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So a new electrostatic seems to be incoming: https://apos.audio/products/sjy-argos-electrostatic-headphones?utm_campaign=hyperfuse_last_day%20%2801KZW4554JVNW58G1HET4TN43W%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alex_nongdpr_never_subbed_active_180&_kx=cd77Rbf3yu6_OAujM-M4VU1ihuQFsjtyVcb-jl8r-OKxvi62Czezy2yxdLQUUnAj.Ldk8SW I've been keeping an eye on them for a while, no idea what that company is but hey, more the merrier and all that. I just saw the new updated page for these and it is just what the fuck, are they retarded? First off, "fully vented drivers" being spun as something that is positive. Hello, what is the number one rule of planar design? Something about an infinite baffle? No? Anybody here have any fucking clue what they are doing? No? Let's spin our engineering ineptitude as a positive Yes, that is what the drivers need, room to breathe. A common problem with all planar drivers is that they are just being suffocated. What a novel idea and people making planars for 70+ years have clearly all been wrong. Seriously, who thinks the actual reason is that the drivers are horribly unstable so the extra pressure from a sealed baffle would knock them out of balance. So instead of fixing that, let's just employ marketing wank. Then we have the cable... what the actual fuck. Just look at this thing: Anybody who makes a braided cable for electrostatics needs to be taken out back and beaten repeatedly with a copy of the Art of Electronics. The whole point of the fucking cable is to minimize capacitance... not add to it!! Now this looks like the cheap crappy headphone cables coming out of China so I very much doubt it's high voltage credentials. I also love the Y split on a commercial set of headphones... a piece of clear heatshrink. It's also 1.5meters in length, probably to cut down on the pile of extra capacitance this turd adds to the load. Then you can get a proper extension cable and have the headphones reach anything as these are hardly portable.

Although I live in a few blocks from Moffett Field/NASA Ames/Google's private airport I rarely go through security. Strangely they get a little nervous with random people going "off course" and taking photos. ;) Plus the Space Bar has been closed for a while. An author was speaking this weekend though so swung by and snapped a few shots afterward. Leica SL2-S and, what's been mostly glued on lately, Light Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 Double Aspherical "11873".

So, a few months back I reached out to Simmconn as I though this pentode experiment would be very nice to try and he very kindly shared pcbs for the project. A couple of other projects got in the way right then but at the end of my summer vacation I had some free time and this was the perfect project to do: Obviously a bit of tidying up remains (both in the amp and behind it ), but it behaves very well and the sound is really good - a bit more bite compared to the EL34 Carbon GG but with the same tonal balance. Definitely a project worth pursuing should you be looking for something new to try. And a big shoutout to simmconn for finding these tubes and developing this version!

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

smoked pork belly is back on the menu boys.

From the file of covers that are WAY better than the original.

working through glitches and continuing to make good progress, I’ve now passed the 50% line on my fundraising goal and certainly appreciate all the support received so far!

Season 4

Let's talk about Frankie, baby! In the early 1960s, Frank Sinatra commissioned a home hi fi that was an impressive mix of studio gear and high end consumer kit. The heart of it was a modified McIntosh C-22 preamp. It had one input that was three channel, made specifically for an Ampex correction: a Presto 800 open reel tape deck (visible behind Frank.) Studio recordings in those days were primarily three channel, with the center being for the lead vocals. Final mixes were almost always mono, of course. Sinatra liked to take home the day's recordings from the studio and see what he thought of them that evening. An artist taking home the actual multitrack masters might sound insane, but it was Old Blue Eyes in the 60s. Though visibly impressive, the three units below the Presto are just VU meters. The tuner below the C22 is a Fisher R200. Below the Fisher at the bottom are a trio of tape head preamps made specifically for the Presto. Of course the tape transport, VU meters and preamps are all studio gear, not generally used by (or available to) the public. There were three power amps for the speakers, housed in a different room. Presumably they were Mac tube monoblocks, but there is basically no info out there. Similarly, there is no reliable info on the make/model of the speakers themselves. I've seen Altec-Lansing and JBL floated as likely brands. There was also a huge "Rek-O-Kut" turntable system that could both play back records and cut acetate disks(!) It had its own dedicated space. What the unit lacked in sex appeal, it made up in physical stature. Even a stock C22 has complex mono/stereo routing. (I oughta know, I've owned two of them since 1999 ...for reasons I cannot entirely explain.) Frank's custom unit was modified, but I don't know to what extent. Based on my research there is conjecture that the television output was wired into the C22. Frank was an early pioneer in the world of home theater. In the bedroom, Frank had a high end Grundig all-in-one system. I can neither confirm nor deny if Nancy Reagan ever got to hear a tune or two on that Grundig. Thank you for coming to my TED talk, now help yourself to a pack of smokes on the way out.

Music on TIDALCerrone - 3 - SupernatureListen to 3 - Supernature on TIDALI was looking at other artists who did the continuous groove thing (initially inspired by a listening of Jean Michel Jarre's Equinoxe Pts. 5-7, but also: New Order's The Village/5 8 6, MacArthur Park, Philip Oakey/Giorgio Moroder side 1, &c.), and Google AI turned me on to this disco suite. Suites. Sweets. Whatever. Kinda how I felt when Steve Hackett released his first classical guitar recording, Bay of Kings. But I eventually came to love it, just like everything else in his discography.

Sudamericano by Leonardo Andersen (2026) https://open.qobuz.com/album/ytv241s3u2iqc Example: Nothing really groundbreaking here, but very nice. Well recorded and well played.

Rokia Traoré's Né So Ex. Edit: Looks like she has an old Tiny Desk too.

Finally finished UFO, started on Space: 1999. Ohmigosh, no wonder my mom wouldn't let me watch this when I was a kid, it was frequently horrific.

Hello, Novato Pop Rocks were Rockin' The Block, in Novato, to end the summer ... Also So Anyway, I Started Blasting

I haven't had much time for DIY headphones recently but I just sent for some parts to be made and one might be a truly unique stator principle. More on that later but I've been using these lately and finally post about them after seeing that SJY pile of fail: I found this Hifiman Edition X for next to nothing as the pads were trashed and both drivers were blown. Gotta love that Hifiman build quality... Anyway, the plan was to design some drivers for this shell and then make my own version of the Shangri-la as the stock ones are frankly utter crap. Given the complex shape of the baffle in these I put it off for months but finally got off my ass and made these: This is the same piece but reversible for each side. There is just enough space in the housing to cram Stax Lambda drivers in there and I just happen to have quite a few in stock... shocker. Then we ended up with this: The back grill was glued into place but with the driver glued to the baffle, it holds it all in place as there is no extra room in there. I added the coarse foam to back to make them look more stock as I didn't have any of that black cover Hifiman uses. The baffle uses the stock neoprene gaskets from the planar drivers and it's okey for the seal but not quite perfect. The drivers in these are Lambda Signature units (no real reason I chose those, just what came to hand) and the cable is a Stax extension cable. I added the strain reliefs to the housing and the cable is so tight in there that it doesn't need any more fixing in place. Then they were finished off with some sheepskin earpads off Aliexpress as the stock Hifiman units are trash. These are the drivers with the protective mesh in place (just as they were in a Lambda/Sigma) but I also ordered some baffles with slots cut in them so I could put in thinner drivers to have a bit more space behind the drivers.

Wait, what? Transitioning back on track. 😉 Bill Evans Trio With Symphony Orchestra (full album)

The Three Sounds – Good Deal (Mono)

Japan's SHM-SACD

This is in my top 10 favorite songs ever. With obviously some Cure stuff and Talking Heads and Rammstein etc.

My favorite Jamiroquai album... over time it's also become my son's favorite too

I was a weird little kid. No surprise there. As a youngster and up until present times, I loved things kids weren't supposed to like. Spinach and liver are good examples. The only two people in my family that liked liver were myself and my Mother. Especially chicken livers! One day back in the 70's, my Father took my Mother to a new restaurant for lunch. She noticed on the breakfast menu a chicken liver omelet. She intended to go back and try it sometime. One day it was just her and I running errands, and she remembered this restaurant close by. We both had the chicken liver omelet and both loved it. I have no idea why I haven't recreated this omelet to date, but today is the day! Delicious!!!

Grant Green – Am I Blue [mono]. Lovin’ this channel.

These don't really count in my queue, being compilations. But I am having fun. and Example - just pick your fav Smith tune.

Apparat, A Hum of Maybe (2026 release) Wow, this sounds nothing like Orchestra of Bubbles (2006 collaboration with Ellen Allien) or his early IDM work or that subset of his work with Moderat with which I'm familiar...I got autoplayed one track, which reminds me of Goldfrapp's atmospheric art pop, except without her, combined with the more Console-y Notwist of Neon Golden.

(not Bill Evans) Schumann: Complete Symphonies by Los Angeles Philharmonic (2026) https://open.qobuz.com/album/t0z8is48e0tzb Example: I don't think I have ever listened to all four symphonies in a sitting (2.25 hours). This new release is good. Mustavo and the LA Phil sound good. The engineering is solid, but not amazing. On the 'Platoon' label? It is interesting how the works flow, 17 tracks really sounds like one piece.

Yard Act- 100% Endurance

^ On that note, The Ultimate Bill Evans As Selected By Herbie Hancock, which seems in Japan to be titled To Bill Evans With Love – Selected By Herbie Hancock on SCM-CD.

I'm attempting to get started with fundraising a little earlier this year for the annual Kelly Brush Ride that I will once again be participating in this year. It's the same group of friends this year, likely minus one who unfortunately can't make it due to work reasons, but we're trying something a little different as a group this year. My friend Tom, who goes us all drawn into this madness, knows Kelly very well and the organization is trying to encourage folks to participate in the ride remotely. They've kind of reached critical mass in Middlebury, VT, with more than 800 riders participating so they can't really grow unless they change something. So our group sort of volunteered to be the pilot and we're headed to the coast of Maine to ride by a bunch of lighthouses and hopefully have some fun while suffering. Why am I explaining all this? Well, we want to show that remote folks can still effectively fundraise and participate. So we're going all-in and getting custom jerseys made to commemorate the ride. So all that said, I'm once again asking this group to be like no other forum. I'd very much appreciate any support that you can offer. The foundation is aiming to raise $1.2M to support individuals with spinal chord injuries to regain an active lifestyle. My personal goal is to raise $2,500. This organization and cause remains something near and dear to me as someone who takes the simple ability to get outdoors and do whatever I like, when I like, somewhat for granted. Every year I participate I find it helps refocus and recenter my appreciation for those that chose to not be limited by life-altering injuries, illness, etc. The foundation helps people discover adaptive sports and recreation, hosts camps to immerse people in sports and community, and most importantly, provides hundreds of grants per year to people that just want to return to the activities they love. Anyway, if you're able here's the link to donate to support me: Nate's KBF Fundraising Page And just for fun here's us with Kelly at the starting line last year. I'm hoping for much better weather this year so we can pound social media with pics and vids of our remote ride.

Unfortunately UK only, but…

while you are at it, use the 3rd generation sicfet for the current source. requires extra 12v power supply.

It must have been a distorting mirror universe You could almost say it's ...

44 years ago today the first CD was produced. Related: https://pitchfork.com/story/columbia-house-is-shutting-down/

Techmoan buys 3 video disc players to see how well they function as CD players, and creates a spreadsheet to evaluate them.

Colin From Accounts: An Aussie-based comedy centered around two people who are brought together by a car accident & an injured dog who they agree to care for. Occasionally annoying, but overall funny, and an easy watch. Good palate-cleanse in between other more intense shows.

So 'punk' dude.

Looks like using the teenager Mac on ancient OSX made the trick, even the PayPal button appeared, which wasn't available on the iPad under any of the three browsers I tried. Go Nate!!!

Miles Davis - In a Silent Way

Black Sails

The Continental (Peacock) - all John Wick fans must see (a prequel): Not to be confused with:

Finished the right channel today. Feedback as suggested by Justin. Bias servo as suggested by Kevin. Red smoke – Super Symmetrical mode. Green smoke – Zero Feedback mode.

This is the microphone setup I’ll be running at Christmas jam tomorrow

Finally the PCB's arrived for the Kiwi Ears headphone drivers: Just three different PCB's needed, on the left is the diaphragm ring which is a 0.6mm pcb but with no solder mask so it is actually 0.51mm. This has to be ENIG to make it completely flat but most fabs require that anyway. Film is 2um mylar-c as that is so simple to get and relatively easy to work with. In the middle is the dust cover holder/spacer. I made this 1.6mm thick as that way it clears the stock lip on the baffle that was around the dynamic driver. I used the first one as spacer and then stacked up the driver sandwich. For the dust covers I used the same mylar as the diaphragms but not stretched as much Finally the stators, 1mm ENIG pcb's and this is the outer side with the inner side having a smaller active area, aka like the SR-007. Holes are a bit less than 1mm but that can easily be altered for another run. Here they are assembled with the only alterations to the baffle where I counter sunk the mounting screws. There were just the three holes there in a row and with the earpad mounting plate being flush to this, it had to be done. One second with a counter sunk bit will do this as this is nasty, cheap ABS plastic. Here they are assembled. Only mods to the chassis is that I enlarged the two holes there are on each side (cable entry and a port on top) to 5mm so the strain relief would fit and the solid plastic plug I glued into where the port is. The cable is the 6 core silicone wire that can be found everywhere now with a 3D printed Y-split and Stax plug made from an XLR plug and pins. Now for the sound... lets just call it work in progress. This is very much the first draft and one channel is slightly weaker than the other (I swapped out the diaphragm for another which fixed it mostly) so I need to look into that. I'll probably just build a second pair of drivers so I can match them into pairs as I have another set of the headphones. Massive baffle leak too and the housing... has issues... so bass is not their strong suit for now. That needs to be fixed but I might have to get creative with that. Still for a cheap project that took only a few hours to make and cost less than 150$ all in... there are worse ways to spend an afternoon.

Moontan by Golden Earring (1974) https://album.link/i/81668043 Example: Another band that I know by name and two songs. My bad, I would have had these on my playlists a long time ago. There is a lot for me here. Great jams, 9+minute songs. Classic guitar sound. Now that I know, I shan't forget.

50yo album time Autobahn by Kraftwerk (1974) https://album.link/i/726154713 (and yeah I don't know why they don't list QOBUZ as well) Example (THE track): This album is a lot more playful that I remember. I was very used to the later works where they seem more serious.

For what it's worth, my CFA3 bords fell 2,5V short in terms of offset when I built them. In my case, swapping all the red LEDs to a version with much less forward current than the ones I installed first (I'm now using LTL-4221, which has 2mA I believe) put all numbers back in the right places.