Music buying AND audio upgrades, all from the comfort of your seat...where's the fun in that?

The nicest thing about banging your head against the wall is the feeling you get when you stop....

Fun in Audio? Are you sure?
Just installed cartridge on my brothers Planar2 to find out there was no left channel. Tube in the amp? No. Speaker connector fault? No. After almost 2 hours turns out it was a cartridge pin connector at fault. Oh what fun.

Plus, I'm getting older, shaky hands, bad eyesight and memory failing. TTs not for me. And just when you get into the music, click, click, click. Should've bought the uber expensive audiophile pressing of Adele.

I'll leave the fun and hard work to the SGM team and thank them for delivering sonic bliss.

Now the only time I get up is to get another beer.

You don't know what you're missing.

Pencil in Next Saturday.

Cheers

spiritofmusic said:

Just read my good friend Barry/Blue58 on the SGM server thread, and he's getting all his upgrades now done online via Ed at SGM Central
First, these server-owning guys don't even bother to leave the house to buy any music
Ok, I get that, streaming is here to stay
But I mourn the loss of all kinds of shops, record stores (and bookshops) esp
But to add insult to injury, he doesn't even have to lift himself off his seat to go out and buy an audio upgrade, Ed will just remotely upgrade his server for him via HQP programming, and voila, he has the digital equivalent of a new cart or phono, redialled in tt rig, no sweat at all
As me and my tt installer toiled away for 2 hrs resetting my analog a couple of months back, this is quite a concept

So, just where is the fun in new music, and new optimisation, with no effort at all from us?
Surely as James T Kirk used to comment on every time he materialised on a planet of uber happy, under occupied occupants, we're meant to struggle, not have everything put on a plate for us
Don't see Barry complaining LOL, he leaves that to grumpy old me!

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Hi Spirit,

Happy Easter (in whatever way that may or may not have any personal significance to you).

It's an interesting observation. Is a work of art more likely to be appreciated by the subject if the energy expenditure required by the subject in order to experience it is also greater than average?

Me? I don’t kid myself. Even in the days when I scoured through the back pages of Wire Magazine for obscure, limited release experimental noise/ambient albums exclusively available through mail order, and went into every record store I could to physically flick through row after row of avant-garde jazz releases on Hathut and JMT and FMP and DIW and Screwgun and Winter & Winter, fearing I may never again have the opportunity to obtain them, never did I think my “effort” was in any way to be thought of as equivalent to either A) the enjoyment I derived from experiencing the music, nor; B) the effort on behalf of the artist to create, produce and release it.

Yes, I think music is firstly an art form, and secondly a commodity. Given I can personally own a copy of Coltrane’s Crescent, which fundamentally, is no different than anyone else’s copy, and enjoy it for as long as I live, without needing to queue in line at the Smithsonian or Louvre is, I believe, one of the greatest gifts ever given to humanity, and one I try never to take for granted.

For me, whatever “struggle” may have occurred has always been on behalf of the artist, never the consumer.

And largely, I think this is true of the gear we own. Obviously, a turntable is only ever the sum of its parts, and the degree to which the sum of the parts brings enjoyment is partially related to the skills of the one who sets it up (and tweaks, and calibrates, and re-tweaks), but ultimately I’m paying for someone else’s blood, sweat, tears and financial risk. Mine? Not so much.

Do I miss going to record stores and tweaking VTA and VTF? Yes, but that’s mostly a time-of-life thing where I have other priorities. But even when those things become part of my life again - and they will - I’ll still consider it a privilege more than an effort, and never a struggle. Given what’s going on in the world with the separation between those who have and those who have not ever widening (and very often, at the expense of the latter) it’s difficult for me to consider my ability to freely type whatever I want on my MacBook Pro regarding luxury items costing more than most people make in a year as anything to do with my effort and mostly because of the time in history I was born, the country I was born in and my gender. Since I am fundamentally not responsible for any of those things, I cannot in good conscience take credit for my “efforts” when any effort on my part for the lifestyle I enjoy found its genesis in things outside my control.

For whatever that may be worth.

Be well,

853guy

spiritofmusic said:

Rodney, that's v astute
But you need to apply it to upgrading too, fwiw
It could be said our mutual drive for the next best thing in gear is banging one's proverbial head as well
No, my thread is that Barry is getting the digital equivalent of an upgraded cart or phono, but didn't have to even leave the house
That is pretty impressive

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Likely didn't cost him any (more) money either!

spiritofmusic said:

853, wise words as always
I was recently w my best friend from school, both of us about to turn 53
He used to be into music big time, but now streams from Torrents sites for next to no money
Looks at my Lp and cd buying w some incredulity
He has zero issues w the death of shops, streaming, he's only interested in the powers that be snooping into our lives, corporate interference in our lives, and the Sauron-like Eye watching us thru the Internet, w our behaviour patterns being logged and mapped as to our future behaviour
Me? Big Brother can watch me all day long, they're going to be mighty bored as I load up Yes "Tales From Topographic Oceans" for the umpteenth time
No, I obv have no issue really w Barry revealing he can get radical programming changes done for him
This can only be win-win
But I retain a certain reticence that a whole layer of human interaction and support of shops and stores being eliminated is the end result
Are we really only going to be happy when everything is done remotely?
Would I go back to the days of buying music in shops, and gear from high st stores? You bet I would

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Will everything be done remotely? I doubt it. I think the fact that independent cafes and boutique coffee roasters have popped up everywhere (and are for the most part, profitable - despite the ubiquity of Starbucks) suggests to me the need for face-to-face human interaction is still intact but has shifted from certain markets (record stores) toward other ones (coffee), but mostly due to the way we now consume those products.

Will there be a renaissance of high-end stores and record shops in the near future? I have no idea. But it wasn’t that long ago that the very idea of high-end turntables, arms and carts was proclaimed as having died a thousand deaths, only for retraction after retraction be printed year-on-year as vinyl made the sort of comeback even Jesus might have been impressed with.

That’s to say, if there’s one observation I think has proved to be true, it’s that when it comes to audiophilia, the flattening of the distribution curve means there’s a lot of room for smaller companies to take advantage of the long-tails. I predict new cassette decks before the decade’s out. Seriously.

For a very modern take on the world and where it may be heading let me provide a personal anecdote. I’m currently trying to decide between a Columbus-framed Ciöcc or Colnago. The plan will be to strip it to bare metal, repaint it, and fit it out with a mix of recent Campagnolo and Brooks. Perhaps some Shamals for bragging rights.

All of the “work” in restoring the frame and rebuilding the bike will be done by me. But the reality is that it was a builder in Italy in the 80’s who can take credit for the majority of it, and the Internet for the rest. Finding frames and componentry has never been easier, and it’s the long-tails of the curve that allow small-scale stores to eek out a living by rounding them up and re-selling them, and the Interwebs for giving them a global presence. Even once on the road, and the recipient of the type of comments I hope my bike will be sure to garner, the work by me will be dwarfed by the work of others. I remain overwhelmingly the beneficiary of the time I exist in, disproportionate to anything I may be able to contribute with my own effort in return.

853guy

853guy said:

Will everything be done remotely? I doubt it. I think the fact that independent cafes and boutique coffee roasters have popped up everywhere (and are for the most part, profitable - despite the ubiquity of Starbucks) suggests to me the need for face-to-face human interaction is still intact but has shifted from certain markets (record stores) toward other ones (coffee), but mostly due to the way we now consume those products.

Will there be a renaissance of high-end stores and record shops in the near future? I have no idea. But it wasn’t that long ago that the very idea of high-end turntables, arms and carts was proclaimed as having died a thousand deaths, only for retraction after retraction be printed year-on-year as vinyl made the sort of comeback even Jesus might have been impressed with.

That’s to say, if there’s one observation I think has proved to be true, it’s that when it comes to audiophilia, the flattening of the distribution curve means there’s a lot of room for smaller companies to take advantage of the long-tails. I predict new cassette decks before the decade’s out. Seriously.

For a very modern take on the world and where it may be heading let me provide a personal anecdote. I’m currently trying to decide between a Columbus-framed Ciöcc or Colnago. The plan will be to strip it to bare metal, repaint it, and fit it out with a mix of recent Campagnolo and Brooks. Perhaps some Shamals for bragging rights.

All of the “work” in restoring the frame and rebuilding the bike will be done by me. But the reality is that it was a builder in Italy in the 80’s who can take credit for the majority of it, and the Internet for the rest. Finding frames and componentry has never been easier, and it’s the long-tails of the curve that allow small-scale stores to eek out a living by rounding them up and re-selling them, and the Interwebs for giving them a global presence. Even once on the road, and the recipient of the type of comments I hope my bike will be sure to garner, the work by me will be dwarfed by the work of others. I remain overwhelmingly the beneficiary of the time I exist in, disproportionate to anything I may be able to contribute with my own effort in return.

853guy

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sounds like a wonderful project with the bike.

of course, we will need pictures when it's done.

I have everything at hand and dont have to move an inch .. My music is ripped and I use tidal .. I have a smorgasbord of new music available to me
my Devialet amps have received numerous firmware upgrades via the net .. adding many features and gained 70w as well.. Free and remotely done
All my software and room correction DIRAC and ROON ..all have got remote BIG upgrades at no cost.

Make no mistake I loved haunting record stores and boot sales but life moved on and spending the time searching rather than listening is a bit of a waste..

As to upgrades..well yes ..one gets bored and wants to try something else .. the audiophiles affliction..at least we get fun out of it..my new speakers come this week

Mike Lavigne said:

sounds like a wonderful project with the bike.

of course, we will need pictures when it's done.

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Hi Mike,

Currently leaning more toward the Ciöcc as everyman and their dog has a Colnago. It also has partially-chromed seat- and chain-stays and chromed lugs on the head tube and seat tube which I love. Like all things in my life right now, I just need the time to make it happen.

853guy

P.S. Wow. You really think WBF would want to see pictures of me in my bike shorts? They're quite tight fitting, you know. But if you really think there's a demand for that sort of thing here, I guess for the good of the forum I'll oblige.

Oh. You mean of the bike... Yes. Yes, of course... the bike.

853guy said:

Hi Mike,

Currently leaning more toward the Ciöcc as everyman and their dog has a Colnago. It also has partially-chromed seat- and chain-stays and chromed lugs on the head tube and seat tube which I love. Like all things in my life right now, I just need the time to make it happen.

853guy

P.S. Wow. You really think WBF would want to see pictures of me in my bike shorts? They're quite tight fitting, you know. But if you really think there's a demand for that sort of thing here, I guess for the good of the forum I'll oblige.

Oh. You mean of the bike... Yes. Yes, of course... the bike.

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yes. the bike. I don't have the skills to build one up like you are doing. so I bought one already built. I'm a 'sometimes' rider who got itch to buy a nice bike and pulled the trigger a few years back. I was in Aspen (on business) and walked into a bike shop there and fell in love. nothing at all 'from the comfort of your seat' about that purchase. they were happy to ship it home to me.

Mike Lavigne said:

yes. the bike. I don't have the skills to build one up like you are doing. so I bought one already built. I'm a 'sometimes' rider who got itch to buy a nice bike and pulled the trigger a few years back. I was in Aspen (on business) and walked into a bike shop there and fell in love. nothing at all 'from the comfort of your seat' about that purchase. they were happy to ship it home to me.

View attachment 32059

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You need skills? Oh man, I am so screwed. Next you'll tell me I need patience.

Lovely bike. My wife bought me a Bianchi for my 30th birthday. It was aluminium though, and me and aluminium have a rather fraught relationship.

Am rather offended you put Shimano on an Italian frame, but the fact you also have a MTB means all is forgiven.

853guy

853guy said:

You need skills? Oh man, I am so screwed. Next you'll tell me I need patience.

Lovely bike. My wife bought me a Bianchi for my 30th birthday. It was aluminium though, and me and aluminium have a rather fraught relationship.

Am rather offended you put Shimano on an Italian frame, but the fact you also have a MTB means all is forgiven.

853guy

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I'd like to say that it mattered about the Shimano, but I'm happy with the Di2 shifting.

and I do have the mountain bike which does see a bit more action with me on it.....this was back when it was clean.

853guy said:

Currently leaning more toward the Ciöcc as everyman and their dog has a Colnago. It also has partially-chromed seat- and chain-stays and chromed lugs on the head tube and seat tube which I love. Like all things in my life right now, I just need the time to make it happen.

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Have you perhaps considered a Pegoretti? Great provenance and riding qualities. That would be top of my list if I were to replace my Parlee.

Mike Lavigne said:

I'd like to say that it mattered about the Shimano, but I'm happy with the Di2 shifting.

and I do have the mountain bike which does see a bit more action with me on it.....this was back when it was clean.

View attachment 32065

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I'm teasing. I've ridden Shimano a lot and think it's brilliant. I've ridden SRAM a lot too (XO is brilliant, right?), and for my next MTB - because, hey, let's face it, there's always another - it's likely it'll be a mix of both (still prefer the modulation XTR brakes give, hated Avids, might try Formula but there's so much development going on anything's possible).

Part of the reason for rebuilding an older road frame is that I'm actually a die-hard MTBer, so I don't need a super-light, super-rigid road frame for winning crits or contesting stages (ugh). It's mostly due to the fact that I have one of those jobs that involves sitting for hours and hours everyday, and being able to get out on the road for an hour is much more practical than packing up the MTB and driving a couple of hours just to find some challenging trails. That, and I did find when I was riding road my cardio really benefitted a lot and also improved my left/right power distribution for MTBing.

Poor Spirit. Here he was thinking he had a really important thread to start and we sabotage it with bike talk.

Maniacal laugh. Maniacal laugh.

853guy

Sablon Audio said:

Have you perhaps considered a Pegoretti? Great provenance and riding qualities. That would be top of my list if I were to replace my Parlee.

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Ah, Mr. Dario Pegoretti. One man I have tremendous respect for, especially when it comes to steel (which I still prefer to aluminium and carbon).

Funny thing is, I have a few friends who've had Pegorettis and purely from a feel/ride perspective, didn't consider them superior to other steel bikes they'd owned/ridden (they found them too stiff and a little harsh, which kinda defeats the purpose of using steel). But at this level, it's so subjective (sound familiar?), and there's a lot of guys building in steel that I'd possibly approach first (Firefly, Formigli, Faggin, Vanilla, et al), especially as the wait time for a Pegoretti is now over a year (although Vanilla is longer). And if I'm spending Pegoretti money I want the frame tuned for me, whereas Dario just builds for Dario. And who am I to argue? I'm also quite light (64kg) so I tend to go for more forgiving framesets that don't beat me up. Beautiful paint work though, and truly, as close to a work of art you can get in a bike.

Like I mentioned to Mike, my heart is really with MTBing, the Ciöcc (or Colnago) will be a project bike I ride for kicks and giggles. And it's time I get my hands dirty again.

How've you found your Parlee? I had a friend distribute them when they first came on the scene and the build quality was insane.

853guy

853guy said:

How've you found your Parlee? I had a friend distribute them when they first came on the scene and the build quality was insane

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Hi, I think my Parlee (Z3C) is wonderful and really couldn't want for more. I can however see the appeal of older Italian framesets with flamby paintwork / chrome stays / record C groupsets / shamal wheels etc and still have a fully tricked-up Look KG96 stashed away from my triathlon days 25 years ago.