Design your Dream Machine configuration tool

virtue · « **on:** 15 Jul 2010, 05:10 am »

Guys,

We're launching a new configuration tool. It helps you envision what your Melissa-platform based system (Sensation, Piano, ICEBlock) may look like. I hope this tool encourages greater exploration of standard options and inspires you to do more experimental things on your own!

A web designer named Scott Buchanan made this for us... amazing work.

Seth

TrungT · « **Reply #1 on:** 15 Jul 2010, 05:16 am »

Awesome

Very nice work.

srb · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 Jul 2010, 05:35 am »

Seth,

The configuration tool mechanics do work very well, but the graphic itself is of low resolution with a lot of jaggies, and doesn't show off the product as well as other photographs do.

It would also be nice to have a tool tip show when you place the cursor over the selection. In some cases it's easy to know what you're picking (like silver versus black), but in the case of the tops, there are two similarly reddish woods and it's unclear what it is you're looking at.

Steve

dvenardos · « **Reply #3 on:** 15 Jul 2010, 07:11 am »

Ooh, silver front with black buttons, knob, and sides with a rosewood top looks very sexy on the sensation.

dba · « **Reply #4 on:** 15 Jul 2010, 10:19 am »

Very neat Seth, visioneering a product with different colour and texture options can be tough and this tool really helps - i never would've thought a silver fronted Piano, with yellow buttons, black sides and a gold Kevlar top-plate would look so cool..........

........no carbon/kevlar options yet

Sexy

dburna · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 Jul 2010, 11:46 am »

One suggested change: I don't know how others accessed this, but I clicked on the application embedded in the root of this thread. My only confusion was that I was able to select a top of my choice, but the application didn't list anywhere what top I had selected. So, I was able to get the color scheme I was seeking, but I didn't know how to relate this to the pull-down selections when it got to actually *ordering* the Sensation.

Best, -dB

wsturner · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 Jul 2010, 03:05 pm »

Will it let us design a battery powered Virtue DAC?

OzarkTom · « **Reply #7 on:** 16 Jul 2010, 11:35 am »

A friend of mine wants to buy a Sensation with the Dodd tube buffer, has Gary mentioned the sound differences with each bypass cap mods of the 451 vs. 901?

virtue · « **Reply #8 on:** 1 Aug 2010, 07:34 pm »

I'd like to put 10 images in a sequence for a banner advertisements and am looking for help identifying the top 10 "looks" with a nice sequence leading from one to the next.

I'm accepting input so if you have some time and would like to send me 10 screen caps (labelled 1-10) from the config tool, that would be most helpful.

virtue · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Aug 2010, 06:02 am »

I think we're done. Adding the dark wood tops really made a huge difference.

http://www.wihifi.com/builder/virtue_builder.html

The tool also writes out a description of the configuration, remembers what you had when you visit the page the next time, and allows you to email yourself a link which contains the saved configuration info. It's not tied into the commerce system... not gonna happen.

Check this out...

It's got to be one of the cooler things in hifi.

AndrewH · « **Reply #10 on:** 4 Aug 2010, 07:24 am »

It's quite cool, and also quite buggy at the moment. (Using Firefox, then switched to Chrome and reloaded a couple times until it started working.)

However it helped make the sale! I wanted to know what the veneers actually look like before ordering (sometimes too much selection can impede sales). Now I know my order will look like this:

Order #2135 by the way

I'm excited. Seems like a nice package - energy efficient so it can be left on, input switching, even a tube input that should last forever (is the claim). Might want to emphasize low maintenance in the marketing materials... I'll take a photo with my SLR after it arrives to compare to the preview.

Question - will the amp come with the basic switching power supply in addition to the battery upgrade that I ordered? For non-critical listening I think I'd want to leave the basic power supply connected - to save wear and tear on the batteries.

virtue · « **Reply #11 on:** 4 Aug 2010, 07:53 am »

Hey Andrew,
Thanks for the great tips. Could be the # of images that must download... takes a while to get to the first frame. I'll ask scott to work on his code a bit... I wonder what's hanging.
We're a bit light on imaginative value-add sales copy right now... and you're right. That buffer tube will last forever-ish and consumes almost no power.
With the high-current supplies we do ship with the 24v/65w supply. If you order an 80w or 130w, we don't include the 65w due to the similar nature/functions of the supplies.
Thanks so much for your order!
Seth

brother love · « **Reply #12 on:** 5 Aug 2010, 12:17 pm »

Yippeee!

Order #2142 here: M-451 & Piano M1 complete w/ tube buffer & full Sonicap upgrades

Utilizing the Dream Machine Design tool & Gorgeous gear thread, I chose:

Aviator face w/ Cloud sides & buttons, Aluminum columns & Zebra tops

I showed my wife the various options, & she loved the look of the final product.

So for WAF my friends, the config tool & pics are deal closers!

virtue · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Aug 2010, 06:51 pm »

Love it. I have wanted to do this configuration tool for a long time but didn't think it was possible. Scott Buchanan is a genius (as am I for designing the damn thing, I suppose - right??)

LOL

al128 · « **Reply #14 on:** 6 Aug 2010, 12:22 am »

Quote from: virtue on 5 Aug 2010, 06:51 pm

Love it. I have wanted to do this configuration tool for a long time but didn't think it was possible. Scott Buchanan is a genius (as am I for designing the damn thing, I suppose - right??)

LOL

nah ... youre the bottle thingy guy ...

virtue · « **Reply #15 on:** 6 Aug 2010, 02:41 am »

Yeah... my spiral brush is getting worn out and the fingers are wrinkly.

OzarkTom · « **Reply #16 on:** 6 Aug 2010, 04:31 am »

Quote from: brother love on 5 Aug 2010, 12:17 pm

Yippeee!

Order #2142 here: M-451 & Piano M1 complete w/ tube buffer & full Sonicap upgrades

Listen to the Patty Larkin CD, "Regrooving the Dream". You will not believe your ears on this combo you are getting.

I did make one improvement on the Piano, but I forgot the name. I bought a power cord for $19.95 at the Audio Adviser. It was a short cord but thick, .5 meter. 1 meter is $29.95. That made a very nice improvement for the money.

virtue · « **Reply #17 on:** 6 Aug 2010, 05:51 am »

The code now works in Firefox. It was my screw-up, not Scott's. Damn, this thing is cool!

brother love · « **Reply #18 on:** 6 Aug 2010, 10:43 am »

Quote from: OzarkTom on 6 Aug 2010, 04:31 am

Listen to the Patty Larkin CD, "Regrooving the Dream". You will not believe your ears on this combo you are getting.

I did make one improvement on the Piano, but I forgot the name. I bought a power cord for $19.95 at the Audio Adviser. It was a short cord but thick, .5 meter. 1 meter is $29.95. That made a very nice improvement for the money.

Thanks Ozark Tom for the recommend, I responded in the Sensation Dodd Tube Buffer thread to keep this one on message.

I now need a small stand for the Sensation/ Piano combo (probably will build something simple to match up w/ other stuff).

Maybe Seth can come up w/ a config tool for Virtue Audio furniture stand designs !

virtue · « **Reply #19 on:** 6 Aug 2010, 02:51 pm »

Jeff Keyes made us a cool stand for RMAF2008. The white ones shown in the pictures (2008/2009). He's over at Lucid Acoustics... drop him a line for any of your custom speaker or rack needs. He's a genius carpenter who can design speakers and has all of the lasers and CNC machines a small shop would ever need.