[Hutnicks]

How long have you had the oppos?

 

[Magick Man]

3 days?

 

[Hutnicks]

With a question mark? You not sure or the time difference got you in it's grip.
 
Any plans on popping over to Monaco for the GP?

 

[gikigill]

The Quattroporte is definitely a different breed from the standard German offerings.
 
Got a very interesting tale about a Quattroporte owner and me.
 
I was returning from Melbourne Airport and on my way to home. On the freeway a black Quattroporte is tearing up the
 
freeway with its lovely exhaust.
 
The car slows down due to some traffic in the right lane and I catch up in my Alfa. The owner would be about 55-60 and
 
Italian and had kiddy seats at the back.
 
I looked at him and smiled and he smiled back and suddenly took off, slowed down a bit for me to catch up and then revved
 
again. Both of us had huge smiles on our faces as this continued for 10km when we had to exit the freeway on the same
 
exit, we stopped at the lights and the guy rolled his window down and starts chatting.
 
He mentions how fast the car was and that it would kill him for a single mistake but it would be worth it. We chatted about
 
our cars for a minute or so and then in one final encore, he really gunned it with the sound rumbling like a wounded lion.
 
I would never expect a German S/7/A8 driver to do this.

 

[Magick Man]

Yeah, it's about that "feeling", and most German carmakers don't get it*, but then, neither do the Americans or Japanese, unless they accidentally step on it (new Stingray and original NSX). The Brits mostly get it, but then it breaks and is never quite the same again. :confused_face:



*Porsche usually gets it, but then they try really hard to cover it up with too many systems and tech gizmos.

-------------------

I'm trying to get a minister or functionary to show me around the impound yard where the Italian gov't has, "over 1000 luxury vehicles confiscated from people who are guilty of tax evasion". :eek: I wonder what's there?

.

 

[Magick Man]

With a question mark? You not sure or the time difference got you in it's grip.

Any plans on popping over to Monaco for the GP?

They arrived Friday but I didn't get to listen to them until I was on the plane.

Yes, I was able to twist Ferrari's arm and get some terrace seats comped, so we'll be there as their "guests" and have Scud Ferrari passes. I can't wait, it's my first F1 event in 20 years.

 

[Hutnicks]

They arrived Friday but I didn't get to listen to them until I was on the plane.

Yes, I was able to twist Ferrari's arm and get some terrace seats comped, so we'll be there as their "guests" and have Scud Ferrari passes. I can't wait, it's my first F1 event in 20 years.

You are definitely going to have an experience and a half then. The way they are handling on an open track in a straight line is diabolical enough, seeing them trapped in the confines of Monaco is going to be spectacular.
 
I'm really interested to hear an opinion on the Oppossums from someone who actually has experience modding T50's.

 

[Magick Man]

Perceptions in the USA are that everyone in Italy is lean, sexy, and drives an Alfa or Ferrari. The truth, however, is that they're generally rather short, prone to excessive emotional outbursts, and the roads are clogged with tiny Fiats and bicycles. Sure, you see an Alfa or Maser once in a while, and I glanced a yellow Gallardo while we were sipping coffee at a cafe, but I've yet to see a Stallion anywhere here, except in magazines. Since we purposely arrived here with not much more than the clothes on our backs, this morning I went to Sartoria Carbone and they're fixing up a summer wardrobe for me, even quick-fit some slacks, a couple shirts, and a dinner jacket to get me by until my order is ready. Really nice people there.

Let's back up a little.... We flew into New York via Delta and everything was fine, we didn't hit a snag until we went to board our non-stop Emirates flight to Rome (a massive Airbus A380-800). We'd made special arrangements for my wife's little ankle-biter, Pablo, to fly with us in his carrier (because he'd freak out in the hold of the plane), so they had set up a semi-enclosed 4 person suite, so that he wouldn't potentially irritate the other passengers. Frankly, as long as he's with my wife he's as quiet as a mouse, she just slides the carrier under her seat and you'd never even know he was there. Well, some sheikh (or maybe he was an imam) somehow got word that a dog (unclean animal) was onboard and became offended, despite the fact the guy wasn't sitting within 100' of us. I swear, I think he was upset that, if there was a crash, some of the dog's blood would get mingled with his and he'd get denied entry into heaven, or some silly crap like that. My wife didn't make things any better by rather loudly commenting that at least the dog had had a bath the night before, so was probably more clean than the fellow who was complaining. A Turkish couple sitting near us almost fell out of their seats laughing at that one and the attendant looked like she'd swallowed a bug. This delayed the flight as they worked to sort out the seating arrangement to place the angry Arab as far away from our tiny 5lb dog as possible. Then, as we were leaving the plane later he gave us the stinkeye and made an obscene gesture at us. Good grief. :rolleyes:


--------------------

I like the Oppos a lot. Although they aren't quite up to snuff with the Audeze LCD-X; bass doesn't extend as low, more narrow and shallow soundstage, and resolution takes a small hit due to the Oppo drivers exhibiting a hint of grain in their treble (likely due to some distortion/decay issues in that range). However, that's getting a little picky, essentially you get ~90% of the performance for $600 less. Also they're a lot more portable, half the weight, very attractive (a subjective thing), with a wonderful fit and finish you'd expect from Sennheiser, AKG, or one of the major manufacturers.

Are they better than modded T50s? I'd say they're slightly better than my T50s, but still in the same ballpark. Not to mention, the Oppos are open cans, whereas the T50s are closed, though sound leakage isn't as bad with the PM-1s as it is with most others. So, if the looks and portability aren't something you care about, and you want to save a bunch of money, just mod the Fostex yourself or buy some Mad/Alphadogs. I give the Oppo PM-1s a solid 4.25/5 stars, overall. (Anything over 4 stars I consider to be excellent.)



I'll post impressions about the NADs later.

 

[Hutnicks]

Italy's like everywhere else. Rich areas with the displays of wealth that go along with it and the majority working class who, at 10 bucks a litre are going to drive the econo cars.  There may be more displays of exotica on the weekend or at late nights. With the traffic and temperaments being only slightly better than those in Greece, it's a high risk proposition driving anything of value during regular hours in urban areas.
 
Seems like Oppo made a good effort then for their first kick at the can. I'm still curious as to how the new Fostex will stand up to them.

 

[ssrock64]

Magick, do you mind if I quote your impressions over on the PM-1 impressions thread, or do you want to steer clear of that madness?

 

[ThickGlasses]

Oh god, I hate being 14.

Some guy has a 1995 Japanese Import FD3S for sale for $3200, safetied 4 months ago and taken in for a checkup every 3 months by its owner. The only downside is that the guy totally riced it out (it seriously looks like something out of F&F).

 

[Hutnicks]

Hey Magick, It suddenly occurs to me I've never asked what exactly you use for a portable listening setup source and amp wise. Would you mind sharing that info?

 

[Magick Man]

It's a Vamp Versa or a HeadAmp Pico Slim, depending on the source, either my phone or a tablet.

Sure, feel free to post my impressions, I'll publish a full review later, after I've listened some more and have the time.

 

[Magick Man]

Hilarious! We've been here 3 days and already someone has tried to charge >$25k in unauthorized CC purchases, all in the last 12 hours. :rolleyes: Now I have to verify every charge within 30 seconds (there's a pop-up in my Amex app) or it gets rejected. After I rejected 3 in a row they suddenly stopped, I guess they figure that the jig is up. I'm not even sure why they bothered, all of the charges they tried before that were cancelled too and now they're being tracked down by the police (who are being harassed by the Amex fraud dept). Thieves are stupid, no matter where you go in the world.

 

[veyrongatti]

Oh god, I hate being 14.

Some guy has a 1995 Japanese Import FD3S for sale for $3200, safetied 4 months ago and taken in for a checkup every 3 months by its owner. The only downside is that the guy totally riced it out (it seriously looks like something out of F&F).

well at least your not Australian, you wont be able to drive an FD (both kouki and zenki) until you turn 20 (at least)