Best-Looking Knobs
- Thread starter Zekeman
- Start date
Fiber optic gunsight...LEDS behind the knob.C'mon now... just drill a tiny hole and mount an LED there
That's me in the piano black mirror
The light leaks out to illuminate the -db numbers.
Last edited:
Dr. Morbius
I.N.T.E.R.O.C.I.T.O.R.
I'm partial to these knobs. 
reydelaplaya
Super Member
I don't have a pic at the moment, but I'll edit one in when I get some better lighting. The paddle-knobs on the Yamaha (I have the CR-1020 with the same as yours) are finely-fluted (scored?) in three different directions depending on the surface. The large flat areas, which are slightly curved outward toward the base, have a horizontal grain. The shorter, width edges are perpendicular to the aforementioned. And the flat face is a circular gain around the center axis. When they're clean and shiny, they really catch the light. Way more intricate than they first appear. The round knobs are slightly less detailed due to less surfaces to work with, but they still look great too with that same circular pattern on the face and around the circumference.
Ranchman
Active Member
Could be early or late production differences. The SX-1080 pic I posted is of a KS model. It could be marketing wanted something different for that. The SX-1250 and Sx-750 were in production at the same time 76-77. Did all pioneer models in that time frame have the same look? It is interesting.
Yes, you're probably right on early vs. late, but I'll check my serial number when I get home. In the meantime, here's a pic. And yes, I think all of them within the series share the same look, though there might have been minor variations.
The Kenwood/Trio Supreme Series
OldPolishGuy
Active Member
I'll third this......also, almost anything from this era of Mark Levinson gear. Understated elegance. OPG.My fave from the 70s:
Not only was that a phenomenally good sounding preamp - arguably the best in its day along with the Audio Research SP-3a - the casework was beautiful with the engraved labels, countersunk screws, etc.
I build a DIY attenuator box years ago and styled it after the JC-2.
Agree with the black and aluminum styling. 
bigcaddy64
Super Member
The Fuxtor
Addicted Member
I have a set of these, very heavy and i like the grip band!
SoCal Sam
Lunatic Member
The Kenwood/Trio Supreme Series
Beautifully made pokies begging for a twist. These knobs are the hardest to find replacements. I had to buy a nearly wrecked 500 that had exactly one good knob to complete my 700C. There was an effort here to make new replacements but I don't know what came of it.
If we could only get our hands on the drawings for these beautiful knobs....along with a nice little machining center....
nedseg
Well-Known Member
Nice knobs! Totally agree on drawings and a machining center!!
Knobs sure are an interesting intersection between design and functionality - great thread!
My favorite now is the Emotiva Control Freak - solid alum, just the right spin-ability, nicely machined, anodized, and knurled...and wasn't all that pricey (NLA?). The only thing I wished they'd done was to add a 'push (slap) to mute' function
But some of the vintage stuff is really impressive, back when knobs were KNOBS! and had a Serious Job to Do!
I had a collection of bakelite and ceramic ones, that - wouldntcha know it - I finally threw away one month before I started a project that cried out for them!
I did learn that the ones I liked the most are called 'skirted spinner' knobs...but haven't found one similar yet (grey, ceramic, about 2.5" diameter)...so have moved on to using touch strips instead! (sigh). (not my images)
I worked for a company that made fader wheels by running stepper motors in reverse, run via a large slice off a bar of ribbed aluminum as the wheel...the 'spin-ability' of those things was very impressive.
Knobs sure are an interesting intersection between design and functionality - great thread!
My favorite now is the Emotiva Control Freak - solid alum, just the right spin-ability, nicely machined, anodized, and knurled...and wasn't all that pricey (NLA?). The only thing I wished they'd done was to add a 'push (slap) to mute' function
But some of the vintage stuff is really impressive, back when knobs were KNOBS! and had a Serious Job to Do!
I had a collection of bakelite and ceramic ones, that - wouldntcha know it - I finally threw away one month before I started a project that cried out for them!
I did learn that the ones I liked the most are called 'skirted spinner' knobs...but haven't found one similar yet (grey, ceramic, about 2.5" diameter)...so have moved on to using touch strips instead! (sigh). (not my images)
I worked for a company that made fader wheels by running stepper motors in reverse, run via a large slice off a bar of ribbed aluminum as the wheel...the 'spin-ability' of those things was very impressive.
MCM_Fan
AK Subscriber
The Tandberg TR-20xx series was the first that popped into my head. I had a TR-2030 and the build quality of the unit was off the charts, especially for an entry level model. Extremely well built unit.