[JanMc]

Once upon a time these were my automotive nirvana.



The Peugeot is the 306 Gti6, which for those in the know, and Jeremy Clarkson, was Peugeot's stealth hot hatch and the object of surprise and disbelief to many a Golf Gti / BMW / other boy-racer driver as they dwindled in the rear view mirror.

With its sport suspension derived from years of rallying successes and passive rear steering then under load in corners the rear wheels followed the arc of the corner and it felt like a slot-racer car with a peg at the front and a peg at the back following the curve. Its cornering ability was phenomenal.

The Toyota, however, was built for the drifting market, so you always had the option of cornering sideways as well as, er, frontways. Skip to around 4:10 here and you'll see what I mean.

Now that they've moved on from me, maybe I can afford the pieces of Schiit that will give me my end-game audio.

You do realize the red car is a Subaru, right?! Toyota could never make anything so nice.

 

[45longcolt]

If we're doing cars, here's my late, lamented Triumph GT6. Perhaps the most educational car I ever had, and chariot for some true adventures. Like the trip from San Diego to downtown Monterrey via Route 1, in six and a half hours. Today I have a WV GTI, which is no doubt measurably and objectively better in every way but somehow way less involving. Hmm, is there an audio parallel there?

 

[OldRoadToad]

You do realize the red car is a Subaru, right?! Toyota could never make anything so nice.

Well, Subaru forgot to make it AWD so it is not a "real" Subaru, is it?
At least every one I have seen in person is not AWD. I think they are all RWD. Not that there is any thing wrong with that but I have come to expect AWD on a Subaru.

And yes, I too am kidding around.
ORT

 

[OldRoadToad]

If we're doing cars, here's my late, lamented Triumph GT6. Perhaps the most educational car I ever had, and chariot for some true adventures. Like the trip from San Diego to downtown Monterrey via Route 1, in six and a half hours. Today I have a WV GTI, which is no doubt measurably and objectively better in every way but somehow way less involving. Hmm, is there an audio parallel there?

Yes. The audio parallel would be an integrated amp with VU Meters and an identical one with out VU Meters. VU Meters represent the window to the soul of audio...An integrated sans VU Meters is with out a soul.

The Triumph has VU Meters.

ORT

 

[Plautus001]

I’m not convinced that standards have been lowered, rather you need to know more for the same job. I could never get my first job now with what I knew then. I’ve been in the high tech industry almost 40 years and you absolutely need to know more to fill the same role than you did even 10 years ago. So many jobs have become so specialized that we have to up our requirements from what we would have written then. It’s counterproductive in some ways because by the time you’re effective you’re so specialized you have a tough time trying something new in the same company and have to look for another firm that has a niche for you to fit into. It’s very discouraging, especially for recent college graduates.

I teach at a college and I am also a program chair. Every semester I have to edit/change/create files for instructors with higher credentials than me.

I have to teach many of them how to use the learning management system - even after 2 years of teaching online together...

They have advanced degrees, but without the materials I create, some of them cannot teach a class. We recently we notified that we would be going back to in person instruction and half of them quit.

 

[US Blues]

So far my record is 19 years, 324K miles, one set of head gaskets, one clutch replacement, two water pumps, one exhaust, many sets of tires & brakes. All on one 2001 Subaru Outback with upscale trim. I'd still drive it today if it didn't suffer from a fatal structural failure due to rust. Needless to say, that car didn't owe me a thing when our relationship ended.

I had an '01 Outback, one clutch and one AWD viscous coupler, radiator, water pump, and so forth. Sold it at 215K because I was tired of putting money into it.

Happily Toyota stared offering this ride, 6MT and a 3.5L V6 with a Lexus heritage:

 

[earnmyturns]

A WRX built Crosstrek is exactly the car I wanted. Which they don't make. Sigh. I'd be in line to buy one in a heartbeat, with the paperwork for my 2022 Crosstrek in hand for the trade-in.

Nice car, BTW. Bet it's fun to drive on twisty turny roads, too!

When I moved back to CA in 2008, I got my "ski car": a 2008 turbo Forester, basically a somewhat boxier Impreza with a somewhat laggy but ultimately great-for-merging-into-stoopid-CA-traffic turbo, and excellent snow handling with Nokian tires. That car took me to some excellent backcountry ski adventures, from Tallac to OR's South Sister. Those original turbo Forester's were quite rare, so the mechanics where I got it serviced kept offering to buy it. Eventually, the dreaded gasket disease required way more $$$ than it was worth, and the mechanics won. Replaced by a top-of-the-line Crosstrek that is not nearly as much fun, but still way nicer to drive than my wife's waddling Outback. Meaning that whenever we go on a long road trip -- and we've been on many during the pandemic -- she will want to drive my car. All good, except that she drives around the winding Sonoma and Tahoe roads like she's is in a competition, triggering my motion sickness. What one does for (52 years of) love...

 

[TS0711]

Wow, I've been gone for a few months and this morphed into "car talk". What happened Schiit get into car audio?

 

[Kyyul]

Does anyone know if Schiit has more plans in "iem centric" products like the IEMagni? I've owned a lot of schiit and this little amp blows me away every time i plug in. I prefer it over my Jot2 even.

 

[JamminVMI]

Redundant adjective! Just like saying yellow sun, or crappy GE tubes...

Stealership!

 

[TS0711]

Wow, I've been gone for a few months and this morphed into "car talk". What happened Schiit get into car audio?

10 pages of cars and cat's... Notice the Bifrost MB (OG) and Heresy connected to my laptop.

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

What happened Schiit get into car audio?

I wish…

this little amp blows me away every time i plug in.

You should check that thing for shorts, this sounds dangerous.

 

[johnjen]

Not sure if we’re cat owners now, but this little friend has been hanging out in our yard all day today. Wasn’t afraid of Elma either, and Elma looked like she was ready to befriend the cat.

Any true Feline-0-Phile knows that cats select the family to which they deign to be looked after.
I think they see it as their duty and responsibility in order to maintain their sovereignty over all things that move, wiggle, scurry, run away, make noise or don't provide proper sustenance in a timely manner, etc, etc.



JJ

 

[yonson]

The S2000 had basically a motorcycle engine in it, didn't it? A buddy of mine had one and it would wind up fast. I rode in it with him once, and once was all it took to reassure myself I was only mildly insane behind the wheel...he was full-tilt bonkers insane.

They are insanely fun cars! I imagine Honda took advantage of things they learned on their racing motorcycle engines. For a few years it was the highest HP per cylinder N/A engine you could get until Lamborghini took the crown (2.0L 240HP so 120HP/liter) for comparison sake the year the S2000 was introduced 1999, the same year Mustang GT only made 260HP with a 4.6L V8! Hell even my '21 Mustang GT with a 5.0L only makes 92HP/liter! The V8 has a ton more TQ though obviously.

 

[OldRoadToad]

Any true Feline-0-Phile knows that cats select the family to which they deign to be looked after.
I think they see it as their duty and responsibility in order to maintain their sovereignty over all things that move, wiggle, scurry, run away, make noise or don't provide proper sustenance in a timely manner, etc, etc.



JJ

Well said, JJ.

I have told you that it is fitting that "dog" is "God", spelled backwards and this is true. It is all so true that humans can not purr. Perhaps this is why the Lord created cats?

Love is not always a four letter word. How so? C A T. D O G. Look in to the eyes of a dog and see the mirror of your soul reflecting their love. Listen to the hymn that is a purring cat and know that peace is to be found within that song.

I am rambling again. Of all here I have known you the longest, johnjen. And I know with out a doubt that you are a good man. In all ways and for always, be well brother.

Good nite, my friends.

ORT