For the past decade I've been waiting for the DIY case makers to bring something attractive to the market for us DIYers. After all the work we go through to make it sound great, there should have been some better looking cases and chassis available by now. The manufacturers of the currently available cases may wonder why sales are slow and after speaking with some of them over the past year, I have shared why their designs don't sell.
This IS NOT what we want. It is devoid of any taste, originality and overall looks cheap:
Below shows what we hope for. Notice the curves, clean lines, real veneers, matte sandblast finish and sealed anodized finish. In addition to this, provisions for up to four knobs (two large, two small) opens doors to customers who need more controls for secondary functions. Notice what makes most of these attractive is their sophisticated simplicity. The more complex model with the meter makes another interesting point, as meters hold merit for those who wish to monitor tube biasing or output VU at an instant. While this case may be a bit difficult to produce, a scaled down provision for meters is very possible. It would also be nice to see preamps with frontal windows for those who use tubes:
This IS NOT what we want. It is devoid of any taste, originality and overall looks cheap:
Below shows what we hope for. Notice the curves, clean lines, real veneers, matte sandblast finish and sealed anodized finish. In addition to this, provisions for up to four knobs (two large, two small) opens doors to customers who need more controls for secondary functions. Notice what makes most of these attractive is their sophisticated simplicity. The more complex model with the meter makes another interesting point, as meters hold merit for those who wish to monitor tube biasing or output VU at an instant. While this case may be a bit difficult to produce, a scaled down provision for meters is very possible. It would also be nice to see preamps with frontal windows for those who use tubes:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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Don't wait on someone else, just go custom! I've never seen an off the shelf case I like either, so for my latest few projects I've designed my own cases. You don't need a whole lot of skills or tools either, I sent all of mine out to be manufactured, it's not hard to find places that do sheetmetal, machining, linishing, anodising etc.
All a matter of taste. I quite like plain black boxes. Much modern audio looks quite vulgar to me, including some of the examples shown above. Money spent on the case has not been spent on what is inside the case.
I agree that there should be more variety, so that those who want to look at their hi-fi as well as listen to it can be satisfied.
I agree that there should be more variety, so that those who want to look at their hi-fi as well as listen to it can be satisfied.
Unlike kids, audio should be heard, not seen. Here are some nice looking boxes: Aliexpress.com : Buy 2U Aluminum Box Enclosure Case 229*88 254 mm ( w*h l) 2U aluminum instrument chassis communication networks aviation chassis from Reliable Custom Server Cabinet Enclosure suppliers on Foshan Nanhai Yonggu Hardware Products Factor
I really liked this chassis for pre from taobao:
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Did not buy it though
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Did not buy it though
You have to design it yourself...
I think the problem with the available cases is that they are designed for no-one. They are generic, and therefore tend to be boring or gratuitous.
The best solution (in my view) is to look at the thing you're enclosing, think about where you will situate it, what it goes with, how you want to interact with it, and what materials you have.
The enclosure I'm happiest with is the one I created for my F4 from plywood, an aluminum door extrusion, and some redwood scraps (oh, and a couple of big heatsinks!).
I like it because it speaks to the idea of making, rather than to the idea of manufacturing. It seems more personal to me. It's also cheap!
tim
I think the problem with the available cases is that they are designed for no-one. They are generic, and therefore tend to be boring or gratuitous.
The best solution (in my view) is to look at the thing you're enclosing, think about where you will situate it, what it goes with, how you want to interact with it, and what materials you have.
The enclosure I'm happiest with is the one I created for my F4 from plywood, an aluminum door extrusion, and some redwood scraps (oh, and a couple of big heatsinks!).
I like it because it speaks to the idea of making, rather than to the idea of manufacturing. It seems more personal to me. It's also cheap!
tim
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Very cool, timbarnes. I agree completely and that is part of why I like to build my own gear. Having a chassis and faceplate made, however, isn't so much a matter of cost but rather, ability. The businesses in my area are not skilled in metals finishing.
I would purchase, as it would be perfect for what I need but I cannot read Japanese. So close!I really liked this chassis for pre from taobao:
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Did not buy it though
So you want two large knobs, two small knobs, one meter, windows for tubes, anodizing and veneer, and sophisticated lines and curves? Anything else? How about some buttons or a headphone jack, maybe even a display? How much are willing to pay for this?
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