On January 31, 2015 at 00:46, bcf1963 said...
Nope. They already have a microcontroller for other purposes. The cost is someone to write the code to control the AM/FM tuner IC. I would put the cost of a tuner IC and the electronics to go with it, for a high volume manufacturer at well under a dollar. This is a nearly free feature, that if left off begs consumers to say, "For the same price I can buy the competitors product that has a tuner."
I was really referring to two channel equipment, not AV receivers, but I know what you mean. I have friends who worked for various companies and when they went to Asia to discuss changing features and performance, they were usually told "Thirty-seven cents". Anything they wanted to add or subtract would make a difference of that amount. People want some things just because they can have it, not because they actually need it. I went to a high-end shop yesterday and one of the guys told me about the recurring service calls to the home of someone who should really know better, but seems to like to A) lie about their ability to use the remote, B) not reveal the fact that they, or someone else, is going into the setup menu and messing with the surround speaker levels or C) just wants to make them jump through hoops. Every time he goes there, the surround speakers have been changed to Large and the level is at +12dB. I commented "I have those speakers, why am I not hearing them?" and he just nodded.
Something may not actually do anything for the person, but they want it, they want a lot of it and they want it NOW, dammit!
The newest client has Silver series Monitor Audio SP8 speakers in the living room and is using Sonos for all of the local music sources. He's on the board of the local hip & trendy FM station and if he wants radio, that's what he tends to listen to but since they stream, the Sonos handles that. He's using the Zone 2 out of an older Denon AVR and nobody bothered to limit the output which is, I suspect, the cause of his blown tweeter. Might be the room, might be the speakers, but I think they're harsh and overly bright and too small for the room. We have discussed using a separate power amp and I'm looking now, but the speakers need to be moved, too. He had an electrician put speaker wires in the corners of the room and then finished the basement ceiling, so I'll need to see if I can do anything WRT changing the location. I'm annoyed by that, since I have been working on the house across the street since before they bought and refurbed the house.
Last edited by highfigh on January 31, 2015 13:26.
