Wmcmanus

That's true, because it's a logarithmic scale, is it not? That is just beyond my imagination or comprehension.

Yup, it was 52 miles off of the East End of Grand Cayman (which is about 70 miles from where I live) and located 6.2 miles down. What I'm learning now is that a 5.8 earthquake is nothing to laugh about! The Haiti earthquake was a 7.0 and located 6.0 miles underground. But it was centered just 10 miles from Port au Prince. All of this leads me to believe that we were extremely lucky! Had this quake come a little closer it could have caused some serious damage. About the only damage in Cayman that I've heard of was a 28' diameter sinkhole that occurred at an apartment complex on the seashore (see pic). SinkHole Caused By Earthquake In Cayman Is. - CNN iReport

This is a really good way of looking at it. When the endless accumulation of wealth continues to be the primary motivator in their lives, the single thing that they're "worried" about or can get "excited" about (the game of money making just for the sake of it), they tend to become rather sad, isolated and lonely characters. Howard Hughes was a good example of this, although he had a lot of other things going on in his confused brain.

I agree that not everyone is driven by "greed" but money is something that affects different people in different ways, much like alcohol and drugs. There are those who become addicted to the accumulation of wealth, material things and the status it brings, such that money (and closely related things/concerns) becomes the central, driving force in their lives. In my experience, people of "ordinary" means (which might also include highly successful professionals and business owners who are comfortable financially but are not filthy rich) are more likely to be satisfied with their lot in life than the rare few who are exceptionally wealthy. The average to above successful person tends to lead a more balanced life, and doesn't worry (or focus almost exclusively) on money matters. The ultra wealthy tend to be less trusting (always concerned that someone will use them for their money, no doubt borne out by personal experiences) and thus often have a more limited number of friends in their inner circle. They seem surprised when you treat them like anyone else you might meet on the street by showing them that you're comfortable with them, person to person, and are not intimidated by their stature. I agree that the majority of people are not this way, but almost all of our clients were extremely guarded and suspicious. Some of them are more edgy than others, of course. But it's as though their wealth creates more burdens than joys and they cannot live "normal" lives unless they go somewhere on vacation where they can blend into a crowd where nobody knows them. Interesting characters though.

True enough, and that's the real issue here. That, and the fact that the legal system is far too soft on these people. Like anything, they can buy their way out of it with money, even when it's not their own.

Part of it for me, as well, was the fact that I was in an advisory capacity. Thus, by the very nature of my relationship with these clients, I was talking with them about their money and what they wanted to do with it. Not just new investment opportunities, but how to structure their affairs, reviewing the performance of their portfolios, etc. They never exerted any huge pressures on us nor did they show distrust in our advice, but there was always this sense that they expected nothing but upside. Even though they willingly took on risk, they were always surprised when the coin didn't turn up heads 100% of the time. I got the impression that it's all a huge game for them. All about winning.

I survived an earthquake today! All of 5.8 and some 70 miles from my house. It lasted all of 2 seconds, but was still kind of a weird feeling. M5.8 – Cayman Islands Region

Looks like Drew might not be able to offer the connector mod afterall: Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio - View Single Post - Beyerdynamic T1 Tesla Headphone I hope he's able to sort this out, because cable swapping is always fun.

I worked as a relationship manager in the private banking arena here in Cayman for 5 years. Our minimum assets under management requirement to take on a new client was $10 million. Most of the trusts were in the $20-$50 million range, and one held nearly $20 billion of investment assets. I never met or talked on the phone to a single client who was what I'd describe as "happy" or "contented" with his or her level of wealth. It didn't really matter what age they were, what country they were from (all over the world), what their source of wealth was (whether earned directly via personal business interests, indirectly via investments, or inherited). They all wanted more. That was essentially my job: to make extremely wealthy but never satisfied people even wealthier. While it was exciting at times, eventually it got old. It's amazing what big money can do to people. In this woman's case, she was already prone this sort of "the more the merrier" mentality, so the fact that she got away with it for so long just fed into her ego, greed, and sense of entitlement. In her mind, it was her company because she was the one in charge and Michael Koss was a big idiot in her eyes. It's interesting how she created all sorts of diversions from having to face the truth of what her life really was: a complete and utter fraud. My guess is that none of these charity causes actually meant a thing to her. It was all about being seen and appreciated/valued by the high society folks she like to roll with, as being so "generous" (with her employer's money, of course).

"Her sense of style was impeccable," one friend said. "Her wardrobe was beautiful. I was in awe." Uh, ya...

Raffle for Doug! I'll hold the money.

Now that's what I'd call an honest review!

Happy birthday, Grahame! As my ever-drunken barber from back home always says, "You're a true gentlemen and scholar, and there aren't too many of us left these days!"

Yes, and he's diggin' on the EAR V20 and K1000 set up! I think I'll blow the dust off of that combo myself tomorrow in his honor. It's been a while since I've imbibed on that liquidy smooth sound.

I want a pair of IEMs that also have bass traps that can be inserted in my nose. They've just not trying hard enough.

About as comfy as sitting perfectly still in a dentist's chair for an hour for fear that they'll slip a millimeter and send you back to the drawing board again in an effort to get anything close to a reasonable seal. Indeed. But I still think they're great. Just wish I was one of the lucky ones who can get them to seal. It really distracts from my listening enjoyment with them.

If, as you say, it's an empty bedroom that you can do anything you want to with, then I think the Maggies should be fine in there. I wouldn't want much clutter anywhere, however. The MMG's might be a better bet for a small room though, but you would probably have to add a sub. Should also add a sub with the 1.6 but it's not an absolute must unless you're a bass head or if the Maggies are serving your HT needs as well. Problem there is in trying to match up the right sub that integrates well with them, and that can be pretty tricky. You won't notice the bass deficiencies as much if your listening position is somewhat low to the ground. Not sure why this is, but near field listening in a low rider seating position seems to help boost the perception of bass weight/heft with ribbon/planer/electrostat speakers, particularly in smaller rooms. The thing is, you're pretty much forced into near field listening so that's a given, but when you're sitting up higher the sound field often seems quite thin and lacking in body. Thus, you start trying various subs to smooth out the spectrum, but all they seems to do is mess everything up (i.e., it's hard to get them to integrate with very quick speakers). So then about the time you're ready to give up, and you're sitting cross legged on the floor with no sub connected (at the moment, but you're about to connect yet another one to give it one last try), all of a sudden you say "Hey! It sounds just fine down here!" Don't ask me how I know this or what I'm doing with a pair of Maggies in my closet, next to a pair of Martin Logans (electrostats) and a pair of Newform Research (ribbons), plus 4 or 5 subs (including a Talon Roc and Velodyne HGS15). I'd suggest taking a look at Audio Asylum to see what Maggie owners who've set them up in small room advise: how far back their listening position is, how far off the floor their ears are, whether they use a sub, and whether the 1.6 (or 1.7) would sound cramped in a 10' x 12' room. The thing about Maggies, as others have said, is that while the setup can be very tricky and quite frustrating for a time, once you get them dialed in they are about the best bang for the buck you'll ever find (assuming that you're not a huge bass head, and that quick/clean is more your thing).

This kid was conceived in a motorhome, so he or she will just have to get used to living on the road. I asked one of my friends who is a mom what sorts of things that a new mom and baby would need while on the road. Her response was something about warm water or warm milk (I can't remember which and I can't remember why). No problem with either of those. Warm water right out of the sink. Warm milk with the help of the stove top or microwave. So no reason they can't both come along. Or not. If she thinks not, then not it will be. No sweat off my grape fruits. All will be well. Just a man and his music and the open road. Unless of course he takes a liking for the kid and then after finding himself alone on the road for a while, he suddenly gets all soft about "missing out" on the "joy" of changing diapers and such, and voluntarily domesticates himself. She's now at the "can't wait" stage. I'm still at the "what the fuck did I do" stage, but am starting to come around a bit.

I don't know, what do the HD800 sell for now? Has the price come down? Seriously, I don't know. Bought mine from day one and haven't paid attention since. As I mentioned, Todd's answer was that $995 is pretty much the best deal you can expect to get for now or the foreseeable future. No doubt, that will change in time, as do all things. Likewise, that doesn't necessarily mean that there won't be a fringe e'tailer who is willing to discount them further right away. But my guess is that won't be the likes of TTVJ, Moon Audio, Headroom, and other proven companies in this circle. Just reporting what I've heard. Not trying to make the decisions for Sennheiser or Beyer, etc., or agree or disagree with their policies.

The more T1 impressions that pour in at HF, the more intrigued I've become about them. It's still a pretty small sample size, but at this point what does seem clear is that everyone who hears them at least agrees that they're an outstanding pair of headphones (a true high-ender) and worthy of an audition. That's all I need at this point, because I'm not really looking for my "ultimate" flavor, but just something interesting to add to the mix. I really like the fact that Drew can mod them quite cost effectively, making them an excellent candidate for balanced cables. This gives us the flexibility of trying his Black, Blue and Silver Dragon options at CanJam, and perhaps some other cables from other companies by then.

Happy birthday, my friend! Hope you can make it to CanJam.

Good question! Plus, my sort-of, kind-of, not-really but I think of her that way, daughter, is getting married in Florida the week after CanJam. I'd been planning to be in Illinois with the motorhome before CanJam and then fly out to Florida with my mom for 3 days for the wedding. But where does one put an angry, feeling neglected, broken hearted, ("Why is your ex-fiancee's daughter's wedding more important than me and your own child?") kind of woman for 3 days while you go off to do that sort of thing? There I was, 47, single, and completely unattached. A man with many toys, time on his hands, all sorts of interesting hobbies and friends, the ability to travel anywhere at a moment's notice, no 9-to-5 to worry about... This sort of thing conjurs up all kinds of fears! I might have to go to work again! Ehhh!!! Moving all the cables and booby trapping everything else may turn out to be the least of it.

Near field listening is actually quite nice with Maggies. I wouldn't get closer than about 5 feet, but then I wouldn't sit any further back than 8 feet in most rooms either. I don't think that should be a terribly big concern, although it would be if you had less than 2-3 feet behind the Maggies and less than 2-3 feet behind the listener. I don't think they would do terribly well in a 10' x 10' bedroom, but then again, not too many speakers would so that's kind of a moot point.

Yes, excellent choice! As you say, one of the best rides among the many you tested and you can't beat the warranty.

I think Todd has something like 30,000 albums in his personal (i.e., not for sale) collection. But maybe it's only 15,000. How can you even begin to guess when you see this 10' high wall running 30' across, and then there's more on the other side of the room, and in the adjoining room around the corner. It sure looks like a lot! Maybe if Jeff has seen Todd's listening room, he'll be able to make a realistic guess since he's got such a massive collection himself.