Hobbies become wants, wants become needs, and needs become obsessions

Vermonter

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I‘ve been on this highway for about 15 years, but my system was pretty static for the few years preceding 2020. In Feb of 2020 I decided to get the best system I could find/afford and not go thru another round of incremental upgrades over several years. That journey was fun, and a learning experience, but not the best use of time or money.

I’ve had great support from the guys at dCS, D’Agostino, and JS Audio in Bethesda MD. The Kennedy brothers who own JS Audio drove 4 hrs to my home with my Sasha DAWs and spent a couple hours placing and fine tuning them, and getting me set up for network streaming thru my dCS gear. It was a really cool couple of hours as we listened to the same song, over and over again. They did let me slip on one of my reference songs once in a while, and the beers were excellent.

I went to Venice a few years ago, and got hooked on Murano glass; the atmosphere in my listening room is just so damn mellow, and I have my choice of 256 colors for the lights under the glass dolphin and bird statues. Who could ask for more.

I also am learning guitar, and one of my benchmarks is can I get my guitar to replicate what the system is producing, and vice versa. I am there, emphatically.

I’m getting ready for an upgrade to the power system and that’ll probably be it for a while; 2021 is the year of enjoyment...
 

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spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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What do obsessions become?
 

DSkip

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Aug 26, 2013
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What do obsessions become?
Fatal Attractions?

On a personal side, I have found a level of performance that makes me content and while I do obsess over that 'certain set of skills', once they are in place in a system I am in bliss and can let other areas that can be improved not hinder my experience. I've been beyond that level and loved every minute, but I have definitely found that threshold needed to prevent a complete obsession.
 

Vermonter

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Obsessions become satisfaction with goals met. The trick is to know when you‘ve hit the sweet spot, and just enjoy after that.

I was looking for holographic sound, powerful bass, details I’ve never heard before in songs I know by heart, seamless integration with one of my 8 guitars (there’s that obsession thang again) and just a memorable sound.

Here are 2 of my other guitars; an X20 six string and matching 12 string from Emerald guitars in Ireland. I was sitting here wondering what guitar I didn‘t already have, did not yet know I wanted and would eventually need. I’m Irish, and wanted something I could play outside made of carbon fiber with a cool wooden top. So I searched on “Irish guitars made of carbon fiber with wooden tops” and found Emerald guitars. You can go to their FB page and pick a specific piece of exotic veneer from inventory, get it positioned just as you like live via Skype, and they build it. I have another one (a larger body X30) in koa in addition to these 2, covered in waterfall mahogany.

They are great guitars and stay in tune perpetually, since the body and neck never change size or shape with variations in temperature and humidity. You don’t have to keep them hidden in case with constant humidification; just hang them on the wall and grab one when the mood hits ya. You can also take them camping and use as a canoe paddle, dry them out and strum around the campfire that evening.

Maybe more info then ya needed, but I’m also pretty close to declaring victory the guitar obsession too. Time to enjoy...

Slainte,

Mitch
 

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Vermonter

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That is amazing glass work. One thing I imagine is the artisan’s sense of completeness when he/she fires the glass for the last time. I went on dolphin binge and this is now prolly my favorite piece of glass.
 

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jazdoc

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Lovely! One of the good things about living in Seattle is the glass art community. If you are ever in the neighborhood and the neighborhood is ever open again....
 

Bobvin

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Love the pics, I see what appears to be an archtop with a variation on an f hole? My brother has been a luthier all his life and has made some amazing archtop guitars. Sadly his additions have kept him obscure.

and that’s a hell of a rig you’ve assembled. Nice!
 

jfrech

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Love your title and excellent system ! Question, are you only streaming or also have some sort of storage? I have yet to try streaming with my dCS Vivaldi.
 

Vermonter

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jfrec,

I’be been streaming almost exclusively for the last couple months; prior to that I was using a Macmini, clean of any files other than my iTunes library. I was a skeptic about SQ from streaming, but after a while I became an agnostic, and now I’m a supporter. I also have all my music files on an NAS I can access thru the network, and can’t tell any difference between pulling from the NAS, or streaming from Quboz.

I have around 40 SACDs that were ripped to DSD that are also on the NAS, but if the album is available as hi-res thru Quboz, that’s what I usually pick. I’m chasing a gremlin in my system now—on any SACD albums I select from the NAS, the first .5 seconds of the first song gets clipped. It plays well for the remainder of the album from that point. dCS gave me some ideas on how to resolve this, but I have not found it necessary...I’d say hi-res streamed is equal to DSD pulled from my NAS.

One of the big debates on streaming is the impact/need for high end ethernet cables. The Ethernet standard is pretty precise, so some hold that any cable that meets the standard will suffice. Another school of thought is the cables matter here as much as elsewhere in a system. The debate can get pretty heated, as these things often do.

I had the budget and time so I lurked on the used equipment sites and picked up some Audioquest Diamond Ethernet cables at fair prices. When I had the ethernet cable installed from the modem to the stereo with a run under my house, I had the tech terminate that with a female connector rather than a male which would been required for connection to the modem. I have an AQ Diamond there. I also have an AQ Vodka which connects the NAS to the modem, and another AQ diamond that runs from the wall to an unmanaged switch on the stereo rack, and another AQ Diamond that connects the upsampler with the switch. Overkill maybe, but now I don’t obsess over making it better. The cost for the 4 AQ Ethernet cables is also less than half of some of the other cables in my system, so it made sense. I have a habit of talking myself into stuff. Photo of the network node is attached for info...

Maybe a longer answer than ya expected, but as Mark Twain once quipped, “If I’d had more time I woulda written a shorter book.

Slainte,

Mitch
 

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Vermonter

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Lovely! One of the good things about living in Seattle is the glass art community. If you are ever in the neighborhood and the neighborhood is ever open again....
I have a couple,pieces I picked up in Portland many years go...awesome stuff...
 

Vermonter

Member
Jan 6, 2021
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Love the pics, I see what appears to be an archtop with a variation on an f hole? My brother has been a luthier all his life and has made some amazing archtop guitars. Sadly his additions have kept him obscure.

and that’s a hell of a rig you’ve assembled. Nice!
Bobvin,

The soundhole on these guitars is at the upper side of the body near the where it connects to the neck. Lots of benefits/difference from standard placement dead center on the soundboard - sound projects upwards to the player and the soundboard is larger for more volume and sustain. You’d never be able to do this with a wooden guitar.

Since the body is completely molded from carbon fiber, the design includes some complex curves on the body. There is an inward compound complex curve on the upper bout so that the body rests snugly in your ribcage, and the lower bout for the leg support is also a complex curve. You’d never be able to do this with a wooden guitar either.

here are a couple better pics...

Slainte,,

Mitch
 

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Mikem53

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jfrec,

I’be been streaming almost exclusively for the last couple months; prior to that I was using a Macmini, clean of any files other than my iTunes library. I was a skeptic about SQ from streaming, but after a while I became an agnostic, and now I’m a supporter. I also have all my music files on an NAS I can access thru the network, and can’t tell any difference between pulling from the NAS, or streaming from Quboz.

I have around 40 SACDs that were ripped to DSD that are also on the NAS, but if the album is available as hi-res thru Quboz, that’s what I usually pick. I’m chasing a gremlin in my system now—on any SACD albums I select from the NAS, the first .5 seconds of the first song gets clipped. It plays well for the remainder of the album from that point. dCS gave me some ideas on how to resolve this, but I have not found it necessary...I’d say hi-res streamed is equal to DSD pulled from my NAS.

One of the big debates on streaming is the impact/need for high end ethernet cables. The Ethernet standard is pretty precise, so some hold that any cable that meets the standard will suffice. Another school of thought is the cables matter here as much as elsewhere in a system. The debate can get pretty heated, as these things often do.

I had the budget and time so I lurked on the used equipment sites and picked up some Audioquest Diamond Ethernet cables at fair prices. When I had the ethernet cable installed from the modem to the stereo with a run under my house, I had the tech terminate that with a female connector rather than a male which would been required for connection to the modem. I have an AQ Diamond there. I also have an AQ Vodka which connects the NAS to the modem, and another AQ diamond that runs from the wall to an unmanaged switch on the stereo rack, and another AQ Diamond that connects the upsampler with the switch. Overkill maybe, but now I don’t obsess over making it better. The cost for the 4 AQ Ethernet cables is also less than half of some of the other cables in my system, so it made sense. I have a habit of talking myself into stuff. Photo of the network node is attached for info...

Maybe a longer answer than ya expected, but as Mark Twain once quipped, “If I’d had more time I woulda written a shorter book.

Slainte,

Mitch
Were you able to compare the before and after Ethernet cables ? Curious as to if you noticed any difference With the new cables.
I use Jrivers MC on a MacBook Pro, and I stream through the same system.
In my system the Jrivers sounds better playing my ripped CD’s off the built in SSD drive Vs streaming. This is mostly due to the streaming app not Having exclusive control over my DAC, as Jrivers provides. They are very close in SQ, but the selection on streaming has opened up many new musical adventures for me.. I stream 80% of the time now...
 

Vermonter

Member
Jan 6, 2021
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Were you able to compare the before and after Ethernet cables ? Curious as to if you noticed any difference With the new cables.
I use Jrivers MC on a MacBook Pro, and I stream through the same system.
In my system the Jrivers sounds better playing my ripped CD’s off the built in SSD drive Vs streaming. This is mostly due to the streaming app not Having exclusive control over my DAC, as Jrivers provides. They are very close in SQ, but the selection on streaming has opened up many new musical adventures for me.. I stream 80% of the time now...

I didn’t do a rigorous A/B test, but the AQ cables were better than the stock, or other ethernet cables I tried. My modem/laundry room is a hot bed of electical activity, as is the area behind my stereo rack. The DBS thingy on the end of the Diamond cables is supposed to limit/remove any stray radio and electrical interference. The other big difference is the quality/type of connector higher end Ethernet cables use. The stock and other cables had the standard plastic connector, while the AQ cables have a proprietary connector with much more heft, and is designed to also provide strain relief.

Many of the other cables in my system are pretty heavy and have a tendency to dip downwards at the component connection points over time. Power cords are especially prone to this and I’ve got some Rube Goldberg methods to keep them firmly seated in the IEC socket. I figured the more substantial connector on the AQ cables were worth the investment. It has a more satisfying click when seated, and although they prolly ain’t ever gonna move again, they’d be better up to the rigors of repeated unplug/replug cycles.

Slainte,

Mitch
 

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Vermonter

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Were you able to compare the before and after Ethernet cables ? Curious as to if you noticed any difference With the new cables.
I use Jrivers MC on a MacBook Pro, and I stream through the same system.
In my system the Jrivers sounds better playing my ripped CD’s off the built in SSD drive Vs streaming. This is mostly due to the streaming app not Having exclusive control over my DAC, as Jrivers provides. They are very close in SQ, but the selection on streaming has opened up many new musical adventures for me.. I stream 80% of the time now...
Here is a link to a thread relative to ethernet cables on the dCS user group website. This particular debate has raged on for months, and no one seems to be able to.persuade t’other side of their position. I followed it for a long while, and just decided the AQ cables weren’t gonna hurt the SQ, and buying them wasn’t a stretch, especially in the context of what I’d already invested...

 

Mikem53

Well-Known Member
Oct 1, 2020
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Here is a link to a thread relative to ethernet cables on the dCS user group website. This particular debate has raged on for months, and no one seems to be able to.persuade t’other side of their position. I followed it for a long while, and just decided the AQ cables weren’t gonna hurt the SQ, and buying them wasn’t a stretch, especially in the context of what I’d already invested...

Mitch, Thank you for the link.. I would be better off investing in other areas first, but I have upgraded to BJC CAT 6a , Like you, I do believe in quality connections, like what you showed in your AQ cables. So I can see myself looking for something better built down the road. I retired from IBM some years ago and my technical career logic doesn’t jive with some of the audiophile claims. Yet I’ve learned that everything matters in the audio chain and cables are a component. A properly built cable that provides proper specs shouldn’t cost a fortune.. nor should it alter the sound.
If I had more invested in my system as many do on here, I too would be looking into better cables for the finishing touch, but still questioning it all..
 

Bobvin

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Mitch, first, the carbon fiber guitars are amazingly cool to look at—I'm going to assume the sound is equally amazing, but I'll also assume different from a wooden body. My comment on the F hole placement was in respect to one of your early pictures, the guitar with the hat hanging on it... archtop? I remember visiting my brother in his shop where he finished with French Polish. Tedious, repetitive, but an amazing finish.

Your guitar collection is amazing. Bob @ Rhapsody Audio ("Rhapsody" here on the forum) is also a collector.
 

Vermonter

Member
Jan 6, 2021
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Mitch, first, the carbon fiber guitars are amazingly cool to look at—I'm going to assume the sound is equally amazing, but I'll also assume different from a wooden body. My comment on the F hole placement was in respect to one of your early pictures, the guitar with the hat hanging on it... archtop? I remember visiting my brother in his shop where he finished with French Polish. Tedious, repetitive, but an amazing finish.

Your guitar collection is amazing. Bob @ Rhapsody Audio ("Rhapsody" here on the forum) is also a collector.
Bob,

That was a Taylor T5, finished in Koa. I went on binge a for a couple years and had a couple other guitars made from Koa; the photo below is my Taylor Solid Body electric along side my Johnny A signature Epiphone. Johnny A is a Boston native who made his bones up in the NE area early in his career. He was a member of the Yardbirds tribute band for quite a while and before that was the musical director for Peter Wolf’s band (of J. Geils fame).

I was perusing his website a year ago and noticed an ad that stated ya could buy an Epiphone Johnny A Signature directly from him - inquiries should be directed to his management company. I fired off an inquiry to the management company and 2 days later got a call from Johnny A personally. Needless to say, that sealed the deal.

He has 3 albums out and on each of them he is the sole artist - in the studio he makes extensive used of overdubs, tape delays and digital signal processing. All instrumental. He says he can’t sing for shit, and I’ll take him at his word.

All that magic in the studio is impressive, but live he is a savant on the looping rig he brings. The attached video was recorded live, with no prerecorded effects or synch tracks. It is entirely contemporaneous, composed in the moment. A man, a couple guitars and a bunch of pedals...here is a link to a 15 minute video of him playing I watch all the time for inspiration.

Slainte,

Mitch

 

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