Oldpinkman
13-01-2016, 08:42
I'll warn you up front, this is likely to be a Pinkie ramble, so tune out now if you're not in the mood. It's tax return season and I am maudlin and introspective
Sue bought me Alison Moyet - "Voice" for Christmas and I love it. Playing it all the time along with Riannon Giddens "Tomorrow is my turn" at the moment. Sue chose it from hearing "Alf" singing live on Terry Wogans radio program (allegedly). The song she heard - a favourite of both of ours - "What's it all about - Alfie?"
(When I get there, this is about "why play with HiFi"? - for those who want to skip to that bit)
You know how a tune goes round in your head? Well - "Alfie" is going round in mine. And works (gets me thinking) on so many levels. My Dad's watery eyes when I saw him and Mum off on their latest cruise having just discussed his appointment with the consultant about his Parkinsons - due 2 days after they get back. Our move to France and a new life. My daughter and men problems - and taking herself off to run the horses at Camp America again. Bits of me falling apart (corneal graft, and stuff). Spats on forums about balanced power and global warming and nonsense that doesn't matter. What's it all about?
OK - back on HiFi. With that I was about to post on my "Happy Anniversary" thread the latest from Chateau Funk in our musings and deliberations about "Pimping the PT". It's been a long while on the drawing board. We have actually tried a couple of things, but mostly its been a "conceptual" exercise. Which, to be fair, is how Arthur does most of his design. It's conceived on paper (in his head) and then tried and tested once he's worked out the theory (perhaps "idea" would be a better term). And we both tend to work that way. So we are near the end - we have pretty much worked out what we are going to try. And I am wondering if I can be bothered. What's it all about Alfie?
And that thought isn't driven be a general low. Quite the opposite. I have realised I am pretty happy with what I've now got. When I remember to pull the speakers into the room, once I have got the wrinkles out of the left speaker dust cover again, even in my "difficult" room - with the new cartridge and other bits added since starting this HiFi forum caper, and having finally addressed and fixed trace ground noise in a fit of "I'll show 'em" following the Balanced Power spat on TAS, and some power supply improvements on the PT - ...
I'm pretty happy with it. I'm really loving listening to music again. It may not be perfect, or better than yours, or the best dream system some fantasy thread can propose at a show in Chicago - but nothing is really bugging me, and its got that "ooooh" factor back full-square. Maybe I'm back to where I was for 15 years before the cantilever got ripped out of the U205, Pip started banging and crackling, the Quad 405 got noisy, and the Mission 774 needed rewiring. Utterly uninterested in HiFi - and really happy with being able to play music.
I know that will come as good news to many on this and other forums if it turns out to be true. But, really, now, in my later life, I am not interested in constantly playing with this bit and that bit to see if they make a tiny difference (or a big one), and whether A is better than B or C. I am just interested in whether anything bugs me and needs fixing. And right now - nothing does.
But we have come an awfully long way with project "pimp PT" - so maybe just one last fiddle?
What's it all about - Alfie? :scratch:
:cool:
Sue bought me Alison Moyet - "Voice" for Christmas and I love it. Playing it all the time along with Riannon Giddens "Tomorrow is my turn" at the moment. Sue chose it from hearing "Alf" singing live on Terry Wogans radio program (allegedly). The song she heard - a favourite of both of ours - "What's it all about - Alfie?"
(When I get there, this is about "why play with HiFi"? - for those who want to skip to that bit)
You know how a tune goes round in your head? Well - "Alfie" is going round in mine. And works (gets me thinking) on so many levels. My Dad's watery eyes when I saw him and Mum off on their latest cruise having just discussed his appointment with the consultant about his Parkinsons - due 2 days after they get back. Our move to France and a new life. My daughter and men problems - and taking herself off to run the horses at Camp America again. Bits of me falling apart (corneal graft, and stuff). Spats on forums about balanced power and global warming and nonsense that doesn't matter. What's it all about?
OK - back on HiFi. With that I was about to post on my "Happy Anniversary" thread the latest from Chateau Funk in our musings and deliberations about "Pimping the PT". It's been a long while on the drawing board. We have actually tried a couple of things, but mostly its been a "conceptual" exercise. Which, to be fair, is how Arthur does most of his design. It's conceived on paper (in his head) and then tried and tested once he's worked out the theory (perhaps "idea" would be a better term). And we both tend to work that way. So we are near the end - we have pretty much worked out what we are going to try. And I am wondering if I can be bothered. What's it all about Alfie?
And that thought isn't driven be a general low. Quite the opposite. I have realised I am pretty happy with what I've now got. When I remember to pull the speakers into the room, once I have got the wrinkles out of the left speaker dust cover again, even in my "difficult" room - with the new cartridge and other bits added since starting this HiFi forum caper, and having finally addressed and fixed trace ground noise in a fit of "I'll show 'em" following the Balanced Power spat on TAS, and some power supply improvements on the PT - ...
I'm pretty happy with it. I'm really loving listening to music again. It may not be perfect, or better than yours, or the best dream system some fantasy thread can propose at a show in Chicago - but nothing is really bugging me, and its got that "ooooh" factor back full-square. Maybe I'm back to where I was for 15 years before the cantilever got ripped out of the U205, Pip started banging and crackling, the Quad 405 got noisy, and the Mission 774 needed rewiring. Utterly uninterested in HiFi - and really happy with being able to play music.
I know that will come as good news to many on this and other forums if it turns out to be true. But, really, now, in my later life, I am not interested in constantly playing with this bit and that bit to see if they make a tiny difference (or a big one), and whether A is better than B or C. I am just interested in whether anything bugs me and needs fixing. And right now - nothing does.
But we have come an awfully long way with project "pimp PT" - so maybe just one last fiddle?
What's it all about - Alfie? :scratch:
:cool: