Hi-Fi Products that totally underwhelmed you
Discussion
techiedave said:
brickwall said:
colin_p said:
Sony minidisc players, I boought a walkman type and a component type for home.
A right faff to fill with music which had to be done in real time with other kit I had. I do seem to remember a matched CD player being available that could do it quicker but still a right old faff doing a "mix" disc.
And also bought only a few years before MP3 arrived.
I remember this as well; and they were expensive at the time (I seem to remember something like £180-220 in 2001). Everyone had an iPod by 2004.A right faff to fill with music which had to be done in real time with other kit I had. I do seem to remember a matched CD player being available that could do it quicker but still a right old faff doing a "mix" disc.
And also bought only a few years before MP3 arrived.
Deranged Rover said:
Hmmm, I hate to burst that bubble but not only do I have a house half full of B&O, I also have a Naim Supernait, CD5XS and Flatcap XS that Iove to bits!
Really? But they have such different sonic signatures from each other.
What speakers have you got on the end of the Naim gear?
gizlaroc said:
Really?
But they have such different sonic signatures from each other.
What speakers have you got on the end of the Naim gear?
Maybe they like a change now and again. Some gear suits some music better, but equally, one might want more laid back or more aggressive as their mood takes them.But they have such different sonic signatures from each other.
What speakers have you got on the end of the Naim gear?
Deranged Rover said:
Where do I start?!
- Mission 780 speakers (the later, tiny ones, not the Argonauts).
Totally agree with this. The 750LE's that look almost the same are even worse. I guess they won so many reviews based on their pretty good looks.- Mission 780 speakers (the later, tiny ones, not the Argonauts).
On top of that the Keraform drivers in the 78 series Missions were rather unreliable.
gizlaroc said:
I forgot the Rel Subs.
Completely disagree, I have owned loads from Stratas through to Studios, they are all incredibly musical.
Had SVS and the big Velodynes too, but always ended up back with Rel.
+1Completely disagree, I have owned loads from Stratas through to Studios, they are all incredibly musical.
Had SVS and the big Velodynes too, but always ended up back with Rel.
I'm still running a Strata III integrated with Spendor S6e floorstanding speakers from an ATC SIA2-150 amp. It just adds that bit of extra bass extension yet is completely unobtrusive.
Also have a newer T7/i alongside Neat Iota speakers on stands driven by an Ecko valve amp. As the Iotas are really small, the crossover point is at a much higher frequency and it allows the combination to really fill the room. Sounds great.
I think the key to getting it sounding good with a conventional hifi is to connect it via the Neutrik Speakon cable direct from the amp speaker outputs. Also, it's really important to follow their advice in positioning the sub properly according to the room, getting the phase correct, and carefully adjusting the crossover to the right point so the sub takes over seamlessly where the speakers drop off. I even went to the trouble of finding a copy of the CD soundtrack to Sneakers (Columbia CK 53146), as they recommend in their setup guide that track 4 is ideal for tuning the sub due to the particular low bass on it, and it really works.
Ah yes - Pioneer A400 Got one to run the speakers in the dining room. Was rarely on and was soon relegated back to it's box and put in the loft - it's still there.
A colleague at work enthused about a whole bunch of power cords and power distribution stuff that he had bought for his hifi. He let me borrow it for a week or so (at his suggestion); after hearing his tales of improvements and wonderment I've got to say he wasted his money - I think at the time they were in the order of £800 odd quid of kettle leads and 4 gang sockets. Made no difference as far as I could tell on a Linn / Naim system.
A colleague at work enthused about a whole bunch of power cords and power distribution stuff that he had bought for his hifi. He let me borrow it for a week or so (at his suggestion); after hearing his tales of improvements and wonderment I've got to say he wasted his money - I think at the time they were in the order of £800 odd quid of kettle leads and 4 gang sockets. Made no difference as far as I could tell on a Linn / Naim system.
I'm surprised at the hate for the A400, considering it was supposed to be some kind of giant slayer back in the day. My mate had one and I thought it was pretty decent all in all, although I have to admit to preferring my Rotel RA-01 and the HK6550 I had some time later, but then I was probably biased. Some people really did think the sun shone out of it's arse though...
I recall it got Amp of the year or something similar; I've still got the flyer in the box. One of the few Japanese amps at the time that actually had an earth wire in the plug rather than the typical shotgun cable.
I didn't knock it; I did enjoy it. Used to use it occasionally to run a pair of Royd Conistons outside when we had a BBQ.
I didn't knock it; I did enjoy it. Used to use it occasionally to run a pair of Royd Conistons outside when we had a BBQ.
crmcatee said:
Ah yes - Pioneer A400 Got one to run the speakers in the dining room. Was rarely on and was soon relegated back to it's box and put in the loft - it's still there.
A colleague at work enthused about a whole bunch of power cords and power distribution stuff that he had bought for his hifi. He let me borrow it for a week or so (at his suggestion); after hearing his tales of improvements and wonderment I've got to say he wasted his money - I think at the time they were in the order of £800 odd quid of kettle leads and 4 gang sockets. Made no difference as far as I could tell on a Linn / Naim system.
If you fancy flogging it give me a shout.. remember hearing one with an Axis driving Ruark Talismans and it was just gorgeous.A colleague at work enthused about a whole bunch of power cords and power distribution stuff that he had bought for his hifi. He let me borrow it for a week or so (at his suggestion); after hearing his tales of improvements and wonderment I've got to say he wasted his money - I think at the time they were in the order of £800 odd quid of kettle leads and 4 gang sockets. Made no difference as far as I could tell on a Linn / Naim system.
Worst ever I heard? When I worked in the trade the Not HiFi award winning 5 star system, must buy or you are a cretin if you don’t (until next month at any rate) was the Kenwood KA3020SE, Marantz CD63SE and Mission 733. My that sounded utter s
te - so shrill it would slice your ears off....... colin_p said:
Another Betamax moment for Sony, minidisc was great but MP3 quickly killed it off.
edit.... had a friend who went one further, he bought a minidisc headunit for his car, when CD multichangers were just starting to be all the rage.
I have a Sony hi-fi deck, a couple of portables (first one was a Sharp when they were first released) and a head unit, last used nearly 15 years ago. I still have a bunch of new blank discs and loads of compilations. I can't bring myself to chuck it all out.edit.... had a friend who went one further, he bought a minidisc headunit for his car, when CD multichangers were just starting to be all the rage.
The A400 did well at the time as it was minimalist, it arrived at the time when people were wanting amps with no tone controls, flashing lights etc. Just a pure signal path.
It was actually OK, but wasn't the smoothest of amps, it impressed people who had upgraded from the £99 Nad or Rotel, and to be fair at £230 or whatever it was, it did well against many up to £500.
Personally I preferred the A400X, it was a fir bit smoother and a bit more feedback on it so bass sounded fuller and the whole thing a little warmer.
I was selling hifi then, you had things like the Creek 4040 series 2, or was it 3?, which we all thought was great, plus things like the Arcam Alpha 7r, which was just as open but smoother than the A400.
Some of the Technics amps were superb at the time, just weren't on trend in the UK.
It was actually OK, but wasn't the smoothest of amps, it impressed people who had upgraded from the £99 Nad or Rotel, and to be fair at £230 or whatever it was, it did well against many up to £500.
Personally I preferred the A400X, it was a fir bit smoother and a bit more feedback on it so bass sounded fuller and the whole thing a little warmer.
I was selling hifi then, you had things like the Creek 4040 series 2, or was it 3?, which we all thought was great, plus things like the Arcam Alpha 7r, which was just as open but smoother than the A400.
Some of the Technics amps were superb at the time, just weren't on trend in the UK.
crmcatee said:
Ah yes - Pioneer A400 Got one to run the speakers in the dining room. Was rarely on and was soon relegated back to it's box and put in the loft - it's still there.
A colleague at work enthused about a whole bunch of power cords and power distribution stuff that he had bought for his hifi. He let me borrow it for a week or so (at his suggestion); after hearing his tales of improvements and wonderment I've got to say he wasted his money - I think at the time they were in the order of £800 odd quid of kettle leads and 4 gang sockets. Made no difference as far as I could tell on a Linn / Naim system.
Special power cables are the equivalent of using bell wire as speaker cable, except the last inch which is decent cable. A colleague at work enthused about a whole bunch of power cords and power distribution stuff that he had bought for his hifi. He let me borrow it for a week or so (at his suggestion); after hearing his tales of improvements and wonderment I've got to say he wasted his money - I think at the time they were in the order of £800 odd quid of kettle leads and 4 gang sockets. Made no difference as far as I could tell on a Linn / Naim system.
Wasn't impressed by the Meridian DSP3100 active speakers that my dad owned. Quite a harsh sound with rather "artificial" bass. I know they're only standmounts, but still. I preferred the sound of his old Linn Keilidhs.
Regarding B&O, their kit is easily a cut (or six) above Bose, IMHO. Properly-engineered stuff. I heard a Beoplay A9 in a shop once and I was amazed at how good it sounded.
Regarding B&O, their kit is easily a cut (or six) above Bose, IMHO. Properly-engineered stuff. I heard a Beoplay A9 in a shop once and I was amazed at how good it sounded.
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