Beresford Bushmaster DAC

[Marco]

I like the 3rd variant.

Touching on the design argument, I can see both sides here:

On the one hand the previous designs were basic and not very pretty but for me if they work well then the look is by the by.

On the other hand, when something looks good it automatically becomes desirable and as Werner said, the first bite is with the eye! Apple have this down to a fine art which has made hi tech very accessible to everyone and not just techies!

If you put two devices side by side and test them most people will pick the shiny pretty product over all else even if the sound from the ugly duckling was better. A good friend of mine decided a few years back that he would go out and put together a good hi-fi. The hi fi shop recommended buying all manner of expensive and very pretty cables and interconnects and gave him a case of them to trial at home. I took over a few of my own cables that although were well made did not have shiny connectors or purple sheaths and ran some double blind tests for him to decide, the tests were inconclusive and so I recommended he not shell out £70 quid for an interconnect and instead look around the budget end which is where my cables are sourced from.

Well he went back to the hi-fi shop and came back a few hundred quid lighter with a selection of the prettiest cables you ever did see...

The only issue with the Bushmaster is that my wife will know it cost more than "a couple of quid" when I remove it from the box...

Hi Tyrone,

As far as I can see you haven't posted a Welcome thread yet, so before you go any further, please pop into the Welcome area and introduce yourself to our community, telling us what system you use and what music you like, as this procedure is required of all members.

Cheers!

Marco.

[Werner Berghofer]

Brian,

I was quite taken with the Copperplate script offered by someone earlier.

Take a close look at the font samples above. On the first line, the glyphs set in “Copperplate” use widened stroke widths at their outer ends. It safely can be assumed that those tender details will not appear on the final face plate. Don’t forget the colour (40 percent black) and the size of the font, and keep in mind that it will be printed on a not exactly smooth, brushed metal surface.

The typeface sample on the third line, “Linotype Palatino”, is very suitable for magazines and books, but for the same reasons as “Copperplate” I would not suggest using it in in low-resolution, silk screen printed on a rough surface. The serifs at the outer ends of the glyphs will not reproduce and print at all, therefore destroying the typeface character and cut down the readability. Serifs on a typeface exist for a certain reason.

I still think "24/192 DAC" is a sufficient description of the front panel

Whenever a number is given, it’s also required to clearly indicate what this number is being used for. 24 — but what? Eggs, cows, degrees, girls, bits?

It obviously can be seen that the glyphs forming the group “24/192 DAC” have all equal heights, therefore creating a uniform, massive block. Compare this to “24 bit/192 kHz DAC” on the last line, and you will clearly recognize a welcome and pleasing, vertical rhythm caused be the different glyph heights. That’s also one of the reasons why text set in mixed case can be recognized and processed much easier and faster than uppercase only text.

In most cases, the main goal of typography is readability or legibility. Next, certain printing and production related restrictions and options need to be considered. And eventually, the selected typeface needs to be in harmony with the product and able to “transport” a desired effect, a characteristic style. Pay attention to the typefaces used in advertising for medical products, cosmetic products or fashion, and you shall notice this. For example, why do you think certain script typefaces are rarely used for traffic signs or car license plates?

Graphic designer, industrial designer and typographer are professions which require a multi-year training and education, usually something between three and five years. Some of them even end with an academic degree. You see, I wouldn’t dare discussing the use of certain electronic components with a DAC’s designer, or the best way to connect pipes with a heating engineer or plumber. Of course I can tell if I like the final result of their efforts, but I do not know nearly enough about their respective special fields to doubt or discuss their desicions made, based on their training, education and experience. Instead I simply have to trust these people and assume that they exactly know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it this way, but not another.

I don’t understand why nowadays any unsuspecting layman considers himself to be an appointed expert in design and typography, just because he/she uses a PC with Microsoft Paint and a collection of a few thousands questionable fonts.

Brian, my proposals are not based on on personal preferences alone. Any graphic/industrial designer with a small rest of self-respect certainly shall not suggest to use “Copperplate” or similar fonts for the brushed metal front face of an electronic device. Doing so would be similar to a mechanic allowing you to leave his garage with only three wheels mounted on your car.

Werner.

[seoirse2002]

Well he went back to the hi-fi shop and came back a few hundred quid lighter with a selection of the prettiest cables you ever did see

That sounds familiar...and she cant even cook,or iron,but can hear the grass grow,and smell strange new boxes hidden in the house no matter what the font is.

[StanleyB]

Graphic designer, industrial designer and typographer are professions which require a multi-year training and education, usually something between three and five years. Some of them even end with an academic degree. You see, I wouldn’t dare discussing the use of certain components with a DAC’s designer, or the best way to connect pipes with a heating engineer or plumber.

Funnily enough I worked as an engineer for BASF in their graphics department and had to sit through lengthy courses in the UK and in Belgium to learn about typeface fonts etc. I had to fix RIP ( raster image processing) equipment, and got see how printing is done on different surfaces. That gave me a bit of an insight into why some fonts aren't suitable for use on one type of surface but would print fine on others. I am no expert in the subject, but I am fortunate to have a couple of qualifications and working experience of its use in an industrial environment.

[Labarum]

Whenever a number is given, it’s also required to clearly indicate what this number is being used for. 24 — but what? Eggs, cows, degrees, girls, bits?

I read Physics a long time ago at one of England's better universities. It was drummed into us "No units - no marks"; but the front of a DAC is not an examination.

Good heavens man, I'm a North-Briton, a Viking of the Danelaw; but your Teutonic grip on detail is exhausting. I think everyone will know it's not 192 cows, and most of them wont care.

I accept what you say about the suitability of fonts for silk screen printing.

[synsei]

I don’t understand why nowadays any unsuspecting layman considers himself to be appointed to be an expert in design and typography, just because he/she uses a PC with Microsoft Paint and a collection of a few thousands questionable fonts.

Because innovation often springs from the minds of gifted amateurs.

[Werner Berghofer]

Brian,

your Teutonic grip on detail is exhausting.

perfection is the result of close attention for even the smallest details. And maybe from your point of view Germany and Austria are identical countries, but I can assure you though more or less the same language is spoken in both these countries, there are huge differences in regional culture and ways of living. The region in Austria where I’m located is much closer to Italy than to Germany, and Vienna is much closer to Hungary and Czechoslovakia, as it once was called, than for example to Munich or Berlin.

As far as I know, Steve Jobs was neither a teuton nor a viking, but is well-known for his “Teutonic grip on detail”, as you call it. Mercedes Benz, BMW, Miele, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Apple — does this ring a bell in your mind?

Werner.

[Russell Turner]

All I want to know is when will I get mine and is it in a Tupperware box or not?

;-)

[Werner Berghofer]

Dave,

innovation often springs from the minds of gifted amateurs.

no doubt about this. But the moment these innovations need to be turned into real products, this task better is left to production specialists.

Werner.

[Labarum]

All I want to know is when will I get mine and is it in a Tupperware box or not?

;-)