catscratch

Chris Harris is the best automotive journalist on youtube. Though credit also has to go to his cameraman, Neil Carey, as he puts out some terrific work. Together the two of them have produced stuff that I've consistently liked more than Top Gear lately, so inviting Chris is the natural, logical choice. Considering that he hasn't been doing that well since he left Drive, it's also only logical that he accepted. I'm not sure about Sabine, and word round the campfire is that David Coulthard will also be joining them. Either way, that's a pretty good lineup of presenters. I would have loved to see Rowan Atkinson but the BBC probably can't afford to pay him. Now here's to hoping that the BBC's managerial clusterfuck doesn't tighten the leash too much and make them copy the old TG formula verbatim.

I've ranted about this before, but I think the scandal will go well past VW. Cheating on these sorts of tests is pretty common, and manufacturers sending tuned cars to the press so they perform better, or cars with non-stock tires so they grip better, is hardly unusual these days (or has hardly been unusual ever). EPA themselves are responsible for this in part, since their tests aren't very representative of real-world use either. At the end of this, EPA testing methodology will have to change, and manufacturers will either have to be more honest in designing cars to meet regulations (unlikely), lobby for less restrictive regulations, be more devious about circumventing them, or just play the dinosaur strategy and wait until the whole bloody thing blows over. Either way, the surprise here is not as much about VW being lying cheats but more about fairly commonplace manufacturer dishonesty finally coming into light. All IMO of course. Remember the time when all high-performance Japanese cars had exactly 276 horsepower? Yeah...

Looks like they're pricing it firmly as a luxury product. Kind of a shame, as at that price it's completely irrelevant to most people. I wonder if they're going to do a reasonably priced electrostatic like the HE60, but then given today's pricing "reasonably priced" might mean 5k or so. Either way, I was hoping for more electrostatics in the hobby, not for something that for most is a headphone equivalent of a supercar poster on a wall.

Already have a thread for it. I already flipped out over the idiotic price. Though I guess it's inline with what everyone else is doing. What I'm wondering about is what someone on head-fi mentioned - how are these going to handle the abuse that regularly comes with a pair of IEMs? I'm far from gentle with mine, and sweat, dust, impacts, being in a pocket somewhere, and generally being used on the move is not something that I see a very fragile electrostatic driver enduring for long. I do admit that I'm tempted by an electrostatic IEM, but probably not for $3k, and probably not from Shure, given that I pretty much hated most of their IEMs that I've heard. Treble spikes the size of the Himalayas aren't really my thing... could be the fit, of course.

Utterly ridiculous price, kind of insulting for people that actually waited for an electrostatic alternative to the SR-001 that didn't have the ergonomic compromises. But the technology sounds fascinating, and it will be interesting to see where this goes. Jude's reviews are basically product announcements and should be treated as such.

I would like a Lambda that doesn't suck, mainly for more casual listening than the 007. The 007 is great but the finnicky fit and comfort aren't ideal. If I can get a Lambda that isn't brighter than a bus full of MIT students and still has that airy open thing going on that would be great. Also provided it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Whoever posted over there that the look seems to be catering to the New Russian demographic is probably onto something. The price, if indeed that's what it is, is absurd. This is Sennheiser saying "look at how prestigious we are" and not "hey let's finally release a headphone you've all been waiting for." But then I guess that's what the original HE90 was too, if maybe slightly less insane. Parallels to the speaker market indeed. I don't want to see the headphone hobby pushing out everyday enthusiasts just because it can.

This sucks. Hope you get well and everything works out!

If they were really getting smart, they'd normalize prices across regions, or at the very least make them more fair, and make sure their regional distibutors are at least competent. I get that they're a small company and all but when dealing with you is a pain, you're hurting your business regardless of what you do. Sure they have to cover distribution costs, but they need to understand the importance of customer good will. Would be nice if we could source 009 pads regardless. Though maybe public forums aren't a place to disclose where.

Picked up a new 007A off PJ. Birgir doesn't lie, it's a good one. Next to the Mk1 it's kinda like a young whiskey next to an aged whiskey, not quite as refined or mild mannered but with more punch and bite. The highs seem more present, the mids are close to the Mk1 if not quite as lush, and the dynamics seem a bit improved if anything, though maybe it's the highs. I haven't done the bass port mod so I can't comment on the bass, save that in stock form it's a tad uneven but quite good already. It's a keeper. Maybe if I completely lose my mind I'll get a 009 and compare, but for now I'm talking myself out of it. Now I just need to fix up the Mk1.

Happy birthday! Raising some homebrew mead in your honor.

I think the best person for the job would be... Rowan Atkinson. Not that the BBC can actually afford to hire Rowan Atkinson or that he'd agree to the job, but he's probably the most qualified I can think of, both in terms of being entertaining, understanding cars, and being able to direct the show creatively. Chris Evans I'm not sure about. Steve Coogan might fit the bill too, but not as well. Either way, it'll be kinda sad and grim watching what's left, but I hope to be pleasantly surprised. Also, where's Clarkson? I expected an announcement about the new non-Top Gear Top Gear already.

Now that we kinda know everything... I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, Jeremy's actions are inexcusable, and in a normal work environment, anybody that did that should get the sack immediately. On the other hand, it's not a normal work environment, and he's Jeremy. I'm not sure the same standards apply to him that apply to everybody else. Yes, I know I'm on rickety ice here, but I think the quality of the product they made gives everybody a big incentive to turn a blind eye to this kind of thing. I know Jeremy is obsessed with 70s rock stars, and I think he kinda sees himself as one. If Keith Moon could get away with these kinds of antics, why can't he? Unfortunately for him, this isn't the 70s, this is the UK in 2015 in the age of politically correct, overly sensitive hypocrisy and no one will let this sort of thing slide anymore. In this case, they may even be right, too. In the end, everybody loses, at least for a while, but most of all, the BBC. I'm sure the lads will do what Fifth Gear did and move onto another network and redo the show, while the BBC just lost its biggest claim to relevance.

If they sack Clarkson, I fully expect entire Top Gear crew to simply leave as a unit and move onto another TV network, and re-do the show under another name. I'm not sure if the BBC can potentially file an intellectual property lawsuit if they simply re-do the formula without altering it in any way, but I'm sure they'll figure it out. Anyway, I'm reasonably confident that in one way or another, the boys will be back. You don't walk away from the world's most popular show at the height of its success, especially when the team behind it clearly wants to keep going. Clarkson's rant is, as usual, excessive but not unwarranted. Also, Clarkson isn't the only one at risk of losing his job here. To my eye, Danny Cohen clearly made himself appear as the chief villain in this calamity, and when the ratings inevitably tank he may find himself on the chopping block next.

If this isn't a publicity stunt, then the BBC has no idea how to handle the situation, or deal with high-profile talent. This should have been resolved internally, quietly, with no fuss, and without suspending the world's most celebrated show. Sure, Clarkson acted like a pillock, but come on, high-profile celebrities often act like pillocks and as a producer or television director it is your job to make sure that the whole show keeps going regardless. Instead, we have episodes suspended on a whim, dirty laundry being aired out in public, and a whole bunch of irritated viewers who just want their show back. This is very unprofessional management on behalf of the BBC, and IMO the people responsible should be fired immediately.

I doubt the BBC will walk away on a whim from a show that has literally set the Guinness record for popularity. Top Gear will be back, with Clarkson. This stinks of a publicity stunt, but even if it's not, producers are replaceable.

I'm sure this has been answered a bunch of times already, but google is failing me today, so... I have a Lambda Nova Signature lying around that needs a bit of fixing. In shipping the drivers have come unglued from the baffle. Upon disassembling it I noticed that the dust cover for the left driver, the one that's glued to the baffle, has also become partially unglued from the rest of the driver. So, uh, what do I do? I've been told I need polypropylene glue to glue the drivers back to the baffle - is that what I do? What do I do about the dust cover? How do I prep the surfaces for re-gluing (they're pretty messy with bits of loose glue everywhere)? What tape do I use to attach the earpads back to the baffle? Considering my talent for preserving bits of machinery in an inoperable state for all time, I thought I'd ask first.

This sort of thing is very common in the industry. BMW has been suspected of tuning press cars for years. Hell, even Lincoln sent in a MKS for review on Pilot Supersports. There's just so much prestige wrapped up in the latest generation of hypercars that any other type of behavior would have been more surprising IMO. Overall, a very good season so far. Just when I thought they were all out of steam, they rebound. The Peugot film was hilarious last episode.

I got a Koss to Stax adapter from Darin. I can't say if it works because my ESP950 doesn't. But dealing with him was totally painless. Hopefully I (or Koss rather) will get the bloody things fixed soon.

So their solution is to prevent you from shutting your car off when the car's moving. What are you going to do if the brakes fail, or when the gas pedal sticks? Seems like they're solving one issue by introducing a potentially far more dangerous one.

Man, this sucks. Looking at those pictures, you're really lucky to be alive. Right now, I think you need to focus on the positives, not the negatives, remember that the pain will pass, and most of all you need to do whatever you can to ensure the best long-term health for you and your daughter. As others have said, school isn't going anywhere, and there's no rush. Hang in there. I can only wish you both all the best.

Reasonably good special. Predictable, not better than the last one, but still quite enjoyable. The Alfa and the Vette both look brilliant.

Gee, there's a big surprise. After pissing people off for years and getting away with it because nobody takes them seriously anymore, they finally stepped on one toe too many. That's what happens when your primary selling shtick is a mix of crude bumbling slapstick and caricature nationalist xenophobia. I'm gonna say they had it coming.

Interested in seeing shots with the Art 50. So far from what I've seen I'm kinda leaning towards Kai's take on it, it seems absurdly sharp and is the perfect lens on paper but I haven't really liked the render all that much, though maybe it has been the photographer more than the lens in the images that I've seen thus far.

So let's say you have a 007 Mk1 that you bought from KuboTen hell knows how long. Let's also say that it's going intermittent every once in a while in the right channel. What do you do as far as repairing it? Are Stax willing to work on a headphone like that? Last time I tried to get them to do something they told me to go to the local distributor, which in turn told me to go straight to Stax, and in the end nothing got done.