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Here I was thinking I was going to have a productive day... I didn't take any pics of the wooden boxes but they are very nice though my EX-1a box was branded as ES-2a... no matter. First off is the ES-2a and I went for the "Omega look" in terms of color. My ES-1a is all black so made sense to separate them in the collection. I like the color a lot, the finish isn't quite perfect but having been through the hell of trying to get perfect anodizing... yeah I understand that. I'm happy the outer screen has mesh in it now as that's a large part of why the Omegas sound the way they do, not that this is a copy of the Omega. I mean not really... The earpads are very nice and supple, concave similar to the newer Audeze LCD pads. A closer look at the driver face and those lover copper stators. The dust covers come with the set and I did install them as I like to keep dust out of all of my headphones. Might have some slight impact on the sound but who cares. I ordered the set with the regular cable but Benson upgraded me to the Stax Wide PC-OCC cable free of charge so thanks for that. The fit and finish of these is excellent, better than the ES-1a and that was no slouch. My main issue with them was the lack of strain relief on the headphones for the cable but that has been fixed here. EX-1a: I was pleasantly surprised when Benson told me that there would also be a cheaper version coming in the form of the EX-1a as ~1k$ headphones are sorely needed. Clearly been in the works long before Stax introduced the X1 but a take on the same Stax SR-1/2/3/3N/5/5N and X design but with much better build quality than the X1. The earcups are actually fixed to the headband and made of aluminum, not needing the new Stax mod of placing some tape over the X1 forks on new units as they won't stay in place. Very nice, all leather, earpads and it looks like leather on the headband as well. Very nice cable entry, made of soft "rubber like" material. Same plug on both sets (this has the basic 6core cable which seems to be perfectly serviceable but more on that when I get some time with them) and it is a mixture of the same rubber-like material and 3D printed end piece. Works perfectly. Now for some impressions. I've just about had an hour since I got them and spent it on the ES-2a and all I can say is... I've very, very impressed. Very neutral sound signature, a bit laid back (as if you are a couple of rows back from the performance) with a large and expansive soundstage. No lack of focus here though, they conjure a very solid stage but it's just a step back from say a 007. Very Omega like really... Treble is nice and extended, not the mess of the Stax 009 and X9000, just as detailed though . Midrange is excellent, voices have the right presence without being too forward. The bass is tight and deep, only small issue I've found would be a bit of a lack of extreme deep bass and some slight resonance in the bass on certain tracks. Nothing I worry about and I'd take these over the Stax 009's or X9000 any day of the week. I'll try the EX-1a when I can take these off my head dig my only working X1 out of storage to compare against it.

Slight health scare. Went down with the "cold from hell" in October last. And it seemed to come back four or five times over the next 5 months. Feeling wrecked most of the time. Considered Covid, so took a test - negative. Eventually made an appointment, and saw the Trauma nurse at the practice. Put a blood oxygenation clip on, and sounded my chest "It sounds really rattley ". So packed into one morning in mid March, I ended up with a course of kick ass antibiotics, a full spectrum blood test, and a chest X-ray. Saw the Trauma nurse again yesterday. Antibiotics worked wonders, so the problem must have been an opportunistic bacteria had moved in. Blood test was all nominal (who knew there were 5 different kinds of white blood cell; not me), and chest X-ray was completely clear. So finally after 5 months of recurring misery, I'm finally firing on all cylinders again! Back in the gym, leading 14 mile walks, and running. Happy days!

Did a little "audio therapy" last weekend with an audio buddy. Visited one of my 2 favorite dealers and did some nice listening to YG Acoustics....have loved their stuff for years.

I moved into the new place this weekend. Moving sucks, but hopefully that was the last move I need to make in a good while.

No offense but fuck you Doug. I don't need to hear that.

Today is the day that we bury my brother Tom, which is a hard sentence to type. In keeping with my family's tradition of over-long obituaries, and given the scope of his impressive career, we have created a website to post a memorial to Tom, along with some photos. You even get to see a sullen 12 or 13 year old Voltron on the steps of Congress with Tom and then congressman Leon Panetta whom Tom was interning for. Penetta later was director of OMB, White House chief of staff, CIA director and Secretary of Defense. Obituaries have appeared in AdWeek and other publications, as well as his former agency, but I am not sure which newspapers will run one or even already have run one. For anyone interested here are a few links: https://bedecarre.family/ https://www.adweek.com/agencies/akqa-co-founder-tom-bedecarre-has-died/ https://www.akqa.com/news/a-lasting-legacy/

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the love and support. I've spent the last few days with my siblings. We are together tonight at my sister's house after going to a brewery this afternoon to drown our sorrows a bit.

first brisket smoke. 14 hours @ 225°, Got up to temp faster than I though. The end bit is a little dry. But a center cut is really tasty. Room for improvement.. She'll eat ..

I like that AI AL is a two-fisted drinker in each version! Thanks for the good wishes everyone. I have had a good day and went out to dinner with friends and had cake back at home. Only one drink at a time, though.

Lunch yesterday, slow smoked brisket point, candied and smoked again.

Listened to a couple things, one of which is a "catharsis" recording for me. Back in 2001, Karen was first diagnosed with breast cancer. Our son Andrew was all of 1.5 years old, and I imagined him not having a mother. This album by Beth Nielsen Chapman was done after her husband died of cancer. I spent many a night listening to this, bawling my eyes out. To say the least, more tears when I pulled it out again. The London Grammar album is a great one, just listened to that one again for enjoyment.

The first completed DIY project in 3 years and in my new workshop lives! It's a battery powered Philips TDA1541A based stereo DAC, About 18 months ago I needed something to kick start me back into DIY after breaking down my old setup and moving to Florida. So I built a 10'x11' room in one of the garage bays and proceeded to slowly unpack. I ran across a few threads about the TDA1541 and became curious. This is what I settled on for the first try. It's on a test board I put together so I could mess with different power supplies and experiment with controlling relays to turn the power on and off. It's sounds surprisingly good! Very easy to listen to, the vocals are up front and full of details. It's only been running for about an hour so the highs are a little bright but we'll see what happens after a few days. I'm also feeding it an I2S signal from a PCIE to I2S bridge that's running off the switcher in the PC so I'm hoping a better PSU for the bridge will add further improvements. I have what I need for a balanced setup and then two chips paralleled in a balanced config so that along with a display for the Arduino are coming. Let the flames begin!

Dinner: Chicken Shawarma on homemade garlic naan with garlic white sauce. Dessert: Atlantic Beach Pie (also homemade)

I've been thinking about it for a few decades now, and this is still my absolute favorite song.

How much are they paying us to accept one?

Pre-gaming for an SFJAZZ show Sunday.

Sophis' City Fare

Thanks everyone. It is probably indicative of everything going on right now that I am just replying to this thread a half a day late. Dinner with the family last night was good. Work remains far more challenging than I could have imagined 40 some days ago. More celebration this weekend when time.permits.

RIP, to an actor who deserved an Oscar for his one. Total snub, didn't even get a nomination. By all accounts, a good man as well, and that's more important.

mini T2 board prepared for octal or UX4 sockets. Octal socket overlapped with UX4 (red arrows). If EML 20B-V4 or 300b/2A3 remove components at red arrows. If 300B/2A3 tie pads in green boxes together.

I can see this happening all over again. LGBTQ are not the top priority of this administration at the moment. But Musk will lead the charge. They're going to come for us. Who's going to really stand with us is my only question. I know most of you will. ❤️

Went to see this yesterday https://trh.co.uk/whatson/the-score/ . Amazing production.

Pre St. Patricks Day Brit / Irish Nibbles, in The City

A couple of dinners this week. First, roast chicken and new potatoes on a bed of little gems lettuce. And a pork cutlet rice bowl. I fried the cutlets normally with a light amount of oil then briefly fried them again in chili crisp.

My favorite version of my favorite song by REM. I saw this concert and the extra drumstick on the chair was really effective live

Here is a long post I wrote, but may have a little help to someone who tries to build the T2 mini by JoaMat. Transformer Specifications: There are two transformers in total. Primary: 120V(USA or other countries like 230V) Secondary: 320V 0.25A 365V 0.25A 190V 0.25A 16-0-16V 0.5A 6.3V 4A × 2 6.3V 2A × 2 I highly recommend adding a soft-start circuit because the inrush current generated by the transformers is significant. High inrush current can easily blow the fuse and cause long-term stress on the filter capacitors. If a soft-start circuit is not added, a high-current fuse will be required, but that would compromise the protective function of the fuse. Chassis: I housed the power supply and amplifier in two separate chassis. For the PSU section, I used Kerry-designed GRHV and GRLV. Pay attention to the chassis height clearance to ensure it can accommodate the transformers. The specific drilling hole specifications can be found in the current thread—I recall JoaMat mentioned them somewhere. All panel holes were made using a desktop CNC router. I believe it's a good investment to have a desktop CNC router, as it ensures precise hole dimensions. The text and graphics on the panels were also laser-engraved using the same machine. Watching the CNC mill parts is quite satisfying. Power Supply: Three different high-voltage power sources are required: -460V, +400V, +220V ±15V for the servo For details on Kerry Design’s GRHV/GRLV, refer to this link: GoldenReference Low Voltage Power Supply Two mainboards are required—one for -460V and +400V, and another for +220V, leaving the rest of the board empty. To save space, I designed a new PCB specifically for the +220V rail. Notes: If using Kerry Design’s GRHV/GRLV, I suggest disabling the high-voltage delay function. In my tests, the 220V rail initially outputs only 20V, while the 460V and 400V rails start around 200-300V before reaching their nominal voltages after approximately 37 seconds (time varies based on capacitor size). Although this delay is short, it prevents the servo from functioning correctly. During this period, the balanced voltage remains around 200V, which could be harmful to headphones over time. A better solution is to add a dedicated tube warm-up circuit. Output voltages may have minor deviations. For instance, the actual 220V rail might measure around 217V. Even with 0.1% tolerance resistors, small variations can be amplified. A good approach is to use a trimmer resistor—for example, replacing a 20kΩ resistor with an 18kΩ resistor in series with a 2kΩ trimmer. Amplifier Assembly: SMD components should be installed first, followed by through-hole components and tube sockets. To simplify the process, I used a paste stencil and a heating plate, which significantly saves time. For the other side, I used a syringe and a heat gun. A more efficient method would be using a heating plate for both sides, with two different solder pastes. For example, using 183°C solder paste for one side and 138°C solder paste for the other. Notes: Don’t forget to connect the +15V jumper and the servo jumper. Otherwise, the balanced voltage may stay at 400V, potentially damaging the servo. This damage may not be immediately obvious, but you might notice the servo stabilizing more slowly, tiny background noise, or excessive sensitivity of the EL34 filament power supply to external interference, leading to noticeable microphonic effects. The T2 Mini’s heat dissipation is moderate, somewhere between the Grounded Grid and KGSSHV. If your enclosure is large enough (not wooden), power transistors like KSA1156 can be directly mounted to the chassis. However, a better approach is to use an L-bracket mounted to a heatsink. My enclosure measures 300mm × 297mm × 62mm, resulting in an internal temperature of around 45°C. Do not use this approach for KGSSHV, as SiCFETs generate a significant amount of heat. 01N100D must be properly insulated. Use single-point grounding as much as possible to avoid ground loops. If using aviation connectors, ensure they are rated for at least 500V. HN4C51J and HN4A51J look very similar—don’t mix them up. Ensure correct polarity for LEDs and 1N914 diodes. Test all components before powering on to verify continuity and check for shorts. For EL34 filament wiring, use at least 18AWG wire. One Last thing: Enjoy the build🙃

The common contemporary treatment seems to be if not caught and removed before rupture, eliminate the infection and leaked fluid through drain and antibiotics, then a bit of a race with waiting up to 6-8 weeks for the majority of inflammation to decrease, including rupture point self-healing, then removing laparoscopically, before the slowly climbing rates of possible obstruction reoccurrence. In our case had to go back on antibiotics for a week between. I’ll just say, we’re only twelve hours after the latter step, but it was outpatient, Esmé had solid food last night, sleeping soundly now, and we’re just on alternating regular doses of Motrin and Tylenol. Such a huge difference from the multiple hospitals, days without eating, week long stay, crazy January experience.

Time to watch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang again.

Trey Anastasio at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville

New Union Station. Impecably recorded, as always. A good system tester.

PSA for Protesters.

Talk Talk - It's My Life

Al was in the city today and texted me about my favorite breakfast place, not too far from his city house. I hadn't realized that it managed to stay open through the pandemic. He later texted pictures of their famous hashbrown sandwich. That was all the motivation I needed to head into the city. Even better than I remembered! After consuming that, I decided to visit my favorite SF bakery for their famous croissant pudding. Bread pudding made from their day old croissants. I'll save that for desert tonight.

a 'tree' in Paris....

Some more Art Pepper...

I have arbitrarily decided that today is a drinking day.

Marinara, mozzarella, sweet Italian sausage, fennel and onion with a sprinkle of parmesan.

A little late for Ravel's 150th, but this was my great (ahem) gateway to Ravel's orchestrating genius. I heard his orchestration before I heard Mussorgsky's solo piano version, and have since fallen in love with his genius. Even from his treatment of the opening Promenade, there's a bit more breadth, a bit more gravitas, a bit more there there. Not afraid to solo instruments, or interleave solo instruments against a delicate backdrop of small subsets of the orchestra, it is a masterpiece of restraint. cf. "The Old Castle" movement All the better to contrast the bombast. cf. "The Great Gates of Kiev" movement

^^ this as well. A couple of new recordings I have been listening, but not posted. Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works by Seong-Jin Cho (2025) No other info - I cannot really recommend. I thought it was good, but I could not get into it. I didn't get pulled into it like I do with others. But.... Ravel: The Piano Concertos by Seong-Jin Cho (2025) https://album.link/vtjmcqgztdbbx Example: This on the other hand I can give a full recommendation on. Nelsons and the BSO with Cho on DG is a wonderful combo. My friend in LA saw Cho playing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic last month and he was very impressed, and it was a long show.

It's Ravel's 150th, so listening to some Ravel -- soloists Yuja Wang, Martha Argerich, Heifetz, et al. Will try to squeak in some orchestral works or his arrangement of Pictures.

Umphreys McGee in Knoxville.

God 1982 seems so far away now. And wouldn't it be great to have no foreknowledge of the future? Wife's ideal theoretical hall pass was early Michael Hutchence and I can absolutely respect that.

The ChatGPT wine problem. I had not heard it before, more of a philosophy. {Also "AI does not exist, but it will ruin everything anyway" - Angela Collier}

Take #173 transcode.mp4

For the appendectomy there was no eating after dinner the day before, a few things like milk were allowed up to six hours before and then clear liquids ceased when leaving for hospital (which was about 2.5 hours from surgery). And Rob this whole process was different than I expected, but a co-workers in-law went through the same steps a couple of months prior.

I'm also O-neg and this reminds me to get back to donating. 1,100 times is epic.