dsavitsk

Ooo. I just talked to Etymotic, and it looks like these are repairable for about $50. Even better. After all this time, I had no idea that the cables just popped out. They won't send me a new cable, but they will attach one for me which is good enough I suppose. The reality is that I almost never listen to music on planes, the only place I use these phones, so getting the upgrades is not going to make NPR sound any better.

This is all very timely. I got on a plane last week to find that only one side of my 14 year old etys worked anymore. They still blocked the engine noise, though.

Historically, the single biggest predictor of basketball success is the quality of a team's 3rd best player. At least in recent times, Boston seems to have utilized that model. Here, you can see the shape of the team compared to season wins (red is better.)

Only one player can score at a time. KD's shooting percentage is lower than that of the player he is replacing.

Happy Birthday!

When I was in 8th grade, I was generally listening to whatever was on the radio. Someone loaned me this tape and it profoundly changed my life. Whether for nostalgia reasons, or because I actually think it's good, it remains about my favorite album.

This is not aerospace. It is not even a cell phone. It is a crappy little headphone amplifier which is just some standard off the shelf parts soldered to a simple PCB. It is going to be the same whether made in China, Russia, or the U.S. Whether it sounds good depends upon the design and implementation of the circuit, not the quality of the PCB or the manufacturing.

RIP Ralph Stanley.

Happy Birthday. Hope you enjoy your new birthday amp

2007 Conference Finals

QFT

Aluminum will not do a lot to shield noise. The first thing to be sure is that it is not a grounding issue. Once that is ruled out, the best remedy is space. If you can't add space, try a plastic retaining screw and plate. When that doesn't work, try reorienting the transformer - turn it upside down, turn it on its side, rotate it, etc. If moving it does not at least change the hum a little, then revisit the grounding. But if reorienting does change the hum, but does not reduce it enough, the next thing to try is mu-metal shielding. It may work - it usually doesn't. Finally, try a different transformer. See if you can get an R core or C core or even an EI (the low radiated fields from toroids is much exacerated, and sometimes EIs are better.) Finally, contact a custom winder and tell them you need a toroid with low radiation - I have had SumR reduce the noise by 20dB with a well made transformer.

Many years ago, someone I know had to take away the keys from a grandparent. The grandparent, a former judge and thus in a position to do such things, called the local Cadillac dealer, bought one over the phone, and had it delivered.

There is a certain irony to a company that is part of an industry often accused of sex discrimination using a glass staircase as a symbol of progress.

IPT, sand buffer, step up, tube output stage.

Send me an email, we'll figure out logistics.

The fabled L3 is likely going to be called the Apsara. I have built that topology in a power amp before, but the headphone amp has considerable refinements over that circuit (which is lovely nevertheless). The tube amp I had at the show was the Copenhagen which is a pentode amp. Also lovely - pentodes are underappreciated.

Walnut and maple.