[fleemur12]

  Not to derail the thread, but a great book on the OED is The Professor and the Madman.  A huge chunk of the OED was submitted by a killer in an insane asylum.
 
Back to Schiit.  Can't wait to see what they have in store for the year.

An amazing story also used as a model case study in psychiatry, that I first heard while working for the NY OMH. 
 
Highly-organized, well-read and an accomplished army surgeon who would eventually become an accomplished lexicographer, W.C. Minor was paradoxically prone to exhibiting violent and irrational behavior that eventually culminated in his commitment into an insane asylum for murder.  Years later it was determined that he suffered from a newly described disease called dementia praecox, what we now know as schizophrenia. 
 
As for those experiencing upgradeitis with their Schiit components, IMHO that's always been a part of the audiophile experience and the hobbyist mentality in general.  Personally, I feel a desire to consistently improve the sound of my system.  I think it's about increasing the pleasure I get from listening to music plus, quite frankly, a consumer mentality where I get enjoyment out of researching and purchasing new things.  It doesn't help that more new & improved audio components seem to be hitting the market at a quickening pace and providing me with more temptations than ever before.  Ultimately, it provides me with pleasure and makes me happy, so any complaints you may hear coming from me are tongue-in-cheek. 

 

[rmullins08]

  An amazing story also used as a model case study in psychiatry, that I first heard while working for the NY OMH. 
 
Highly-organized, well-read and an accomplished army surgeon who would eventually become an accomplished lexicographer, W.C. Minor was paradoxically prone to exhibiting violent and irrational behavior that eventually culminated in his commitment into an insane asylum for murder.  Years later it was determined that he suffered from a newly described disease called dementia praecox, what we now know as schizophrenia. 
 

Very fun post for me to read.  I actually failed my paper in 6th grade because it was supposed to be a biography, and I chose the Professor and the Madman.  And my sister is currently working on her PhD at NYU in neuroscience with a specialty in Autistic/Schitzophenic tendencies

 

[jibzilla]

   
I'd like to see more reviewers with very solid engineering backgrounds.  Even in the "name" audio publications, I've seen both laughers, where a reviewer will get something plain wrong, or admissions of ignorance - "I don't know how this works, but...," or "This is the explanation X Corp gives for the way its component sounds, and I don't know whether it makes engineering sense but I'm just passing it along."
 
About the English language: I agree no school can give you the love of reading that's likely to be the single most important factor in your facility with English.  But technical education in English will give you tools that help you to write effectively.  (I'm immensely grateful to the student teacher in 9th grade who hated me for some reason and gave me Cs and Ds on everything I wrote.  She herself didn't help me at all - she was just a 21-year-old with a problem.  But it put me in a 10th grade English class where we spent a great deal of time doing things like diagramming sentences.  I still do that mentally sometimes when determining the answers to pesky problems like subject-verb number agreement, correct pronoun case, etc.)

I see your point. Still I think it is all about the sound in the end and actually I think someone like mike mercer who dj'd has a bigger advantage over someone with an engineering background when it comes to reviewing. With djing you have to listen to music constantly and really keep your ear to the ground. I def. remember hard to get records "trainspotters" that you really had to stay on top of what was coming out. Now with serato and traktor not so much, still it does not hurt to listen allot. I wonder the last time Jason sat down and listened to a stat, ortho and dynamic for over 3 hours? I do it every single night for the last year. I remember a topic way back: do dj's dance? The overwhelming answer from dj's who make a living from it was no. The job really took away their ability to just go to a party and dance. I really wonder if that relates to people who build gear? Do they get caught up in the design and parts that they have a hard time relaxing and enjoy the tunes?
 
Could someone get way to deep reviewing an item because they have an engineering back ground? Well I do remember 6 moons reviews back in the day where the dude would ramble on and on about every single little piece of the amp or dac for like 20 pages. I like to get details but not 20 really filled up pages worth, and let's not forget the cnet classic "It's the best I have ever heard". At least to me the Frankl, DSG, MH reviews over at headphone guru are a very big breath of fresh air compared to the 2 I mentioned before and I do not care if they have an engineering background in the slightest.
 
As for the English language I 100% fully agree with you that school is important. Sorry if I came off like it was not. I just think that there has to be an underlying passion there as well.

 

[wink]

Quote:Mullins

 Back to Schiit.  Can't wait to see what they have in store for the year.

 
 
The (Redacted) is definitely the product to wait for....
 
Has the on switch up front.
Has a foolproof USB3 port that runs on all versions of Windows.
Will run all DSD files.
Only takes 5 minutes warm-up time to reach optimal performance. (Even from a freezer).
Has a remote control that operates ALL functions.
Will dice onions without shedding tears.
 
 
What's not to like?    

 
(p.s. the Uber2 version will run both dynamic and electrostatic phones as well as allow you to do your internet banking.)

 

[StanD]

   
 
The (Redacted) is definitely the product to wait for....
 
Has the on switch up front.
Has a foolproof USB3 port that runs on all versions of Windows.
Will run all DSD files.
Only takes 5 minutes warm-up time to reach optimal performance. (Even from a freezer).
Has a remote control that operates ALL functions.
Will dice onions without shedding tears.
 
 
What's not to like?    

 
(p.s. the Uber2 version will run both dynamic and electrostatic phones as well as allow you to do your internet banking.)

But does the remote control have a power button and is it on front?

 

[Armaegis]

  But does the remote control have a power button and is it on front?

It's a wireless internal body heat activated switch that can't be taken orally.

 

[StanD]

 
It's a wireless internal body heat activated switch that can't be taken orally.

Ew, used like an old school thermometer? That means the power switch effectively remains on back.

 

[cspirou]

Another good chapter! The only issue is it seems a bit narrow in terms of engineering options. What about making speakers, headphones or source components? Are those dead avenues or is it just that amps are the best way in?
 
Personally I have learned a ton from firstwatt.com as well as just playing around with circuits on circuitlab.com. While software simulation may not be great reflection of how an amp works in reality, it's a great tool for learning the fundamentals about components and relative simple topologies if you are just starting.

 

[David Aldrich]

  Ew, used like an old school thermometer? That means the power switch effectively remains on back.

Well, not 'on' the back per se.

 

[StanD]

 
Well, not 'on' the back per se.

That's where the sun don't shine, right?

 

[Ableza]

   
I'd like to see more reviewers with very solid engineering backgrounds.  Even in the "name" audio publications, I've seen both laughers, where a reviewer will get something plain wrong, or admissions of ignorance - "I don't know how this works, but...," or "This is the explanation X Corp gives for the way its component sounds, and I don't know whether it makes engineering sense but I'm just passing it along."

There are those who "do," those who "teach," and critics.

 

[gikigill]

There is a severe shortage of those who can "teach" so people can "do" more. Mentoring and teaching are in severe shortage nowadays as I am going back to university for upskilling.

 

[StanD]

There is a severe shortage of those who can "teach" so people can "do" more. Mentoring and teaching are in severe shortage nowadays as I am going back to university for upskilling.

Good on ya. Help eliminate a drongo a day.

 

[gikigill]

I hate that phrase that "those who can't do, teach".

No you ****wits, a great teacher can inspire hundreds of doers. He can equip them with the knowledge and the ability and push them to bigger things. There's a reason why I am in my current profession and it involved a great teacher.I benefitted greatly from her expertise and knowledge.

 

[wink]

There are some teachers who the term "academic" describes as someone who has only a mental knowledge not backed up by a shred of practical experience.
 
You see them in the halls of almost every institution.
 
Their ideas sound great and logical, but which anyone with practical experience can tear apart and show are impractical in the real world.
 
Look around, you see the effect of their disasters all around, especially in the corporate and governmental spheres.