[Proglover]

Quote:

 
When I got into beer (not in an alcoholic way), some of my friends could appreciate, say, a nice belgian dark like Delirium Tremens.  Most didn't.  They could certainly tell it was different, but they stuck to Budweiser (actually not a bad American Adjunct) or *shudder* Coors Light.  If they were going to stay with adjuncts, I'd try to steer them towards Pabst, as it's actually a really good version of the style (and cheap to boot!).

 
As a citizen in a country that shares borders with Belgium (the doubles, triples etc.), Germany (the pilseners) and has England (stouts, lagers and bitters) close, I can say a lot of people understand and appreciate nice beers here. "La Vieille Salme"<--fantastic Belgian one
 

 

[threedee]

Didn't read the whole 40 pages of this thread but get the idea behind it.
 
Here's the question that bugs me a lot: what is the TRUE definition of "audiophile" ?
Not the dictionary definition.
 
I ask this because i'm cursed with pretty good hearing and not enough funds to experience many different headsets to acquire the "taste" and some deserved snobbery (in a good sense) in this field.
First step for me was to get rid of worst consumer audio which was an integrated PC audio. Now i run X-Fi and (despite some comments) very happy with it (not knowing anything better ?).
 
My father, on the other hand, you cannot satisfy him. He's an ex-professional musician (Keyboards/Bass guitar), had been stuck in recording studios for so long he thinks anything available for general public nowadays is crap.
Is he an audiophile ? Dont answer that, it's a rhetorical one
 
Recently my very much liked Philips SBC-HD1500u's started to fall to bits ( in only 2 years, shame on you Philips), now i'm buying into Sennheiser camp (HD448). So, what am i ?
 
Is the person with a good hearing, a taste for music but no experience in different electronics can be called audiophile ?
 
#Edit1# Also, i've given up on most of my friends, they're useless in discerning 5 quid set from a proper sounding headphones... "Bass, gimme more BASS.." .............F7U12 sez me...
 
#Edit# Whats a "astroid mod" ?

 

[Nepenthe]

Quote:

What's your favorite beer style?
 
What do you ride?

American Brown Ales, American Strong Ales, Oatmeal Stouts -- the dark, smokey, woody stuff. For example, I'm really liking Dog Fish Head Palo Santo Marron, Arrogant person Oaked, and Breckenridge Dark Oatmeal Stout (the latter being a relatively easy drinking and inexpensive go-to). But I'm usually up for trying anything with an open mind. Ruination is a wonderful IPA -- but I'm a little biased since I'm visiting Stone Brewery this year. I also want to try a Barleywine such as Dog Fish Head Olde School.
 
I own an 07 Ninja 250 for daily commuting (soon to replaced by a Yam FZ6R), an 85 Honda VF700 Interceptor, a Duc Monster S2R, a Triumph Speed Four (the old 600cc four-cylinder one, not the newer 675cc triple), and a Kaw ZRX1200R. I'm probably going to pare that down to 2 or 3 bikes this year. Selling the VF and Duc, love my Speed Four but in replacing the 250 with a 600 I'll probably sell the Speed Four as well. Not anticipating any track days this year.
 
How about you?

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

Quote:

What's your favorite beer style?
 
What do you ride?

American Brown Ales, American Strong Ales, Oatmeal Stouts -- the dark, smokey, woody stuff. For example, I'm really liking Dog Fish Head Palo Santo Marron, Arrogant person Oaked, and Breckenridge Dark Oatmeal Stout (the latter being a relatively easy drinking and inexpensive go-to). But I'm usually up for trying anything with an open mind. Ruination is a wonderful IPA -- but I'm a little biased since I'm visiting Stone Brewery this year. I also want to try a Barleywine such as Dog Fish Head Olde School.
 
I own an 07 Ninja 250 for daily commuting (soon to replaced by a Yam FZ6R), an 85 Honda VF700 Interceptor, a Duc Monster S2R, a Triumph Speed Four (the old 600cc four-cylinder one, not the newer 675cc triple), and a Kaw ZRX1200R. I'm probably going to pare that down to 2 or 3 bikes this year. Selling the VF and Duc, love my Speed Four but in replacing the 250 with a 600 I'll probably sell the Speed Four as well. Not anticipating any track days this year.
 
How about you?

For beers - I like Belgian Darks, Trappist Ales, Brown Ales, etc.  I also REALLY like Berlinerweisse (spelling?) and Kölsch.
 
For bikes, I no longer own one - I sold my SV650 to my brother for difficult to explain reasons right before I stopped being a travel RN.  The bike I'd like right now is the Kawasaki Z1000 - although the new Aprilia Tuono also calls to me.

 

[macrocheesium]

Reading the 40 pages of this thread over the last few days has been fun!
 
As for reactions, I don't have many, probably due to the fact that until last week I didn't have a full size headphone. And giving people IEMs to try seems like a bad idea to me because of the possibility of a bad seal. I gave my sister k240's, she said "sounds good", then gave them back to me and put ibuds back in. 

She was also shocked at the fact that I spent $100 on headphones (actually she was with the NE-6's too, lol). Mom likes my headphones, and wasn't surprised at all that I spent that much money, but she still uses bargain "IEMs", and Skullcandy headphones. Still, the fact that she wears full sized headphones sometimes is a pretty big step ahead of most people!
A lot of my friends use cheap earbuds; I will try to help them see the light soon and report back! 

 
I think the one thing that bothers me on this subject is how some people are so biased and they don't even know it... I mean, even when they have good intentions, and they have no idea that their brains have been 'corrupted'. After hearing all about how Beats are better, they actually hear Beats as better headphones. I can understand someone thinking there isn't a difference between the headphones, those differences just aren't perceptible to their 'untrained' ears. But when they claim that their Beats/Skullcandy is better, and they actually believe it, that's media and peer pressure affecting their perception. I find it amazing how much advertising and such can actually affect our brains without us even knowing it.

 

[tvrboy]

The sad fact is 95% of people will always have bad taste in pretty much anything. What use is it trying to convince people who believe that John Grisham writes the best books and Michael Bay makes the best movies? Even if I could force feed those John Grisham people some Jonathan Franzen, they would hate it. So why try to convince everybody? I don't even think it's a bad thing that most people are philistines. Any human society is built like a pyramid, with lots and lots of lower people supporting very few elites. Face it, if everybody in these United States had a genius level IQ, then we would have a huge problem. Who would want to work at McDonalds? Who would want to clean toilets? Who would want to be a garbageman? Or a solider? Our society would grind to a halt without all the menial workers. We would have to find some other way of making most of the population belong to the lower class. This is actually a huge problem in countries like China and our own USA, where there are far too many college graduates and not enough "good" jobs to be filled. It's not really a surprise to any thinking person that many college grads can't get a job these days. In fact jobs in this country are still easy to come by, but those jobs are not what people with a college degree think they "deserve." This is not a problem of the recent recession, it's a problem of too much education for too many people in too few fields. Too many people want to be a doctor, lawyer, or businessman. But what we need are welders, mechanics, and nurses. Those jobs are neither demeaning nor low-paying, but very few college graduates want to do them. Who is going to be the one to tell their child that being a heart surgeon or ace lawyer is not a realistic dream? No parents will, but almost every parent should at this point in the evolution of our society. I think a person can be proud of any job if they do it well and put their whole heart into it, even working at McDonalds. I worked for 4 years at just above minimum wage and it was the best experience of my life. I had a great time and learned how to take pride in my work, even if others think it's demeaning. This is the lesson our society really needs to learn today. Not everybody can be a celebrity, not everybody can be a pro athlete, not everybody can be a business visionary. The "pursuit of happiness" is really becoming a double-edged sword as more and more young people realize a bachelor's degree is not an automatic ticket to their dream job. Instead of focusing on unrealistic dreams, Americans need to re-discover the value of a job well done and a life lived fully in the moment, instead of a life wasted dreaming about entering the top 1% of society.
 
I guess my point about headphones is that most people can't understand better sound, so don't try to force it down their throats.

 

[wind016]

Illegal Mexicans? Many countries give the skill-less work to the illegals even if it's not known. Spreading knowledge should always be more beneficial.
 
I kind of disagree with Americans needing to re-discover the value of a job well done. Too much of that and we can become like certain countries with incredibly lazy and slow workers with little progress economically and intellectually.
 
I do agree with your final point. People know where their priorities are. No point in trying to shift it. You can however share with close friends what makes you happy. Condescending attitudes is just another way of expressing intolerance though.
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Face it, if everybody in these United States had a genius level IQ, then we would have a huge problem. Who would want to work at McDonalds? Who would want to clean toilets? Who would want to be a garbageman? Or a solider? Our society would grind to a halt without all the menial workers. 
 
Americans need to re-discover the value of a job well done and a life lived fully in the moment, instead of a life wasted dreaming about entering the top 1% of society.
 
I guess my point about headphones is that most people can't understand better sound, so don't try to force it down their throats.

 

[CEE TEE]

Nice taste guys...had two Ducks myself (900ss CR and 916) plus Kawis (KZ1000 LTD and ZRX1200R).  
 
Thought about getting a stripped SV650 for track only...but I do like the street fighters and hypermotards.
 
(Already posted a bunch in Beer-Fi.)
 
Too much Mad Men and too many Manhattans leave me afraid to start "Bourbon-Fi."
 
How do I bring this back on topic???  Just like Bike-Fi, Beer-Fi, and Anything-Fi, most people don't care.  
 
All of my friends and I DO!!!
 
And if you don't care- you get to save a LOT of money...
 
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

What's your favorite beer style?
 
What do you ride?

American Brown Ales, American Strong Ales, Oatmeal Stouts -- the dark, smokey, woody stuff. For example, I'm really liking Dog Fish Head Palo Santo Marron, Arrogant person Oaked, and Breckenridge Dark Oatmeal Stout (the latter being a relatively easy drinking and inexpensive go-to). But I'm usually up for trying anything with an open mind. Ruination is a wonderful IPA -- but I'm a little biased since I'm visiting Stone Brewery this year. I also want to try a Barleywine such as Dog Fish Head Olde School.
 
I own an 07 Ninja 250 for daily commuting (soon to replaced by a Yam FZ6R), an 85 Honda VF700 Interceptor, a Duc Monster S2R, a Triumph Speed Four (the old 600cc four-cylinder one, not the newer 675cc triple), and a Kaw ZRX1200R. I'm probably going to pare that down to 2 or 3 bikes this year. Selling the VF and Duc, love my Speed Four but in replacing the 250 with a 600 I'll probably sell the Speed Four as well. Not anticipating any track days this year.
 
How about you?

For beers - I like Belgian Darks, Trappist Ales, Brown Ales, etc.  I also REALLY like Berlinerweisse (spelling?) and Kölsch.
 
For bikes, I no longer own one - I sold my SV650 to my brother for difficult to explain reasons right before I stopped being a travel RN.  The bike I'd like right now is the Kawasaki Z1000 - although the new Aprilia Tuono also calls to me.

 

[tvrboy]

To your first point, giving work to illegal immigrants just shifts the problem from a national level to a global level. Sure, we can import a whole class of menial workers from other countries and try to build our lower class that way. From a humanitarian standpoint, is it a good idea to have a whole class of people who speak a different language and are just here to do our dirty work? I think that leads to racism and dehumanization of the immigrants. Look at other countries that have historically had an outsider ethnic group as a labor class, or the hatred in European countries today of immigrant laborers from eastern Europe. On the flip side, one could argue that these immigrants really want the jobs and they can have a better life, even if it's just slightly better than in their home country. I really don't know the answer to this problem. 
 
Your second point makes no sense. How can a focus on the value of hard work make people lazy? Do you really think American economic and intellectual progress will remain best in the world for very long the way our current education system works? I'm not arguing with competition as an incentive. I'm arguing for MORE education, with higher academic standards in middle and high school and a focus on realistic job training after high school for those that don't want to go to college.

 

[Danthrax]

Off-topic much?

 

[wind016]

I don't want to rerail much more so simply...
 
For the first point, it takes time. Though it's always nice to think of possible solutions in the mean time. =/
 
For the second, it was in response to your post that wasn't so clear on your thoughts. Reading it again, it still isn't clear and doesn't really make implications to what you felt in this quoted post of yours. However, now it seems your thoughts are clear and there is not much else to argue =)
 

 
Quote:

/img/forum/go_quote.gif

To your first point, giving work to illegal immigrants just shifts the problem from a national level to a global level. Sure, we can import a whole class of menial workers from other countries and try to build our lower class that way. From a humanitarian standpoint, is it a good idea to have a whole class of people who speak a different language and are just here to do our dirty work? I think that leads to racism and dehumanization of the immigrants. Look at other countries that have historically had an outsider ethnic group as a labor class, or the hatred in European countries today of immigrant laborers from eastern Europe. On the flip side, one could argue that these immigrants really want the jobs and they can have a better life, even if it's just slightly better than in their home country. I really don't know the answer to this problem. 
 
Your second point makes no sense. How can a focus on the value of hard work make people lazy? Do you really think American economic and intellectual progress will remain best in the world for very long the way our current education system works? I'm not arguing with competition as an incentive. I'm arguing for MORE education, with higher academic standards in middle and high school and a focus on realistic job training after high school for those that don't want to go to college.

 


I guess I should look at the positives of this then. Luckily, your friends seems to be more accepting of the idea of having the best sound than my friends. That just means more Head-fiers!
 
My journey started from an airport headphone store too... I bought Sony noise cancelling ones b/c I didn't know better. Expensive=better I thought. Then from there Head-fi to Grado to Yuin to what I've experienced today.
 
As long as your friends got a good experience is all that matters. I just think there are safer options to convert someone. My ATH ES7s used to WOW all my friends. Earbuds, not so much.
 
Quote:

This is how I started:  trying to find headphones I saw in an airport...  
 
("No problem, I'll just search them later"...)  Well, I could not find them.
 
But, after buying the Alessandro MS-1i and the Head-Direct RE0 (both "Head-Fi approved")- I then returned the RE0s because I wanted more bass...
 
I bought some PK1 and PK3 earbuds instead.
 
Then I sold the PK3 to a co-worker because the PK1 were just a bit clearer (unamped).
 
He lent the PK3 out in the office and then the PK3 proliferated...four people purchased PK3 (based upon hearing PK3 or my PK1).
 
Now I may sell my PK1, but that is only because I am saving for custom iems.
 
But, something starts the the climb out of stock earphones...

 

[tvrboy]

As for my friends, I pick and choose who I argue the cause to. Telling another guy that his Beats suck and there are better options would only make me happy. It would make him go on the defensive and feel insulted. Proselytizing about headphones comes from good intentions, but most often it makes the recipient feel s/he is being insulted for his/her poor taste. I do show off my system as a party trick, but I'm not actively trying to convert anybody. I just bought a P5 for a good friend of mine, but that is because he told me he was into audio and wanted B&W gear.

 

[jipan]

Back on topic please....before mod closed this fun thread.... Btw, I let my big sister listen to my IEM then my headphone, and she said "wow, they are so clear! The vocal is amazing, and I can hear the music like I'm with them!" Then she kidnap my clip and IEM for the whole day. She let me have my clip back when the battery discharged with this wide grin. "They are good!" I promise myself to get her some good headphones to use at home. She prefer headphone because they much more comfortable. I think I'm gonna get her some Superlux, its cheap but very good. Hm... I wonder what kind response I'll get from her.....

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

Americans do need to discover the value of a job.

A job has no basic value. If we are to learn from our corporate lordlings, actually - we should strive to work as little as possible, for as much as possible, using BS and bad rhetoric to justify our positions. This is what some of the winners in our society do. The value of the 'work ethic' is sold to the middle/lower classes to keep us working and never let us question just exactly why our society is structured the way that it is.
 
Obviously, if you have an obsessive devotion to a craft that you love - this is different. You are a vital asset to our society. This is a very important exception.
 
We were not put on this planet to work overmuch.  Nor to play overmuch.  Nor to eat overmuch, nor to 'fork' overmuch.  We must have enough respite from our work, enough time and energy to raise our heads from the grinding wheel so that we may contemplate our lives and their direction.
 
IMHO.

 

[mralexosborn]

I won't derail this thread any further.