In relation to TimF's complaint about wandering input selectors, I owned a Jolida integrated that featured a input selector that "wandered." That is, it never seemed to know where the precise setting for any particular input was. It sometimes seemed at rest, then a channel would drop out. I had not experienced that sort of shoddy construction previously (or since). |
When I had some Monster cables with their "turbine" connectors they loved to try to pull out the RCA's they were connected to. Gave those away to someone who I wasn't real enamored with - let them make his day!
Having black-on-black writing on the back of pre-pro's is always fun, as my close vision distance is getting more challenged by the day, and not having contrast on the input naming sorta completes the challenge. I got a couple of those miner style lamp headbands so I can make out the lettering.
Unreliable - Yamaha - my old DSP 3090 spent more time in the shop than my old Alfa Romeo, and Pioneer - I gave away my DV47 when it just decided to give up the ghost - too many times in the shop for that too. No more Yammie or Pioneer for me even for third or fourth systems. |
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hmmm? lets see...the dial until you win INPUT SELECTOR?! overshoots. undershoots. just doesnt stop! This is the sort of device that belongs on a safe and not a pre-amp. It may be odd, but in my ideal of an amp less is more. I would be happiest without a remote, indicator lights, and I prefer buttons to knobs where knobs are not necessary. |
CD wrapping. Its not enough to put the jewel case in some impermeable plastic wrapper, they have to put another piece of plastic across one edge that shreds when you try to pull it off. |
Phono cartridge pins and connectors. Are they ever going to standardize the size? And the fact that some tonearms only allow the use of bolts and nuts and some carts are self-threaded. Mounting cartridges is traumatic enough without this nonsense to contend with. |
Sorry to say, but appearance is high on my list of nits. I find it hard to be a fair sonic judge of FUGLY components. Maybe a black curtain or something would help. |
Indeed, markphd. In fact I'm quite fed up with the lack of standardization for cables/terminals in general. It's not fun when you can't get your dream system to connect! |
Hi, sorry to change the TITLE a little,
but MY pet peeve is with SONY!
Every product I buy with the Sony name on it,
BRAKES DOWN EVEN before the warranty is over with.
Everything from a web-tv unit for my cousin,
to CD players, vcrs, minidisc recorders!
As of now, I will NEVER buy another Sony product!
The SAME goes with YAMAHA! Tuner AND Pre-Amp,
both broke, and Yamaha does not have the parts to fix
them. |
+1, Markphd. My fingers don't like binding posts that are too close together. I have a terrible time tightening the things down. Then there are the WBTs on my Kharmas. The only provision for spades are these little guides at the bottom of the posts that I have to slide the (in my case very fragile) spades through. The cables must connect to the under side of the posts, so my flat (and did I mention fragile!) cables must contort down, around, and up to make it to my amp's terminals. Oh, right, and then the binding posts are completely smooth. You can't get a good grip on them nor can you use a bindng post wrench. Good greif on $15K speakers. Thank goodness they sound pretty frickin' awesome.
Then of course there's my perfectly good power amp with its perfectly crappy stock power cord hardwired on so I can't try different PCs without custom ordering them nakey on one end, soldering the thing on, and crossing my fingers that I dig it. Yuck, I'm dangerous with a soldering iron. |
Remote copntrols that don't work. I have a Sears $120 air conditioner beside my bed. I can point the remote at the opposite wall and the AC will respond properly, yet the 4 pound $500 wonder that came with my Wadia has to be pointed right at the CDP to work well. I had an Acurus preamp that would guess at what you wanted if it couldn't read the remote, often shifting the balance instead of the volume. As if we weren't worried about enough things already! |
Well, my current pet peeeve is speaker binding posts that are too close together. My speakers take banana plugs. The bananas on my speaker cable are WBT angled bananas. The angled banana is wonderful for stress relief and for cables that are a bit stiff. However, if the speaker posts are too close together, the angled bananas bump into each other and are difficult to insert. It's exacerbated by the fact that the speaker is bi-wired, so there are four of them crowding into the back of the speaker in the same small area.
I expect that people who use spades have all sorts of peeves about binding posts too. |
Speaking of cables.My Cardas IC's were connected on my ARC line stage for about 2 years.Man the day I tried to disconnect them,I nearly pulled the ARC female RCA's with it.What a TIGHT PERMANENT BOND that was.That was annoying.
George |
The stock feet that came with my speakers were badly made. If I screwed them in with my bare hand they would slice up my thumb and fingers like a multiple blade razor. Beat that! |
