Overwhelmed?,.. constantly!
Frustrated at times too.
I can't speak for all, but for me it's been a journey of knowledge. 30-years in my case.
Today, for the most part, I find myself second guessing. Things like "should I have done point-to-point with silver wire?", or "would the five-dollar resistors have sounded that much better?"
Enjoy the journey, cherish the knowledge, and the things our human hands create. That's the fun. That's the pay-off. It's a rather remarkable hobby, I think.
Chris
Frustrated at times too.
I can't speak for all, but for me it's been a journey of knowledge. 30-years in my case.
Today, for the most part, I find myself second guessing. Things like "should I have done point-to-point with silver wire?", or "would the five-dollar resistors have sounded that much better?"
Enjoy the journey, cherish the knowledge, and the things our human hands create. That's the fun. That's the pay-off. It's a rather remarkable hobby, I think.
Chris
Being overwhelmed in this hobby just means that you don't have enough hobbies.
Get outside and do something else like maintain a lawn to within 1 inch height the entire year.
Or rebuild a car.
Or garden.
Diversifying your interests is good for the mind.
Get outside and do something else like maintain a lawn to within 1 inch height the entire year.
Or rebuild a car.
Or garden.
Diversifying your interests is good for the mind.
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Top left corner of the page..
diy Audio
projects by FANATICS, for FANATICS.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject". By either description the fanatic displays very strict standards and little tolerance for contrary ideas or opinions. ..Winston Churchill.
says it all really
diy Audio
projects by FANATICS, for FANATICS.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject". By either description the fanatic displays very strict standards and little tolerance for contrary ideas or opinions. ..Winston Churchill.
says it all really
"To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often." - Winston Churchill.
and
Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future. - Same Dude
and
Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future. - Same Dude
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You don't learn unless you make a mistake.
For me something that works first time is a let down.
It doesn't become a challenge if it works first time.
Electronics is always changing with new methods and chips coming along.
The same with software. New compilers come along with ever more powerful functions.
For me something that works first time is a let down.
It doesn't become a challenge if it works first time.
Electronics is always changing with new methods and chips coming along.
The same with software. New compilers come along with ever more powerful functions.
After going through numerous types of speakers, some commercial some home built, my last build OB with FR doing most of the work, 2X15 a side for low end and a tweeter to fill in for my age related HF roll off, I'm happy happy happy.... I am too busy listening to the music these days to agonise over the sound, I have got it to a level I am happy with and can play it at volumes I am happy with without distortion.
Well not quite, I agonise over what will be my next photographic adventure, and where I can get more victims for doing portrait shots, and dare I spend anymore money on ink (I like prints, big prints 8x10 or A4 is often my smallest🙂
I do agonise over the misinformation that is often put around that gives our hobby a bad reputation often...
Well not quite, I agonise over what will be my next photographic adventure, and where I can get more victims for doing portrait shots, and dare I spend anymore money on ink (I like prints, big prints 8x10 or A4 is often my smallest🙂
I do agonise over the misinformation that is often put around that gives our hobby a bad reputation often...
So did I......until they took my Kodachrome away.
Cibachrome too. My darkroom went to scrap and I never got into the digital scene.I can't say I fully agree, I've spent a lot more time and money on this than expected yes, and much much more than I expected on tools and measuring equipment, however I have enjoyed it and it is a hobby that has entertained me greatly.
Furthermore, purhaps I have allways been lucky, but I have always been succesful (eventually) with my designs, and will happily put them against commercial offerings.
One big advantage we have is time - we can put an awful lot of effort into effective cabinet construction that should out-do any speaker under the 5-digit range. We can refine a speaker constantly, weather it be passive or active at the crossover. We design our speakers for our own listening environment, we voice them to our own tastes and purpose.... Those kind of advantages can't be gained in commercial designs.
Admittedly, I could have spent the money I've spent on this hobby on a set of speakers, amp, dac and CD player... but then I wouldn't have the equivalent of £10k+ worth of 'comercial' speakers sitting in the cupboard would I?
And to be blunt, when I finally decide on and build my home speakers, I'll be happy to put them against anything under £10k, even if they are based on sb acoustics drivers
Furthermore, purhaps I have allways been lucky, but I have always been succesful (eventually) with my designs, and will happily put them against commercial offerings.
One big advantage we have is time - we can put an awful lot of effort into effective cabinet construction that should out-do any speaker under the 5-digit range. We can refine a speaker constantly, weather it be passive or active at the crossover. We design our speakers for our own listening environment, we voice them to our own tastes and purpose.... Those kind of advantages can't be gained in commercial designs.
Admittedly, I could have spent the money I've spent on this hobby on a set of speakers, amp, dac and CD player... but then I wouldn't have the equivalent of £10k+ worth of 'comercial' speakers sitting in the cupboard would I?
And to be blunt, when I finally decide on and build my home speakers, I'll be happy to put them against anything under £10k, even if they are based on sb acoustics drivers
I sell PCBCAD software and I would says 1% of customers are overwhelmed by the PCB design software.
Some people struggle installing the software because they cant follow simple instructions.
I had one user get in touch because he couldn't work the "open file" Windows dialogue screen. He didn't know how to choose a file then click on "open". If he cant work Windows then he will never work CAD software.
I guess its just statistics that 1% of people are going to have problems and I have to accept that.
Probably the biggest problem I get is people who are moving over to my software from another vendors. How dare my software work differently from the one they are used to !
Some people struggle installing the software because they cant follow simple instructions.
I had one user get in touch because he couldn't work the "open file" Windows dialogue screen. He didn't know how to choose a file then click on "open". If he cant work Windows then he will never work CAD software.
I guess its just statistics that 1% of people are going to have problems and I have to accept that.
Probably the biggest problem I get is people who are moving over to my software from another vendors. How dare my software work differently from the one they are used to !
So did I......until they took my Kodachrome away.
I used to do Cibachromes. Black paper.
You should get a digital camera. You can make beautiful prints on a printer.
There are 2 big things about digital photography. Zero cost to press the button. Instant feedback.
I can take a photo with my phone and post it here. It makes communicating some things trivial that once would have been a struggle.
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I'm a Tech Support Engineer, helping large businesses with "Business Intelligence". My personal list of "Stupid customer tricks" is pretty lengthy... Rule #1: "Customers lie."
"No, I followed the directions exactly." can mean, "Actually, I started with step 3"
"No, I followed the directions exactly." can mean, "Actually, I started with step 3"
.
Oh, I have several including a Canon DSLR, but I still miss the old ways and all the darkroom tricks that I spent years learning. My neighbor worked at the same place I did, and we each had darkrooms. His was set up for Cibachrome, and mine Ektacolor, so we each used each other's stuff depending on whether we did slides or negatives. Cibachrome was processed in a rollerized drum, and Ektacolor used trays. I made sets of "electric trays" in 8 X 10, and 16 X 20. They had a series string of 1 ohm resistors epoxied into the bottom of each and a home made controller to regulate the temp.
I have been using digital photography for all the pictures I post here and on my web site since the mid 80's, but I have never taken the time to learn any of the image processing software that's out there, so my "lightroom" skills are near zero.
I worked in a stereo store for a couple of years back in the early 70's. The store was next to the University of Miami, a large and expensive private school. We all had stupid customer trick stories. Most customers are genuinely interested in figuring out how to solve their problems, but a significant portion want to blame their problems on you.
"YOU sold me this piece of....." I know we did, but you still can not plug the speaker cables into the wall outlet." True story....a UM student.
In another incident, an older guy with long grey hair shows up in a Corvette with a younger woman, shops for a while, and drops about $2,000 on the top of the line Acoustic Research system. Two days later he is back, one of the speakers has a blown woofer. We swap it, he leaves. Two days later he is back with another blown woofer. I get elected to go to the customer's house and have him show me how this happened. He walks in, puts Led Zeppelin Two on the turntable, cues up Whole Lotta Love, and dimes the volume control! He says that he likes it LOUD. I explain to him that the best way to get LLLOOOUUUDDD is to buy two more speakers, hook all 4 up and it would be louder, and never blow up. Two more speakers and he is a happy customer.
After that I got a job at the Motorola plant where two way radios and cell phones were made. For 10 years (74 to 84) I did factory floor support, a general Mr. Fixit for the factory. Again a significant portion of the factory technicians want to blame you for them not being able to do their job. A few would even break something when they weren't able to make their quota.
In both cases I estimate the percentage of problem customers to be about 10%.
I used to do Cibachromes as well -- but probably stopped 15 years ago (Had a Minolta color head for the Beseler.) Just threw out the last of the bleach.
Thought this cartoon from the New Yorker sums up the hobby:
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Yes, I remember Cibachrome, reversal process as well as the rest of the color darkroom. Pretty much lost it all after getting married, 30+ years ago. No time. I find my inkjet printer does better than I ever did (being colorblind doesn't help).
Oh, yeah, Stupid Customer Tricks. Sole an entire B&O system to a San Francisco heir to a coffee fortune. Next week, he came in to ask, "what stations should I set the presets to?". When told he should pick his favorite stations, he said, "You mean I get to choose?"
Oh, yeah, Stupid Customer Tricks. Sole an entire B&O system to a San Francisco heir to a coffee fortune. Next week, he came in to ask, "what stations should I set the presets to?". When told he should pick his favorite stations, he said, "You mean I get to choose?"
If the hobby wasn't challenging then it would quickly become boring.
There's nothing like an exploding pcb to get you back to the drawing board and thinking things through again.
My first DIY amplifier pcb project from Maplin was a complete failure, it just burned up.
I then had a choice, bin it and forget it or try to find out what I did wrong.
I chose the second option. Then I studied electronics for a while. I then did my City and Guilds in electronics. Got a job and have designed electronics for 35 years+
I now design my own amplifiers.
There's nothing like an exploding pcb to get you back to the drawing board and thinking things through again.
My first DIY amplifier pcb project from Maplin was a complete failure, it just burned up.
I then had a choice, bin it and forget it or try to find out what I did wrong.
I chose the second option. Then I studied electronics for a while. I then did my City and Guilds in electronics. Got a job and have designed electronics for 35 years+
I now design my own amplifiers.
Overwhelming atm yes. I haven't done any real audio design in 20 years or so. And coming back to Amplifier building, now there are so many resources. There is may more choice. And the support here is excellent.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Yes , 7 years is a long time.
I'm nearly burned out on amplifiers ! 😀
But at least I know you can match or far exceed most mid-fi , and even
touch the high end - as DIY.
I guess it is still a challenge to incorporate / reverse engineer some of the high
end "tricks" into your designs.
I'm about to move into preamps/ power supllies/dacs/ and speakers.
I'm almost bored with amps. 🙁
OS
I'm nearly burned out on amplifiers ! 😀
But at least I know you can match or far exceed most mid-fi , and even
touch the high end - as DIY.
I guess it is still a challenge to incorporate / reverse engineer some of the high
end "tricks" into your designs.
I'm about to move into preamps/ power supllies/dacs/ and speakers.
I'm almost bored with amps. 🙁
OS
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