Here’s a thread for us to rescue one another from pointless fixations, inescapable obsessions, and never-ending doubts about our gear. What sends you plummeting into the abyss of audio nervosa? How can we bring each other back safely?
Queries and advice would be welcome for those of us who worry their turntables aren’t set up quite right, or for those who are concerned that their new headphones are lemons or unicorns (given the reputation of some companies for product variation), or those who fear their components don’t work together synergistically.
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So, here’s the template / mock-up of the new custom floor mats for my wife’s 1964 turquoise Olds F-85. The original mats are rubber, and over the years have gotten a bit shiny and less pliant. I figure they were a dealer option, because they say “Oldsmobile” and are shaped correctly, and are turquoise, but they don’t give a model name. Things changed every year back then anyway, and the graphic for the F-85 that Barbara’s Grandpa bought was only used for a short while.
Oh snap. I just read your thread title. It’s not Auto Nervosa Therapy after all.
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Beyond auto nervosa… (and auto audio would totally count)… I’ve got one nagging thought that’s keeping me awake these days. I spent many moons saving up for a pair of Campfire Audio Andromeda IEMs. I’d given them a couple of decent, fairly long test-drives and loved ‘em. And then, just as I was about to buy them, CA released the 2020. The reviews were highly laudatory and most folks seemed to favor the new version over the old - but not everyone. Some lamented the loss of the treble sparkle of old; the new Andros are said to be appreciably darker. I was mulling all this over when a good deal came up for a pair of used 2020s, and I snagged them. I love them. too, and there’s next to nothing that I dislike about them—except for the sneaking suspicion that I’d prefer the treble extension of the original, and that it would improve my enjoyment of certain genres like classical music.
Is this ridiculous? Should I just get over myself and be content with the lovely IEMs I now have. Or should I pick up a used pair of the OG Andromeda to compare - they go for as “little” as $625 now - and then sell whichever I find inferior? Surely I can’t justify having both. But I could surely justify getting both (temporarily) in the name of scientific experimentation and having a proper control sample, right?
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I’ve never heard well, any of the Campfire Audio IEMs. Right now I’m really happy with the Audeze LCDi3. I never thought I’d find an IEM that I really liked. I use them plugged into my old iPad Air most of the time with the Cipher lightning cable. Have one of the Belkin “Lightning Audio Plus Charge Rockstar” dongles so I can charge and listen, although the battery is pretty good. I like the size of the old iPad for when I use ROON or Radio Paradise - I can read the comments.
It’s just fine with the iPhone 6+ too, but I don’t know how long it will be before I go to upgrade the old device. The 6+ can’t use the newer 1900 Mhz towers that Verizon and other carriers seem to use, so I could replace it next year.
Shame Apple doesn’t make a DAP. I don’t really think of the iPod as anything more than a crippled phone. I don’t know if I need a DAP anyway. Got those LCDi3 specifically because I have a lot of Apple stuff now. (Yes I have an Android tablet too, (two of them if you count the Motorola Xoom from pre-history, runs on Android Plain Yogurt)). Dap dap dapping on my chamber door. 'Tis Audio Nervosa, nothing more.
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With the record player not being setup correctly, i like to leave that to a local professional
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I think it’s a cheap option to put your mind at ease. They are ready sells, but I have heard both and think while there is some merit, if someone has the OG and asked my opinion if they should upgrade I tell them they are too similar to worry about it.
It’s still an Andromeda, it’s not drastic only slightly different.
That said, it is a easy test with no real loss of money so might be worth just to put your mind at ease
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I agree. If financially acceptable go for it and stop wondering. I’ve always felt more at ease doing this, if affordable. Treble sparkle isn’t something to neglect, especially for us classical enthusiasts.
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I owned an F-85 in the late '70s. Loved that car!!
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You do know that the most afflicted among us do not wish to be rescued from our obsessions? Would dig in our heels and force you to drag us to the EMS van for sedation?
To paraphrase a great soul song, “If this is wrong, I never want to be right”
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I heard a good line once about a guy having enough pet peeves to fill a zoo. As for audio obsessions, I thought I’d keep a lid on my other nagging thoughts if only to keep the mods from coming for me with a straightjacket. There is that small matter, though, of figuring out if 11 months of being uncertain about my LCD-2C is long enough to decide whether to sell them or not… But, yes, I hear you completely about not really wanting to be rescued.
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