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KnobFeel: Reviews of Knobs

By Rain Noe - April 10, 2013

in Object Culture

If there's an audiophile's version of kicking the tires on a used car, I'm guessing it's turning the knobs on an amp. Short of actually listening to the thing, I for one would like to feel how the knob turns, see how it feels in my fingers, and detect if it has the properly heavy amount of turning resistance that makes me think it's well-built.

Well, some guy went ahead and started a blog called KnobFeel, with the sole mission of posting "Reviews based purely on the feel of the knob." Perhaps in a bid to increase his international traffic, the anonymous poster (who hails from English-speaking Britain) has devised an interesting way to ensure his reviews hurdle any potential language barriers:

Here's yesterday's review:

And he can occasionally be coaxed into reviewing knobs not connected to stereo systems:

Okay, so we didn't say they were informative reviews.

There is one thing I'm curious to hear from those of you ID'ers who have worked on knob-equipped consumer product designs. Years ago I saw an assortment of plastic keypad underlays that all provided varying degrees of resistance, allowing the designer to spec out the level of tactility desired. What is the equivalent measure for controlling the resistance level of a knob? Is it merely a washer, or something more complicated?

Via New Republic

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Solomon Choi

11 years ago

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I'm no expect on amplifier or knob. I had built a chip amp called "Gainclone".

Before talking about the knob, we should discuss what it is connecting first. The knob is just merely an extension of the volume control. All volume control does not created equally. It is basically a device allowing you to control the resistance by turning the knob.

One of the high end volume control is called "stepped volume control" which is built by a series of resistor to create a smooth volume transition. I think those are the volume control you are looking for.

more information could be found on www.diyaudio.com
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marcus

11 years ago

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I highly recommend checking out Luxman knobs there really nice to play with.
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Knob Feel

11 years ago

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Well, thanks for the coverage! I share your dislike for motorised Knobs too, slippyfish.
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slippyfish

11 years ago

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I haven't had the privilege of designing a knob but I hope to do so soon. I believe the audiophiles refer to them as potentiometers - which is what they do, in the electrical sense - and I think its more complicated than a washer. There is some kind of damping, and the weight, diameter, and material of the knob are all factors.

I also greatly dislike the ones that you can move via remote, magically turning as you press the down arrow. Yuck.
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powers

11 years ago

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Knobofiles rejoice! I'd say they are VERY informative!
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bob

11 years ago

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my name is bob and i have a fascination with knobs.

I love this article. I am going to put it on my pinterest
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