Good looking HiFi equipment

Posted by: Cheese on 21 July 2001

After judging the looks of speakers, why not talk about amps and stuff ?

My personal favourites:

2. Crimson - brilliant industrial look

3. Naim (but not the 5 series)

4. Some valve amps look nice too, e.g. Jadis or Sonic Frontiers.

Not really my favourites:

1. Krell & Mark Levinson - typically american "taste"

2. Burmester. Utterly tacky.

3. Any japanese stuff - buttons and LED's everywhere

4. NAD - look at the colour !!!

Cheese - may all beings be happy

Posted on: 21 July 2001 by Robbie

Let's talk about woman !

Posted on: 21 July 2001 by Mick P

Most certainly not........drink some cold water instead.

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 21 July 2001 by Mick P

Cheese

Take your most beautiful piece of Hifi and plonk it on phase 4 of Mana.

Now is it still beautiful in your eyes

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 21 July 2001 by Top Cat

Did you know you can get the Crimson range in other colours, like red and burnished silver? Very fetching in silver, but a bit more expensive.

I would never describe the Crimson amps I have as 'pretty', but they sound gorgeous, as good amps as I've ever heard (but then I never heard a Mana Stealth or a Naim NAP500 before ;-)

However, at the price the 640D's are beyond belief, and I would recommend them to anyone. They're also very compact, too...

If you ever find someone selling another pair of Crimson monoblocks s/h, let me know - I'd love to go biamp...

John

Posted on: 21 July 2001 by Top Cat

...back and forth from one place to t'other...

Anyway, yes, I concede your point - Mana ain't the most beautiful item of furniture, but then the same could be said about most racks...

On that note, when I move home I'm going to have some kind of surround build for my rack to keep it from sight - the look of Mana was the one thing which nearly kept me in Quadraspire land (which is very pretty), but I'm glad I was able to listen with my ears and not with my eyes, if you know what I mean,..,.

John

PS. I still think acerbic aesthetic asides such as your last one are somewhat moot given the fact you choose to live in picturesque Swindon...

Posted on: 21 July 2001 by Mike Hanson

As I've stated elsewhere boxes are boring. However, there isn't much variation in this regard in the stereo component world. If you're going for a box, then Naim is nice and simple. I hate having a plethora of buttons and lights, unless you're you're going for that Sci-Fi effect, and you're got ugly black speakers.

My favourite component, in the looks department, is a Pathos "Classic One" integrated hybrid tube amp. It makes a statement, but it's not too over the top.

Rega is interesting, but ultimately ugly. It should be matched with its soulmate from the speaker world: The Kharma Exquisite.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Posted on: 21 July 2001 by Cheese

Posted on: 21 July 2001 by Steve Toy

Mike,
This goes with the old Rega stuff but not their 2000 models which don't have the burger griddle effect.
Mr. Pig, I see you are still in a belligerent mood. News travels fast!

BTW, I do think my Densen B200 preamp looks the business - sleek and black with a big gold knob in the middle (oo-er!) and two little gold buttons either side - goes well with my CD5/FC2!
It's always a nice day for it, have a good one

Steve

Posted on: 22 July 2001 by Steve Toy

Mr Pig,
I cannot possibly comment, as I was not there, unfortunately. My car has been off the road for a few days - until tomorrow, so it's a good job I didn't buy a ticket! Maybe if I spent more on my car than on my hi-fi system...

It's always a nice day for it, have a good one
Steve

Posted on: 22 July 2001 by Mick P

Gentlmen

Mr Pig says plonking me on a Mana will make me dead and silent.

Just like his 10 year old knackered amp......now that was dead and silent.

Come along Piggy, you going to have to do a lot better than that.

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 22 July 2001 by Mick P

Mr Pig

You have a knackered old Hifi system

You appear to have a knackered old car

Have you got anything thats any good.

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 22 July 2001 by Mike Hanson

I don't expect much better from anyone calling himself "Mr. Pig", but I suspect you're more sophisticated than that, Mick. Stop poking the pig! At the very least take your
"discussion" to the Mana forum, where this kind of childish behavavior belongs.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Posted on: 22 July 2001 by Top Cat

They're both as bad as each other

Perhaps we should set up a forum just for the two of them - kind of like Mortal Combat meets Infopop - and we can leave them alone to get on with it...

John

Posted on: 22 July 2001 by Mike Hanson

It gets so silly. Any moment now I expect them to be saying, "My dad can beat up your dad!"

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Posted on: 22 July 2001 by Ron The Mon

Your above post reminds me of an MTV "Celebrity Deathmatch" in claymation. I'd buy that for a dollar.

Ron The Mon

Posted on: 23 July 2001 by Mick P

John/Mike/Ron

I can take the hint......I shall just ignore him from now on.

I have just suffered the indignity of being banned from the Mana Forum.....such effrontery.

Oh well such is life.

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 23 July 2001 by Rockingdoc

My amps look hideous (Sugden Masterclass), but they sound better than yours.

Posted on: 23 July 2001 by andrew mcmullins

Comments:

A friend of mine once said 'you can tell the men from the boys by the size of their toys'. Read into this what you will with regards Piggy / Mick.

Andrew