coq de combat said:

Been home a couple of days. I'm not going to go into details on this one, however, it involves my stomach and a bathroom. I feel good, kind of fresh in my mind so to say, but my body from the neck downwards kind of disagrees with that feeling. It's okay, I'll soon be good to go back to work. Lots to do there.


 


Inventory of my training equipment:


 

1. Running shoes
2. Kettlebell
3. Bodylastics Resistance Bands (yeah, they work damned fine, very good alternative to free weights)
4. Gym Rings
5. Polar Loop Activity Tracker
6. Heart Rate Monitor
7. iPhone
8. IEMs

 


Am I missing something here? I've been interested in importing gravity shoes from US but I have no experience with such. I'm thinking because of my lower back and my "supposed" herniated disk (although working out and going twice a week to a massage chair has helped a lot). I've been eyeing GPS watches instead of my activity tracker for running, but truth be told, none of them can do anything my iPhone can't do better with proper apps. Of course, dropping and losing my phone would be disastrous, and losing a watch wouldn't, still, I can't plan my whole life in prevention of losing my gear -- also, it's not like I live in a slum (we live in one of the nicest and most expensive suburbs to Stockholm here), so robberies don't really happen around here. The rumoured iWatch might also be waiting around the corner, and it's rumoured to be centered around fitness as well. I'd probably stay clear of watches.


 


I don't know what else I would need?

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Runner checking in. I use Strava on the iPhone to track my runs. The free version is actually quite insightful. For running, comfortable clothing is probably the most important thing. The 5 toed socks (I forget the company name) were also a really big boon for me and stopped the foot blisters I got from long runs. If you're a big music person on runs, there was also a cool site where you could input your estimated mile time, and they'd find songs that had a bpm that matched your time so you can keep yourself on pace.

Opinions are pretty mixed on heart rate monitors, I tried using one and pacing myself to around ~150-160 bpm but I literally had to slow to what felt like a crawl after a mile or two to keep my heart rate there. I think I'd only use one if I was training for a marathon because for the 5 mile hard runs like I usually do, my heart rate's always at 190+ by the end of it. It's useful to estimate calories burned, but I wouldn't use it as a run pacer until you're planning on running very long distances.

Probably the biggest and best motivation you can give yourself is finding a partner to run with that's a bit more fit than you are, then gradually increasing the distance you run every week or so. Have someone else keep a steady pace forces you to keep up and doesn't allow you to slack off. Best of luck with your fitness routine!

Taken From The Audio Journal Of A DigitalFreak

Sound Byte: I Just Can't Get Enough

Sometimes being a music nut and gear whore can be a curse. A lot of other people, I like to call them norms, will find one headphone they like an pair it up with a good sounding DAC and amp and will walk away, kick back and call it a decade or two. Likewise, the average music fan will settle on a good half dozen to dozen good sounding bands they love to hear and spend their lives in blissful grooveaphilia. To combat the odd malaise of boredom they'll maybe keep the odd 3 or 4 CD's in reserve to change it up a bit or maybe even keep a small collection of singles from off the beaten path artists. Then there's the people, like me, who can be classed as a touch sick in the head who no matter how good their audio setup sounds or how many good CD's they already own can't stop thinking what else or who else is out there and if they're maybe missing out.

Over the last three years when I first wandered into Head-fi.org clueless and deranged I've been on a non-stop tear involving music and gear. In that short span of time I must have gone thorough God only knows how many IEM's/DAC's/amps only to continue wondering what else is out there that can possibly push the envelope and squeeze that extra 5% more from my ballooning collection of 500 plus CD's. At last count it was 500 plus. In retrospect, it wouldn't surprise me if I broke the 600 barrier since the last time I sat down and did a headcount. I shutter to think how much of a pain in the ass its going to be when the day comes and I move out of the family home and set up household with the future little wifey. When she sees me come panting through the door hauling box after box of CD's and electronics shes gonna wander what sort of loon she married. Here's hoping she doesn't lose her sense of humor.

It's not to say I regret having a wide eclectic taste in music or knowing what good gear is supposed to sound like. What it is to say is I wish I could find that level of contentment the norms seem so comfortable in. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if the norms have it more together then me and wonder how exactly they were able to find their audio nirvana while that little slice of paradise seems to always elude me. Yes, I know I need a psychiatrist. Oh well, back to the latest Crystal Method CD. Setup: AKG 701/Hifiman HE400 Jerg modded/Fostex Paradox being fed by the Matrix Mini Pro. For some added yucks I'm also using, off and on, the Mini Pro DAC only setting and hooked up to its audio out via RCA is a Schiit Audio Vali. Off to the right of my laptop, as if I didn't have enough already going on, I've got my trusty AK120 with my UERM customs and the Noble Audio 4 universal lying beside it. Why? Why not? A norm would just crack out his one headphone and kick back and enjoy. Me, I bring out the whole collection and start a marathon session of A/Bing and audio chain switcheroo. I'm such a lost cause. On the plus side the music critics can go hang. The latest Crystal Method CD kicks ass.

FIN

Sounds like you'e enjoying the music AND the journey, nothing wrong with that. To be frank it is easy to lose interest in a hobby when things stand still, you kind of need to be going somewhere, moving towards something.

If my journey has taught me anything so far, it's that HiFi has a habit of not following scientific theory, no matter how expert, and that things which by all means should not matter just do.  It has also taught me that most attempts to fully understand the hobby through scientific theory area futile, especially where these efforts are attempting to place limits on what matters.  
 
I pretty much started out my journey dwelling in the sound science forum, being skeptical of cables, hi-res, vibration tweaks, even high end equipment.  Pretty much all my pre-conceptions have been overturned at some point.  Best way to overcome these preconceptions is to listen to high end systems and not cherry pick which aspects of the system you consider to be important/valid.
 
On a personal note - I'm now working full time in my new architecture gig.  It has been challenging, but I am becoming used to meeting challenges : )
 
On a sad note, I will not longer have any days babysitting my nephew, but I will always cherish the time I had to help raise him.  he is super adorable.  Also sad, my budgie passed away, and I have Man Flu.  I also bought a Steelseries Rival which is an miserable failure of a mouse.  The Mac software wont install, the "non-slip" grips are more slippery than plastic, and the mouse is impossible to lift due to the shape.
 
My system is sounding great however, I have continued to pursue the vibration control thing, and it has payed off pretty well.  Very "aidoiphile nervosa" to spend one's  free time applying constrained layer damping to a hifi rack, but couple with other more pricey things, my system has been transformed.  Inner transients, timbre, dynamics.  Recordings I used to thought were compressed and dead are now alive and engaging.

Your pursuit with vibration control is great to hear! Especially since your tweaks returned a positive listening experience.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1629248706/earin-the-worlds-smallest-wireless-earbuds?ref=popular

Very tempting to pledge for one, but it's Kickstarter...

jgray91 said:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1629248706/earin-the-worlds-smallest-wireless-earbuds?ref=popular

Very tempting to pledge for one, but it's Kickstarter...

Click to expand...

+1. *cough*LightHarmonics*cough*;

Hey everyone, I just posted up a discussion in the members lounge about how review units hurt the community.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/724799/review-units-hurt-the-audio-community
 
I would love to hear some of your comments and input!
 
 

Also I think I found my favourite subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/audiojerk/

Absolutely, will join the discussion.

Just want to say, I'm probably going to be taking my leave.
 
Thanks to all you guys for the good times and the good discussions! I've had a lot of fun here in the diary thread. It's actually one of the few opportunities I have had to have articulate and intelligent discussions with people from many different background and different outlooks on life. A big shout out to all you guys and gals (even the ones who are no longer with us). Good times.
 
For various reasons I do not believe I can contribute to this forum anymore.
 
If you want to talk to me, well you know where to find me.
 
I wish you all the best!

a_recording said:

  Just want to say, I'm probably going to be taking my leave.
 
Thanks to all you guys for the good times and the good discussions! I've had a lot of fun here in the diary thread. It's actually one of the few opportunities I have had to have articulate and intelligent discussions with people from many different background and different outlooks on life. A big shout out to all you guys and gals (even the ones who are no longer with us). Good times.
 
For various reasons I do not believe I can contribute to this forum anymore.
 
If you want to talk to me, well you know where to find me.
 
I wish you all the best!

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 Best to you! And since I dig your presentations, where might I find you? Thanks for your contributions.
 
Cheers!

a_recording said:

  Just want to say, I'm probably going to be taking my leave.
 
Thanks to all you guys for the good times and the good discussions! I've had a lot of fun here in the diary thread. It's actually one of the few opportunities I have had to have articulate and intelligent discussions with people from many different background and different outlooks on life. A big shout out to all you guys and gals (even the ones who are no longer with us). Good times.
 
For various reasons I do not believe I can contribute to this forum anymore.
 
If you want to talk to me, well you know where to find me.
 
I wish you all the best!

Click to expand...

Best of luck in your new endeavors ^^  

a_recording said:

  Just want to say, I'm probably going to be taking my leave.
 
Thanks to all you guys for the good times and the good discussions! I've had a lot of fun here in the diary thread. It's actually one of the few opportunities I have had to have articulate and intelligent discussions with people from many different background and different outlooks on life. A big shout out to all you guys and gals (even the ones who are no longer with us). Good times.
 
For various reasons I do not believe I can contribute to this forum anymore.
 
If you want to talk to me, well you know where to find me.
 
I wish you all the best!

Click to expand...

 
 
You have to remember that this place is more or less a farm, and we are the animals. Look at the front page...it's user reviews there mostly. The site admins get paid for the traffic our content generates, as well as the sponsorship. We pay for products, spend our time writing these reviews, all for their benefit. Hell, look at how much traffic Joker's thread alone generates. The worst part is that we can't even openly post our views, no matter how founded in fact or logic they are. 
 
GL with your campaign. I really enjoy your videos.

eke2k6 said:

We pay for products, spend our time writing these reviews, all for their benefit.

Click to expand...

 
Hold on eke, I think it's important to highlight that we spend our time writing reviews and impressions in order to help out fellow enthusiasts.  We do it freely, of our own accord, as part of our participation in the hobby... not because we were commissioned by - or in any way asked to - by Head-Fi... not because it was in any way required of us... and certainly not "all for their benefit."  Does Head-Fi indirectly benefit from having this content?  Sure.  Is that why we do it?  No.  So let's not try to pretend that we are unwitting sources of labor here.  We are not.