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Originally Posted by
MuppetFace /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The
LCD-2 rev. 1 LCD-3 LCD-2 rev. 1 ties into my fascination with estheticism. There's just something to this business of wearing uncomfortable headphones. How far do you go for listening enjoyment? How much comfort are
you willing to sacrifice? Maybe there's an intersection of pain and pleasure here too, and it can be rewarding, perhaps, so long as you don't forget the safe word. I truly think Final Audio is on to something with their upcoming fetish headgear.
Everything else just seems pedestrian by comparison. Sure, it's made out of the stuff angel's harps are made from, bent into shape by Hephaestus himself on his forge atop Mount Olympus. Yeah it's exclusive, and the top businessmen in Hong Kong
will be required by law to purchase it. But those select descriptors could be applied to much of what Final Audio has done lately. What makes this concept special--what truly sets it apart---is what it demands. Of you. If Final Audio can make this thing sound half as good as it should, then it will be a genius move. I say genius because they would have, in effect, created a beautiful work of art that entices you to listen, but punishes you at the same time. It would be something requiring personal sacrifice to experience. If that's the case, then it will
truly be
worth while.
If they can pull it off.
I like the conceit of orthos (and similarly physically unwieldy things) as being a dare: How much are you willing to suffer... not even for your music, but merely for how well the music sounds.
It is the headphonist equivalent to home stereos that take over the family room with massive, delicate, space-heating equipment that requires one to sit just so, and then get up every 20 minutes to reset the record player. In parts of the country where real estate is dear and utilities are expensive, it's not only a personal sacrifice but also an inconvenience to everybody else in the house, especially if they don't share in the interest.
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Originally Posted by MuppetFace /img/forum/go_quote.gif
My partner and I are planning on a very audio-centric St. Valentine's Day. She's ordered the Heaven S for me, and in turn I've procured a pair of Miles Davis Trumpets. I plan on swiping them and having a listen when backs are turned of course. Why do I feel vaguely like Fred Flinstone when he got Wilma a bowling ball for their anniversary? I suppose I'm so used to buying IEMs for myself, that when someone requests one in turn, I invariably feel like I'm really buying it for my own satisfaction.
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The UHA-6S is such a nice little amp. As I've already noted, most IEMs are on their best behavior when paired with it. No hissing, better control, and in some cases the sound evens out a bit. The RE-272 for instance stops gibbering and swinging its liver-spotted old man hands at me; it mellows right out, smiling and holding a jello cup in one hand, the other one in the air jazz-hands style. Look, it's happy. It's even dancing a bit.
I'm already obsessively into IEMs right now. Having a nice portable amp just fuels the obsession further.
My partner and I each buy our own things as suit our own hobbies. We're each too particular about them for the other to make satisfying gifts. "Oh, you bought me... an M50...
thanks."
Glad you like the UHA-6S. I think it's a little treasure, and kind of striking that it seems to be garnering more attention as a cult item than a new one. If whatever Leckerton ships next is everything the UHA-6 is, plus better and more things, I'm going to find it hard to not ask him if there's a way to exchange and upgrade.
Not meaning to disrupt your obsessions further, but I'm finding myself listening mostly to the TF 10 through the Porta Corda III, despite the static; it gives the midrange more tightness and presence than the Leckerton does. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the UHA-6S with a more highly resolving and balanced headphone like the 4.A; I have a feeling the PC III might sound too middy or even bright by comparison, but the difference should be small and possibly appreciable.
Collecting portable amps is much easier than collecting non-portable amps. TOTL portable amps are still considerably cheaper, for the most part, than the best-regarded IEMs currently, too. This is not an obsession I should be considering pursuing, to be honest.
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Pretty much all of my writing these days is academic, and while dryness is certainly encouraged in my field, it doesn't carry with it quite that level of commitment to suppressing style and a sense of individuality. [....] You have to use a very narrowly defined set of agreed-upon words for describing certain phenomena, which makes sense when writing for a science, but can be a bit maddening if you prefer florid expression.
Until fairly recently most of my writing was for business, and I can do the dryly dry dry thing yah. Proofreading academic writing, even abstruse papers, can be enjoyable if I can find some interest in the topic, but that can be quashed if the author does not have a clear agenda and purpose to what they're doing. In fact, some researchers have a crystalline clarity to their thought and authorial voice that, even though they toe the marks regarding writing style, they are pleasures to read, just to watch a problem be dissected and resolved. I enjoy writing creatively but I don't have the discipline to control the solecisms and rambliness and my own grammatical foibles.
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Going back to the tirades about Chinese manufacturing, in a way I can't help but think of those politicians who are anti this and anti that but then suddenly have a change of heart and become invested in an issue because a family member suddenly fits that demographic. In this case it's just the opposite, but the same mechanism. I can't help but wonder what the responses would have been like from certain people had a spinning of chance's wheel resulted in their getting a non-defective unit.
As you say, these things happen; at the limited-production/bespoke end of the market, problems are going to be more prominent. A boutique manufacturer's products will be tracked, critiqued and compared avidly, while a mass manufacturer of appliances will have most of its products sold and used, unremarked-on, lacking avid user forums discussing them.
This is germane to amp problems I'm having, but I don't see the point to getting irate. As you say, these things happen, and they can be resolved without putting anybody out.
Part of my low stress, though, can come from having the means to afford the loss. If I had to take on a second job and save for months to afford my first piece of high-quality gear, I'd be much more upset if it failed quickly. Warranty or no warranty.
Treat your equipment purchases as gambles (regardless of how safe the bet is), and don't gamble more money than you can afford to walk away from.
