I made a passing reference to this issue:
On audio equipment, I prefer to have them without fancy touch screens. If at all, put a small as possible display in a minimalistic way (for example like DSD Jr.). Why? Because HiFi equipment usually sits in a rack out of reach and is controlled by a remote or smartphone. In terms of showing cover art: Outdated by the fact that all modern solutions use a smartphone/tablet to control your media (like roon etc.). The few times, I am really standing in front of my gear and need to control it manually, there are just a few options required: Power, Volume, Source. A perfect case for knobs and dials.
I guess maybe I should have said Screens and not so much touch screens. without a screen you are flying blind. yes you can control the device from a remote but you are doing so without seeing visually what is going on.
There are a number of ways of indicating the status of a piece of equipment without a screen: position of dials, whether buttons are depressed or not, LEDs, etc.
I imagine most of us have a number of bits of kit without screens.
Unless I have totally misunderstood your point.
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Screens provide the ability to se a songs name and artist and album art instead of a big old number for the track This applies to both the transport and the bridge. This is something led’s cannot do. That is why an app that would allow you to have this feature available on a tablet would fill that void. It is kid of like saying we should go back to having a crank on the front on an engine to turn it over because it would still start it up when we have been using a starter motor for years. Just because you can doesn’t mean it is as good. I would love to see some trying to crank start their vehicle just for laughs.
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Interesting topic.
I wouldn’t mind an app, so I can see what’s going on, but mostly just for entertainment.
Currently, my DMP and DSD have their screens off.
And my P20, which I don’t find attractive at all, is hidden behind my racks. I figure that if something changes, I’ll hear it. But if I’m asked, I’d like to be able to set values for certain parameters that would light an LED if the value falls outside it’s set point.
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My Bryston BDP-3 streamer/server has nothing but an extremely simple OLED display. I control it with with a MPD driven, webpage interface using my iPad. That approach provides a beautiful interface for viewing cover art if I want to, real time play information (track, time, even digital word depth and bit rate for PCM, bitrate for DSD). A tiny little TFT display on the box isn’t necessary for those functions. I much prefer seeing all of this information on the excellent, high resolution display of an iPad anyway. If you don’t want a full blown computer to control your devices, something like a tablet and a wireless access point with a suitable control app can provide the status of your audio gear in a much better way.
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This is very different from “flying blind” as you initially put it. 
Yes, one needs a screen of some sort to display the song name and cover art. But it is not as if “without a screen you are flying blind.”
I know what I am listening to without being told. Thus, I do not care if a transport or DAC displays song titles and album art.
I appreciate others enjoy the eye-candy, there is nothing wrong with this. But it is not as if we are returning to the stone ages without cover art.
For me, a mobile phone app is a nice compromise. I can ignore it and those who like graphics can use it.
I am very much in for of album art/track information displayed in the screen. That provides me a sort of immersive sense to the listening. Also while playing songs from a long playlist (or Roon Radio) that provides a good sense of what’s playing right now.
By the way, the display does not need to be touch screen based. The way it is implemented by Naim or Aurialic is not touch screen based.
Regards,
Sourav
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Glad that someone besides myself enjoys the displays. I feel blank face components are boring to look at!
Maybe that’s the deal. Are your components in view, or do you like looking at them? If not…
I definitely don’t want screens to disappear, especially on a dac. It’s essential, for me, to be able to see the volume level of the dacs in my active system (if I’m lazy pointing the remote they’ll go out of step). A friend has Naim stuff and he never puts the volume to the same level (pathetic). A dac requires a visible volume level. I’ve two P10s and one Stellar P3 - the SP3 has no screen, one reason why there’s reduced functionality (e.g. no configurable MW. I don’t however see why there’s only a 5 second Clean function - ridiculous!!!).
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My equipment rack is set up to the right of my seat! I can clearly read the displays on the DMP and the DAC as well as the P-10 too if I so desire! I selected PS Audio equipment not only for the sonic performance but the physical appearance and functionality! I hate to see them fall into the run of the mill pit like so many other manufacturers! If you don’t like the touchscreens and features there are plenty other manufacturers out there that do not provide them.
This is a not insignificant factor.
It most certainly is! I set my room up in a logical fashion. I have a slate topped foundation that is independent to the floor of the listening room it is not between the speakers where the most interference to the sound would occur. It is not behind my listening seat which would be totally against logic. I heard people complain their remote is useless and that they can’t see the front panel displays in that configuration! duh! I wonder why?
When i am listening the displays are off. I listen in a dark room when it is night. I pay attention to the performance going on behind my speakers. I don’t look at the equipment!
I listen with the lights down, and the only light I enjoy is the glow of a quad set of EI-KT90 II’s.
I have yet to hear the KT90. What do you have them in and what did they replace?
cj Premier 11a, replaced GE 6550A with the EI KT90ii’s… Driving Original Genesis V speakers. The bottom end on the Genesis V’s are driven by a dedicated outboard 400 WPC RMS Genesis Class AB amp with dedicated Audioquest cables. The mid-bass on up are wired with Nirvana SX-Ltd wires.
As the GE’s were ridiculously expensive when I was looking for a spare quad set, I investigated the EI KT-90s. I ordered a quad, liked them and scored a back-up stash of EI KT 90ii’s before the factory was demolished during the Serb-Croation war. I’ve also tried Sovtek KT120’s.
The Nirvana cables and the EI KT 90ii’s tamed some of the Genesis V titanium dome midrange’s tendency for glare when driven hard. I still have a full set of GE 6550a’s, and two sets of KT 90’s that have not been powered up in the cj.
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Neat!
Yes, sellers think highly of the GEs.
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