It’s been a shade over a year since I started this thread. I never would have guessed I would only just be departing Seattle this much later. But that’s where we are.
Next week we’ll be in Florida.
A quick diversion from there to take possession of the new boat. Then back to our new home/base for a bit (at least until we see how the global situation pans out).
Lots has happened/changed in the last year … some of it entirely random/inconsequential, some of it material, and some of it even relates to my personal-audio (headphone) listening proclivities.
Headphone/Audio Related
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I am down to what I am keeping, headphone wise; at least for now. The only variables at present are whether I keep the Aeolus and Eikon and add an Atticus and Auteur (both of which are VERY wood/finish/appearance dependent) to complete my ZMF dynamic set … or whether I just sell the Aeolus and Eikon and stick with the Vérité and Vérité Closed.
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Sennheiser’s recent announcements mean I decided to keep my HD800S and HD820. I may even snag a new production HD650 “just to be sure”.
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The emergence of a new, SOTA, planar could see me consolidating my LCD-4, RAD-0 and HE6SEV2 into a single-can solution. It’d have to have the technical prowess of the LCD-4, the tonality and efficiency of the RAD-0, the speed and sub-bass impact of the AB-1266 Phi TC, subtlety of the Susvara and comfort of the Empyrean to sway me; I’m not holding my breath … but hope holds eternal …
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I do suspect I’ll be unloading one DAP and two sets of IEMs once I’m “settled” again, but that’s too fraught with potential issues to deal with before then.
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SR1a and Vérité remain my top-two-listens, though there’s been movement beyond those.
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I have some unique (patent-pending) audio-centric site/app stuff coming up (which definitely does NOT include a general headphone discussion forum like THIS one) once settled in Florida. No good reason to formalize/incorporate that in WA at this point.
Inconsquential
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My Rubik’s cube solve time is down to an average of 40 seconds. Not speed-cuber territory, because that would require learning, and practicing, a whole new slew of algorithms, but reasonable given it’s just a product of pandemic-induced waiting/queues.
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I got my chess rating back over 2,000. Not quite to the level it was when I played seriously, but on the right path. In-person play is more rewarding than online, even though I play daily on all the major chess sites (same name on all, but not “Torq” on any).
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I learned two new languages (conversational, not written).
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I learned/adopted three new programming languages (and most common, interesting, frameworks).
Other thoughts ...
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If you’re inclined to message me on something you find on r/Headphones* or ASR, please don’t. The time you save will be your own. I don’t visit, browse or read those sites … even if you send me links** asking for comments. If there’s something I want to listen to, I can easily get my ears on it and I care little for the opinions of other’s when it comes to spending my own money.
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No, I am not a Harmon-Curve fan (any version). Not that it can’t be fun. But it doesn’t represent anything like what I hear in live performances. And while I’m not an adherent to “what the artist intended” (LOL), it’s nice when the instruments in acoustic pieces sound the way they do live.
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No, I don’t do one-off, personal, gear comparisons/recommendations anymore. Haven’t for a long time. Post on an appropriate thread here instead and you’ll get far more useful/broad feedback.
Anyway, might be around a little between here and Florida, hard to say. But mostly … see you on the other side!
*Reddit likes to describe itself as the “Front Page of the Internet”; I tend to use a different adjective in place of “Front Page”. I’m sure you can guess what that is.
**I don’t care and I don’t follow them; I have AP and GRAS setups of my own if I want to indulge in measurebation. And most of the rest of the narrative is irrelevant to me; I listen to music for enjoyment, for how it makes me feel, not what it does on a scope. But make up your own mind pursuant to whatever philosophy suits you.