sorry I dont see the parallel Richard, what exactly are they the best at? what lasting impression will it make? how many other competitors will get nowhere, do nothing at the same time as the 'winner' but waste just as much resources?. i'm willing to bet leaving class A amps on 24/7 for the rest of your life will not touch the energy used in a season of one boat and at the end of it, the boat is back in the same place it started ...
for the record I think leaving big class A amps on 24/7 is irresponsible too ...
something's gotta give
for the record I think leaving big class A amps on 24/7 is irresponsible too ...
something's gotta give
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yes, but the amp is made to stay still, its made to make music, it does that quite well standing still. a boat is meant to take you (and hopefully someone else if needed) somewhere, because you needed to get there and do something, or pick something up and bring it back. it has utility, if racing boats need to get from one place to another they mostly load them on a truck ...
dont get me wrong, some motor racing is making steps to get the power to the ground better, reduce consumption to get the same speed, use less polluting fuels etc. huge things like that and drag racing etc, they just find ways to dump more fuel into them faster to make more power; hopefully without blowing them up.
i'm all for doing things better, but not at any cost ...
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Your know Richard, when I first came across this forum I rather naively thought that everyone here was aiming to create the very best audio reproduction that is possible . . . but over the years I have realised that there many different mixes of motivations amoungst the members here - for instance some really prefer a design that is simple rather than a design that performs the best, others want or need their builds to be cheap and yet others want their designs to be "green".
I would be genuinely interested to know how what percentage of the people here aim for no holds barred very best performance.
Let's leave aside for now what "very best performance" actually means to each of us I'm just curious about the motivation thing.
... but entirely predictable ... in fact it was predicted haha nice one Scott
What can I say
. Frankly a $1000 Las Vegas hamburger deprives society of very little more nurishment than a Micky'd's one. That stuff is not worth talking about.
A wing in ground effect craft is an airplane, not a boat.
A hydroplane on the other hand is a boat, not an airplane.
One uses air for lift, other water.
One flies, the other planes, and has trimflaps in the water.
For me the saddest thing about so many of the rich is the lack of imagination. Particularly their tastes in architecture --- one sprawling mausoleum after another. And then, the garish clothing, ugly jewelry. It was interesting that the company behind various luxury brands decided to try to distance themselves from the Cristal-guzzling hip hop artists.
There are assuredly exceptions to this. But in general, I don't envy the rich. A mathematical physicist I know said he would like to be Bill Gates, and I said I don't think you realize what that would be like, nor do I think you would really enjoy it.
There are assuredly exceptions to this. But in general, I don't envy the rich. A mathematical physicist I know said he would like to be Bill Gates, and I said I don't think you realize what that would be like, nor do I think you would really enjoy it.
sorry I dont see the parallel Richard, what exactly are they the best at? what lasting impression will it make? how many other competitors will get nowhere, do nothing at the same time as the 'winner' but waste just as much resources?. i'm willing to bet leaving class A amps on 24/7 for the rest of your life will not touch the energy used in a season of one boat and at the end of it, the boat is back in the same place it started ...
for the record I think leaving big class A amps on 24/7 is irresponsible too ...
something's gotta give
Hmmm. Let me try this... it isnt about being the winner but trying to do your best in your chosen endevor... be it Class A tubes, phono preamps or H1 racing. here we are trying to make the best audio gear. That in itself is wasteful. No one really needs it to exist. It's a luxury few on the planet can afford to spend time and money on. I dont feel guilty for it but rather I feel fortunate to be able to waste so much time and energy on the arts.
-RNM
In the realms of wealth, one often recognises the trailer park.
(aka : pas de noblesse, pas d'oblige.
)
A yes from me, at 2 levels: an ultimate performance system, capable of hitting of the order of 132dB peaks with no subjectively audible distortion, able to replicate every actual acoustic experience with sound levels up to that point, such that a blindfolded listener highly knowledgable of and experienced with the 'real' can't pick it; and, maximum performance at every price level, the biggest bang for the buck, down to the "silly" - a $100 'boombox' which does everything right which is possible within that price constraint.
Should probably go on the poll thread, but relevant to here: when I was a youngy, going to high school, I lived right next to a new shopping centre, which had tiered concrete parking levels, half open at points. They held a hod rod show on a one of the inbetween levels, and I was standing next to one beast that was meant for go, not show, when they started it up ...
The sound was unbelievable - absolutely raw, untamed power, it was revving, backfiring and spluttering through minimal extractors, blasting great streams of burning fuel for many feet, the sound ricochetted off the concrete surfaces to ear-splitting crescendos -- to this day it sticks strongly in my memory bank ...
Now, a sound system that could recreate that impact would be worthy of some accolades ...
The sound was unbelievable - absolutely raw, untamed power, it was revving, backfiring and spluttering through minimal extractors, blasting great streams of burning fuel for many feet, the sound ricochetted off the concrete surfaces to ear-splitting crescendos -- to this day it sticks strongly in my memory bank ...
Now, a sound system that could recreate that impact would be worthy of some accolades ...
In 2006, I had to go into a civil war area in Nepal to help save a family there. The Moaist were trying to overthrow the fudal government/system. My friend, lisa was there and her trekking guide, Rahm, helped her get to the airport and out to Bangkok where i was. I agreed to go back with her to his 12 x 12 ft room in Kathmandu where all his family from remote village were gathered for protection. Rahm and I sat on the sidewalk curb and he said to me: "pappa, I dont think I am going to make it. I worry for my wife and what will happen to her." I said You have to make it. You have to make it!
I met his whole family in the small one room... sleeping in shifts and no money. I gave them $300 USD and then had to leave... it was too dangerous and shoot to kill at night curfew would soon set in. They did make it and the Moaist did take over the country in a bloody killing there. I send them money every quarter to send his children to school - he cant afford it. That's for saving my best friend, Lisa. It took them 2 weeks of hiding and travel thru jungles and mountains to get back to safety in Thailand. Last nov I took them all out of there for some R&R on a resort island and had a great time. I bought them some land near his village somewhere - yet to see it. I will later this year.
I have not covered how bad it was for those years in Nepal. But I know that what we do here in the comfort of our homes listening to music is not the world most of the people in the rest of the world enjoy. Lets not be petty here but do something wonderful - give it your best effort and share all.
Thx-RNMarsh
I met his whole family in the small one room... sleeping in shifts and no money. I gave them $300 USD and then had to leave... it was too dangerous and shoot to kill at night curfew would soon set in. They did make it and the Moaist did take over the country in a bloody killing there. I send them money every quarter to send his children to school - he cant afford it. That's for saving my best friend, Lisa. It took them 2 weeks of hiding and travel thru jungles and mountains to get back to safety in Thailand. Last nov I took them all out of there for some R&R on a resort island and had a great time. I bought them some land near his village somewhere - yet to see it. I will later this year.
I have not covered how bad it was for those years in Nepal. But I know that what we do here in the comfort of our homes listening to music is not the world most of the people in the rest of the world enjoy. Lets not be petty here but do something wonderful - give it your best effort and share all.
Thx-RNMarsh
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Most people appreciate that a large percentage of the world's people live in harrowing circumstances at times -- as your personal experience demonstrates. Yet, it is always worthwhile adding something of value to the sum total of what the world contains, even if it seems nominally completely irrelevant to much of humanity. As an example, how many times does one see a family living in terrible conditions, yet they still have a color TV, to bring them entertainment, and information about what's happening beyond?
Creating good sound, as a value for money exercise, to me seems a worthy enterprise ...
no Richard, I dont think you get where i'm coming from at all.
besides is it really elegant engineering and prowess to get more power by dumping ever more fuel in? getting 1200+ BHP out of a 1.6-2lt flat 10, then squeezing some more from the regenerative breaks? hmm Ive gotta give em points for effort there, but I dont think its making the world a better place either.
surely being the best involves living to fight another day? doing the best at all costs and screw the consequences isnt what I would call a good engineering solution either.
btw you are to be congratulated for your compassion and bravery, truly... but i'm not sure what relevance it has here. nobody is calling you a bad person, I sure am not!, just maybe a bit blinkered wrt some aspects of the human condition and the situation we find ourselves in, in large part to generations before me, but not helped by that many of my lot either. we are making decisions for the people who inherit the planet and the situation IS DIRE
i'm a realist, not a lefty
I would not for a moment suggest that we should not strive to do our best, but that covers ALL aspects and should look forward; it should not be suicidal.
I strive to be somewhat efficient or offset my indulgences in some ways to try and be a bit neutral, to have that effort wiped out completely by someones afternoon, being 'the best' leaves a sour taste in my mouth and i'm sure it stops many even trying.
besides is it really elegant engineering and prowess to get more power by dumping ever more fuel in? getting 1200+ BHP out of a 1.6-2lt flat 10, then squeezing some more from the regenerative breaks? hmm Ive gotta give em points for effort there, but I dont think its making the world a better place either.
surely being the best involves living to fight another day? doing the best at all costs and screw the consequences isnt what I would call a good engineering solution either.
btw you are to be congratulated for your compassion and bravery, truly... but i'm not sure what relevance it has here. nobody is calling you a bad person, I sure am not!, just maybe a bit blinkered wrt some aspects of the human condition and the situation we find ourselves in, in large part to generations before me, but not helped by that many of my lot either. we are making decisions for the people who inherit the planet and the situation IS DIRE
i'm a realist, not a lefty
I would not for a moment suggest that we should not strive to do our best, but that covers ALL aspects and should look forward; it should not be suicidal.
I strive to be somewhat efficient or offset my indulgences in some ways to try and be a bit neutral, to have that effort wiped out completely by someones afternoon, being 'the best' leaves a sour taste in my mouth and i'm sure it stops many even trying.
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