Its not just audio, its most everything you buy. Phones, cars, Hifi, TV, et al have far more features than needed. Everyone is trying to make the perfect all in one machine. I’m reminded of the all in one shop tool back in the 1900’s that was a saw, jointer ,drill, lathe etc. The problem was that if you missed one task or messed up one piece of a project, you had to re-setup the machine again for every task individually. It was too cumbersome to get anything done easily and thus, made what could have been fun into a PITA.
This is where we are today IMO. Most things are way overly complex . We have forgotten the beauty of simplicity and are being offered a PITA instead
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Agreed! Old folks, unite!
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Agreed! Not so old folks,unite!
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It is worst than useless fonctions, upgrading models which are not so useful or valuable at the end,
Marketing define audio hobby...
No acoustics basic information and learning is diffused and the paradox is the resulting sound is in the brain from the room not mainly in the electronic recording translation by the gear...
No gear marketing can say the truth only half the story which most takes as cash complete information...
Most threads are about selling or buying gear... In reality half of the threads ought to be about acoustics experiments, experience and tweaks...
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My mother in law died last summer aged 92. Last XMass her children got together and purchased for her an LG TV because her current one had died, and she spent a considerable amount of time in her dotage watching programs like The Crown.
Several of us were staying with her during the Holiday so we set it up and damn, the hardest part was actually operating the software. Not only did it completely flummox mom but the rest of us in our sixties were also struggling. We are mainly Physicians, Nurses, Lawyers, and an engineer for the FAA.. Fortunately our 24 year old Niece was with us and for her it was all intuitive; she spent the bulk of her Holiday visit giving us all tutorials.
Mom really enjoyed her TV during her last few months with the various streaming services at her option, but perhaps the manufacturers should put a basic option on the software package that most alte cockers can use and avoid 99% of the features that just complicate the daylights of general usage
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@mahler123 Technology. Computing. I have found that one either gets it or one does not. The issue is some do not understand the underlying concepts of operation—Hierarchical menus, storage locations, data structures etc. These are abstract concepts, and if not absorbed, every function of every device remains a ungraspable mystery.
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We were chatting over in a car forum about a user’s $60k SUV that locked up at a T junction and hit a wall. The technicians at the shop had no idea what happened. On further discussion, we all more or less agreed that we would prefer vehicles with no computers and their hundreds of features. Just give us power mirrors, power windows, heated seats, instant startup without 8 secs of bong bong bong, and a location to hang one’s phone to use for navigation.
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@erik_squires - that's interesting - for me, I need the light some manual temp and time controls and a revolving platter; I've got a Sharp Carousel II that I've had for almost 35 years, and it still works fine, though sometimes I have to wack it on the side to get the platter to start turning.
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Streaming software can be a steep learning curve, probably why some won't embrace streaming. I went diy route with the hardware, custom nearly everything, loved the challenge. Plug n play route also available on hardware side, can't avoid the software issue. Still, I'd rate the smartphone as a far more feature laden appliance vs the streamer. And modern cars, menus and sub menus on screens to control all manner of useless features, did we really ask for this?
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I remember Microsoft applications bloatware. Lots of stuff I didn't need just slowed the computer.
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Agreed! Just turned 60 and find that my 13-year-old daughter is infinitely more adept at using smart phones, computers, steaming TV services, etc. than I am. What a shock, and here I thought I was young and with it.
With audio, however, she hasn’t a clue. Still likes Spotify on her phone and won’t touch the stereo, though invited to play her music.
I like a lot of the new features in cars, etc. but use very few of them. My favorites so far are automatic high beams, and being able to soup up a car with a custom program installed over the OBDII in the car.
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@larsman You are right. The revolving platter is now such a ubiquitous feature I completely ignored it, but it's essential.
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It probably says something about me that most of my audio gear consists of black boxes that just sit there and perceptively do nothing. The two most exciting features are headlessly managing the server/Roon and changing the volume with a remote.
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Summation is that design engineers are mostly daft. They solve problems exclusionary of end user. It made sense to the design team, so good enough.
Beta testing is expensive/time consuming and therefore summarily shunned.
Take 100 end users, exposing them to the product, recording an 80% fail rate followed by redesign and restart with a new 100 end users. Repeating the process until only 10% fail and that is acceptable as nothing is 100% end user fail safe.
Japanese car manufacturers have heavily invested in this and present mostly a well thought out logical panel. Higher end European car manufacturers do pretty well.
Recently rented a Buick Envoque or something. I’ve rented literally hundreds of vehicles. I could not start it. No, not EV. FOB. No push or turn start (like my Volvo). My friend, a mechanic of 30 years could not start it. A guy in the lot came over and somehow figured it out. It’s beyond retarded! Look it up.
Peugeot in the 80s was a rolling disaster in this arena. Controls were backwards to Americans. This played a role in its eventual American market exit. I used to drive my great aunt’s Peugeot 504? whenever I visited her in Switzerland. It was a trip.
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Yes! I want a popcorn button on my preamp. 🤡
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What rpm speed on the revolving platter makes better popcorn? 33 1/3 or 45?
Does anyone have an opinion on this?
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Remember that period of time when receivers had a variety of sound fields available?
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You just need an 8-year-old to show you how do everything with your phone.
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