[StimpyWan]

It ceases being that simple in 2035 if you live in California.

And because WA copies CA in all things, WA Governor Inslee said they will follow suit and ban new ICE sales by 2035.

As of 2021, Virginia is now following CA emissions too. So, I might be a little old man in an EV by then.

Why does Rush's Red Barchetta suddenly come to mind?

 

[artur9]

+1 about cables (interconnects) making a difference.

A former coworker and his college age daughter tried out some of the Iconoclast cables on a whim.

They both heard positive differences with them in place. And when he needed to rearrange his rack, they nicely recut and reterminated the cables.

 

[corndog71]

The 15-year Pappy Van Winkle is the best bourbon I've ever drunk. I even preferred it to the 20-year Pappy. They are not easy to find ... great choice, Bill.

I didn’t care for the 15 and 20 year Pappy. I mean they’re ok but ridiculously overpriced due to demand. The 20 was kinda smoky.

My favorite is the 12 year Van Winkle (Not Pappy) followed closely by the 12 year Weller. 12 year old bourbon just seems to hit the sweet spot for me.

 

[Paladin79]

+1 about cables (interconnects) making a difference.

using some short 30~75cm line-level interconnects between Bifrost Multibit (gen 1), Lokius, Asgard 3, I can hear differences between old (1990's) xlo Pro100, and recently built Belden 1505F, and Mogami 2549. In my test config, all three cables sound different, the Pro100 (130pf) sounds the brightest, less bassy, and with more low-level detail present than the other two. the Belden 1505F (~20pf) and Mogami 2549 (~30pf) cables have similar low capacitance, but sound uniquely different from each other, so there's more here than typical R / L / C steady-state parameters involved. The Pro100 uses a litz wire and gold-plated RCA's, making oxidation of the conductors an unlikely factor in the audible differences.

I believe there are non-linear time-domain characteristics involved and not yet quantified or typically measured that would correlate with observed sound qualities. A recent (1~2 wks ago IIRC) post pointed out that the signal propagation velocity (aka VP, typically specified as a percentage relative to the speed of light) is not only a function of the conductor material (e.g. copper, silver, alloy), but the dielectric (e.g. air, teflon, PE, PVC) as well.

The 'directionality' of interconnects most likely relates to how the cable shield & conductors are wired differently at the source and load ends.

With phono interconnects between a turntable and phono pre-amp, the interconnect capacitance matters a lot (cartridge load = interconnect capacitance + pre-amp loading capacitance).

For those looking to DIY their own interconnects, this wiring guide might be helpful. Note that RCA source / XLR load cables are wired differently than XLR source / RCA load cables.
https://www.grimmaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/TPR-Assemblies-pinout-sheet.pdf

I have used a large quantity of Belden cable including the 1505f as well as the Mogami 2549, both are quite good. I also agree with the directionality you mentioned as opposed to the direction of the copper grain that is sometimes mentioned. I have conducted more experiments than I care to recall but unless you are using tiny conductors and extremely low quality products most people I tested could tell very little difference between cables once they reached a certain level. A person who could consistently pick the same types of wire blind was maybe one in fifty thousand when comparing apples to apples. Many could tell silver from copper consistently. A proper conductor should give you a reasonable facsimile on the output compared to the signal going in. You should also be able to depend upon the quality of good brands like Belden, Canare, and Mogami and the durability of specific connectors. I best stop there.

 

[classfolkphile]

I've used two different types of cable lifters (porcelain and wood) on a variety of floors. I've never heard a difference in sound just because of the lifters. They do make it easier to keep the cables (at least relatively) dust free and I have heard differences in sound between clean cables and ones with a thick coat of dust on them (yeah, I don't like dusting - and I don't let cleaning crews near my gear).
I learned to drive in Driver's Ed on a Plymouth (Fury?). My first car was a '62 Pontiac Bonneville hand me down in 1969. It lasted three months. In fairness to Pontiac my father was not known for taking care of his cars. I've always had a soft spot for Pontiacs (my grandfather had a great '65 LeMans and a close friend had a seriously worked '69 Firebird)) even though I've never owned another one.
The last time we shopped for a car, my wife and I almost bought an Avalon hybrid. I sometimes regret we didn't, for a couple of reasons, although the 3 series we ended up with is more fun.

 

[dstrimbu]

I need to get a record cleaner. One that is under $100 US. "SIGH"...I want to get a Marantz CD60 in silver/gold. That is $999.99.
That thing is gorgeous.

ORT

Spin-Clean Record Washer Mk II is $70 on Amazon... have had one for years, it works like a charm. After you dry the platters, put them in MoFi Archival Record Sleeves (50 pcs, $30 at the aforementioned on-line retailer) and the crackles and pops will be long, long gone.

 

[dstrimbu]

Its $3.59 for regular here, its the need for 92+ octane that gets me.

I paid $5.90 for 91 Octane here in sunny NorCal today. Ridiculous. I wonder how much better my car would run if I could actually get fuel that was higher in octane than the drop-dead minimum that the engine needs...

 

[dstrimbu]

EVs are nice but so far they are not saving the planet nor actually using "less" resources. They are pretty much recharged from the electric grid which as the quote above states, is pretty much powered by, you guessed it, FOSSIL FUELS. I have no doubts that with time, lots of time, EVs will become better and better. Those batteries in these vehicles have a finite lifespan and will have to be disposed of. Not all of it will be recyclable but that is the way with most all things.

Yeah, sad but true, and it's worse than that, ORT. The total carbon footprint to manufacture a a "mid-sized" EV (think Tesla Model 3) is 2X that of a mid-sized IC-engined auto (say M-B C300). Based on that, you'd need to drive both cars 250,000 miles for the EV to come out ahead. The real solution is hybrid; IC motors are stunningly efficient at constant RPM, e.g., driving a generator/alternator. The Chevy Volt was a spectacular car for the planet. Too bad it was not "sexy". Our well-meaning but uninformed governor has mandated that no new IC cars be sold in CA after 2035... so sad. With today's engine controls and available CPU power for energy management, there is no reason why a high-performing full hybrid couldn't get 100 MPGe, while reducing emissions to super-ULEV levels.

But science, that's hard. And, for the record, I rented a Model Y last week in Chicago and now I really want one. Not quite enough to trade in my twin-turbo V6, but the Tesla was a hoot

 

[Balthazar B]

I paid $5.90 for 91 Octane here in sunny NorCal today. Ridiculous. I wonder how much better my car would run if I could actually get fuel that was higher in octane than the drop-dead minimum that the engine needs...

https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=100+octane&find_loc=San+Francisco+Bay+Area,+CA

 

[dstrimbu]

I saw someone online making cable lifters out of old tinker toys. Probably a good way to test it. I would have never believed that power cables could make a difference. Until I heard it. Maybe confirmation bias.

That being said cable lifters do sound absurd to me as well (like I used to think of power cables)

When you consider how the magnetic component (the perpendicular, co-moving magnetic field, in synch with the electric field) of a signal flows along a wire... cable lifters MIGHT make sense. I have some Cardas "golden cuboid" myrtle wood blocks under my speaker cables, because an audiophile friend gave me a dozen of them as a gag gift for a birthday. I could take them out and let the Canare Quad bi-wires lay on the nylon carpet, but I'm afraid that confirmation bias would skew my judgement as I so love myrtlewood...

 

[JamminVMI]

I paid $5.90 for 91 Octane here in sunny NorCal today. Ridiculous. I wonder how much better my car would run if I could actually get fuel that was higher in octane than the drop-dead minimum that the engine needs...

If you look(google or ask around at speed shops or tuners) you should find 95 pretty well available around you. Mine loves to get out and run with that in it.

 

[dstrimbu]

Chevy's? I learned to drive in my dad's '64 Impala, 327 small block V-8.

My mom had a '64 Malibu SS with a 4-speed and a factory L76 327. Dad had a buddy at the dealership that let him order the 365hp/350lb-ft motor. That car could destroy a set of G70-15 Tigerpaws in about 5 seconds, by simply running it hard through first and second gears. I wish I'd been able to keep it.

 

[dstrimbu]

I think in the long run many of us will be paying a lot for electricity at charging stations for electric cars that don't last as long as ICE vehicles... I can't wait to see a 20 year old Tesla...

Not sure how mechanically sound a 20-year-old Tesla will be, but there are thousands that have been run as taxis with over 1,000,000 miles on the original battery packs. They still charge to 80+ percent. Apple could learn from Tesla re: iPhone batteries...

 

[Rensek]

Apple knows how to do good batteries, they just choose not too on their phones. I have an iPad Air 2 from 2014 that still holds a charge very well. My wifes old 6s, not so much.

 

[tincanear]

When you consider how the magnetic component (the perpendicular, co-moving magnetic field, in synch with the electric field) of a signal flows along a wire... cable lifters MIGHT make sense. I have some Cardas "golden cuboid" myrtle wood blocks under my speaker cables, because an audiophile friend gave me a dozen of them as a gag gift for a birthday. I could take them out and let the Canare Quad bi-wires lay on the nylon carpet, but I'm afraid that confirmation bias would skew my judgement as I so love myrtlewood...

in most speaker cables, the two conductors are often twisted together (or interleaved if using multiple conductors of each polarity), and carry almost identical currents in opposite directions so the magnetic fields mostly (but not completely) cancel.