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Stop tempting me! I'd love to give it a try, but already in the equivalent Fujifilm MF camp, besides if I went Hassy I'd probably be pulled to the more hipster version.

(I hate this autoappend thingy. Can we not have it manually selectable?) Nick Mason and the Queen tinkering with his Ferrari 250GTO

My people.

Camera (+lens) rant time There has been some talk about new vs old colours, which is also my problem, so I thought I'd just illustrate that with a candid portrait I shot last week. JPEG using one-click Auto settings on a free software, FastStone Image Viewer LR quick "edit" that I decided to stop after a few minutes: This is a near-ideal scenario regarding lighting, neither of them is perfect, but the way Lightroom renders skin tones is much worse, whatever profile I use. Tried other software and was similarly dissatisfied, Lightroom is at least is easy to use and they have added more controls, but difficult to figure out what to do, and I don't know how many years I still have to struggle until I figure out how to edit people images quickly (without people it can be abstract, so it may not matter much) and produce a satisfying result (with regards to colour specifically, with contrast I have figured out a bit, but curves affect colours, etc. it is difficult). If I saw the JPEG image (it pops up for a second when you open it, and it disappears just to troll you...and you might never get that colour back again) but I had the RAW flexibility, it would be perfect for me. I simply find this process unenjoyable and disappointing when compared against the JPEG image. I make the exposure good, in this case, I manage to nail perfect focus (very difficult on slightly a moving target and it takes away from your focus of trying to compose the image) and on the last stage it falls apart. In this instance, all I do is make it worse. Tried colour charts, etc. it still did not work. Maybe best for me to switch to JPEG whenever I can, and shoot it the best way I can in camera - and waste of a lot of performance that those massive 80MB+ DNG files are giving... I also don't understand why today's digital cameras can't adopt the way smartphones process images, more and more of them are producing nice, natural colours in a very wide range of lighting situations. I am not sure if I like using the SL2, but at least it is the only digital camera I have now, so I have to get used to it, maybe the image quality is growing on me. (not regarding ISO or dynamic range, but in-camera colour) Big and heavy, especially for old lenses, which are quite a bit lighter than what they make for the body, they are deliberately segmenting the product lines... But when I or whomever else looks at the screen or EVF, we all see some nice-looking images. If I was using a Sony or maybe to a lesser extent one the newer Canons, I would struggle even more. (Fuji anything but FF so I am not interested, sorry - but some of my lenses would work on medium format). I also appreciate how they have constantly tried to improve firmware, with the last one they have addressed vintage lens support even more (well, Panasonic cameras worked like that from the start...) I think I was most happy with the 5D Mark 1 or something more usable for me, the M Type 240 images and in daytime (a camera touted as not rendering colours as well as the M9 with a CCD) I think I could edit those pictures better as well as quicker (not a lot of latitude anyway...), and maybe I should go back to those just for that reason. But the SL2 shoots video as well with great IBIS (here the brick-like feel helps) which can be really useful, with L-Log the colour is half baked in, so I may work it out a bit better. Bonus: if you can figure out which lens was used from this picture, you are a gearhead like me, and we should all seek professional help. The reason why I made this terrible image is that after rambling incoherently in the Stax topic, I realised that I simply have way too much. (There are a few more somewhere...) But unlike with headphones, where at least I can have a preference for certain things, these are all great in their own right, so I would just like to use whatever is left and stick with it, although GAS is something that I will never ever get rid of because I started it from the wrong side. (And I have have two big repair bills coming both on the Canon and Leica lens and it is not all my fault, but it's ok, at least it also prompted me to think about this.) My best combo was the Leica M6TTL with the Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH Pre-FLE lens. It quickly made me very unhappy, that I sold both for way less than what they are worth now and maybe I should swallow all this, get rid of some unnecessary stuff and get back to it. I was talking to my sister the other day, and she told me how she really liked that picture - yes, it was shot on Delta 3200 film, no silly editing, just processed in a lab... The Praktica BX20s (yes it is the rarer version...) and its zoom lens really aren't worth that much last time I checked, so anyone interested in actually using them can have them for the cost of shipping. You just choose a film and you get the looked baked in (lenses render colour a bit differently, but it does not really matter if it is a cheap or an expensive film camera, film is film), it would be really nice to have Kodachrome, but and most of them are still just plain very nice and digital Leicas, Fujis, etc. do seem to have a little bit about that film mojo.

Not sure how it is seen in the UK, but I know some here see it as the end of an era. To many, her death was the end of a generation with class and dignity. Starting now with Prince King Charles, it is a family with many issues, scandals, etc. It also helps take away focus from the shit-show currently going on otherwise I'd bet....

I autosugged myself, again. Had a nice little interaction with the woman, herself, on Facebook, so now listening to what will probably be my favourite album of 2022 and favourite recent discovery, Yaya Kim, a.k.a Yaya It's a bizarre album considering it's essentially art-pop -- 3 full length albums worth of material, more or less: CD1 (Trip-hop, Rock, Funk, Soul, Pop) CD2 (Nu-tango rock, Jazz) CD3 (World music, Crossover, Classic, Avant-garde) She does everything herself, including the videos.

Finally catching up to this in my queue. Screen Violence CHVRCHES 2021 Example: Agreed - solid album

I think you need to look at it from another (Her Majesty's) angle. "Good, I've outlasted that [insert relevant Jonathan Pie adjectives] Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. My work here is done." Job Done, 'Liz.

Looks like the Makita of multi tools, but whatever.

This is the Rolls Royce of multi-tools! I've had 8 different multi-tools over the years, including a very nice Fein (which I keep at Al's shop), and this is by far my favorite. It's not cheap at $225 (still $75 cheaper than the Fein). However, this is the quietest, most well balanced and most vibration free multi-tool I've ever used. A real game changer IMO! The only negative I could find was that it could only use Starlock or Starlock Max blades. But just recently a Norwegian company has made an adapter specifically for this Makita tool, now allowing me to use the inexpensive Ebay blades. I buy 50 blades for approximately $30.

Yeah, BHSE was best (it would have been so nice to have a Carbon there). But the stock 007tII (that can be further improved by simple mods) but wasn't exactly crapped on either considering its attributes. The stock 727 was poor because of the NFB design - which is again could be more synergistic with other Stax with its inferior design - at least way back on head-fi I read that a guy preferred the 717 with the 007 but he thought the 727 was fine with Lambdas. I thought of the 727 as being in sort of this "nowhere-land", being not as sweet as the hybrid amps and also not as much fun as a KGSSHV which instantly grabbed me when I heard it (I did not have a 007). But in my case, it seems quite appealing with the 007 Mk1 and the 007 Mk1 is quite appealing with the 727 even though I am sure this is very far from what it can really do. Omega vs 007 on Carbon is simply an unfair comparison both with regards to value and also with regarding matching. Tubes are great in that you can vary the sound - but it can be too late to think about that now, because they can cost insane amounts of money and I don't like the idea of limiting that aspect. I am genuinely curious if there will be more solid-state amps coming (maybe not as the Carbon is as good as KG can make it) or a proper T8000, tube input and ss output can still sound interesting. My listening preferences seems to be in line with liking vintage lenses or film photography. I don't like an "oversharpened" and artificially clean sound that lacks fluid and organic quality. The X9000 has this in spades. Others may think about this completely differently. Raal SR1a vs K1000 by Hirsch These small, yet important observations about new vs old headphones are just randomly put out on the internet.

They are pretty easy to become fans of. Me: LongGone Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade 2022 https://album.link/i/1632077032 Example - live: Better recording on the album - but a bit more fun live. Redman - yes, Mehldau - yes, McBride - yes, Blade - yes. Powerhouse of a group, I hate that we only get them every two years or so. But worthy wait for goodness. I am glad that they all do solo and other projects to keep my ears happy.

Dark coffee is my guilty pleasure. I know, I'm tasting the roasting as much as the beans, but I get to drink more (less caffeine), and I like a bold taste. That said, I drink medium plenty when using pour over.

Okay, I'm a fan, now. The music is CRAZY good.

The only Dewalts I own. I like them. I actually picked up the baby versions of my drills and impacts last night to get into the tighter places of these rockers as I have three orders for pairs from neighbors that saw mine.

To add more to this 007 (whatever version...) saga, in a way all this actually helped me. Preface: we, as - preferably nice, humble - humans, should join forces and try and learn from each other. Even just regarding audio we experience and know things that others do not. And the frustrating thing is there is very information in one place and it might not be as valuable as experience, if you are lucky you find someone with close experience. A chain is not "ready-made". It is something that you figure out eventually, after finding out what sounds good and what not. And this even starts with the recording you play that someone else made and the software you use. All these tiny differences might add up to what you are hearing. If you don't start comparing getting a lot of placebo effects in the meantime (and just not enjoying not listening to music) you have very little idea about where you're actually at - in some ways fooling ourselves can be less distracting and more enjoyable... I'm guess being a musician or an audio engineer might help, they might have a better idea of how things should actually sound, that helped me a lot 10 years ago. Although I would add, that in the grand scheme of things, that is also just an another viewpoint that I should be taken into account as I said, people make recordings is various ways. I started 14 years ago, being completely clueless but at least I observed how people behave which steered me towards Stax and also this forum. Anyway, who cares about audio lesson cliches... I am on the modified 727 after some weeks with the Carbon. It's anything but a representation of a very accurate sound. I prefer this one. I listen to music. (while I observe a lot of things, this has become my main perspective) Why? The 007 is a power hog, how is this possible...? The Carbon is more neutral, has tons more power with better extension up and bottom, bigger stage, better dynamics, definition and all that jazz. So, with the 727 I am listening to a more compressed, I would say softer, brighter sound (but with warmth in the mids) with a smaller stage and some roll-off. (I feel that almost any Stax becomes too bright on this 727, basically nothing really works as well as this 007 Mk1.) However, the sound is 'simpler', more 'wholesome'. More cohesive, intimate and inviting and there is more focus and "beautifying" on the midrange which is a special 007 characteristic. Less can be more, which is why the NB Lambda is still a firm favourite of mine. Maybe it is just my brain getting bored by a certain sound and more interested in a different sound, but I don't think so. I had the 727, but for quite a while I didn't have a 007. (So basically, this lengthy post is only written, because I randomly have all this gear...) The Carbon does not "do much". It's a great amplifier. Works great with Lambdas (older ones), works great with the Omega and I might find more interesting matches. However, the characteristics it is giving to the 007 is making it more V-shaped and analytical. The stage becomes too big, there no coloration to fill in that upper midrange mid and upper treble emphasis and the flabby bass problem is actually more emphasized on the Carbon. (I was thinking of maybe trying different earpads, they definitely do their own contribution...) There is deep bass, but I think a bit too much and treble is the same. More does not equal better. So do I want throw (yet) more money at this to dial it more? Or rather: is this something that I myself created that wasn't there in the first place? A few notes about the Lavry DA11, which I still have many years on, partly because of being a cheapskate and partly because I am not the biggest fan of buying things blindly and I haven't found anything that I borrowed and think I must have this (Slightly missing the Parasound DAC1600HD, should have had that modified). In today's world, it is now a "semi-vintage" studio DAC. Does not add anything "magical" to the sound, that could be needed with a Carbon with certain headphones. However it does add a bit of fullness to the bass and "looseness" to the sound that I found more preferable with Stax headphones that can become "too clean", and there is nothing offensive in its presentation. Sort of a similar difference that you get regarding 727 vs Carbon. Unlike with headphones and amps I have very little clue about sources, and I don't want to screw up the synergy I achieved with the SR-Omega + Carbon either. I would like more richness in the mids and I can detect a slight bite in the treble but it is good enough for me. (Although I wonder how I will feel once I get the Carbon back from the normal bias modification and I switch back to this pairing...) I know Lavry makes the Quintessence, but it is super expensive and does not even have a USB input. Just to give you an example about synergy: with the SR-Omega + Carbon, stage is also overdone, but the headphones want to do it anyway, the Carbon just lets it do that, so it is not distracting, the bass is naturally very strong without cutting into anything else like on the SR-007, etc. etc. As much as I understand about why the amps are designed are how designed, some headphones just need more coloration to reel them back to "accuracy." (a quote I stole from a meet impressions, and it's very true) So in the future I hope to see some variations that are at the Carbon's power level but deliberately more tuned like the Stax amps. The X9000 needs plenty of tuning if you ask me... But it's also telling that people with T2s tend to like it more. So maybe it is not completely lost cause for me in the future when it gets cheaper on the market. But as Bob Katz said about the 009 "Why would you want to have a more expensive headphone that you might need tons of EQ to correct?" Well, to balance things out, I can answer that, because each headphone has particular characteristics that a chain will not change that much. That is exactly my personal worry about the X9000. The reason I am annoyed by it is just having a lot of generated hype by comparing it against other products that I personally don't like much either. If there was a balanced take on things, I would have no reason to be frustrated. The 007 Mk1 has simply matured enough that you can find all the good and bad about it. I hope to hear it in a maximised setting a BHSE is something that a lot of people rate (maybe against a maximised Omega, which might rather prefer what the Carbon provides) It can be a great everyday headphone. It has great natural ability, a few definitely just manage to edge out the SR-Omega without being silly expensive, threatened by reliability problems, etc... I just don't know how much money and tinkering etc. is needed to be thrown at it to keep the synergy and technicalities perfectly balanced - as all things should be. For about 3000$ all-in, this chain is not too bad (I would add my NB Lambda to have more brightness, but more firmness accuracy.) But maybe there is more to be extracted from this budget, that's where the knowledge comes into play (with personal preference). Probably not how it's supposed to sound on the 007 Mk1, too soft. But it captures the essence of the musical message, there is no distraction going on, it takes me back to a different time - so I like it.

I have a Rockwell that I got for $25 on clearance somewhere forever ago. It’s come in real handy when I’ve installed flooring and doing trim work. I’ll have to look at the Ferrari of multi-tools (Milwaukee) if my cheapy breaks. Or I just want to spend more money to help out the economy.

@blessingx Have you considered ?

Light roast subtle coffees benefit a LOT from pourover with temperature control or well done espresso. Heavier bodied coffees and darker roasts are absolutely dandy from a french press.

Couldn't agree more, gents. Coffee is a personal thing and I say you do you...whatever delicious means to the driver...how can one go wrong? Some of what Mr. Hoffman puts on video has worked as a guide and some I found way too nuanced to be worth the climb. I do enjoy mixing it up my coffee making between the Chemex, the espresso maker (love me a cappuccino / flat white / latte), and on rare occasion these days going back to the French press I used exclusively for several years. The biggest things I have found to make a difference that I can meaningfully identify is quality coffee, type of roast and measuring. Crap in and I get crap out...simple enough. I also prefer a light/medium roast for pour overs... HS

A working stereo CFA3 something. I’ll wait with chassis until I’m confident it won’t “runaway”. So, now it’s on the floor in our living room. My wife is a very understanding woman.

Probably won't do it silently.

Indeed! Very, very nice.

Those look fantastic! Congrats.

This ends my unexpected Labor Day weekend Country immersion. Will come back to the list in the near future, but ending with #33, Emmylou Harris' Pieces Of The Sky. So consistently a thing, it's probably someone else's [Joni Mitchell's] Blue. ex. 'Pieces of the Sky was her proper launch as an artist truly in her own right and stands as one of her defining statements. The careful, note-perfect production may have smoothed over some of the rough edges of the honky-tonk she clearly loved, as heard in her version of Merle Haggard’s “Bottle Let Me Down.” But she more than compensated with fantastic taste in songs (by Dolly Parton, the Louvin Brothers, and Rodney Crowell, among others). And that beautiful but slightly downcast voice — perhaps still mourning the loss of her duet partner Gram Parsons two years earlier — lent the album a mournful elegance. —D.B.'

Running through Rolling Stone’s surprisingly modern-leaning 100 Greatest Country Albums list, so this morning Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds In Country Music. ‘The irascible Simpson joked to Rolling Stone in 2014 that Metamodern Sounds in Country Music was his “hippie love record.” Maybe so, but it was undeniably a Nashville game changer. After the sonically adventurous album’s release, numerous artists either cited it or tried to duplicate it. They needn’t have tried: Only Simpson, well-read on cosmic theories and tired of outlaw-country comparisons, could have pulled off an album this one-of-a-kind. “Turtles All the Way Down” is a psilocybin-fueled trip through the religions of the world; “It Ain’t All Flowers” is a cacophony of shrieks, howls, and dub; and “Living the Dream” is the ultimate slacker’s lament. “I don’t have to do a goddamn thing ’cept sit around and wait to die,” he sings. Not even Townes Van Zandt sounded as dejected.’ —J.H.