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Top Ten "Reasons I Don't Like This Component"

Many of us have had the short term experience of demoing or acquiring a piece of gear that, when we installed it in our systems, we soon realized that it wasn’t going to work.

An example I recently cited was after home demoing a CJ 17LS preamp years ago. I couldn’t stand the banging sound of the volume relays while adjusting. The unit sounded fine enough musically but this particular feature was intolerable.

What other features or quirks of components have you had similar experiences with over the short term? I’m not talking about chronic upgraditis, which most of us are afllicted with, just short term experiences that make us say, "this does not work for me."

No need to list ten reasons, just one or two. I'll keep a tab on them and summarize later.
stevecham
viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
Millercarbon, let me guess, you were not buying high end gear (or sports cars) in the 1960s and 1970s. Half the stuff was ergonomically hostile, underdesigned, or required constant attention from techs. 

That didnt stop many of us for reaching for the gold ring, and trying to get the best sound that we could. You may see reliability and ergonomics as equal parts of the package, but there is a whole subset of the hobby that is comfortable throwing them out the window in the search for better sound. There is plenty of due consideration involved; some folks may just value things differently than you do.
michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio
643 posts
 


1) Overbuilt HEA products. Throwing big transformers into a chassis with sensitive audio signal carrying parts makes zero sense. Then lol the designers decided they had to shield their parts from the field effects, creating further sonic problems. If you have to create a shield that means you have field problems in your design.

2) Complicated crossovers. If you have to make complicated crossovers that means you have poorly designed your cabinets and drivers.

3) Dampening your room kills part of the music you are trying to hear. Tune your room don’t kill your music.

4) Conditioning your AC. Adding parts to your AC chain doesn’t magically clean up your AC, it dampens your audio signal.

5) Banana plugs. Adding mass means lowering signal response. So simple yet so many don’t get the basics.

6) Products with multiple inputs. Build two of the same product, one with multiple inputs and the same one with only one input. Be prepared to fall out of your seat.

7) Why do you have equipment racks directly in front of you in the middle of the sound stage?

8) Only a volume control, really? If you only have "A" volume control, you have almost no control over your recorded music. No two recordings are the same, nor rooms, nor ears nor.....

9) Speaker grill cothes. Anything between you and the drivers is something between you and the music.

and 10) Breakin time. It’s all a big joke manufacturers telling you that your product is going to breakin before your demo time is up. Audio parts never stop breaking in. Most barely get started till after a year of constant play.

My list is a little different from "quirks" more of a reality check on obvious issues that this hobby has created and continues to take the shallow way out instead of diving into the deep end and learning how to swim.

Michael Green

colin44ct357's avatar
colin44ct357
105 posts
 
I "hate" graphic equalizers.Using a sound processor is the way to go.So much more they can accomplish.No slides, just a few pots for setup, quick and easy with results.However with the right speaker systems in place I dont use it anymore.At one stage I was running 3 pairs of large stereo speakers on ML+MR with 26 drivers in total.After a few tweeks and removing one pair, replacing them with jbl control 1 pro's i am down to  14 drivers, all different size.They all compliment each other filling the audio spectrum...no gaps.I had to do this when i reworked the home, took the carpets out and ended up with a hollow echo.All sorted and sit back after a hard day in the electronics workshop with a few frosties streaming the DMX digital audio channels from our sat provider, hardly watch tv anymore .Regards 44ct357 CT SA.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Stuff that breaks, get fixed, and breaks again. (Counterpoint)
Stuff you send in to be fixed, and they mess it up way worse. So now, not only does it not work properly, it also looks like a nine year old took at it with a hammer and a chisel (in case you are wondering Sony )
jafox
1,348 posts
 
Viridian, did you ever consider turning your amp upside down?  Put it on some nice isolation feet and voila.
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