John Curl's Blowtorch preamplifier

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jan.didden

jan.didden

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john curl said:
Hi end audio is a hobby (pleasure) onto itself. There is a small number of well off people who find hi end audio as relaxing, after their usual work schedule.
It has been my experience to find doctors, lawyers, financial magnates, and other professionals as my main customers. They have the money, and they don't like cheaply made goods.
For the rest of us, including engineers, we can live with more reasonable enclosures, and sometimes find DIY as an effective and fun way to get the same quality sound, without the extended price that is necessary with dealers, follow-up, fancy finishes. This is all well and good, but there is nothing wrong with the expensive route either, IF one can easily afford it, and trust me, many can.
People like me get a sample of the fruits of their efforts, and pretty good deals, usually used, on the rest of the the components that we can't build ourselves. As a hobby, it is not more expensive than electric trains, a small sailboat, or other hobby.
For many hi end designers, it is the challenge of making a better design that keeps us on our toes. While many of us are friendly on this thread, we are still strong competitors with both each other and the rest of the world. We all would like to make the best products possible, and be respected for it. There is not much financial reward as a designer in audio, today.
Why any would nit-pick at this hobby is beyond me, but many here do, without regard to our real interests or feelings of unjust criticism. What is the payoff for this?
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John,

I can only agree to this post. Audio is my hobby, I never made a dollar from it, except for some articles, but find it immensely interesting and rewarding. Maybe I'm a bit more fanatical on the science side than the next one, but I think each of us is entitled to at least one aberration ;)

Jan Didden
 
S

Sigurd Ruschkow

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Joined 2004
Jan - I find your articles interesting! Keep them coming!

I read that you have made an interview with Erno Borbely, and I really look forward to that AudioXpress article.



Best regards,
Sigurd

janneman said:



John,

I can only agree to this post. Audio is my hobby, I never made a dollar from it, except for some articles, but find it immensely interesting and rewarding. Maybe I'm a bit more fanatical on the science side than the next one, but I think each of us is entitled to at least one aberration ;)

Jan Didden
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john curl

john curl

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Jan, pointing out the fact that you have never made any money from your hobby, just means that you make your living in some other way. I generally design audio, but I have designed medical electronics, video recorders, instrumentation recorders, and military intelligence devices. So what? It doesn't make me any less or more objective to the art of audio electronics, and I tend to resent the implication that it does. Are you less honest in your dealings with whatever you do for a living, because you get a paycheck from it?
 
jan.didden

jan.didden

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linearaudio.net
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john curl said:
Jan, pointing out the fact that you have never made any money from your hobby, just means that you make your living in some other way. I generally design audio, but I have designed medical electronics, video recorders, instrumentation recorders, and military intelligence devices. So what? It doesn't make me any less or more objective to the art of audio electronics, and I tend to resent the implication that it does. Are you less honest in your dealings with whatever you do for a living, because you get a paycheck from it?
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John,

We are all honest in what we do, that's how we see ourselves. But we have a saying here in The Netherlands: "who's bread you eat, his words you speak". I'm sure the translation isn't exact, but I guess you get the point.

It's nothing dishonest or criminal, but if I sell bikes from brand x and a customer asks for brand y I will be hard pressed not to point out that my brand x would be a much better choice for him.
Let's not reject our basic human makeup. Acknowledge it, and live with it.

Jan Didden
 
Bas Horneman

Bas Horneman

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Let's not reject our basic human makeup. Acknowledge it, and live with it.
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I beg to differ.

I would have NO reservation selling someone bike X over bike Y. Even if I earn double the provision on bike Y if I thought that bike X would better suit the pocket and requirements of the buyer.

Does that make me less of a human? Because I reject my petty basic human makeup?
 
jan.didden

jan.didden

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Joined 2002
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Bas Horneman said:

I beg to differ.

I would have NO reservation selling someone bike X over bike Y. Even if I earn double the provision on bike Y if I thought that bike X would better suit the pocket and requirements of the buyer.

Does that make me less of a human? Because I reject my petty basic human makeup?
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Bas,

Are you actually in the business of selling bikes?

Jan Didden
 
Bas Horneman

Bas Horneman

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Are you actually in the business of selling bikes?
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Nope. :) But you get the gist of what I'm trying to say though...I think?

For some the principle of selling someone what they need as opposed to what you need could be more important to one person compared to another. Only if my children were dying of hunger would I "sell out" and make the money more important.
 
jan.didden

jan.didden

AX tech editor
Joined 2002
linearaudio.net
Paid Member
Bas Horneman said:

Nope. :) But you get the gist of what I'm trying to say though...I think?

For some the principle of selling someone what they need as opposed to what you need could be more important to one person compared to another. Only if my children were dying of hunger would I "sell out" and make the money more important.
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Limits are a) flexible even in hypothetical situations and b) even more so in actual situation.

What if you are just about to miss the 3rd rent payment in a row?
What if you just blew you car engine and your wife can't get to work?

Sorry for OT, I'll stop this now.

Jan Didden
 
john curl

john curl

Member
Joined 2003
We use the bigger TKD pots that are listed here at 495 Euros ea. However, you might like the cheaper TKD pots. I think they are darn good, and we evaluated them for the JC-2 preamp, however we had trouble with the motor drive. You might be OK with it, however. I found excellent tracking between channels.
 
K

KBK

Member
Joined 2003
I'm considering George's lightspeed attenuator, but done as a shunt with bypass.

That would be my directions for an attempt at a minimalist type device for maximum quality. I am referring to the idea of sonically exceeding that of a caddock/vishay/whatever shallco combination or whatnot.
 
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