• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Obsolete Features on Audio Equipment

Karl vd Berg said:
Forgot to mention 3 more things:

. the medium used to listen to the music (TT, cassete decks, CD players, etc)
.. the nearly infinite kind of music the amp buyer will listen to (Jazz, Rock, Classical, Pop, etc)
... there is always the flat position for the knobs

:thmbsp:
Click to expand...

The "flat" position does not get the tone stuff out of the path tho' a tone bypass switch might. Nonetheless I have yet to hear a gain device that puts a lot of stuff in the line level path beat one quality control element.
 
What I'm saying is that each of us buy an amp suitable for our needs.

I just think of an AU-20000 and how beautiful that amp is... :tresbon:
 
RamblinE said:
Subsonic and rumble filters.

There's no reason for them to be on gear made after tape ceased to be a relevant medium. Nor is it a relevant medium for all but a very few.
Click to expand...

I think you've misunderstood what the rumble and subsonic filters are for... They were for when you were playing records and you wanted to make sure you didn't hear the sound of the needle making contact with the record grooves which make distictive "rumble" noises and the same with the Subsonic filters record players are notorious for making noises at subsonic frequencies that can sometimes damage some speaker systems that are capable of reproducing subsonic frequencies.

At least that was how they were explained to me anyways by a repairman, so actually the rumble and subsonic filters aren't obsolete because there are still people out there that still use record players and listen to records yet, the only time this feature would be obsolete would be if you never listened to vinyl and only listened to CDs and MP3s (which to me defeats the purpose of listening to music). So to sum it up, those filter settings had nothing to do with cassette tape play back.
 
House de Kris said:
One of my stereos has a turntable thingy in it. Never have found a good use for that obsolete technology. Well, I do like to set things on it and spin them around, but the kitty never stays put!
Click to expand...

Obsolete? Maybe that one you have is, it must be a Stacker but not many others especially a seperate Turntable:scratch2:
 
Last edited:
Haven't had tone controls, loudness, or any sort of filters on an amp for about 20 years but my pre still has a bunch of record out selectors that I have never come close to using.

My CDP has a facility to program in a play order and I have never used that. I may have used its repeat function once in the 10 years I have had it, so that is pretty much superflous as well.

Steve
 
Last edited:
frommerstop said:
Not obsolete, just not often used. I have a few preamps with reverse, or phase inversion switches (used to have an IC-150a, years ago too), and on some recordings they help. I find it very annoying to hear the instruments of an orchestra to be flipped from one side to the other. As a matter of fact, both my Audio Research SP-9 MrkII, and Spectral DMC-6n my signature have this feature, and it does get used with some regularity.

Now, AM stereo, and quad FM tuners... those ARE obsolete. :D
Click to expand...

Those pieces of gear that you mention were discontinued sometime in the 1990s. Ergo: the features included on them are obsolete.
 
JoeESP9 said:
If you're a Jazz fan and live in the Delaware Valley there is WRTI from Temple University. It's easy to hear that the over the air signal is better than anything streamed off the Internet. In addition Drexel and the Univ. of PA both have excellent sounding stations with an eclectic mix of all kinds of music. My Accuphase tuner does them justice.
Click to expand...

I also enjoy that station.

It comes in @ 91.1 & 106.1 in the Scranton area.
 
ElPee said:
Those pieces of gear that you mention were discontinued sometime in the 1990s. Ergo: the features included on them are obsolete.
Click to expand...

Obsolete you say! Discontinued in the 90s! An awful lot of the gear members report using comes under that category. A lot of other gear is even older.

I own and use an ARC SP-9 MkIII. If anyone has an "obsolete" Spectral DMC-6 they want to get rid of, I'll pay the shipping charges to send it to my house.

I've found the stereo reverse and left right mono switching on my SP-9 to be extremely useful.
 
68custom ,

"4 track tape cartridges, so obsolete it was replaced by obsolete technology."

i started with a 4track, and it was replaced with an 8track after a theft from my 61 chevy 2dr hardtop, 283, 3 on the floor.
 
I have a laserdisc player that has a huge, open slot in the front. Apparently, you plugged in some sort of game cartridge to play on your TV set. Still plays laserdiscs, but no clue what the games were. Anyone?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom