What about a product can irritate you?

Edesilva, it sounds like you're describing one of the old Billy Crystal/Christopher Guest SNL skits.

BC: You ever get a, a, ah, ah, ah...

CG: A CD jewel case?

BC: Yeah!

CG: ...and you rub your thumb up and down it until you get a Saran Wrap paper cut?

BC: Yeah, yeah! Then you grab a, ah, ah, ah...

CG: A fistful of buffalo wings with your raw fingers?

BC" Yeah!

{BC & CG together]: Boy, I hate when that happens!

The asking prices for LP's on AudioGon. $400 for an Eagles LP? Good lord....

Valve gear in general. Drives me nuts I have to turn it on then wait 20 minutes for it to warm up before listening to it, and knowing that it will keep improving for a couple of weeks if I left it going that long. But if I leave it on all the time those expensive tubes I bought are just wasting away while I am at work. And then there is the fact that my tubes are always either gradually running in or running out. Yeah, yeah, I'm neurotic, I know. I should just accept that whatever state it is in it sounds better than the solid state equivalent - but it still bugs me.

Redkiwi, my tube amps level off after an hour or two of play. Not so bad, and I will spend the 20 minute warm-in picking music, cleaning records, going to the john, making a sandwich, whatever. Allows for a nice chill session before I sit down for some listening.

I frickin' HATE phono cartridges that aren't threaded. I just can't deal with those tiny little nuts...too much fumbling that close to a fragile stylus/cant. They're a complete PITA during cart alignment. It would have to be one seriously incredible unthreaded cartridge to get me to buy it.

Practicality in design:

one pre I used, had the two pre OUTputs on EITHER side of "pro in", at the back of the unit, the unit being large and deep of course (so, no visibility from front). So, 9/10 when I changed IC, one of the amps was mute OR one channel on one amp was mute -- and I'd invariably get a small heart attack wondering what the H blew and why... until I realised I'd connected the pro-in.

The Thiel engineering hurdle, as per Ketchup above. To visualise the problem, think of THICK cable and trying to screw it on UNDER each spkr, when the nut rolls away... majestic!

The Valve Conundrum, as per Redkiwi:

*Am I burning IN or burning OUT?????

The "deep class A" solid-state challenge:

*whether 'tis better to leave it on all the time and foot the bill and risk burn out if high ambient temperatures BUT enjoy the music at guise OR, switch it off/on as required and sleep at nights and stick to being PATIENT (until it reaches optimum operating conditions by which time it's usually other peoples' bedtime).

Gimme a boomblaster