In article , Keith G
wrote:

"Jim Lesurf" wrote


e.g. Despite Sony being a regarded name I recently tried a DVD
recorder from them. It had a cooling fan that was so loud that it was
distracting when listening to dialogue on items recorded. This is
absurd and needless, yet when I asked a local Sony center their
reaction was 'they all do it'. They seemed not to think it was a
problem, and clearly had no idea that quiet fans can be bought.
Perhaps they think everyone is too busy looking at the pictures to
notice the sound of a helicopter accompanying it. ;-


Given your supersensitivity to noise ('rifle shots' on vinyl for
example) I can see it would be a problem, but the harsh reality is that
even SS/digital creates heat and noise - the computer I am using right
now is really very noisy but it doesn't stop me using it for audio. The
trick is to 'tune it out', 'drown it out' or just stop noticing it!

I've found that the 'trick' is to ensure that the equipment is silent. i.e.
produces no mechanical noises you can hear in use. This is simple enough.

I guess DVD players/recorders are not designed to be too close in use
(more 'over by the telly' ?) - perhaps you got a bad 'un or you have
sited the device badly where it runs hotter than necessary?

In the case I referred to the Sony's fan was audible in the hallway about
five metres from the door to the room.



The above is nothing to do with amps per se. But it shows that some
companies end up being run by suits, and have development engineers
who just produce what they are told by the suits and go home with
their paychecks. The spec says nothing about the fan not making a loud
noise, so this cheap one is fine...


A development engineer who can't deliver the spec. required by his
employers is looking at a career change, at the very least...


That is why they, and their firm, sometimes end up producing poorer
products than previoiusly, and relying on a large ad budget.

I've briefly worked for large firms as well small ones. I've also had
dealings with many over the years. It has seemed clear enough to me
that oncw a firm becomes large and 'established' the people inside it
tend to focus on 'getting on' within the firm on the basis of their
dealings and behaviours 'internally'. The mere customers are forgotten
as they don't do any hiring, firing, promotion, pay assessments, etc.

The advantage of a small firm is that it easier for everyone to see
how the company is doing. They can see the goods being dispatched, and
any that come back. If an item didn't work, it is clear to all who
may be responsible, and all are affected if sales drop.



I've also repeatedly witnessed companies who bring out 'new' products
distinctly worse than the ones they'd made a year or two before.
Different suits and a different R&D team. No internal communications.
No clue. The relevant suits and engineers are often isolated from the
public and getting contact with them is almost impossible in practice.


I think that one can be safely put down to 'market forces at work in the
context of the new, cheap Digital Era' - witness the recent decline in
quality and ultimate disappearance of the Technics brand...


Nothing to do with 'digital era'. I'm old enough to recall the same kinds
of behaviours in the 1960's. 70's,... and with some products which were
nothing to do with audio or electronics.


Slainte,

Jim

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