[skeptic]

Thanks for the write up on the booster board!  I've been sufficiently tempted and am adding it to my diy list to take on after I finish my wire se-se.

 

[agdr]

Hey thanks to all the builders for the O2 booster board listening reports!

 

 

[JacobLee89]

Did not want to drill holes for the two booster board LED's
Spent 5x longer making an acrylic panel.
 

 
 
On hindsight I wish I had access to a laser printer.

 

[Claritas]

I came across a recent article about the designer that might interest some other owners: http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/profiles/nwavguy-the-audio-genius-who-vanished.

 

[mcandmar]

He raises an interesting point about the domain name, www.nwavguy.com its due to expire on the 9th..

 

[Claritas]

Tyll just put up a poll about him: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/nwavguytroll-or-hero-1.

 

[PTom]

Has anyone considered creating a NWAvGuy appreciation thread? I wonder how the mods will react
 
Even though he was banned a while ago, his products are so influential on head-fi and he seems to be one of the most talked about person on these forums which is incredible considering the fact that not only was he banned a fair while ago, he's also vanished completely. 

 

[PTom]

He seems to be turning into a legendary figure of sorts....

 

[JacobLee89]

  He seems to be turning into a legendary figure of sorts....

 
He is the engineer head-fi deserves, but not the one it needs right now

 

[gikigill]

He is the engineer who held a mirror to audiophilias dirty underbelly and it didn't like what it saw.

His presentation was wrong but his arguments were right.

 

[headwhacker]

Audiophilia I think at some point has become a religion that no matter how you bring forth an argument that falsify a long standing belief will always be met with harsh retribution.

 

[r010159]

  Audiophilia I think at some point has become a religion that no matter how you bring forth an argument that falsify a long standing belief will always be met with harsh retribution.

 
This is a very wise comment.
 
I think the guy had the right intentions, and the tech "know how", and experience to back it up. But his approach was that of a singular quest. This showed in how he came across at times. But there is allot to be learned from a person like this. So people like him are worth accepting for who they are. It is not like a person could not reason with him. He was just a bit too aggressive at times. However, his contributions more than outweighed how his aggressive approach came across at times. His absence from the Internet community is a big loss.
 
I used to be like this on Silicon Investor, during its heyday. No, I am not an expert on the stock market, But I have  an accurate BS detector in such matters. I have learned since then to be more diplomatic and relaxed about things.
 
I hope he is well.
 
BG

 

[tomb]

1. He played the Pied-Piper's music of "it's cheap and it's as good as you can get."
 
That's unfortunate in that the proper context was never honestly portrayed.  There are good people selling the O2.  It's not trash at all, but when people try to make out that it's the best you can get, no matter the cost, well ...
 
2. David Schneider is wise.  I have suspected the same thing:

1. The DScope is prohibitively expensive.
2. Either he was fabulously wealthy in his own right, or it was supplied to him by an employer with tremendous resources.
3. Employers with those kind of resources often have a well-developed and mature bureaucracy  Such an environment is going to have significant conflict-of-interest standards, including those pertaining to outside work using company equipment: meaning absolutely forbidden.
4. The IEEE article is a proof in and of itself: his blog's popularity rose to the point that it was noticed outside of the sub-culture that we inhabit.

 
JMHO ...

 

[headwhacker]

Well, he is an engineer first and enthusiast second. I sure did learn a lot from his blog which re-ignited my passion for DIY. I used to stay up all night designing circuit boards for digital circuits back in college. Skills which are almost forgotten until I went out doing research on audio stuff.
 
I for one could not get the idea how an amplifier could cost several thousands of dollars just to do one particular function. Not to mention the ludicrous prices are for some some cables.

 

[tomb]

  Well, he is an engineer first and enthusiast second. I sure did learn a lot from his blog which re-ignited my passion for DIY. I used to stay up all night designing circuit boards for digital circuits back in college. Skills which are almost forgotten until I went out doing research on audio stuff.
 
I for one could not get the idea how an amplifier could cost several thousands of dollars just to do one particular function. Not to mention the ludicrous prices are for some some cables.

 
No one ever said that there weren't excesses in our culture.  Those exist almost anywhere that there's money to be made.  By the same token, excesses exist on the bottom end, too - by claiming that something cheap is just as good.
 
"Engineer" is an abused term, also.  I know nothing for fact, but the idea that you'd sit a truly qualified - or even further, registered - "Engineer" down in front of a DScope every day is a stretch.  A typical registered engineer's monthly salary (certainly two months) may exceed the total investment in the DScope.  More typically, a truly qualified "Engineer" is paid to operate and/or design equipment that is worth significantly more than an annual salary.
 
Again, JMHO ... 
 
P.S. It's my fault more than anyone's probably, but this is a serious digression from the thread.  I apologize.