[VisceriousZERO]

Great read And that photo must have taken some time to set up! Hah!

 

[mikemercer]

  Great read And that photo must have taken some time to set up! Hah!

 
YUP
and we got some comment-action goin' on over there!!
 
@Warrenpchi and I are mixin' it up a bit w/ Engadget peeps

 

[chicolom]

Fantastic shot Jude.  Very well done.
 
I love the lighting and the way you used headphones for framing.  Makes a great portrait for showing your passion for Head-fi. 
 
Did you take that yourself?
 
 

 

[highrolller]

Apple fanboy alert!

 

[FullPuku]

Awesome Jude. Nice thoughtful Q & A. Between you and Mike Mercer I am learning more about personal audio then ever before. Keep up the good work.

 

[mikemercer]

  Awesome Jude. Nice thoughtful Q & A. Between you and Mike Mercer I am learning more about personal audio then ever before. Keep up the good work.

 
Wow. Thanks for the seriously kind words @FullPuku.  I got Jude to thank for my editorial migration, if you will, from high end two-channel to personal audio (and a few other friends - but his input continues to be invaluable).
 
Plus I'm having so much fun I can't help but try and spread the gospel of high fidelity through personal audio!
I never knew I could have so many different avenues to wholly experience my music before I dove into this wacky world
of personal audio.
 
Yeah I'll say it again - 
I'm so proud of Jude, and all of you!  Being a member of this community has re-energized me!

 

[appsmarsterx]

  Apple fanboy alert!

 
+1 lol

 

[jude]

  Apple fanboy alert!

   
+1 lol

  There is way to much Apple appreciation going on here, I started to feel ill half way through the read.

"I wish the Galaxy S4 had iOS"

I just about vomited with that one.

 
I don't understand how one's preference for an OS can evoke nausea in someone else.
 
Am I an Apple fanboy? Perhaps. My first real computer was an Apple //e. Don't you remember your first computer fondly? My first good headphone was the Sony MDR-V6, so that headphone has significance in my life. That is also why I have always listed the Sony MDR-V6 as the very first product in the Head-Fi Buying Guide, and why I'll do so for as long as Sony's making it.
 
I used Windows for nearly 20 years. I switched to Mac OS in 2008, and it has proven better for me. Since I switched, many Mac-only apps have become important parts of how I work. And, as an audiophile, I find the Mac a more user-friendly computer audio platform than Windows. Everyone's needs and desires are different--perhaps if I was an avid gamer my choice would be different, since the Mac doesn't usually get the big games until they're rather long in the tooth.
 
So, yes, I use Mac OS, I have an iPad, an iPhone, Apple TV, two Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Airs, and I don't know how many iPods. The way most of those easily work together suits me. I listen to music from my iPhone in the car, and when I get to my home or office, there's a Zeppelin Air (and an Apple TV at home) that I can stream to, to continue my listening.
 
I regularly rent movies on iTunes when I travel to watch on my iPad. Sometimes I don't end up watching all the movies I rented by the time I get back home; so, once at home, I stream the unwatched rented movies via AirPlay to Apple TV, as I'd rather watch the movies through my TV's screen than my iPad's screen, when possible.
 
We very routinely use AirDrop at the office for fast transfers of large files and folders.
 
Also, most of my family and friends (and most people I do business with) currently use iPhones and iPads, so Apple's FaceTime and Messages are great for us.
 
Here's another practical bit: I have a few Mac laptops (currently one MacBook Pro and some MacBook Airs). The power adapters for my MacBook Pro work with my MacBook Airs. Look behind most of my sofas and desks at my home and office and you'll see white Apple 85W adapters that I can plug any of my laptops into.
 
I also travel a lot, and have had occasion to forget my laptop's power adapter. When I was using Dell Latitudes and Inspirons, my only reasonable option, if I forgot my adapter, was to have someone from my home or office send me an adapter via priority overnight delivery--but if it was late Friday or Saturday, that wouldn't work. With Apple laptops, if I travel domestically (U.S.), I can go to any Best Buy or Apple Store, and pick up a power adapter (and other accessories). If I'm traveling internationally, there are Apple Stores within reasonable driving distance from most places I end up. Again, that's not about fanboyism, that's about practicality for me.
 
So what if I vastly prefer iOS to Android? I actually own, use, and carry both an iPhone 4S (soon to be replaced by a 5S) and a Samsung Galaxy S4. I very much prefer my Galaxy S4's screen to my iPhone 4S's screen, but don't find Android nearly as intuitive. I don't get what the issue is. If you vastly prefer Android to iOS, I can assure you I won't suffer the least bit of agita over it.
 
I'm not my gear, and I use what works for me. When I find something better for me that I can reasonably switch to, I do.
 

  Fantastic shot Jude.  Very well done.
 
I love the lighting and the way you used headphones for framing.  Makes a great portrait for showing your passion for Head-fi. 
 
Did you take that yourself?

  Great read And that photo must have taken some time to set up! Hah!

 
Thanks for the nice comments about the photo, guys. Actually, the photo didn't take long to shoot. [b]Joe[/b] and I looked around the office, grabbed some of the headphones, and a few amps, and put them on the Tether Tables. We took a few shots (I set the camera, and Joe snapped the photos). We looked at the shots, adjusted a few things in the camera, re-positioned a few of the pieces of gear in the photo, and rather quickly ended up with the shot you see. (The lighting is from a couple of fluorescent video lights in soft boxes.)
 

  Awesome Jude. Nice thoughtful Q & A. Between you and Mike Mercer I am learning more about personal audio then ever before. Keep up the good work.

I saw it on Twitter this morning. Really cool! That photo looks great. My first serious headphone was the MDR-v6 too.

  Wow, the Engadget home page!

 
Have a solid thread of comments/interactions goin there brother.  I'm SO proud of you...
 
...A GREAT end to an otherwise very challenging and dark week.

  Good Job!

  Congrats!

  So damn proud of you! It's not just anyone who appears on the homepage over there. Hat's off sir!

  Nice interview!  You had really great, thoughtful answers.  Also, nice gear you surrounded yourself with.

  Oh nice read thanks jude!...

 
Thank you, guys, for the kind words. I'm a Distro reader, and am really touched to have been included in one of its last issues. And, as I'm sure is true for many of you, Engadget is one of my main sources of daily gear/gadget/tech news.
 
I had so much fun with the Q&A, so a big thanks to Joe Pollicino and Billy Steele at Engadget for thinking of Head-Fi. Actually, I was a fan of Joe Pollicino's review videos before he joined Engadget. Some of you may remember him by his handle akaTRENT. Joe (Pollicino) also goes by akaTRENT here on Head-Fi; and though he hasn't posted much here, he's been a Head-Fi'er since 2010.

 

[Mani ATH 87]

Haha, no offense intended Jude.

I'm not sure how anyone can prefer iOS over Android, but to each their own!
 

 

[mikemercer]

 
I don't understand how one's preference for an OS can evoke nausea in someone else.
 
Am I an Apple fanboy? Perhaps. My first real computer was an Apple //e. Don't you remember your first computer fondly? My first good headphone was the Sony MDR-V6, so that headphone has significance in my life. That is also why I have always listed the Sony MDR-V6 as the very first product in the Head-Fi Buying Guide, and why I'll do so for as long as Sony's making it...
 
...I'm not my gear, and I use what works for me. When I find something better for me that I can reasonably switch to, I do...

 
I'm not my gear, and I use what works for me. When I find something better for me that I can reasonably switch to, I do.
 
WELL SAID brother.  and I think they were pullin' your chain a bit.  I'm an admitted Apple fanboy!
My first computer was also an Apple IIe!!  I still remember rockin' AZTEC, this game I LOVED (and later found the emulator for, LOL).
 
I also admit that I'm glad to have a bunch of iDevice DAC/Hphone amps.  I just love the feel and user experience of my iDevices, and
lately I've been using my iPad and HRT microStreamer a helluva lot (not to mention my CEntrance HiFi-M8 - wow love it)
 
But I went PC for awhile too, and Alexandra (my wifey) prefers PC and Android, so at least I get to use her gear when reviewing stuff.
I think it also has to do with the house you grew up in.  Mine was an Apple household - so when I could afford the Mac gear I wanted, 
I went back right away.
 
But YES - the gear is just the vehicle to the music - so I get there by ANY means necessary!
 
GREAT job again on the interview.

 

[ryan.d]

Congrats! BTW, the red bull edition looks nice.

 

[chicolom]

 
[b]Joe[/b] and I looked around the office, grabbed some of the headphones, and a few amps, and put them on the Tether Tables.

 
If you ever need someone to grab your headphones, you let me know.
 
 

 

[tsvo614]

Funny i was looking at that Braun shaver .

 

[mikemercer]

   
If you ever need someone to grab your headphones, you let me know.
 
 

 
I'll be your wingman 

 

[Chromako]

Nice!

I really liked how you were so thoughtful in your answers. That's pretty cool.

Also, nice picture. So much shiny...

I actually was going to compliment you on your lack of fanboyness, and how you supported your opinions with facts. I'm not sure how other people couldn't see that you were being reasonable. Online anonymity maybe? How ironic.

(FYI, all, fanboyness involves blindly supporting a brand, not loving one consistently because of supporting reasons and experiences.)