it sounds like fun as soon as we can fly safely. What does it cost to fly to the Philippines?
Audio and Retirement--Is There A Linkage? AND, Do I Have An Antidote That Will Make Me Happy? Luckily I Do!!!!! My “Almost Bucket List System” Pt 1
- Thread starter Mobiusman
- Start date
Bruce B
WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Thank-you Russ for an incredible read. Life changing events can alter your perspective and priorities. I too went through a life changing event about 4yr. ago that shifted my compass of what was important to me. Too many times I had been trying to fit in and please everyone else, stroking my ego.
Congrats on the retirement. It is well deserved and we look forward to many more "not typical WBF posts"!
Congrats on the retirement. It is well deserved and we look forward to many more "not typical WBF posts"!
Thanks Bruce. You can count on not typical from me. I would not know how to do typical if I wanted.
It is the end of my first day of retirement and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it because it was so different than anything I might have imagined. I try very hard to not anticipate new experiences because it limits potential and I am all about expanding potential.
My first big thought was last night - when I realized I "can" stay up as late as I desire. because I can get up whenever I want and there is no "should". Wow, somewhat guilt free for the first time in a real long time.
I am a boater who lives on the northern end of Barnegat Bay, the body of water between mainland NJ and a string of low lying barrier reef islands and peninsulas that make up the ocean side of the first 90 miles of the intracoastal waterway that terminates in Key West. I look out my kitchen window to see at least 10 miles south on Barnegat Bay to beyond the famous Seaside Bridge and of course Seaside, the prototypic boardwalk town with all of its --everything including what you would expect and the slime that comes with being Seaside.
My boat is moored in my backyard to my bulkhead with two whips of 16' machined and tapered aluminum that function to keep the boat AWAY from the bulkhead. My mooring spot is about 500 feet from Barnegat Bay with two 90 degree turns to help calm the water. Last night we had some serious winds and thus big waves (3-5') in the canal behind my house. The tide was quite high due to the winds blowing water into the bay from the ocean, making my boat sit high in the water. The problem with this is that when the boat sits in the water there is less whip action because the boat is closer and thus less whip flexing, allowing for much more bobbing and weaving by the boat.
Sometime last night the rope from the forward whip to the boat snapped at the bow and somehow tore out the entire whip and its substantial bulkhead anchor apart and ended up with nothing keeping the bow of the boat off of my bulkhead. So as seems appropriate for the first day of retirement, I worked on my boat and installed a new whip base, moved the whip from its former holder and corroded set screw to its new machined from an aluminum ingot whip base so that now my boat sits in perfect harmony the right distance from my bulkhead. Serious boat expense averted. Perfect first day project-- effective, attractive and complete!!!
I then moved inside for the beginning of my day's music listening because I could AND not feel at all guilty because I "should" being doing something else. No more. Totally into listening to my most recent Roon Playlist through my Almost Bucket List System and now thinking about the likelihood of Leif coming to visit in the next several weeks, some much needed time on the water with him and breaking in the barbecue on my boat, while we explore about 40 miles south on the bay and some time in the ocean going North.
Of course where goes Leif when enroute to my house promotes the conversion from my Almost Bucket List System to its full Bucket List Potential, which I have not heard since getting the Taiko SGM Extreme, MaterBuilt Ultra USB connected to my MSB Reference DAC with a77 femptosecond clock --my final digital arm of the Bucket List System and the reason the approach to my retirement has been so painless and less challenging than anticipated. at least after one day.
And the fantasy part of the dream of my first day in retirement---a call from the new super sexy and ultra vibrant woman who reached out to me from Match. I do not want to get ahead of myself, something I do from time to time!!! We talked for over 2 hours and it felt like no time at all with no strain during the initial run around the track. See loves boats and listening to music and seems to find me interesting enough.
And now I am back listening once again and having a ball with occasional thoughts about this new ultra vibrant woman I just met.
There are whole potentially life altering chapters that have happened in the background of this first day, that are too new to process accurately so I will be uncharacteristically quite and patient.
Overall a great first day of retirement. I already feel some of the human suppression within me starting to go away.
BTW, I am being very understated about the amount of excitement I feel about the new introduction of sexy female vibrant energy that just struck my personal planet from somewhere in the cosmos. I should be a fun experience. Stayed tuned and thanks for reading.
My first big thought was last night - when I realized I "can" stay up as late as I desire. because I can get up whenever I want and there is no "should". Wow, somewhat guilt free for the first time in a real long time.
I am a boater who lives on the northern end of Barnegat Bay, the body of water between mainland NJ and a string of low lying barrier reef islands and peninsulas that make up the ocean side of the first 90 miles of the intracoastal waterway that terminates in Key West. I look out my kitchen window to see at least 10 miles south on Barnegat Bay to beyond the famous Seaside Bridge and of course Seaside, the prototypic boardwalk town with all of its --everything including what you would expect and the slime that comes with being Seaside.
My boat is moored in my backyard to my bulkhead with two whips of 16' machined and tapered aluminum that function to keep the boat AWAY from the bulkhead. My mooring spot is about 500 feet from Barnegat Bay with two 90 degree turns to help calm the water. Last night we had some serious winds and thus big waves (3-5') in the canal behind my house. The tide was quite high due to the winds blowing water into the bay from the ocean, making my boat sit high in the water. The problem with this is that when the boat sits in the water there is less whip action because the boat is closer and thus less whip flexing, allowing for much more bobbing and weaving by the boat.
Sometime last night the rope from the forward whip to the boat snapped at the bow and somehow tore out the entire whip and its substantial bulkhead anchor apart and ended up with nothing keeping the bow of the boat off of my bulkhead. So as seems appropriate for the first day of retirement, I worked on my boat and installed a new whip base, moved the whip from its former holder and corroded set screw to its new machined from an aluminum ingot whip base so that now my boat sits in perfect harmony the right distance from my bulkhead. Serious boat expense averted. Perfect first day project-- effective, attractive and complete!!!
I then moved inside for the beginning of my day's music listening because I could AND not feel at all guilty because I "should" being doing something else. No more. Totally into listening to my most recent Roon Playlist through my Almost Bucket List System and now thinking about the likelihood of Leif coming to visit in the next several weeks, some much needed time on the water with him and breaking in the barbecue on my boat, while we explore about 40 miles south on the bay and some time in the ocean going North.
Of course where goes Leif when enroute to my house promotes the conversion from my Almost Bucket List System to its full Bucket List Potential, which I have not heard since getting the Taiko SGM Extreme, MaterBuilt Ultra USB connected to my MSB Reference DAC with a77 femptosecond clock --my final digital arm of the Bucket List System and the reason the approach to my retirement has been so painless and less challenging than anticipated. at least after one day.
And the fantasy part of the dream of my first day in retirement---a call from the new super sexy and ultra vibrant woman who reached out to me from Match. I do not want to get ahead of myself, something I do from time to time!!! We talked for over 2 hours and it felt like no time at all with no strain during the initial run around the track. See loves boats and listening to music and seems to find me interesting enough.
And now I am back listening once again and having a ball with occasional thoughts about this new ultra vibrant woman I just met.
There are whole potentially life altering chapters that have happened in the background of this first day, that are too new to process accurately so I will be uncharacteristically quite and patient.
Overall a great first day of retirement. I already feel some of the human suppression within me starting to go away.
BTW, I am being very understated about the amount of excitement I feel about the new introduction of sexy female vibrant energy that just struck my personal planet from somewhere in the cosmos. I should be a fun experience. Stayed tuned and thanks for reading.
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If it is your mom, she's extremely attractive and sensual making any man's brain stand up and pay attention.
“Enveloping Sound”
I have stressed the importance of my system “enveloping” me with sound and how I use this as a measure of how my system helps shift my thoughts and thus my moods in a positive direction. It seems only fair that I elaborate on what this means to me, so that if you are interested, it will hopefully help you better assess your system and make whatever changes you feel would contribute to “enveloping”!
Enveloping may not be the best word to describe what I am feeling, but it fits my notion of my system lifting me out of the stream of “etc.” from any busy day, especially if unpleasant events are involved. I want my system to transport me to a more comfortable and less negatively intense state of being. I envision a protective buffer around me when I get into the “enveloped zone”.
I think that there are a number of factors that contribute to “that” relationship between my system and me that I call “enveloping”. First of all, you have to be someone who is emotionally moved by your system, not just music. You probably have figured out that I am someone who is emotionally moved by my system and values it greatly.
Second, from my bias, your system has to sound “believable” and hopefully realistic. Every component in my bucket list system is new and specifically chosen for its role and its part of “the system”. The rule I use as I created and tuned the system via equipment shifts and those all-important tweaks like the Center Stage Footers is, do they increase system believability?
I think I consider them “tweaks” because they can be applied in many system locations with global and cumulative improvements. Another reason is they are usually inserted after the core of the system is already established and paid for because they are believed to be able to shift the sound to what one would to believe approaches optimal, for a nominal amount (audio lie #1).
This reason is somewhat embarrassing, but not unique to me—the tweaks are much cheaper than the core equipment, but thought to give a whole lot of system enhancement (believability) for the dollar. The embarrassing part is that what I consider amplifier tweaks for my VAC Statement 450 IQ Stereo two chassis amp are 8 1.5 inch Center Stage footers that cost in excess of $6000, more than what is probably the total system cost of 98+% of the audio systems out there. The total footer cost for my very simple (chassis count) system is probably somewhere around $15K.
Here’s where it gets tricky with what is a tweak and what is a component? My full loom of MasterBuilt Ultra PC’s, IC’s, biwire speaker wire and my USB cable is essential to my sound, which would be impossible without them in place. The list cost of all of my MasterBuilt Ultra components is around $270K, but there is no way I would have my Bucket List System, “Almost” or the full force, without them. For me that makes them essential and forces me to not think about the cost, which is mind boggling and luckily behind me due to my Bucket List System requirement that I own it outright so that I do not have to make payments while in retirement (so glad I put that provision in place now that my income has dropped 2/3). It also kind of kept a lid on my purchases due to available monies.
But, most important to achieving enveloping sound is your state of mind and for me that means nothing else on my mind other than what I am feeling from the music. If it is not working, it is either not loud enough, the music is wrong, and/or your system is not up to the task, especially the speakers.
What I have learned after 60 years of doing this and just putting my system’s ability to envelope me to the toughest test I have ever put any of my former systems tells me I have achieved another one of those unspoken Bucket List Audio System requirements, the ability to emulate reality to the point that it takes no effort and that I am totally enveloped and thus protected at least for a while from life’s tough moments. Just wondering if Von Schweikert’s tag – The Sound Of Reality came about because all of their speakers' ability to instantly transport you to "happy musicland."
By the way a lot of what makes VSA speakers able to transport you to that happy place derives from a lot of proprietary psychoacoustical components as part of their networks’ design and tuning. Not surprisingly their Ultra line has the most of these critical psychoacoustic designs, especially the Ultra 9’s and 11’s which have identical networks except for slight tuning changes due to the additional drivers in the 11’s compared to the 9’s—the reason that they sound the same.
If you want to demonstrate to yourself how important these psychoacoustical enhancements and tuning are, next time you are listening to a pair of VSA speakers properly set up, walk around the listening room and note that the sound really does not change based on your location, much like nature, and totally different than the other alleged competitors which should come with a chin jig to insure that your ears are correctly positioned for the only place that the sound is integrated!!!
You might be like I used to be when I had Electrostat’s, magnetic line source speakers like Wisdom M-75’s or Maggies, especially the old Tympani 3a Series. With each of these speaker in my custom designed dipole music room, the entire room was really only good for one person.
My Ultra 9’s and Ultra 11’s both can do something seemingly impossible that contributed to my decision to go with Ultra 9’s—approach either speaker from the rear and stand next them on their outboard side. Move until your ears are in exactly the same plane as the front baffle, but looking in the same direction as the speakers are pointing. You will notice that there is no change as you walk around to the front of the speakers face them head on!!!
As a follow-up to yesterday’s day end post, the only thing better than being enveloped by my system would be being enveloped by my Bucket List System with the woman I just do not want to be without inside that enveloping cone with me. Now that is a win and priceless!!!!!! At the end of day 2 of my retirement—so far so good on that last point!!
I have stressed the importance of my system “enveloping” me with sound and how I use this as a measure of how my system helps shift my thoughts and thus my moods in a positive direction. It seems only fair that I elaborate on what this means to me, so that if you are interested, it will hopefully help you better assess your system and make whatever changes you feel would contribute to “enveloping”!
Enveloping may not be the best word to describe what I am feeling, but it fits my notion of my system lifting me out of the stream of “etc.” from any busy day, especially if unpleasant events are involved. I want my system to transport me to a more comfortable and less negatively intense state of being. I envision a protective buffer around me when I get into the “enveloped zone”.
I think that there are a number of factors that contribute to “that” relationship between my system and me that I call “enveloping”. First of all, you have to be someone who is emotionally moved by your system, not just music. You probably have figured out that I am someone who is emotionally moved by my system and values it greatly.
Second, from my bias, your system has to sound “believable” and hopefully realistic. Every component in my bucket list system is new and specifically chosen for its role and its part of “the system”. The rule I use as I created and tuned the system via equipment shifts and those all-important tweaks like the Center Stage Footers is, do they increase system believability?
I think I consider them “tweaks” because they can be applied in many system locations with global and cumulative improvements. Another reason is they are usually inserted after the core of the system is already established and paid for because they are believed to be able to shift the sound to what one would to believe approaches optimal, for a nominal amount (audio lie #1).
This reason is somewhat embarrassing, but not unique to me—the tweaks are much cheaper than the core equipment, but thought to give a whole lot of system enhancement (believability) for the dollar. The embarrassing part is that what I consider amplifier tweaks for my VAC Statement 450 IQ Stereo two chassis amp are 8 1.5 inch Center Stage footers that cost in excess of $6000, more than what is probably the total system cost of 98+% of the audio systems out there. The total footer cost for my very simple (chassis count) system is probably somewhere around $15K.
Here’s where it gets tricky with what is a tweak and what is a component? My full loom of MasterBuilt Ultra PC’s, IC’s, biwire speaker wire and my USB cable is essential to my sound, which would be impossible without them in place. The list cost of all of my MasterBuilt Ultra components is around $270K, but there is no way I would have my Bucket List System, “Almost” or the full force, without them. For me that makes them essential and forces me to not think about the cost, which is mind boggling and luckily behind me due to my Bucket List System requirement that I own it outright so that I do not have to make payments while in retirement (so glad I put that provision in place now that my income has dropped 2/3). It also kind of kept a lid on my purchases due to available monies.
But, most important to achieving enveloping sound is your state of mind and for me that means nothing else on my mind other than what I am feeling from the music. If it is not working, it is either not loud enough, the music is wrong, and/or your system is not up to the task, especially the speakers.
What I have learned after 60 years of doing this and just putting my system’s ability to envelope me to the toughest test I have ever put any of my former systems tells me I have achieved another one of those unspoken Bucket List Audio System requirements, the ability to emulate reality to the point that it takes no effort and that I am totally enveloped and thus protected at least for a while from life’s tough moments. Just wondering if Von Schweikert’s tag – The Sound Of Reality came about because all of their speakers' ability to instantly transport you to "happy musicland."
By the way a lot of what makes VSA speakers able to transport you to that happy place derives from a lot of proprietary psychoacoustical components as part of their networks’ design and tuning. Not surprisingly their Ultra line has the most of these critical psychoacoustic designs, especially the Ultra 9’s and 11’s which have identical networks except for slight tuning changes due to the additional drivers in the 11’s compared to the 9’s—the reason that they sound the same.
If you want to demonstrate to yourself how important these psychoacoustical enhancements and tuning are, next time you are listening to a pair of VSA speakers properly set up, walk around the listening room and note that the sound really does not change based on your location, much like nature, and totally different than the other alleged competitors which should come with a chin jig to insure that your ears are correctly positioned for the only place that the sound is integrated!!!
You might be like I used to be when I had Electrostat’s, magnetic line source speakers like Wisdom M-75’s or Maggies, especially the old Tympani 3a Series. With each of these speaker in my custom designed dipole music room, the entire room was really only good for one person.
My Ultra 9’s and Ultra 11’s both can do something seemingly impossible that contributed to my decision to go with Ultra 9’s—approach either speaker from the rear and stand next them on their outboard side. Move until your ears are in exactly the same plane as the front baffle, but looking in the same direction as the speakers are pointing. You will notice that there is no change as you walk around to the front of the speakers face them head on!!!
As a follow-up to yesterday’s day end post, the only thing better than being enveloped by my system would be being enveloped by my Bucket List System with the woman I just do not want to be without inside that enveloping cone with me. Now that is a win and priceless!!!!!! At the end of day 2 of my retirement—so far so good on that last point!!
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At 70, I have been around the romance block a few times and understand the difference between infatuation and love and hopefully some day growing love over the decades like I have with my kids and emerging with my grand kids. All I know is that I have immensely enjoyed speaking to this woman and the feelings that talking to her without meeting her have generated. If it goes no where, and that is what my historic odds predict, then my final approach to retirement and critical initial shaping of life transition to my final chapter has been greatly enhanced by her and for that I will be forever appreciative, because it has been a genuine treat and plesure.
I drew the parallel between my love of audio and my desire and projected love for a female significant other in my first post on this thread. While I have spent much more time listening to my system, especially during the weeks approaching last Thursday (averaging around 10 hours a day) and I cannot emphasize how helpful that was and still is, I have zero doubt that it would be even better with the woman I cannot be without nestled next to me inside the envelope of sound that I have come to adore. I would also love my projected significant other to share all of the other things that I like and thoroughly enjoy, like boat trips, any type of exploration and just sharing our energies and being one.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Despite many life disappointments, I still believe that I am entering into one of the best phases of my life yet. As part of this new phase, I finally have the time and have done so much personal work on ME, that I am very optimistic that I will not be alone in my audio and life envelope for long.
So no, I do not fear or sense danger. However, from our voices and minds intersecting, I now feel emotions and states of being I have not felt in a long time and from my perspective, I would be a fool not to explore, even though these times will make that a totally new experience. Besides, as new as it is, it has been truly invigorating thus far.
As I teenager, I was very shy about the first time holding hands with a girl, AND very very shy about how to kiss her for the first time. While there remains a bit of both still present in my life. think about it--I have a new challenge and that excites me. Will the first time we hold hands be through gloves? If I have the chance to kiss her, the first kiss is always very important and telling for me because of the sensual opportunity. But, I have never done this while having had to negotiate a mask. Even as I write this weird thought and link it to my hopeful projections, this woman's vitality makes the projection even more exciting.
I expect I will learn a lot, both positive and maybe some less than positive, but I will be right where my inner core tells I should be, but I am still actively reminding myself to let nature do what it does so much better than me. If there is a reason for this nubile connection to grow, then the best I can do and will do is be totally honest and communicative with my desires and emotions on that front.
In fact, isn't this kind of like this thread and my Bucket List System project of 60 years? You never know what the outcome will be, but hope that there will be lots of joy, even though it is almost guaranteed that the specifics will be different than what you project.
Who knows how I will feel when my system soon transitions from my Almost Bucket List System to my actual Bucket List System? I have been pursuing this for 60 years, enjoying almost every step of the process, especially recently, and I cannot wait because it is true that what does not kill you makes you stronger. It is also true that the simple mantra I have tried to live by for the past 10 years--do the right thing in all of your affairs--has made me a much better human being, despite passing through some down times enroute to the good times.
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Very wise words Russ. I was teasing you; I believe that things can sometimes click with just one look or one call. That’s how I met my wife, on her first day in this country, right off the airport terminal. Sharing our lives with someone is a beautiful thing.
Ack,
From my perspective you are living the dream. There is no sound system that can match a healthy loving relationship. However, if you can combine the two then you are very fortunate and should work to protect it by keeping its priority high. Part of what I have been saying in this post with an extremely high level of candor is sharing my thoughts about how I hopefully will achieve my most sacred dreams, significant other, system, personal happiness, etc. I have also shared mistakes I have made, without trying to be too much of a downer (Thanks Marty for making helpful points on that front)
I understand that my using this forum in this manner is not mainstream for WBF and why I mentioned at the top of the first post of this thread, that a number of people will probably not like or be interested in this post, while it is exactly the kind of post I wish there was more of on this forum.
So once again, I am so pleased that almost a 1000 people have read this in the past week, because that hopefully means I am saying something of value to at least some of those who have taken a look.
For me that is important and very satisfying. I also like it when I get feedback that someone says that something in this thread got to them, since that is what I try to do throughout my life.
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