alphaman Send PM

Occupation:

Live! Mucho inheritance $ + total non-addiction to socializing/pets/99.9% TV,movies/99.9% "music".

Interests:

Make my life interesting. Increase power and scope of imagination. Promote self-interest, for ME.
A goal: 'Circular wisdom': To educate and become educated in myriad fields, especially science and phil.

alphaman's main H-F goal ... Circularly educate w/bewildered herd in var. hi-fi topics/issues in order to (or cause to) select/develop better/more-cost-effective gear; etc, but only for my own benefit. If you also gain from such inefficient exchanges, consider that a stochastic coincidence. If that remark does not meet with your unimportant approval ... then ... "za hell vith you" [A. Schwarzenegger/Conan ]

Headphone Inventory:

AKG 701; Sennheiser: IE8, 650 (with Cardas cable), 600, 580; beyer DT880, DT911, DT990; Grado HP-1, SR-80, 325is; Etymotic ER-4S; Shure E2C, SE530; EarSonics SM3v2; Stax SR-X/MK3（1975), Lambda Pro + SRM-1MK2; etc.
Fave cans (of the ones I've heard thus far):
IEM: IE8
Std.: bd DT880

Old sig:
james444 noted on 2011-06-30: "@alphaman, there's something about your posts that makes me all antsy inside..." alphaman's solutions: Use psychology /self-discipline to [bracket] me out. Use forum tools ... "Block Member" or "Report to Admin", etc. Don't Follow me around. Don't (cont.)

Headphone Amp Inventory:

Headroom Little (w/'Premium' opa627 module ) + More Power Supply (modified); Meier Corda v2 (heavily modified); Xin SuperMacro IV (AD825); Pimeta2-based DIY w/AD825; PPA2-based DIY w/OPA627; Van Alstine FET-Valve pre-amp; Go-Vibe 4 (Low-Gain LM6172)

Source Inventory:

--Portable--
Cowon iAudio X5, U3;Teclast T51; QLS-QA350v2; Colorfly CK4 (LO opa = AD8397)

--Computer-based--
Dell Inspiron 17 notebook (2010; Win 7); Dell 5100 Inspiron laptop (2003; Win XP); DIY PC with: modded Asus Xonar Essence XT or M-audio 24/96 sound cards, Asus motherboard, Antec Sonata case+ Ultra PSU, etc.

--Home/traditional--

Digital:
Musical Fidelity A324 DAC (heavily DIY-modified, with new direct-coupled output stage, indep. clock, etc). Pioneer DIY-modified Elite DV-59AVi Universal disc player; several classic Philips Red-Book CDPs -- all heavily modified -- these are my digital REFERENCE sources (yup ...after mods, they sound better than any 16/44 digital source I've head to date and SACD)

Analog/Lp:
VPI HW-19 w/Rega RB-300, Sumiko BP Special cart.

Other:
--Will update this inv. soon!--

Cable Inventory:

DIY; Straight Wire; Cardas, Tara RSC

Power-Related Components:

amp: AVA Hi-Fi Omega 260 amp; FET-Valve pre-amp.
main speaker.Paradigm Export Monitor Mk.2
Computer speakers: Cambridge Soundworks, Monsoon planar

Other Audio Equipment:

Foobar 2000; EAC for ripping.
Extra PS filtration via cascaded devices: Chang Lightspeed ISO 6400 > APC UPS > TrippLite

Audio-Related Tweaks:

With headphones, almost always use cross-feed when avail. in amp. And I almost always use external amp for music/video regardless of how HQ built-in amp may be (e.g., for DAPs with HQ headphone out (HO), I will still use Line Out (LO)). For audiobooks and non-music podcasts, HO is okay.

Some philosophy on evaluating gear:
Purchase = ultimate product/brand compliment. Why spew accolades after that? Criticize first; then praise.
Tools/Refs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/

Music Preferences:

Classical (generally fave genre)--fave style/period is orchestral early 20th century: esp.G. Mahler, S. Barber, W. Walton. Modern-late 20th: Henze, Penderecki, etc.
Film/Scores (Hans Zimmer, J. N.-Howard, John Wiliiams, Jerry Goldsmith, etc.)
"New Age" (e.g., Michael Stearns/Tangerine Dream/Vangelis)
"Pop/Rock" ('70s to modern, mostly UK)
Electronica/Techno/Psy/Dance/Disco ('70s to modern, mostly UK/"Euro", e.g., Way Out West; Orbital; Enigma, Delerium), Pitch Black, Solar Fields, Aes Dana, Vibrasphere
Some "big band" (e.g., Buddy Rich)

Gear-Fi:

Complete Signature:
james444 noted on 2011-06-30: "@alphaman, there's something about your posts that makes me all antsy inside..." alphaman's solutions: Use psychology /self-discipline to [bracket] me out. Use forum tools ... "Block Member" or "Report to Admin", etc. Don't Follow me around. Don't Subscribe to any of my threads. Already a fan? Unsubscribe. Post a diatribe Public Message on my Profile page. Speaking of which ... read my complete Profile before replying to any of my posts (unless I pose a direct question, of course) -- it is an education and compulsory cleansing for the unwashed mass.
Complete Signature rev 2:
If you're gullible enough to take any of the ^-above-^ or v-below-v content seriously, the psychopathology is yours.
Given all the great un-/under-read lit. & self-help texts out there, which YOU clearly need to study, you're actually reading this insignificant sig line, written by coprolite! Req. reading for unwashed mass ... i.e., YOU!)