Is this the most beautiful amp......

[stevec67]

As I have posted before the trouble is that hi-fi rarely exhibits beauty or innovation in terms of industrial design. I studied the subject briefly at night school many years ago and good industrial designs are both practical and innovative. The design should communicate its reason to be with the functionality of the product, and the innovation should be the attention grabber as well as adding great value to the product. A lot of hi-fi nails the practical side, but doesn't score highly on the innovative side IMO.

The amp in the OP is neither practical nor innovative, it's a mess created by people with little clue of what makes good design work and who think bling is important... in good design bling is never important. The trouble is that in hi-fi great industrial design is extremely rare. The Michell Gyrodec is one exception, the Quad ESL57s another. IMO anyway.

I would add the LP12 to that. They took the standard fruitbox record player and added the flutes and the levelled black painted lower edge, and made it slimmer and more elegant. Compare and contrast the Thorens, AR, Ariston that follow the same brief and do it less well.
Michell record deck, the Clockwork Orange one.
The Quad 33 also, but not the 303. That was intended to go inside the cabinet anyway.
I would have that multicoloured amp from the 80s, name escapes me.
in the modern era, Lab 47 do good design but imo the content lags too far behind the style.

 

[oldius]

I do love it, but I adore knobs.
My new one:

Now sitting in a threesome:

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

I still love the current Sugden A21 style and that, for me, is an excellent example of effective and well-executed industrial design. It took a superb, but visually dull amp design and turned it into an object of desire.

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[sonddek]

Don’t mind the looks and the control layout looks intuitive but what really matters is how does it sound.

I am normally of this view but I have to make an exception in this case. Even if it could reliably and repeatedly transport me to Woodstock I still couldn't get near enough with my eyes open to operate the graphic spacetime equalizer or whatever all that shit is. It makes a SUPATRAC Blackbird look as if it were made by the House of Fabergé.

 

[stevec67]

In the name of God! That's the first time I have seen or heard of that stuff.

I looked at the Dalby Audio website. The fact that they split their products into amplifiers, support systems and then cables tells me what they're about. I won't be buying.

 

[jandl100]

Count me in the hideous camp

I'm sure you have a great personality, though.

 

[music fiend]

I still love the current Sugden A21 style and that, for me, is an excellent example of effective and well-executed industrial design. It took a superb, but visually dull amp design and turned it into an object of desire.

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The current is an impeccable design, yes. I don't think it's better than the older one though.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

The current is an impeccable design, yes. I don't think it's better than the older one though.

Just to be clear, I'm talking in terms of the industrial design, not the design of the electronics. And yes, that's to a degree a matter of personal aesthetic preferences, but good industrial design also blends form and function, with attractive, distinctive or instantly recognisable appearance. Look at the Dieter Rams stuff for Braun, for example. I think the 'new' look for Sugden did that, for them.

 

[paulfromcamden]

I think the old Fisher valve receivers are rather elegant in an understated way. Nice wooden case. Funky magic eye valves. Lots of interesting controls.

 

[evand]

Certainly incorporates a LOT of ****.

 

[jandl100]

How about a vintage Marantz receiver?

 

[tiggers]

I would add the LP12 to that. They took the standard fruitbox record player and added the flutes and the levelled black painted lower edge, and made it slimmer and more elegant. Compare and contrast the Thorens, AR, Ariston that follow the same brief and do it less well.

I disagree. While the Linn looks bette than the Ariston, Thorens etc. it is only marginal. At the end of the day it's a wooden box with a turnable sitting inside it. It's arguably practical, but in no way innovative and wasn't even in the 1970s. In fact I can't think of anything much less innovative in terms of turntable design. Compare that to the early Michell turntables... practical and highly innovative, so much so that they look like they could be designed today... they are timeless... another sign that the design is classic. Not slagging the Linn's abilities off, I had one for over a quarter of a century, but a classic from an industrial design perspective it is not.

 

[MotherSky]

Some real mingers on this thread - that Rose thing calls to mind a steam punk convention (actually a picnic in the grounds of a country house!) I stumbled into a while back

I have no idea how to add pictures, but the Enleum Amp -23R is my idea of a really well resolved piece of amplifier design - I'd be very interested to try one in the system one day

 

[jandl100]

Some real mingers on this thread....

I have no idea how to add pictures, but the Enleum Amp -23R is my idea of a really well resolved piece of amplifier design - I'd be very interested to try one in the system one day

But it's just a rectangular grey box.
I think I'd add it to the list of mingers.
I'd prefer the steampunk approach.

 

[Columbo]

The new Hifi Rose DAC has a unique look too, channelling the spirit of Tron, or something

 

[booja30]

I would have that multicoloured amp from the 80s, name escapes me.

Lecson?

Along the same lines I love the B&O Beomaster 1600.

Piano keys select the function to control, e.g. volume, tuning, bass, treble, and then belts at either end actually change the selected value. At least that’s my understanding.

 

[Salamander]

I'd prefer the steampunk approach.

I guess you're not over keen on the looks of your Thule amp, I really like it's simplicity.

 

[jandl100]

I guess you're not over keen on the looks of your Thule amp, I really like it's simplicity.

It's alright.
The central gold knob helps a bit to break up the monotony.

 

[Fitnessed]

Tucked away from my little one...
IMG_6816 by vintage audio vintage audio, on Flickr
A pair of mono blocks under each a NS1000 Powering the mids and tweets.......
IMG_6815 - Copy by vintage audio vintage audio, on Flickr

IMG_6814 by vintage audio vintage audio, on Flickr

 

[Joe]

Looks like a Japanese hi-tech toilet.