The Germans have a phrase "es ist sehr kompliziert" to refer, usually, to the complexity involved in turning on a mature audiophile system (LOL). SO, this thread is devoted to the topic of turning on your audiophile system. Suggest the following procedure for providing comparative information; Agoners can use the figures to determine where they stand on a range from "simple" to "ridiculous." Here are the categories: 1. Number of component boxes (no loudspeakers) 2. Number of remotes 3. Button strikes necessary to complete the system turn-on 4. Total time (start to finish, including delays) necessary to enable all functions within your system Here's my score: 1. 9 boxes to handle internet, TV, music collection, and video collection 2. 6 remotes 3. 20 button strikes to enable entire system 4. 1:15 minutes/seconds each time started This is a stereo system that uses as many automated triggers as possible. The final summary is, therefore: 9/6/20/1:15 Let me know how your system turn-on compares. And perhaps a COMPETITION is in order. I leave it to my fellow Agoners to decide whether the longest, most complex turn-on is the winner (= most toys and flexibility) or the simplest and shortest wins (gets to the media fastest). AND, I believe that KDude66 told me that he would provide a Lyngdorf 3400 to the winner... ...but, maybe, we should check with KDude about that (LOL)...
Hmmm 🤔 this is for 2 channel music (cd or LP) only ... none of that new fangled streaming nonsenseÂ
1. 17 boxes (all active powered components) 2. 3 remotes (aren’t remotes rather like automatic cars, for those who can’t drive stick) 3. 10 button or switch presses to play a CD or LP (not including setting level) - that’s from standby, 16 from a cold start 4. 3 minutes to start up (the VTL monoblocks warming up)
frankly the system stem is overly complex, but the complexity has crept up over time and all plays a part 😉
folkfreak: Impressive; the boxes build up after a while, don’t they? Assume you keep it in standby as much as possible. I use a Furman LPC Elite to keep all box power either switched or unswitched in order to help startup.
1. Number of component boxes (no loudspeakers): Â 2 (one power amp and one preamp/ CD player) 2. Number of remotes: Â 1 (preamp/ CD player)Â 3. Button strikes necessary to complete the system turn-on: Â 3 4. Total time (start to finish, including delays) necessary to enable all functions within your system: Â maybe 20 seconds
Main System For LP playing: Â
1. Number of component boxes (no loudspeakers): 4 (two above plus TT and phono preamp) 2. Number of remotes: Â 1 3. Button strikes necessary to complete the system turn-on: Â 6 4. Total time (start to finish, including delays) necessary to enable all functions within your system: Â maybe 30 seconds
The rest is my pc, which has internet streaming and gets turned on anyway.
the dac is always on.
Passive preamp has a relatively static setting.
Lots of analog, but I rarely bother.
simple is best, less is more. Less hardware, simpler hardware..is more sound quality. always. Thus: startlingly lifelike sound that is monumentally captivating in every single note. Forever. It has never failed to do this all important thing, in over a decade. But, it's my dac, our cables, our preamp, our speakers, our acoustics.
No twitchy twitchy, no ritual, no complexity, just tunes.
I had 6/7 channel surround by the mid 80’s, and by 2000-2004, was running highly customized CRT projection HT. one of the top projection systems that was in existence as a home or pro CRT projection set up. Easily in the top 10.
twitchy twitch.
No more twitch, just tunes.
Less is more. The physical realization of Goldberg-gedanken is not the way to go, but one generally has to do it -before one realizes...that there’s nothing there.
# of components,4 incl.TV,DVD/P,Computer & amp/control center... 1 universal remote. 2 button strikes. Total power up time incl.soft start amp,30 seconds...
Audio system - 2 boxes, 2 buttons for on/off, 1 remote
A/V system - primarily voice commands to a Google Home that controls a Harmony Hub. Occasionally use a little 7 button learning remote that has been taught certain frequent commands. Best remote bargain ever, 3 bucks. 1 more simple remote for a streaming service, but rarely use.
Thread participants decide whether simplest is best or more complicated wins. State your preference and we’ll tally the votes.
Like the Google Home option; have one but have never gotten it connected to the audio stuff. Works great for the phone and sports scores however...
teo_audio:
Do you keep the computer on all of the time? Find this takes several button strikes in my setup. Also, compared the two systems I use and the 5-channel one is more automated and requires less turn-on time than the stereo setup. The stereo setup is much more HEA and the Oppo 105 player injects additional complexity.
Some systems take more, some take less; Which is better is anyone’s guess. For me, I like simple as the highest gain, Until a complex system makes me assess again.
uberwaltz: ULTIMATELY, there can only be one! One big box with a single input (network at ridiculous speed) and two outputs (HDMI and speaker connectors). In the box will be an operating system, a software media center (like Roon or JRiver), a software preamp with sophisticated room correction, all leading to a powerful class D amplifier. May or may not have internal SSD memory for storing purchased downloads. The MQA crowd would like to keep all copy protected... All controls are handled with ergonomic friendliness through the HDMI monitor/TV. And all will be turned on with ease by a single voice command. Perhaps the power supply is a very big wall wart. Will and when it be built? Who knows... ...BUT IF IT IS, it will be BLACK.
I can turn my system on with one button . I set it up this way so my technically bankrupt wife can use it . I keep all my digital gear on all the time as well as my SS phono stage . My DIY passive AVC volume control has a 12 volt trigger button to turn on 2 Niles AC3 switched outlets that turn on my VTL main and Crown sub amp .  Like folkfreak said wait for tube warm up grab the Ipad and away you go .To play a record I flip a switch on the TT power supply  Â
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