Bust yes, but caps age over their life. No one can tell how much 'good' life they have in them from listening, just gross fault conditions.
Richard, You can find very good sources of music, now, for few bucks. And very good preamps as well. I mean, good enough for the "best effort" will not bring a real change. Don't agree ?
Well, I believe that, for amps, it is really difficult. Best is to build your stuff yourself. With the help of Lazy Cat, OS, and some others. And avoid the Veyron's prices ;-)
For Speakers, it is an other story. Need a look to the companies that works on the tracks of Le Clearch, on my point of view. And tune-it your way ?
There is no market for F1. Need to build you own racing team ;-)
I am sure Jacco has seen many pointlessly OTT throat warbler mangroves in his time, but the Wally Lunchboat I saw in France did seem an odd way to deal with $3.5m that the taxman might otherwise have grabbed The innovative new 70 WallyPower Motor Yacht It looks like a vietnam gunboat with a conservatory stuck on top.
Mind you with 3000 horse power it could give a new meaning to 'fast food'. A gallon a minute fuel consumption!
Mind you with 3000 horse power it could give a new meaning to 'fast food'. A gallon a minute fuel consumption!
A matter of choice, Steven You can do as you say, but you can also turn it into cash by selling it on e-aay or some such. No idea what they go for across the pond.
I always sold whatever it may be relatively esily. I have a wide circle of acquaintances with lots of friends, and an outright facist reputation for maintenance. I must add, a reputation well earned, so people know it's a safe buy from me andnot likely to die on them just like that because of hidden faults.
I think you need to experience driving a Bentley rather than judge by its looks. Try the W12, twin-turbo. The feeling is so smooth and the transmission... you never know it is shifting gears for you. You cant feel it or hear it. It is fine art against just art.
Ditto an amp you have not experienced.
I sold my modified ZR1 which could do >200 but it was the power used to accelerate that can be used anywhere.... 0-100km in less than 3.2 seconds.... in first gear! same with sota braking or handling. 6 piston Brembo against ceramic disc..... you know this is useful not only at warp speeds. You have to experience some things. Even if you do not buy it. Just to know.
Recently I had the pleasure to hear a power amp designed by another which fit all my criteria and it is truly amazing in its accurate sound of live music.. So, I have found someone to build them. Others should do same with their designs if they are SOTA... just make a single prototype and send it to me (or another). If it is truly great, I'll help find some company to make it.
THx-RNMarsh
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You are on the right track, Richard Marsh, but you will be pecked to death here for even mentioning it. '-) I feel the same way as you do, and I am striving to make an even better power amp if I can. Of course, it is big, heavy, and hot running. That is what it takes to get the voltage swing, current peaks, and overall linearity. I realize that many here think that audio designing is done, but I don't find it so.
Bryston ,
20 years of 5210/5087, steel leaded metal film resistors, aluminum electrolytic interstage coupling capacitors (often 4 to 6 in series through the signal path), a single pair of 7815-24/7915-24 regulators for an entire preamp or processor, ceramic hf bypass caps, standard diode bridges, - or it's surface mount equivalent - all the ingredients for mid-fi at it's best
20 years of 5210/5087, steel leaded metal film resistors, aluminum electrolytic interstage coupling capacitors (often 4 to 6 in series through the signal path), a single pair of 7815-24/7915-24 regulators for an entire preamp or processor, ceramic hf bypass caps, standard diode bridges, - or it's surface mount equivalent - all the ingredients for mid-fi at it's best
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RNM,
Yes I would take the Corvette that was a marvel of engineering for a fair price and they are actually driven daily over a much higher priced but beautiful Ferrari that on average are driven a couple hundred miles a year and require more time in the shop than on the road. Both beautiful and SOTA machines, but one is useful and the other is truly just a status symbol. That is no different in the audio world, useful thought out and usable products vs eye candy that may work some of the time but not all of the time. Brad Wood, OS, Dadod, Scott W, Demian, and many others could design SOTA products and make them last, they would be as good as the devices would allow and with the right industrial designer would look more than pretty. We have the talent right here, we have John C. who can make great designs if he didn't think everything needs to be gold plate metaphorically, there is no lack of talent. I would love to find the money backers who would fund my speaker designs, I have found those who can do the electronics design side, as good as they get, but none of us have the funding to fund the program, we are all working stiffs who have the ideas but not the backing. I don't want to make a product to sell to a dozen people in the world who can afford to pay ridiculous money to say they are one of a few who can afford them, I could do that with some of my older designs by just charging enough, I want to bring this quality to the masses and that is where it costs real money to do, serial production, not hand made one offs. Not handing the technology off to the Asian sources who would soon compromise the technology.
It isn't easy to produce a sota product that can be made for a cost effective price, we can all think of some exceptional gear but it is not going to change the world of music for the masses, the price is exclusionary, therein lies the quandary, how to do this on a scale that brings the masses back to listening to great sound gear. not some cheap ear buds and low rez music format. I want people talking about listening at home, inviting their friends over to listen to some new music on a great sounding set of speakers and whatever electronics we need to support that. Back like it was when I was young and we had great sounding systems in our homes and we actually sat together and listened. Perhaps for the younger among us you have to add a 4K TV and video to go with the music, I don't know what it would take to bring the kids back to the party.
Yes I would take the Corvette that was a marvel of engineering for a fair price and they are actually driven daily over a much higher priced but beautiful Ferrari that on average are driven a couple hundred miles a year and require more time in the shop than on the road. Both beautiful and SOTA machines, but one is useful and the other is truly just a status symbol. That is no different in the audio world, useful thought out and usable products vs eye candy that may work some of the time but not all of the time. Brad Wood, OS, Dadod, Scott W, Demian, and many others could design SOTA products and make them last, they would be as good as the devices would allow and with the right industrial designer would look more than pretty. We have the talent right here, we have John C. who can make great designs if he didn't think everything needs to be gold plate metaphorically, there is no lack of talent. I would love to find the money backers who would fund my speaker designs, I have found those who can do the electronics design side, as good as they get, but none of us have the funding to fund the program, we are all working stiffs who have the ideas but not the backing. I don't want to make a product to sell to a dozen people in the world who can afford to pay ridiculous money to say they are one of a few who can afford them, I could do that with some of my older designs by just charging enough, I want to bring this quality to the masses and that is where it costs real money to do, serial production, not hand made one offs. Not handing the technology off to the Asian sources who would soon compromise the technology.
It isn't easy to produce a sota product that can be made for a cost effective price, we can all think of some exceptional gear but it is not going to change the world of music for the masses, the price is exclusionary, therein lies the quandary, how to do this on a scale that brings the masses back to listening to great sound gear. not some cheap ear buds and low rez music format. I want people talking about listening at home, inviting their friends over to listen to some new music on a great sounding set of speakers and whatever electronics we need to support that. Back like it was when I was young and we had great sounding systems in our homes and we actually sat together and listened. Perhaps for the younger among us you have to add a 4K TV and video to go with the music, I don't know what it would take to bring the kids back to the party.
When I started working at a Harman company in 1990, my immediate boss had what I came to regard as an inordinate fear of d.c. offsets in a signal chain. His own designs tended to be peppered with Al electrolytics, many more IMO than were required. I wasn't confident enough to oppose this.
Maybe it arose from a bad experience with d.c. getting into level control potentiometers, but it was really over the top.
A funnier story from another division, which had some rather lame engineers, sad to say: one circuit had an electrolytic input coupling cap going to a BiFET op amp input. There was no resistor to determine the d.c. potential, but by a stroke of luck the potential assumed was within reasonable bounds. Duke Aguiar used to joke that the product worked better the more the capacitor leaked. But could it be changed? No. The manager said it works, don't touch it.
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Give-me some *new* record that I really love as I love a decade of mines, and I'll exchange all the "Hi end" equipment of the planet for it. ;-)
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