I have always thought that a perfect product is almost impossible, but a good product is one that can stand the test of time. A car, a motorcycle, a watch, with which you can get attached, without fearing the hateful ticking of the clock. Without this harming sales. It is a very valid objective to look for new customers, instead of selling iterations of the same product to regular customers. In the dizzying and constant race of technology, this becomes very difficult with consumer electronics. This is why, according to my criteria, being able to meet certain characteristics would be very important to fall in love with an audio component and adopt it as part of my life.
For this, it would be essential to keep things separate.
My ideal preamplifier to associate with the Fosi products that I already have, or others that I may acquire in the future, should be consistent with its aesthetics that I really like, as well as the materials used.
Below I am going to list a series of features that would be essential for my use case, but also thinking about the rest of the users and keeping costs low.
1.- Aluminum is without a doubt a very desirable element. Maybe slightly larger cabinets, so as not to look like desktop devices, but it is a subjective assessment.
2.- Monochrome OLED screen for certain information about the file being played, source, volume, etc. No color touch screens that drive up the retail price. The addition of some beautiful analog vu meters (like LC30) would be glory itself. We can agree that the aesthetics of the amplifiers of the 70s were insurmountable (I was born in 81)
3.- Inputs:
*Analog (RCA with line level, without phono stage. Anyone who likes vinyl can connect their own phono stage and not raise the price for a feature that a minority uses) and Balanced (desirable but not exclusive)
*Digital (optical and coaxial) Only what is strictly necessary to use a streamer as a source (any Wiim model, for example)
4.- Outputs:
*Analog (Balanced, please! XLR or TRS and RCA single ended)
*Digital (Optical, coaxial or both, to have the possibility of using with external DAC, personally it seems redundant to me, but many people do it)
*Sub Out (with bass management!, LPF and HPF this seems VERY important to me, since many of us connect these devices to low-power amplifiers, and it is essential to be able to integrate a subwoofer correctly, without overlapping low frequencies and prevent the front ones from reproducing them, leaving this task to the sub)
6.- The choice of the DAC and its implementation also seems to me to be of vital relevance. Last generation ESS Sabre (9039) or AKM (449X), I think they would be the ones. However, it doesn't necessarily have to be the newest to be the best. Many examples show us that DAC chips that are several years old sound the same or better than many modern ones.
7.- Bluetooth remote control (It is not my use case, even more so if there was a well-designed application to control it from the cell phone, but there are many people who use it. Still but I like having a remote control)
8.- 12v trigger
9.- Since the development is carried out from scratch, it would be good to adapt the housing for eventual hidden use or with wall application through a separate accessory, such as the PowerNode Edge has.
10.- Personally I don't like devices with an external power supply, but it is a personal taste. I would put the power supply inside the cabinet.
11.- If you put a volume knob on it, please use the same material as the casing! in this case aluminum. Making it out of plastic is unforgivable. The feel when rotating should be more of soft resistance than lightness.
Once again I thank you for the opportunity of bring my thoughts and reiterate that these are only my opinions and points of view.
Greetings!
For this, it would be essential to keep things separate.
My ideal preamplifier to associate with the Fosi products that I already have, or others that I may acquire in the future, should be consistent with its aesthetics that I really like, as well as the materials used.
Below I am going to list a series of features that would be essential for my use case, but also thinking about the rest of the users and keeping costs low.
1.- Aluminum is without a doubt a very desirable element. Maybe slightly larger cabinets, so as not to look like desktop devices, but it is a subjective assessment.
2.- Monochrome OLED screen for certain information about the file being played, source, volume, etc. No color touch screens that drive up the retail price. The addition of some beautiful analog vu meters (like LC30) would be glory itself. We can agree that the aesthetics of the amplifiers of the 70s were insurmountable (I was born in 81)
3.- Inputs:
*Analog (RCA with line level, without phono stage. Anyone who likes vinyl can connect their own phono stage and not raise the price for a feature that a minority uses) and Balanced (desirable but not exclusive)
*Digital (optical and coaxial) Only what is strictly necessary to use a streamer as a source (any Wiim model, for example)
4.- Outputs:
*Analog (Balanced, please! XLR or TRS and RCA single ended)
*Digital (Optical, coaxial or both, to have the possibility of using with external DAC, personally it seems redundant to me, but many people do it)
*Sub Out (with bass management!, LPF and HPF this seems VERY important to me, since many of us connect these devices to low-power amplifiers, and it is essential to be able to integrate a subwoofer correctly, without overlapping low frequencies and prevent the front ones from reproducing them, leaving this task to the sub)
6.- The choice of the DAC and its implementation also seems to me to be of vital relevance. Last generation ESS Sabre (9039) or AKM (449X), I think they would be the ones. However, it doesn't necessarily have to be the newest to be the best. Many examples show us that DAC chips that are several years old sound the same or better than many modern ones.
7.- Bluetooth remote control (It is not my use case, even more so if there was a well-designed application to control it from the cell phone, but there are many people who use it. Still but I like having a remote control)
8.- 12v trigger
9.- Since the development is carried out from scratch, it would be good to adapt the housing for eventual hidden use or with wall application through a separate accessory, such as the PowerNode Edge has.
10.- Personally I don't like devices with an external power supply, but it is a personal taste. I would put the power supply inside the cabinet.
11.- If you put a volume knob on it, please use the same material as the casing! in this case aluminum. Making it out of plastic is unforgivable. The feel when rotating should be more of soft resistance than lightness.
Once again I thank you for the opportunity of bring my thoughts and reiterate that these are only my opinions and points of view.
Greetings!
