This forum is antiquated.

"We are talking Jurassic Park here"

A big old'un always beats a modern compact.

I disagree with the OP. Nothing wrong with this forum software and design. Slick forums and websites with the functionality referred to cost money which usually comes in the form of advertising, at least here I don’t get bombarded with advertising. I was a member of Stereo Net Australia (SNA) before I got banned. Check that web site out and be prepared to be bombarded with advertising, it’s everywhere. Most other forum websites are the same, annoying advertising everywhere. I don’t know how much it costs to run this site and forum, but i guess not cheap to maintain servers and secure site from cyber attacks, etc. At least here I get a daily email with popular discussions, a weekly email with promoted for sale gear and I haven’t been banned, yet! I find the forum and classifieds easy to navigate and use, sometimes the principles of KISS are best. Just enjoy and don’t think too much about next best, a bit like music and hifi gear, read and contribute with respect and interest and listen to the music, not the gear.

Everything is evolving. Use your time on earth to enjoy the things you love. Take the easy path, listen to music, look at art and drink some wine. 

Don't worry about what is best.

@yogiboy I’ve joined Asylum.
OP, thanks for the suggestions of other sites with better technology.
@craig I agree with you that often less technology is better -- especially when ads are not in my face all the time.

The reason I keep coming back here is the expertise I keep learning from. It’s like a favorite diner or bar. The company keeps one coming back. A while back, I posted a problem with my electrical, and jshea and almarg and a couple others stuck with me while I followed their instructions to test outlets and report back. It was like having good people in the control tower. Their advice saved me time and money. All the gear I own now is thanks to advice here. And I’m very happy with it. And my self-education in acoustics....I won’t go on.

If there are tweaks or changes that would make this site more attractive or less frustrating, I think the best approach would be for the OP to start a discussion about that and then ask members here to individually email the moderators with a request. That would be the shortest path to improvement.

For me, quick improvements would be:

* ability to post photos
* a category just for room acoustics
* a "super-category" of threads which do the best job of explaining FAQ’s (such as, "How to match Preamps and Amps" or "The difference between Conditioners and Regenerators" etc.