The LaSpaziale S1 Family Of Machines Needs A Serious Refresh!

[DonTask]

As much as I love the LaSpaziale S1family of machines I'm afraid they're showing their age. With newer machines by other manufacturers being introduced, newer features, touch screens, multiple PID's. flow controls, profiling, dedicated shot timers, brew group lighting, more bells and whistles etc the LaSpaziale family of S1's needs a serious refresh if it hopes to keep up with the competition. I'm not saying I want all the newer gizmos nor are some of them even beneficial, I'm just saying LaSpaziale need to do something major (not just a firmware update) to rekindle interest in the S1 family.

Case in point... from 2004 through 2012 this forum was going gang busters. Since 2012 there is still activity in this forum but the percentage of active participation has slowly declined year to year. As you may know, this site alone was responsible for the decision by many people to purchase a S1 because of the overwhelming support this group offered. It may be the biggest single dedicated online support site of any machine to date. From the time of its introduction the S1 family was a very popular forerunner with very few contenders in its price range. But, sad to say, it's no longer in the spotlight. It's showing its age. The batman / superman shield shaped display bezel on the Dream is dated... as is the display of the Vivaldi II with its 1980s looking strip of colored LED bulbs. Functional? Yes! Modern technology looking? No! Both appear antiquated by today's standards. Yes, the S1 is still a great machine but as its popularity dwindles, so does interest and the sales with it. I only hope LaSpaziale is watching its market share slip away and is working feverishly on an a refreshed updated version. If done right it could even support a price tag pushing 3K. What brings this issue to light is my brothers S1 is now 10 years old and he's ready to buy a new machine. He really likes his old S1... but the current model is basically the same as what he's got. To put it in perspective... think of it as having a car that you love, but its 10 years old. You go out to buy a new one car because the old model is tired and dated... it has no navigation, no back up camera, no USB jacks, no streaming capabilities, no power hatch, no side curtain airbags etc.. etc. only to discover the current 2020 model is the same as what you already have.

[chas]

I can't honestly argue with you about that. When this forum started it was chock full of new users figuring out ways to get the best out of the machine and figuring out the incorrect and/or woefully underdocumented features. Also, there were a lot of Day One issues that now seem to have been addressed by LaSpaziale and Chris Coffee. Most of the posts on the forum now are from those having issues with machines they have owned for years or those that have bought used machines that need work.

I had high hopes for the Dream when it first came out. However, many of the "coming soon with firmware updates" features have never arrived. Most of the actual updates have been fixes and/or updates to address user issues or complaints. The most recent update allows the machine to be powered off then turned back on by remote power switch. It formerly couldn't do that as remotely powering it back on would just make the S1 go into Standby. However, even this update requires the purchase of an external plug-in device to support the remote on/off access. Modern devices really should have integrated Wi-Fi that lets the user do pretty much anything remotely. I see that LM has just refreshed their lineup with this feature.

The original machine release and many of the updates were driven by Chris Nachtrieb, owner of Chris' Coffee. However, I think his personal interests are currently driving him in other directions.

For now, I plan to continue this forum but for how long I am not sure. I haven't used the S1 as my daily driver for years. I moved on to the GS/3 long ago. Even though it lacks a lot of modern features, there are many things I like about it way more than the LaSpaziale. Of course, I would hope so given the price difference!

[goodboyr]

I agree that the machine is now dated compared to modern features, and also that the promised firmware updates are vaporware. However, my Dream continues to be my daily driver, and its been great now that all the quirks and issues have been sorted. Also, I'd rather not have a new model to drool over and cause upgraditis............

[Velcro]

Wish there where more machines to compete against E61's in this price class.
For now I'm sticking with my dream. Who knows what the future will hold.
Chas please keep the site running - its the best place for La Spaziale info.

[GDK]

I hope they will scale their new model to one group for home use :) I would love that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoiQkROX0Rc

[goodboyr]

Oh, man...........pressure profiling!

[GDK]

I emailed La Spaziale asking if they will have similar home version... chance of getting an answer is next to zero but still

[alanmd]

I thought my S1 Mini V2 looked dated in a good way when I bought it, and still does. My Mazzer Mini has a little lightbulb when it’s grinding instead of an LED, fine with me. 10 years of great coffee from both so far. I don’t obsess over the details enough to know what I’m missing. I won’t replace either until they are unrepairable, and I’d be happy with an identical model. Only thing I’d change about the S1 is Comic Sans ;)

[michael]

The S 50 seems to have the missing features but it would be hard to go for another 53mm set up with the hard to find accessories

[StijnL]

On the other hand, I'm looking for a possible upgrade of my Dream and it proves to be very hard. I require a plumbed in one (my convenience), volumetric (my wife's convenience), line pressure preinfusion and on/of from a smart plug ('ok Google, coffee on' is great, as is scheduling and remotely warming the machine if you come home early). It seems that I need to spend give times as much if I don't want to give up on any of these features. (The Decent is not on the list because it sounds like a cheap Nespresso machine.) On addition, there is a ton of information on repairs thanks to this forum and spare parts are cheap.

The machine is so packed with features that I'm missing why it is not more popular. As for esthetics, I like it much more than the chrome cubes, although it is likes away from the Eagle One Prima.

[rhinoevans]

I have an original S1. The steam boiler broke a year or so ago. No interest in spending over $600 to fix a 17 year old machine. The brew boiler works so I can stil pull shots and heat my milk with my wife’s Nespresso warmer. To be honest, when I bought it I. Was torn between it and a E61 machine. Probably will go with the Lelit Bianca from Chris Coffee, where is where I purchased my S!. Yep I think it look very dated

[goodboyr]

New firmware allows the dream to work with a smart plug.

Sent from my SM-G998W using Tapatalk

[milosz]

Hello from Cracow, Poland,

Currently I'm using Lelit Elizabeth. I'm looking for upgrade. Dream is on the top of the list. It is the only one machine in this price range with volumetric pump, programmable dosing, line preinfusion and without E61.
Compared to other machines from the same price range (Pro 700, Bianca, Bezzera Matrix) it still looks more modern. I know, that S1 lacks profiling but in other aspects it is still more modern...
IMHO S1 range is like Oscar and Musica from Nuova Simonelli. Designed "once and for all" and years after introduction is still better than many newer machines...

Regards, Miłosz