bear with me).

You seem to be suggesting that a Linn (or anybody else) dealer should be compelled to stock the entire range? Very few manufacturers have a similar level of expertise across multiple product types, often dealers will carry a brand to stock a particular type of product or range and may not much fancy some of the other kit wearing the same badge.

What if they don't like a product or consider there are superior alternatives? Is it then the hallmark of a 'good' dealer that they'll sell you something they don't rate just because it's dead stock (and dead cash) for them otherwise?

Just out of curiosity, did you ask why the dealer doesn't carry the device you were interested in?
 
Timcat said:
I had an E39 M5 and an E92 M3 (coupe), both with 6 speed manual 'boxes. Awesome in all respects, both to look at and to drive. Neither were yellow though!

Back on topic, I always liked the look of the shoebox Olive Naims, e.g., 72/HiCap/140, timeless in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Agreed and...agreed :D E39 M5 is the best all round car BMW have ever made in my book.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top