Is the microwave the perfect model for audio marketting?
I remember the first time my mother got interested in a microwave oven. They were brand new, full of promises of fast, convenient cooking and baking. She ended up with a Toshiba with a built in magnetic card reader. You could put in a recipe card and automatically program it, or you could get additional cards and program your own "recipes." This was decades before the Internet, home routers or anything like Wifi.
Last week installers took away my 19 year old Maytag and replaced it with a brand new LG. Full of "features" where it automatically guesses the power and time based on buttons such as "potato" or "popcorn." These are not even very smart features. They don’t weigh the potato or take the temperature of the item you are heating or listen for the popcorn to stop popping. They just look up settings from a table and away you go.
Honestly of the hundreds of features in this microwave I need the light and fan the most. Then the power and time. The first two features are never very good in any microwave. The latter two are the only one’s most of us end up using out of sheer frustration with the automated features.
Is this a model or metaphor for modern audio marketting? Are we constantly being sold a list of features which in the end don’t really matter so long as the light turns on and the frozen Tandori chicken meal is safe to eat?
Its not just audio, its most everything you buy. Phones, cars, Hifi, TV, et al have far more features than needed. Everyone is trying to make the perfect all in one machine. I’m reminded of the all in one shop tool back in the 1900’s that was a saw, jointer ,drill, lathe etc. The problem was that if you missed one task or messed up one piece of a project, you had to re-setup the machine again for every task individually. It was too cumbersome to get anything done easily and thus, made what could have been fun into a PITA.
This is where we are today IMO. Most things are way overly complex . We have forgotten the beauty of simplicity and are being offered a PITA instead
It is worst than useless fonctions, upgrading models which are not so useful or valuable at the end,
Marketing define audio hobby...
No acoustics basic information and learning is diffused and the paradox is the resulting sound is in the brain from the room not mainly in the electronic recording translation by the gear...
No gear marketing can say the truth only half the story which most takes as cash complete information...
Most threads are about selling or buying gear... In reality half of the threads ought to be about acoustics experiments, experience and tweaks...
My mother in law died last summer aged 92. Last XMass her children got together and purchased for her an LG TV because her current one had died, and she spent a considerable amount of time in her dotage watching programs like The Crown.
Several of us were staying with her during the Holiday so we set it up and damn, the hardest part was actually operating the software. Not only did it completely flummox mom but the rest of us in our sixties were also struggling. We are mainly Physicians, Nurses, Lawyers, and an engineer for the FAA.. Fortunately our 24 year old Niece was with us and for her it was all intuitive; she spent the bulk of her Holiday visit giving us all tutorials.
Mom really enjoyed her TV during her last few months with the various streaming services at her option, but perhaps the manufacturers should put a basic option on the software package that most alte cockers can use and avoid 99% of the features that just complicate the daylights of general usage
@mahler123 Technology. Computing. I have found that one either gets it or one does not. The issue is some do not understand the underlying concepts of operation—Hierarchical menus, storage locations, data structures etc. These are abstract concepts, and if not absorbed, every function of every device remains a ungraspable mystery.
We were chatting over in a car forum about a user’s $60k SUV that locked up at a T junction and hit a wall. The technicians at the shop had no idea what happened. On further discussion, we all more or less agreed that we would prefer vehicles with no computers and their hundreds of features. Just give us power mirrors, power windows, heated seats, instant startup without 8 secs of bong bong bong, and a location to hang one’s phone to use for navigation.
@erik_squires- that's interesting - for me, I need the light some manual temp and time controls and a revolving platter; I've got a Sharp Carousel II that I've had for almost 35 years, and it still works fine, though sometimes I have to wack it on the side to get the platter to start turning.
Streaming software can be a steep learning curve, probably why some won't embrace streaming. I went diy route with the hardware, custom nearly everything, loved the challenge. Plug n play route also available on hardware side, can't avoid the software issue. Still, I'd rate the smartphone as a far more feature laden appliance vs the streamer. And modern cars, menus and sub menus on screens to control all manner of useless features, did we really ask for this?
Agreed! Just turned 60 and find that my 13-year-old daughter is infinitely more adept at using smart phones, computers, steaming TV services, etc. than I am. What a shock, and here I thought I was young and with it.
With audio, however, she hasn’t a clue. Still likes Spotify on her phone and won’t touch the stereo, though invited to play her music.
I like a lot of the new features in cars, etc. but use very few of them. My favorites so far are automatic high beams, and being able to soup up a car with a custom program installed over the OBDII in the car.
It probably says something about me that most of my audio gear consists of black boxes that just sit there and perceptively do nothing. The two most exciting features are headlessly managing the server/Roon and changing the volume with a remote.
Summation is that design engineers are mostly daft. They solve problems exclusionary of end user. It made sense to the design team, so good enough.
Beta testing is expensive/time consuming and therefore summarily shunned.
Take 100 end users, exposing them to the product, recording an 80% fail rate followed by redesign and restart with a new 100 end users. Repeating the process until only 10% fail and that is acceptable as nothing is 100% end user fail safe.
Japanese car manufacturers have heavily invested in this and present mostly a well thought out logical panel. Higher end European car manufacturers do pretty well.
Recently rented a Buick Envoque or something. I’ve rented literally hundreds of vehicles. I could not start it. No, not EV. FOB. No push or turn start (like my Volvo). My friend, a mechanic of 30 years could not start it. A guy in the lot came over and somehow figured it out. It’s beyond retarded! Look it up.
Peugeot in the 80s was a rolling disaster in this arena. Controls were backwards to Americans. This played a role in its eventual American market exit. I used to drive my great aunt’s Peugeot 504? whenever I visited her in Switzerland. It was a trip.
But some people buy on how many features. The more the better.
I was fine with hand crank windows. If the car ever went into a lake, at least I knew I could open the window. Options? Passenger side rear view mirror used to be optional. AFM, passenger side seat could have been an option too, haha.
The microwave came out of the war ending and the loss of the radar contract from the government.the scientist noted hic chocolate bar got soft thus Amanda I think due to a scientific coincidence was born the microwave.perhaps the next step in audio is artificial intelligence measuring it all and adjusting in nanosecond to compensate for all of it to get the maximum. Real time correction.the traction control on my corvette has a sole computer just for that.its so good tha lambo and Ferrari bought it from gm.enjoy the music and life,stay healthy
I don’t quite get the connection but regardless of features, the microwave oven that mounts over the stove with the built in fan is the worst kitchen appliance ever invented.
But, I do wish I could add a "Defrost" cycle to my preamp. When I return from the outdoors on those cold winter days it would be nice to generate a series of sound waves to thaw me out and get me back to room temperature ASAP.
I also would like to add a "+ 30" button that would automatically extend my listening session by 30 minutes.
My turntable already has a "carousel", so we're good there.
I love the concept of a "defrost" cycle on your preamp. But I would like it for burning in the preamp or warming it up quickly before a listening session.
In our industry/hobby we can either advertise features or sound quality. Advertising bells and whistles seems more like the approach for the masses. For those of us participating in this forum "microwave marketing" likely doesn't have much appeal. Microwave marketing espouses the objective qualities of an item. Advertising subjective qualities (such as sound quality and its many aspects) is a different marketing approach entirely. Having been in a position over many years to find effective ways to advertise subjective qualities, I must say it's not easy. Most manufacturers in this industry fall on platitudes to present the sonic aspects of their products. Platitudinal descriptions are something that every brand could use in equal measure. How then do you describe a unique subjective sonic quality of one product that doesn't apply to another brand as well? Marketing in the high end of this industry/hobby is a challenge.
It’s interesting to note that most high end audio equipment, other than newer combo preamp, streamer , DAC offerings is generally very simple & easy to use albeit may require some patience & tweaking to sound their best.
Wrong forum but here goes: Cars today can be challenging to initially understand all their features but other than their higher prices & lack of individual, unique styling, are generally much better is just about every way. The plethora of safety features generally work very well & definitely save lots of lives & accidents. They don’t need tune ups every 30 K miles, oil changes every 3K miles, get much better gas mileage, handle better & stop shorter. I’m sure this will get some push back & we all remember our favorite car from years ago but other than a few iconic muscle cars fro the 60’s & 70’s, most were mediocre at best.
That said, the auto start / stop feature today sucks & a terrible idea. It should either be set at 5 minutes or go away. Excessive Starting & stopping an engine or motor of any kind is bad for it as well as the battery, starter motors etc.
Recently I was one of three adults, combined age over 200, looking after grandkids under 4 in a new house with new appliances.
None of us could change the TV volume. The remote looked pretty normal, with volume and channel buttons. With random pokings we could get it to mute, but it always came back with an anemic volume level. Turned out that rather than just press the buttons, you had to push them forward or pull them back.
Naturally this called for coffee. The coffee machine was fully automatic (in principle), grinding beans and making a dozen beverage types. We could switch it on, select a coffee type, heat it up, make it rinse itself and repeat ad nauseum. But it refused to produce anything except flashing red lights and beeps.
The fridge was more cooperative, and did not even have an internet connection. The wine inside had screw tops so no searching for a corkscrew or need to break the necks off.
Turns out the coffee machine grounds bin was full. Intuitive!
@jonwolfpell the auto engine stop can be turned on/off. Using it does no harm to the car since the entire starting system has been beefed up to handle it.
For me smart phones epitomize how humans now interact with appliances. More features than you can use/understand, constant updates and replaceable every 1 to 2 years. Though cameras, screen quality, CPUs and battery life have clearly improved. Was there real consumer demand for these upgrades? Sometimes new tech creates a need where none previously existed.
@CDC Thanks to modern micromotors, power windows weigh less, cost less, and are more reliable than manual windows. That's why they're nearly universal today.
I suggest everyone get a copy of 'The Design of Everyday Things' by Don Norman, originally published in 1988, as 'The Psychology of Everyday Things', it remains one of the best books on design ever written. The Wikipedia entry is helpful, but the book is foundational reading. It can't fix what's already in place, but it can give you a good grounding in the subject, and maybe help you understand what the designer was trying to do.
Spent a few days in South Korea before Lucky and Goldstar merged to form LG.
Still remember those items when I look at them today. Most consumer electronics today are OEM, meaning it all comes from the same factory. My wife worked for an industrial robot company for ten years. OEM 24/7. That's why I am cynical about many audio products.
As for microwave cooking you have to know the wattage of the machine and the behavior of the molecules in the food you are preparing. Certain foods can absorb tremendous energy and emerge cold. In others 4 seconds makes the difference between perfect and ruined.
Set the time yourself and watch carefully. Ignore the programmed functions.
I love the typical description of how microwaves make things hot! It goes along the lines that the microwaves make molecules vibrate, the vibration between the molecules causes friction, and the friction creates heat.
Fortunately, most readers here know that temperature is a direct measure of molecular vibration. Microwaves excite vibration in water molecules - no other magic required.
Come to think of it, the analogy is better than first apparent!
Microwaves bouncing around inside the metal oven are much like soundwaves bouncing round the listening room. There is reinforcement and cancellation throughout the volume. That is why microwave ovens have turntables, to even out the radiation hitting the food! The amazing thing is that these turntables can’t do 45 or 78 rpm.
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