And the record for the ugliest amp ... goes to Hi Fi rose !!

[lordibiza]

Is there anything uglier than this? I can't even look at the LFDs. They sound great but they are to throw a sweaty sock at them.

I hope they don't stone me.

 

[Scotchegg]

Not my cup of tea. The Hifi Rose streamer is similar, it has a gigantic screen on the front which is just a big tease because the GUI is awful and looks like an iPhone from 15 years ago.

 

[gints]

Volume control is interesting. Is it actually working as gear box or just for a show? There is so many complaints about limited turning range and difficulties to fine adjust volume. Gear box would be great solution.

 

[Alex N]

Volume control is interesting. Is it actually working as gear box or just for a show? There is so many complaints about limited turning range and difficulties to fine adjust volume. Gear box would be great solution.

It’ll step down the effect of turning the large dial, sure. As I suggested earlier, the tuning dial on many Tivoli radios is an obvious example of the same ‘planetary’ adjustment, and presumably some amplifiers already have this kind of volume control. Whether or not it’s worthwhile having depends on the kind of volume pot the amp has, I guess.

 

[Paraheadache]

One front foot always looks a bit odd to me put it at the back.

 

[daytona600]

8500 people bought the £4k RS250 Streamer in its 1st year & ready market for the matching amp

4 Mono Amplifiers - 200/400 or 800wpc bridged
A/B 2 sets of speakers or Biamping or built in active crossover

 

[tiggers]

I think they were going for a Nagra look…but missed.

I think they hit it perfectly and, like Nagra gear, it's hideous.

 

[notevenclose]

One front foot always looks a bit odd to me put it at the back.

I probably agree with you aesthetically, but I'm guessing it's probably dictated by weight distribution.

The boiler and the optional Bessemer Converter module are likely installed toward the rear of the unit.

 

[Del monaco]

Too many ideas on one facade. Not ugly, just over-designed.

 

[paulfromcamden]

I think they hit it perfectly and, like Nagra gear, it's hideous.

No Xmas card for you from @Nagraboy this year!

 

[tiggers]

No Xmas card for you from @Nagraboy this year!

To be fair it's just my opinion, but as a student of industrial design.... Nagra does not sit well with me.

 

[paulfromcamden]

To be fair it's just my opinion, but as a student of industrial design.... Nagra does not sit well with me.

I've never been fortunate enough to own any but that doesn't stop me from hankering after a Nagra IV - just a beautifully engineered thing.

 

[Nagraboy]

TheTim De Paravicini Hi-Fi News HFN009 headphone amp is proper ugly - think sticky-backed plastic shoe box with a knob at the front.

All of his (RIP) amps would probably feature highly on my list of ugliest hi-fi. They look like an electronics nerd designed them…

 

[ryder]

I think they hit it perfectly and, like Nagra gear, it's hideous.

The Nagra looks better than the Hifi Rose to me. The front looks cleaner with less clutter. The material of the case also looks higher quality with a polished look. The Hifi Rose looks crude and the case looks like cheap recycled metal.

HIFI ROSE RA180

NAGRA CLASSIC PREAMP

 

[Whaleblue]

A hint of Steam Punk on the right hand side of the hi-fi rose.

Yup, Steam Punk was my thought too. I rather like it except for the Balance slider which just doesn’t look right* amongst the knobs.

*I nearly said looks unbalanced, but managed to avoid such a terrible pun.

 

[Paul L]

Looked front-on the Rose looks like a Trigonometry set you’d get in your Christmas stocking for school work whereas the Nagra looks like the beginning of the CB radio craze for those old enough to remember. But beauty in the eye of the beholder and all that…

 

[sonddek]

The perfect amplifier style and interface was arrived at decades ago. It is a mystery to me why any manufacturer, including and especially Naim, would depart in any way from the thing done absolutely right:

 

[FireMoon]

The Nagra design ethic comes from it fitting in a leather case and being able to access the controls from it slung over ones shoulder whilst field recording. I always wanted one of these babies from Marantz...

 

[Wonky1969]

It's not to my taste,looks like an industrial modernist mash up,but hey,each to their own

 

[mansr]

One front foot always looks a bit odd to me put it at the back.

How about two left feet?