The only sarcasm I see came from Frank. No one wants a one inch thick front panel, let alone a nature scene or Frank's face etched on it.
The average thickness of a very nice aluminum front panel actually falls in the 6mm - 8mm range. I prefer basic but nice panels, and eschew overly massive or excessively machined ones, such as Boulder, Pass Labs, etc. Once that panel has been CNC cut, adding some countersunk holes, a simple small milled design element, etc. to it, is marginal in cost. But a simple smooth face is fine, and a nice silkscreen logo adds the personalized touch, differentiating it from another brand.
As far as bright front panel lights, some buyers may not like them, but they are a no-no for home theatre and many wives.
You can't please everyone. I could buy an AVA amp, even with it's non-IEC captive cord, but the front switch light and lack of 12V trigger does give me slight pause.
When it comes to preamplifiers and integrated amplifiers however, I will choose one that has remote input selection and HT bypass in an off state. That's not negotiable for me.
Frank has chosen his design criteria and will likely stick with it. I would go so far as to speculate that he doesn't want more sales volume. That could require a larger space and more assembly labor with no guarantee that profits will be greater or even guarantee that they won't decline a little. So with his devotees and word of mouth, he can continue making his product and a living.
I saw no sarcasm from s_cervin, only an attempt at some humor based on Frank's sarcasm, the rest was observation and a simple question.
Steve
