Design Classics

One more...

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grubyhalo said:
On another note, I was drooling over some Nagra equipment online and I stumbled upon this beauty:

The Nagra SN
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That is just georgious. It looks as if it has been made by hand, rather than designed --- but by someone with the skill of a fine watchmaker. I guess there must be too much precision to the mechanics for that to be possible, but even so, I can imagine each piece being machined by a craftsman.

Love that sort of thing.

I touched a Nagra once :o . I didn't even know what it was, at the time. Still... unforgeable :cool:

Actually, in much more recent times I've been close to some of their modern, digital stuff. It may not have that mechanical magnificence, but it still seethes with professional presence.
 
Even though audiophiles have problem with the design, like hot terminal making first contact instead of ground. A connector design developed by RCA engineers became so widespread, there is no turning back. Still in use today...
RCA Connectors
furutech-cf-102-r-rca.jpg

Fine example with OFC copper and carbon Fiber housing would cost just Rs. 9000 a pair for discerning audiophiles :ohyeah:
Regards
 
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Thad E Ginathom said:
..Actually, in much more recent times I've been close to some of their modern, digital stuff. It may not have that mechanical magnificence, but it still seethes with professional presence.
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Interesting and apt decription, it does seethe professional presence. Most of their products look more like life-saving medical equipment, than audio-related instruments.

Hiten said:
Even though audiophiles have problem with the design, like hot terminal making first contact instead of ground. A connector design developed by RCA engineers became so widespread, there is no turning back. Still in use today...
RCA Connectors
furutech-cf-102-r-rca.jpg

Fine example with OFC copper and carbon Fiber housing would cost just Rs. 9000 a pair for discerning audiophiles :ohyeah:
Regards
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Good one, that...
 
grubyhalo said:
Interesting and apt decription, it does seethe professional presence. Most of [Nagra's] products look more like life-saving medical equipment, than audio-related instruments.
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I still managed to be sufficiently distracted from a carnatic concert by the AIR guys' line-up of recording gear. They had two of these digital beauties. That's not fair, surely they only need one? And I wanted one! But then, what I'd need next would be a reason to use it, and I don't have one any more than I have the thousands of dollars purchase price.
 
grubyhalo said:
Last set of Dieter Rams' designs, I promise! :D This set is for all the vinyl fans.

TP-1

1959-TP1.jpg


Tonarmwaage

Tonarmwaage-Rams-01.jpg
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Two movies about design that have been on my must-see-before-I-die list are Objectified (features Rams and Ive) and Helvetica.

Amazon.com: Objectified: Dieter Rams, Marc Newson Jonathan Ive, Gary Hustwit: Amazon Instant Video

Amazon.com: Helvetica: David Carson, Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Michael C. Place, Norm, Alfred Ho

If anyone in Bangalore decides to screen these, please invite me :). Will bring a crate of beer.
 
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Thad E Ginathom said:
I still managed to be sufficiently distracted from a carnatic concert by the AIR guys' line-up of recording gear. They had two of these digital beauties. That's not fair, surely they only need one? And I wanted one! But then, what I'd need next would be a reason to use it, and I don't have one any more than I have the thousands of dollars purchase price.
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Thats interesting. Did you ask them how many decades AIR has owned and used this? Since I tend to buy AIR Carnatic releases, a history of their recording gear would be interesting to know although not every station would have the same gear.

--G0bble
 
No, I sat near to the people, but didn't speak to them*. I don't know when Nagra went digital?



*OK, one of the guyesses asked me where was the ladies' toilet and told her. We didn't discuss recording....
 
thatguy said:
Two movies about design that have been on my must-see-before-I-die list are Objectified (features Rams and Ive) and Helvetica.

Amazon.com: Objectified: Dieter Rams, Marc Newson Jonathan Ive, Gary Hustwit: Amazon Instant Video

Amazon.com: Helvetica: David Carson, Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Michael C. Place, Norm, Alfred Ho

If anyone in Bangalore decides to screen these, please invite me :). Will bring a crate of beer.
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Thanks for posting the links, I would love to get my hands on these.

@thad: Would be an awesome instrument to carry around to concerts if you do manage to get one!
 
Here is some more thought on software design. In 1998, an IBMer (with a PhD in psychology) wrote the computer user's bill of rights. While there is nothing in it about color and shape, I can assure you every software programmer/designer has to struggle with the points she makes.

09/28/98 A COMPUTER USER'S MANIFESTO

I make a living writing software for industrial grade machines. I still have to worry about design, though the connotations the word carries for me are very different from the meaning implied by most of the posts in this thread.
 
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grubyhalo said:
@thad: Would be an awesome instrument to carry around to concerts if you do manage to get one!
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tee hee. It's portable. Small even, in fact, smaller than it looks on their site, but it's not that small, and without pro kit to feed it from it would be a sad waste :sad:
 
santhosh said:
Pyramide du Louvre
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This is one of the classic works of IM Pei.
There are plenty of worthy examples from the world of architecture -
the Duomo in Florence, Sir PC Wren's St Paul's Cathedral, many other Gothic buildings,
Sidney Opera House, Gaudi's quirky designs, and plenty of art deco
era works (including radios, clocks, buildings etc). Lot of nice Art Deco buildings
in India, esp Mumbai.

@thad: thanks for the links to Objectified and Helvetica.
 
@ thatguy

just saw your post regarding helvetica. i have a copy lying around somewhere. will pull it out and let you know.

btw, i'm a big fan of helvetica, too. little wonder that it's the only font to be inducted into moma's permanent collection.
 
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