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0 pointsSir_Substance8y ago0 comments

>They implicitly agree under duress, because their time is worth far too much to even read 10 pages of fine print for every product they use. I'm not being flippant; it bloody well is.

You don't need to read 10 pages of fine print for every product, because it's functionally the same fine print for every product.

If you don't like this, don't ever buy smart devices because they /all/ reserve the right to do this kind of stuff.

I avoid smart devices like the plague. If I want my speakers smart, I'll connect them to a suitable control unit. The only thing I want from my speakers is for them to translate electrical waves into pressure waves, the more accurate the better.

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9 comments · 2 top-level

cabalamat8y ago· 4 in thread

All my speakers are low-tech analog only devices. There really is little benefit to making most of these devices "smart".

rconti8y ago

One benefit is not drilling holes in my walls to run speaker wire all over the place.

Another benefit is not having an audio player tethered in one place.

A third benefit is being able to change the audio settings from any one of a half dozen devices in my house.

_m7bj8y ago

The downside is that if you don't keep buying the new systems even though the old ones work perfectly fine, eventually your device will get too old and you will be categorised as a legacy customer. When that happens, your shit will stop working.

https://www.theverge.com/2016/4/4/11362928/google-nest-revol...

That's the future. The dude with the 80's hifi setup knows what's up, in my opinion.

_khau8y ago

One benefit is not drilling holes in my walls to run speaker wire all over the place.
Another benefit is not having an audio player tethered in one place.
A third benefit is being able to change the audio settings from any one of a half dozen devices in my house.

Okay, but that's just wireless tech. Why do they need to be constantly connected to the internet and phoning home?

PascLeRasc8y ago

I'm the same way and I love my 80's Marantz amp/Boston Acoustics floorstanders setup. But I still keep a cheap Chromecast audio and a $10 Bluetooth receiver around for parties, it's just so much easier especially when people forget their headphone dongles these days.

bogomipz8y ago· 3 in thread

>"If you don't like this, don't ever buy smart devices because they /all/ reserve the right to do this kind of stuff."

It seems odd then that you have to actually buy the device before you can even read the terms. I guess the idea is that you can always return it if you don't agree?

wongarsu8y ago

I don't know about the US, but in the EU if you don't get to see the terms before buying, the terms are effectively void. (of course most non-trivial EULA-style terms are already void in the EU, since it's well known that nobody reads them)

badwolf8y ago

"That'll be a $25 restocking fee, and a $25 open-box fee"

kartickv8y ago

Or, in India, typically a 100% restocking fee.

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