A new $7000 CD Player? Insane.

[MattHooper]

There is SO MUCH 'blingtastic' and 'aspirational' and 'look at my big $$$ gear' BS in the other forums that it was nice to have this site be something completely different.

That’s too bad you feel that way. I personally love looking at other peoples set-ups, whether they are modest or whether they are elaborate. If they are deeply satisfied, happy, even proud, good on them. I don’t see any reason to begrudge somebody their happiness, especially if it’s the result of their passion? I see it as part of a community sharing a hobby.

It's not very different anymore and that's a bummer.

Really? Where are you seeing this influx of people posting blingy systems full of braggadocio? Does something like the “ most beautiful speakers in the world” thread offend you perhaps? Do you want no pictures posted at all? Or some particular cap on what somebody has paid in order for them to post about their system so as to not offend?

You seem to be offended or annoyed about something, but it’s still pretty vague. In my case above, as I said, I was offering my self with a target on my back to investigate what you found to be “ too far.” I’m pretty squeamish about mentioning what I paid for anything, which is why I was only offering it for critique. This is not the place where you’re going to get admiration for overpaying on old technology!

It also seems obvious that there are a number of quiet ASR trolls whose game appears to be endless posting about the virtues of audio subjectivity and chastising those who might question $$$ spent on audio baubles, usually not so aggressively that they get canned but enough to gum up the works.

You must have a finer eye for this stuff that I do. I’m not seeing very much of that.

Also, my feeling is the word “ troll” is inflammatory and often not terribly helpful, including when it is flung out with no specifics.

It’s sort of like walking into a party and saying “ a few of you are real arrogant assholes, but I’m not going to defend that claim and tell you who I’m talking about.” Sort of flings mud into the place indiscriminately. And the possible targets are given no opportunity to correct possible mischaracterizations of their views
.
I’d say ASR has indeed had the occasional visitor who fits the term “troll,” - all of them banned I think - but rarely does that term fit someone who sticks around. So I’m guessing at this point you are probably using the term a little bit liberally.

 

[G|force]

All I know is geckos make a mess of expensive video cards with that coating when they do their business on it...

That sounds like an anecdote handed down from some grapevine - can you show real data from your own testing or dissection of such video cards?
Links to the work that led you make that proclamation? Thank you John.

 

[Mart68]

The site owner uses Mark Levinson amplification. Last time I looked you can't buy that for £200 on Ali Baba.

There are numerous forums wherein the story above would resonate bigly. I enjoyed ASR much more when stories like this would have earned multiple "uh huh" and eye-rolling posts in response. There is SO MUCH 'blingtastic' and 'aspirational' and 'look at my big $$$ gear' BS in the other forums that it was nice to have this site be something completely different.

It's not very different anymore and that's a bummer.

It also seems obvious that there are a number of quiet ASR trolls whose game appears to be endless posting about the virtues of audio subjectivity and chastising those who might question $$$ spent on audio baubles, usually not so aggressively that they get canned but enough to gum up the works.

The site owner uses Mark Levinson amplification. Last time I looked you can't buy that for £200 on Ali Baba.

I'm not going to make excuses for paying the extra to have something good looking and well built, especially when I interact with it almost every day.

The difference here is that no-one claims the extra spend bought them extra sound.

 

[G|force]

Names and brands
Anybody who remembers Mark Levinson Model 33 mono's from the '90's - a name under a brand owned by another name under a name 25 years before Samsung

 

[G|force]

...Still wouldn't mind owning a pair if they were left on the porch...

 

[restorer-john]

That sounds like an anecdote handed down from some grapevine - can you show real data from your own testing or dissection of such video cards?
Links to the work that led you make that proclamation? Thank you John.

You're a funny guy.

 

[restorer-john]

...Still wouldn't mind owning a pair if they were left on the porch...

Ask Amir, his monos were out of action a while back. They'll be out for kerbside collection soon enough.

 

[EJ3]

That sounds like an anecdote handed down from some grapevine - can you show real data from your own testing or dissection of such video cards?
Links to the work that led you make that proclamation? Thank you John.

Where John lives, if your home does not have Geckos inside, you are considered un-lucky.
I spent a month over that way (I lived on Islands in the Indian Ocean & the Western Pacific) for 17 years) & spent about 35 days with a rental apartment in Fremantle, Australia.
On both the Islands & Freemantle/Perth the gecko thing holds true. If you can keep geckos out of your home & out of your things, you have done a heroic job.
Similar to the Palmetto Bugs we have here on James Island, SC that apparently like to consume the glue used in electronics (circuit boards & other parts).
I may be wrong (my wife says that I have been wrong before, I told her that I thought that I was wrong once but I was mistaken).
But I suspect that in the part of Australia that John is in, it is also a truth via personal empirical knowledge about the Gecko's.
I guess that you just had to be there.

 

[NoMoFoNo]

I suspect that what Southerners call Palmetto Bugs are what I call gigantic cockroaches. I remember people on the East Coast calling the smaller ones 'water bugs', a name that I assume evokes less 'ick' than cockroach.

 

[Sal1950]

But I suspect that in the part of Australia that John is in, it is also a truth via personal empirical knowledge about the Gecko's.

I don't know the level of infestation for Gecko's down-under.
Here in Central FL they are everywhere by the trillions and you have to keep things closed tight not have a house full.

I suspect that what Southerners call Palmetto Bugs are what I call gigantic cockroaches. I remember people on the East Coast calling the smaller ones 'water bugs', a name that I assume evokes less 'ick' than cockroach.

Everyone seems to want to create fancy names for their roaches.
It's then easier to deny there are any in your neighborhood. LOL

 

[EJ3]

I suspect that what Southerners call Palmetto Bugs are what I call gigantic cockroaches. I remember people on the East Coast calling the smaller ones 'water bugs', a name that I assume evokes less 'ick' than cockroach.

Most people here just call them cockroaches (little cockroaches [called German cockroaches], cockroaches [normal sized ones] and as you say gigantic ones that annoy the hell out of you when they get into your home (you think that you have a hole in your home big enough to let them in [typically they come in with your groceries or some package you brought them in with]) which are likely called Palmetto bugs here because they are seen a lot on Palmetto trees. Yep, I've heard water bugs but I attribute that to more inland areas that have fresh water, such a rivers & lakes.
At any rate, a fair amount of them seem to like the glue inside the electronics & then grow enough that they cannot get out of the electronics then have babies that never leave the electronics & then the electronics quits working.
It can be a viscous cycle and something that needs to be on ones cleaning regimen list to pay attention to.

 

[Doodski]

I suspect that what Southerners call Palmetto Bugs are what I call gigantic cockroaches. I remember people on the East Coast calling the smaller ones 'water bugs', a name that I assume evokes less 'ick' than cockroach.

This a water bug and they are venomous. I was stung in the thumb and it hurt like a lot for hours.

Belostomatidae - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Sal1950]

This a water bug and they are venomous. I was stung in the thumb and it hurt like a lot for hours.

Belostomatidae - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

OH YUCK !

 

[restorer-john]

1.- If you are using firefox, it is easy

Type in the address bar: about:config and click on “I'll be careful, I promise!”.
Find in the new window using a search tool: referer.
Double-click on the line “network. http. sendRefererHeader” and change the value from “2” to “0” and click “OK”.

Clever, but as I found out, there is collateral damage and it breaks some sites such as HiFi engine...

Reverted to value "2" and all is well again.

 

[HammersRocco]

Clever, but as I found out, there is collateral damage and it breaks some sites such as HiFi engine...

Reverted to value "2" and all is well again.

Of course - like anything, some might rely on it. Only intention was to get one over Darko!

 

[Doodski]

there is collateral damage and it breaks some sites such as HiFi engine...

Breaking the Hi-Fi Engine account login stuff would be a major pain and additionally HiFi Engine is not accepting new accounts and it's been that way for months.