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Sometimes I am such a sheeple. I hope I don’t regret the Old Forester, never been much of a fan of previous incarnations. I am a fan of the proofs.

Crispy short rib with a cheesy view.

Electrostatic headphones and speakers have the least distortion when they have a constant charge on the diaphragm. This was established at least as far back as PJ Walker who designed the original Quad electrostatic speaker. The "rationale" for having a "large" capacitor in the bias supply, e.g. 1 uf or more, is to smooth out any residual AC so the diaphragm charge and voltage remain constant. However, once the diaphragm is charged, the amount of current needed to maintain the charge is minuscule, so that in fact even a "small" capacitor (Stax uses 0.1 uf) is more than sufficient. This is illustrated by the fact that if you use an old Stax converter box, which contains a step-up transformer and bias supply but no active electronics, charge up the headphones and then disconnect the bias supply from AC, the headphones will continue to play for some time. The large value safety resistor used by Stax (about 5 megohms) between the last bias capacitor and the diaphragm ensure that any current traveling to the diaphragm is very low so the diaphragm cannot get zapped. Companies like iFi and Woo that don't follow these design parameters either don't understand or ignore these facts. iFi Audio's use of a high voltage battery to "power" the bias supply is, IMHO, an expensive solution in search of a non-existent problem.

I just invited CGAW to Thanksgiving.

In other news, the Monolith Electrostatics from Monoprice are now available and a set is already on its way to Kevin for a full dissection. While we wait, we finally have some specs: Now I have some doubts about some of this, the capacitance is probably just the drivers and not the cable included as it is really low. Now the cable is pretty short but still, 60pf is not probable. The drivers are also quite small so comparable to the old Stax designs (SR-5 etc.) which are about 120pf so yeah...half of that is not probable. Now the only thing that makes me pause is the amp...let's look at the specs: For first off, no volume control so one wonders what is going on in that small box. It has a battery which powers something for some 5 hours but why no volume control? It is just odd... Now to further add to the mix, I found this on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/223221739939?ul_noapp=true Now here they are for a lot more money with no markings at all. I looked at what other items the seller has and it is a lot of monoprice stuff for a lot more money. Very odd...

Ran a test after taking one amp back to its original config (402R, LTST-C170CKT and 255R bias resistors). I placed an ammeter in place of the fuse, and ran it for 30 minutes when it was no longer increasing. It showed a max of 245mA AC (is that RMS?). I checked the bias on this one and it was right around 15mA (300-315mV). I then installed the heatsinks and did the same test. Current draw had dropped to 235mA at a stable condition. So my theory: having the heatsinks on seems to reduce the transistor temperature a bit, resulting in lower current draw (a bit). For these two tests I was not able to have the top in place but did set it there as best I could.

Egad, did you post that ironically? I got about 18 seconds in before I said, 'goodbye'. I usually enjoy what you post, but this was just too commercial for me. Did I post this already? I thought I did. I love the laid back sensual groove, and the video fits it perfectly, and the women certainly aren't difficult to watch:

Fucking sucks. Don't even know what to say anymore. So many guns, so many grievances.

I wish to partake.

ecbp in a nog... nuthin but respect.

I'm not sure if this is pro or anti Trump, but I'm pretty sure I just threw up a little.

Andrew Cyrille, Wadada Leo Smith, Bill Frisell - LebrobaAvailable on Tidal and Spotify Amazingly lyrical and enjoyable set of tunes, especially considering the at times overwhelming freeness of Wadada.

RIP, Alex. My sincere condolences, Brent. HS

Sorry, Brent. RIP Alex.

So sorry, Brent. Hang in there. RIP Alex.

So sad. Truly sorry Brent.

Sorry for your loss Brent. RIP Alex.

My sympathies to the family and you Brent. Very sad stuff.

Sorry about your buddy, Brent.

Sorry to hear Brent : ( Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

My condolences.

Condolences Brent. Sorry to hear... sad.

Condolences Brent. RIP Alex. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry for your loss Brent. RIP Alex.

Anyways, here's my 2 eurocents. It's really all about the features and wether you care to benefit from them. It comes with a 100 page manual and it's worth to actually go through it. Almost every aspect of it makes the purist stuff from most audiophile mfg's look stone age. You get one of the best digital volume controls out there, 5 band stereo PEQ, unique loudness compensation, dicking around with DAC filters, all kinds of X-feed and much more. It measures impeccably. I'm half sure that my Pro can give lab grade measurement stuff from AP a run for their money. As for the sound, I enjoy it. If you're used to THD, then it might feel too naked. I've heard people say that. Simple music like strings with solo vocals can sound richer on dirtier sources, the problem is that this richness gets in way of spectrally busier records like metal and such. And I personally like to feel that what I'm hearing is the truth, even if there's no direct way to know that.

Woke up to the news this morning and a gazillion text messages looking for assurances that my middle son had not chosen to go there last night. Borderline is a nice low key place where my daughter and her friends used to go on college night to do line dancing. Up until last evening it was considered a safe place for young people to socialize, the names of the victims will be released shortly. They will be transporting the sheriff deputy's body in a few minutes so the streets are lined with sheriff department SUVs and fire department trucks flying the american flag. Very sad and surreal...

RIP Borderline patrons..

Just catching up on the sad news. Brent - so sorry for the loss of your friend. Brain tumors are not a good one - I've lost three friends to that over the years. And Todd, very sorry to hear your loss.

Family friend passed away on Monday unexpectedly, as a pediatric neurosurgeon he spent 50 yrs of his life dedicated to caring for children. After his career as a surgeon he started and largely self-funded The Woodlands

RIP Alexander Hyland, 25, Elementary school teacher, Tacoma, WA. My buddy Alex died yesterday. He had a brain tumor and after multiple surgeries and treatments, just couldn't beat it. One of the last things he said to me was "I'm Scared." He was one of the most interesting people I've met, even though I've known him but a short time. I met him through Mensa when I first went to a Mensa of Western Washington event. His mother (our prez) introduced us, and we hit it off immediately. A formidable foe in a match of wits, and on more than one occasion he wore a shirt that said "I had brain surgery; what's your excuse?" He wore this while wearing gauze on his head covering electrodes tied to basically an industrial strength TENS unit mated to his head, in a bag he carried around. At the end, his mother wouldn't let anyone but close family in to the hospital to see him, even though he had many friends who wanted to be there. It feels like he died alone, even though we were just outside the proverbial door. We had some good conversations in the weeks leading up to his passing, but this one hurts. He was my favorite person of the new people I've met here, and I've lost too many fucking people lately. We planned on having a drink together, but with his meds when we met, we couldn't. By the time we could, it was too late. Alex, tonight, for you, I'll bring out the biggest gun I have -- usually saved for celebrations, but today, in memoriam.