If you want an amp with a lot of features, you’re going to get a lot of knobs and switches. There’s no way around it.
It’s obviously aimed at people who like that look, so, it’s good to give people the choice. No need for people to get wound up because they don’t like the look.
The feet look quality, I like the stability three feet gives.
It all looks quality. No plastic switches or knobs.
With regards to noisy potentiometers, the facia is littered with bypass and on/off switches, along with a pure direct switch.
Obviously it is a clock, the volume control slowly turning down as the hour becomes late…. (If sophisticated, with loudness frequency compensation linked to it!)
Sweden’s biggest HiFi magazine has reviewed it and one of the things they remarked on was the poor fit of the buttons and knobs, the feeling of quality was simply not there.
I has to wait nearly 3 years for mine, and that was actually a shorter wait than I expected. Daytonas are readily available on the second hand market, but carry huge premiums, particularly the stainless steel and bi-metal models.
My point to DG was, they are desirable even though they display the traits he dislikes in the HiFi Rose.
The second photo I posted shows a Rolex in front of a piece of olive kit. Visually the Rolex is more like the HiFi Rose than a plain olive shoe box with plastic/rubber knobs and plastic switches.
Surroundings matter. The HiFi Rose amp is the last thing I’d want in my lounge, but I know a cafe in Norwich with a cyberpunk aesthetic where it would fit in perfectly.
I guess I like function. It’s why I prefer the appearance of the Superline, for example, over competing phono stages like the Rega Aura. The Aura has various knobs to set things, but once you’ve figure out what you like, they’ll never (or only very rarely) change. I don’t want knobs for things I would set only rarely.
If I had my way, my 282 would have only the functions I use regularly! Aux 1, Aux 2, line mute and volume. Minimalist all way for me
Like @Richard.Dane my first thought was of the Nagras we used to use for noise monitoring back in the 80’s. I like that old fashioned functional look in a Nagra, but the RA180 looks bit over the top.
To some, clearly. Absolutely not to others, who wouldn’t be seen dead wearing them. I suppose the same applies to silver coloured equipment fascia bristling with knobs, slider, meters and cogs.
