Sir Triode Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 I know some people will be hesitant to name the products esp if they still own them (afraid they might lose resale value). But for me, it would have to be the Solidtech Rack of Silence. Purchased a used one and it was a ***** to setup. I'm the sort that can put together Ikea furniture w/o reading the instructions quite easily but the ROS had me struggling with it for 2 hours. The manual was skimpy and parts had to be put together in the right order and things didn't really fit properly. The design while good to look at is a pain to assemble. And it didn't really make a difference to the sound IME. As a piece of furniture, they are very pretty racks but don't expect it to make a sonic contribution.
Addicted to music Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 Jezz T12, I like to participate in this but Im afraid of getting banned and never be able to post on SNA again! As you can see, Im an DIYer SNAer addict!
theking Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 I know some people will be hesitant to name the products esp if they still own them (afraid they might lose resale value). But for me, it would have to be the Solidtech Rack of Silence. Purchased a used one and it was a ***** to setup. I'm the sort that can put together Ikea furniture w/o reading the instructions quite easily but the ROS had me struggling with it for 2 hours. The manual was skimpy and parts had to be put together in the right order and things didn't really fit properly. The design while good to look at is a pain to assemble. And it didn't really make a difference to the sound IME. As a piece of furniture, they are very pretty racks but don't expect it to make a sonic contribution. Hi Triode, I feel sorry for your experiences with Solid Tech ROS. This rack was my first serious audio rack while previously i only use ordinary TV rack. I bought brand new Solid Tech ROS and i could not recall any difficulties at all to assembly. All the spider leg are color coded with small sticker, pretty straight forward. Perhaps the previous owner remove the stickers and dismantle them for shipping. For performance side,i could not comment the difference with other racks, but what i could say when i tried to put my monoblock on the floor (purposely did this) and then put them back to the rack, it does make difference.
Guest JohnA Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 Ha ha i also found the solid tech ros rack a sinch to put together. The reference one, with the shelf on springs can b a bit of a pain, but other then that, simple enough. Triode, you say you purchased used, so i gather the legs would have been seperated from the shelving units. If this is the case, can fully understand the frustration. When you purchase new, they are all attached, and all you need to do is atch the shelves to the center bit, its already attached to the posts or legs. I pulled mine apart as i wanted the thicker shelves on top, and yp, major pain to get them back on. Coming from having my equipment on a low line entertainment unit, i found the rack to improve things slightly As for what components left me dissapointed, best i leave that one well alone, no need to start world war 3
Sir Triode Posted November 4, 2013 Author Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) When you purchase new, they are all attached, and all you need to do is atch the shelves to the center bit, its already attached to the posts or legs. That explains a lot! No wonder. Adding to my frustration, some of the washers were also missing and I had to get replacements. Luckily they were very common parts and easily available from Bunnings. Having said that, I think they are overpriced for what they are. I was about to pull the trigger on the 3 shelf ROS you had on sale in the classifieds section a few months ago to match the one I had but decided to just sell mine off. I would've killed myself trying to piece another one together from scratch. Edited November 4, 2013 by triode12
Guest myrantz Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 As for what components left me dissapointed, best i leave that one well alone, no need to start world war 3 You peace lover you... I'd start with products - 1/ high res downloads.. Very difficult to get to download (kept forgetting the process), and when I finally downloaded it - don't really find them sound that better or different. 2/ SACDs... Unsure really DSD files are any better as i don't have something that can do that natively.. And having said all that, I'd continue to buy 'em to keep me disappointed...
Mr_Gimlet Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 Naim. All the worst features of Linn with none of the redeeming ones. And, in the 90s, together with indoctrinated salesmen who make Apple fanbois look balanced. I auditioned one and it clipped very quickly on choral music. Apparently it was my fault because the recording was too complex. 3
THOMO Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 What high end brand/components haven't lived up to expectations? Pretty much all of them. The recent Australian Audio Show provided plenty evidence of that. Some of the best sound came from cheapish components and some of the worst from very expensive ones. There were a few exceptions though-Brodmann,Audionote and Magico were all very good and could be worth their asking price. 4
Chill3 Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 What High End product/component/brand hasn't lived up to your expectations? CD 4
Guest JohnA Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 That explains a lot! Some of the washers were also missing and I had to get replacements. Luckly they were very common parts and easily available from Bunnings. Having said that, I think they are overpriced for what they are. I was about to pull the trigger on the 3 shelf ROS you had on sale in the classifieds section a few months ago to match the one I had but decided to just sell mine off. I would've killed myself trying to piece another one together from scratch. its the main reason i said local pick up on it, that way, wouldnt have to pull it apart completely,
Lil Caesar Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 YBA "entry level" integrated amp. My first, real, Hifi Amp. I'd never had a ground loop problem until I got this thing - which - perversely - with two separate transformers for a dual-mono setup - hummed like crazy.
Chill3 Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 Years ago ..... Infinity RS - 5b - Infinity were all the go and got some at a great price but sold my JBLs to afford them and that was a big mistake Rega P3, original one - never really clicked with this sold and got a Linn / Grace / Suprex Mission 70 - another fad speaker that did not do it for me long term (770 on other had was sensational) But CD was by far the biggest mistake, never clicked with it, but got suckered into the view that vinyl was dead and needed to get out while my records were worth something, so sold that lot now I am rebuying it all again ;(
Steve M Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) Passlabs, leaves me feeling a bit 'neutral', I can't decide whether they are good or not? The best one for me has been the little Firstwatt F3, which had a bit of zip and life to it. Edited November 4, 2013 by Steve M
L J T Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 Mcintosh MA6300. Grainiest amplifier I have ever heard. It was like everything in the mids were over driven and the other extremes of the frequency were rolled either off in either direction. 1
Saxon Hall Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 DAT Players and Recorders DCC Players and Recorders Mini Disc Players and Recorders DVD Audio These were all introduced with a lot of publicity but never really took off with the mainstream public and only ever found niche status. Not saying they were rubbish, just that they were quite short lived
Krispy Audio Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 The design while good to look at is a pain to assemble. Noob Nah agree with the others, the stickers help a lot and to package them up for resale as per factory packaging is a major mission. Especially on the Reference where they should be packed with bubble wrap around the sprung leg hoops to avoid scratching.
New Sensations Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 This thread ain't gonna end well.... 4
Lil Caesar Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 ...You're probably right JD however it was nice to see a plausible explanation to Triodes' unfortunate experience with the ROS.
Krispy Audio Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 I wonder if in a lot of cases, there's a rational explanation? I once had an amplifier of a very reputable brand. It was the worst sounding amp I'd ever heard. The bass was augmented, and everything sounded extremely compressed. After a couple of issues it was sent back to the manufacturer. The story is there was a design fault and this was one of the first units - the replacement sounded great. Had I not pursued the issue, it could have simply been written off as a bad brand/product.
Phantom Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 Leben +2 The entire KEF "R" series speakers NAD C3900 amp/dac Anti Cables. Primare i32 and i22 Perreaux Amps. This might do for now
betty boop Posted November 4, 2013 Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) kind of odd, but am struggling to name one item that have owned that hasnt lived unto expectations ! sure I've checked a bit of stuff out in store and at home on demo. but I've managed to keep myself away from buying that stuff ! sure theres been a bit of stuff have sold off over the years but I don't think I'd categorise it as not living unto expectation, just more a case of my needs have changed or wanting to try something else or just surplus to use or something well either that or I have really low expectations :lol: and just easily pleased hehe Edited November 4, 2013 by :) al 1
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