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While being stuck home, recovering for the past two weeks, I finally got round to doing some more DIY electrostatic headphones. I wanted to try out some different materials, 2um mylar and Comfort fabric softener to do the resistive coating. I must say both worked well and if the Comfort stuff holds up long term, it is a damn good coating that costs pretty much nothing. First off my long standing test drivers in a Superlux HD330 housing... as I had some donor headphones in stock. I made a few of these but this set has the Stax wide PC-OCC cable and Dekoni Fostex hybrid pads. I've made so many of these drivers over the years that they are a good benchmark and they perform flawlessly. Charge up instantly, no charge migration or issue with humidity that I can detect. The drivers are also modular so easy to assemble and test: I didn't even spring for ENIG on these but yeah, super simple design that just slots into the Supelux housing. They are just a bit on the small side for my head and the partially closed housing has issues but it's a fun set to play with. Next up is a set of SR-5's that had severe imbalance. Time for a new set of diaphragms with the thicker spacers I made 10 years ago or. I simply replace the stock diaphragm and this converts them to Pro bias too. Throw on there an old Lambda cable which had a break at the cable entry and it's a great little set of headphones. I love the SR-X Mk3 drivers and they are fun to play with. It is a bit challenging to fit the thicker spacers into the normal bias housings as it can warp the drivers but not a big deal really. Then I put on some leather earpads from my stash and yeah, a great SR-5 Pro... something Stax really should have sold back in the day. While I was making the diapgragms for those SR-5's, I made a couple of more for a spare set of drivers which resulted in this: I'm always on the lookout for cheap open back headphones which can be "easily" turned into electrostatics. This is a Fiio JT1 which was less than 60$ shipped but is not ideal for the conversion as the baffle is not flat due to how the earpads are mounted. Still nothing a circular saw can't fix: I covered the stock holes with tape to seal the baffle and keep the glue out when I fitted the driver: The PU two part adhesive covers all the baffle vents and I put some tape on the earpad attachment points to just keep the glue out of them. Worked just fine and the seal is great No damping at the back and they are open enough. I fitted strain reliefs at the cable entry and plugs to seal off the top vents in the housing as well. This one has the stock earpads and the cable is the standard silicone 6 core stuff floating around with an aluminum cable splitter for the Y split and a prototype plug I was sent a while back. Pretty nice sounding set of headphones that don't cost a lot to make. Granted you need a SR-X Mk3 to donate the drivers and some custom spacers to make it work but I'd want to make something like this with custom drivers. It would be a great DIY project to release, buy this set of headphones, rip out its guts and make your own drivers from these PCB's. The cable is easy to source, so are the cable entry glands and a Stax plug can be 3D printed with basic XLR housings. Finally, a bit of a closure for me with what is probably the final version of the HD580/600/650 electrostatic conversion above. I was always battling baffle leaks on those as it is impossible to shave the stock baffle completely flat. I might try to laser cut a neoprene gasket or something like that but on this one I simply designed a new protection grill and glued that to the baffle. Not ideal but it works nicely. Then new stators and new spacers for the diaphragms and dust covers. The cable is the King Sound KS-H4 unit so it is removable. I just shaved down the socket a bit and glued it into the stock holes. The protection grill which is glued to the baffle. Earpads are the hybrid units Drop used to sell and then sheepskin headpad. New stators with full ENIG plating and purple solder mask because reasons. :) These do sound great if I dare say so myself, very much on par with the HE60 but with a fuller sound. Same spacing at 0.5mm so sensitivity is very close too to stock Senn units. Funny for me as the HD600 was my first ever high end set of headphones, so when I found this set with broken drivers it was an ideal candidate for conversion. Full circle and all that shit...

Within my PLOWED whisky group we have an annual gathering called Ardbeggeddon (which some know about). It takes place in an undisclosed location. Many years ago this became known as "Dick Cheney's Secret Bunker" as a joke for posting purposes. I have proposed to the group that the location should be changed to "Dick Cheney's Crypt".

Superb sound quality, especially for a live show. Barber isn't the only star of the show. The band is amazing, especially on Black Magic Woman. The guitar solo on that song is like some Allan Holdsworth shit, the percussion kicks in and none of it is lost in the crowd who show appreciation. Ex.

Using a Star Wars reference Dick Cheney is/was Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sideous), Rumsfeld was Darth Vader and Trump is Kylo Ren (A pale imitation wannabe of Vader). Just Sayin’

It always 1969 (nice) in Alaska. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

I was today years old when I found out there’s not only a King (aka Eastern King) and California King, but also Wyoming King, Texas King, and Alaskan King size mattresses. 😵‍💫 https://sleepopolis.com/guides/bed-size-dimensions/

Maybe you can use a photo from his Vice Presidential Library?

Who knew that the Billie Eilish / Cardi B of Israel would have a cool music video set in a woodshop? I didn't until tonight. I also found this Succulent Sessions video of several songs, starting with Cipi that includes the great line "You think you are the boss of me? But most the time you're my bitch."

Two episodes are out for Vince Gilligan‘s Pluribus (Apple TV) and they set up a likely very fun season.

If you were wondering what's inside the headphones, you can see a little bit of it here

Alaska King = 1 TICE + 3 twinks.

my marriott inner spring mattress is on it's way, to replace my 4 year old costco foam sealy

I think I need to update my thread feed... It's this or Wagyu beef.

Famous Blue Raincoat. Songs of Leonard Cohen by Jennifer Warnes (1986) https://open.qobuz.com/album/0826663104905 Example: Very well recorded Jennifer.

I have that on vinyl. Brings me to tears every time I listen to it.

Hand Cannot Erase by Steven Wilson (2015) https://open.qobuz.com/album/gq9emxrfbaxdb Example: So a friend shared a list of top 25 audiophile albums. Most would be what you would expect, but there were a few I didn't know, so I gave them a listen. This is a good prog album. Audiophile? No. But very good. I have heard a few things from Wilson, I will be checking out a few more.

Time for a (celebratory?) rewatch?

Also kinda

For the bargain hunters out there.

Why is this the first time I am hearing about - Kobe Beef Bacon? Who been slacking on updating the Bacon thread!!?? Come on people - we are living a society here...

A breakfast almost worthy of a Grehaem. Venison snausage and bacon hiding in the periphery. I would also like to note that this is what happens when you give the humble potato to the French. 🫣

Looks like I got one

And from the comments ...

Apropos: "Why does Grindr always crash when there is a Republican convention or big event in town? Anyone meet someone (edit: that is openly anti-lgbt in words and action) famous or well known on there? Or just someone who is a raging Maga or Republican but secretly loves to have gay sex?" https://www.reddit.com/r/lgbt/s/jkk5cutnzV

Utah King would need room for one or two more? AYE KEED, AYE KEED...

Only in fantasy world... Filament supply for DHT. 9VAC in and 2.5/5.0VDC out. Size 2.07in x 0.7in. All you need is to connect a transformer and a tube to heat.

Flytrap Central https://gardenandgun.com/feature/venus-flytrap/?src=longreads

I Photographed an Appalachian Family for 15 Years https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/opinion/appalachia-family-photographs-poverty.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zU8.sPlI.uB8LeWerNWJP&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare (gift article)

Have you tried English Teacher yet?

Sometimes I like to listen to silly music

One update on my ailing SR-X1, I went in one last time and coated them again and that seems to have done the trick. No imbalance at all and just some mild buzzing from the driver as some debris got in there. I might go in and try to clean it but yeah... that's the good news. Now for the bad one as I'm afraid the X1's are not long for this world. So this was the first time I took the driver fully apart and whoever designed this needs to go and look at how Stax used to be made. I've never seen them do this before but the diaphragm is only attached to one ring, not sandwiched between two of them. So the spacers they use (also the insulation from the stators) are different from one side to the other. The side with the metal ring is very thin indeed, probably 0.2mm or so. I didn't want to snap a picture as the whole thing is so fragile but yeah, the diaphragm is hanging on 2-2.5mm or so of metal spacer and mine was already lifting off the ring as the PEEK seemingly doesn't adhere well to it. I'm sure I didn't cause this and it is very worrying as they have so small a support for the film. I have some SR-X NB diaphragms here and there they used 4mm spacers and glued on both sides for a much smaller diaphragm. That means the films are still just fine after 50 years in service which I doubt will be case for the X1's. I for one don't see an issue with gluing just one side as I do the same on my DIY drivers, but the contact area has to be bigger and mylar behaves differently to PEEK. Right now this set works fine but I'll continue to monitor it and I'd like to know if anybody else has had these issues. I finally got around to watching this and a few interesting bits, they are clearly still making 009 drivers as they were pulled out of a drawer in the soaking oven even through they are long out of production. Odd that they don't swap them out with 009S drivers as they have done with every other model. I did roll my eyes when only 30 X9000 drivers could be tested by one person... sure... why not I found it interesting that they test the drivers like that, as the reflection off the table is surely messing up the test by loading one side of the driver differently. I always thought they would slot them into jigs with microphones on each side as this way makes no sense to me. Btw. I feel their museum severely lacking... I know a few people who have a lot more Stax stuff in their collection than that.

Caira (formally Alice) AI camera reviews. Changes coming.

As Kim Kardashian’s All’s Fair sets a new low for TV, we revisit every single thing our critics have mercilessly panned. Brace yourself for the Mount Rushmore of rubbish! The Guardian has only ever published 15 zero-star reviews. Here they all are... https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/nov/05/the-guardian-has-only-ever-published-15-zero-star-reviews-here-they-all-are

A Cranky Nerd ... Gets crankier and nerdier.

The JLC Calendar watch fell through (I think somebody offered more money on a different platform after my payment was accepted), so I scratched the JLC itch with a Reverso classic monoface small seconds. I like it much more than the GRUT I used to own.

Just for future info: diskutil unmount /dev/disk1s2

Brief update on this issue: To securely wipe an HDD, it's necessary to do one pass with Disk Utility first, then make use of the Terminal command. This is because Terminal itself can't unmount a disk. Also, in possibly related news I have a stack of six HDDs to donate to the local second hand shop.

Participating in the Spotify Boycott, so cancelled my Spotify subscription and renewed my Tidal. Have to figure everything out all over again. Started, of course, with Al1ce's latest, As Above, So Below. Turns out, they're already working on another dimension. As Within, So Without.

Speaking of: Released on Wednesday. Chopin: 24 Préludes, Ballade No. 4 & Piano Sonata No. 2 by Eric Lu (2025) https://album.link/hj55qbvfbjcp4 Example: Winner on Warner. Good recording, and performance is top notch. Looking forward to seeing how he grows.

Completed servo controlled grid voltage. Works with EL34, 2A3, 300B and EML 20B-V4.

Pork, Okra, Green Beans, half a can of mushrooms in... Very delicious.

Todd is kind of Analyst...

Arrived yesterday and it really opens up every electrostatic headphone that I own. I was looking for an amp that can bring more bass out of my HE90 than HEV90 so I drained my pocket to bid on this and now I am very satisfied. The hev90 has a romantic sound but the t2 amplifies every piece of detail, expand the soundstage to what ever possible with extreme fineness and sweetness. Buying any head-fi gear at this price is ridiculous but considering the previous closing bid I think I got a fair deal. And it is so rare to have T2 being sold alone. I do not need another pair of omega so this deal saves me a lot of money. But this amp's functionality in long run is questionable. I hope my handful of obsolete FETs stock will save me some pain when I need to fix this in the future.