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  1. DaveC

    Sophia (blue) EL-34-ST Tubes

    Not sure on those, but ime everything requires some burn-in if there's power or signal going through it. 100 hours is a minimum for anything, although things often change quite a bit right up front in the first few hours. Some stuff, like teflon insulated wire, often improves for hundreds of hours.
  2. DaveC

    Sophia (blue) EL-34-ST Tubes

    I agree they probably need more burn-in but the Sophias are certainly fuller and warmer sounding.
  3. DaveC

    Tinnitus Resulting from Covid or Vaccines

    Just an update... I did find something that has helped. Maybe it can help others... Quick summary: Since I posted this thread I've had ups and downs. I felt like I was recovering, but then I got diverticulitis. I thought it was food poisoning, but it didn't go away and I had the worst abdominal...
  4. DaveC

    The [coffee snobs'] espresso thread

    Sorry I missed this! I've seen the Robot and some other similar devices. I assume it's very similar to the Forge, but maybe the design provides better leverage, the Forge does take a decent amount of force to achieve 9 bars. It's not too much, but I guess that's relative. I think some may find...
  5. DaveC

    The [coffee snobs'] espresso thread

    I also do pourover with a Kalita Wave. It's nice to try beans in both espresso and pourover, although I've been neglecting my Kalita since I got the Espresso Forge a little while ago. Here's this morning's Forge shot, an Ethiopian Hambela roasted at a local shop called Otis. It's between 4:1...
  6. DaveC

    The [coffee snobs'] espresso thread

    My setup has evolved. I make espresso at home and have a Bezzera Strega spring/lever machine. Then a friend of mine started Espresso Forge, so I got one, and now I use it instead of the Strega! There are pros and cons, the Forge is a portable manual machine without a boiler, like a big stainless...
  7. DaveC

    Tube Dampers

    This is a valid topic and not just snake oil. The reason why is all tubes are microphonic to some degree, so the sound produced by the speaker will vibrate the tubes and the mechanical energy in the sound waves will be converted to electrical energy and sent back to the speaker, forming a...
  8. DaveC

    For what it's Worth-Tesla

    I hear you, and avoided being dragged into the morass previously, but this shows the difficulty of separating Elon from Tesla. Unlike a lot of auto companies, Elon is Tesla's PR department. -------------------- Here's a recent discussion on the cybertruck, Tesla and Elon by a couple folks who...
  9. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    Star Quad makes for pretty good SC. Add some material to provide mechanical damping, for internal cable wrapping it with an old cotton t shirt or rag works. UPOCC wire is superior to other types, I think Icono even uses it, they just charge a fortune. Neotech is a lot less expensive and have...
  10. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    Audioholics debunks everything. In particular, they think a lot of things are below the level of our perception that are not. Whether you correctly attribute dielectric absorption to what you hear is another story though. ;)
  11. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    Apparently not.
  12. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    Same as anything else... how do you buy cars, TVs, appliances, etc? The more you educate yourself the better off you are. You can find reviewers you share taste with and agree on other things. Maybe you can test it out yourself?
  13. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    You're better off buying Neotech UPOCC copper or silver wire.
  14. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    I have a Stratos, they are single ended. While there is an XLR in, pin 3 is left completely disconnected. IMO, XLR in should be an extra cost option with an input trafo used, but since that's not the case RCA in is better. Also, if you look at Iconoclast pricing, you can just buy a single cable...
  15. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    There's no doubt that subjective impressions may vary, but if you look at a large sample size it's quite clear that objectively better gear results in subjectively better sound. The key is understanding what objective parameters matter and how they relate to what we hear. There's a lot we can...
  16. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    Propagation velocity is only dependent on the dielectric. I'd agree the dielectric is very important, but I'm not sure propagation velocity is the primary reason why this is the case.
  17. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    Static is a major issue. That's why Furutech sells demag products and their parts use "NCF" material. The new cable I just posted above goes through a lot of effort to address this issue, which is called triboelectric noise when associated with electronics. A big block of hardwood is hard to...
  18. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    Yup, mechanical damping of stereo gear makes a huge difference. We're manipulating the feedback the system produces. A short explanation is the stereo itself transforms electricity into sound, the speaker drivers are transducers. That's straightforward... but like most things its far more...
  19. DaveC

    Does Everything Make a Difference?

    It depends on context, but in general gold vs rhodium plating can make for significant and easy to hear differences. This is especially apparent when going "all-in" on one solution, for example using all Furutech rhodium plated NCF AC power gear. There's a lot more than just the plating going...
  20. DaveC

    Any cyclists here?

    Nice, love the wood RD and vintage chainguide! I've been on single front rings for many years, at first it was with a 36t cassette, now there's 52t, although I use the "old" 50t cassettes. So my DT is pretty out of date, it's only 50t and cable actuated, no batteries on this bike! The 32t...
  21. DaveC

    Any cyclists here?

    Now is a great time to N+1, most mfg'ers have huge overstock, you can get bikes and components for 30-40% off right now, and the "old" cable actuated drivetrain parts are even cheaper. Here's my latest +1, a '23 SC Nomad. This would be around a $10k bike, I probably paid about half that with a...
  22. DaveC

    Any cyclists here?

    I won't use anything other than a carbon handlebar. Modern C handlebars damp vibration far better. With Al I had issues with inflammation in my finger joins that completely went away after switching to a well-designed carbon bar. Check out the link below, parts of the handlebar are oval in order...
  23. DaveC

    Any cyclists here?

    Anyone that can do fiberglass can repair carbon. It might not be as pretty or light as a place that specializes in carbon repair, but it's not that difficult in general. Of course there are some things that can't be fixed. With metals you're generally looking at a weld + heat treatment, which...
  24. DaveC

    Any cyclists here?

    Also... it's light, repairable, long fatigue life, doesn't require welding (the vast majority of fatigue failures happen at a weld), has superior impact resistance (it can, depending on the carbon used and design), and in terms of comfort, it can be designed to flex in whatever way the designer...
  25. DaveC

    For what it's Worth-Tesla

    Ok, I get it. Apparently you are upset that I don't like Elon. Ok, but unless you want to start an Elon Musk thread, which I think is a very bad idea, just drop it. LOTS of people will never buy a Tesla because Elon, get over it.
  26. DaveC

    For what it's Worth-Tesla

    This is bizarro land, what are you taking about? You are the one trying to dictate the content of my posts, then you accuse me of limiting free speech? Are you ok? This is a thread on TESLA, not a thread on how people personally feel about Elon Musk. If you want a thread on Elon, start one.
  27. DaveC

    For what it's Worth-Tesla

    Perhaps you should refrain from dictating what other people post?
  28. DaveC

    For what it's Worth-Tesla

    I'd rather not get into it.
  29. DaveC

    For what it's Worth-Tesla

    Never. Not after what Musk has said and done in the last few years. The last one is really hard to forgive for me.
  30. DaveC

    For what it's Worth-Tesla

    You can get AWD with the other Prius models. I have no idea why Toyota can't offer both AWD and plug-in at the same time. With plug-in and a 44 mile range I wouldn't be using much gas, but I do want AWD.

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