[watchnerd]

I got a pair yesterday amd they are now on my computer desk! For nearfield listening, they are absolutely superior than my xeos. Better clarity and imaging! Thank you guys for convincing me to get this pair.

Awesome....which ones did you end up getting?

 

[liveforfun]

Awesome....which ones did you end up getting?

The LYD 7s. I assumed their sound will be totally different from their Hifi speakers. And they really surprised me!

 

[Baldr]

An outlier looks at 70 (with apologies to Jimmy Buffet)

Damn! As I write I am about 48 hours away from entering my eighth decade. Only a number, I say to myself. I remember, some fifty years ago at 20 when I realized that I actually came home from Vietnam as an unlikely mortarman; then I was about to turn 30 dreading my feeling that my best years were spent. Then it was 40, 50, and 60, each passing with increasing curiosity and decreasing dread. Trouble was, I always thought the sunshine was moving from in front to behind me as I walked. Now it finally dawns on me that the sunshine has always been right beside me. I just had trouble finding it because it wasn’t lost. It wasn’t the light that moved, it was me. All I had to do was take a step sideways, enjoy it, and search out where I really belong. Yup, pretty simple. Thanks to Townes Van Zandt for that.

So how do I figure out what to do? I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was thirty or so; maybe it was the milestone birthday. All I knew was what my parents wanted me to be. It turns out that was actually a blessing. What I took away from living my life as they wanted was a persistence and desire to be the last one standing. All these years later, I harbor no bad will for them; they only wanted the very best for me to enjoy all which was denied to them. Granted, I knew that I liked building things and making them work, particularly radios and Hi-Fi. I also wanted to go see or research things nobody else gave a Schiit about, whether they were geographical or found in a library (yup, I am that old). I was always on the outside looking in. After I learned I could get on the inside whenever I wanted, it became much easier to go outside and watch the passing parade.

Same thing about building hi-fi for sale as part of a formal company which I have now been doing for over 40 years (Can it be??). If you are an outlier, you tend to build products which live outside the norm. Beats being on the inside, because then all you do is make minor variations of the same Schiit everyone else does. That is probably 2/3 of all current products, period. BTW, NOT just Audio. You need a pretty good story to separate your almost same stuff from other almost same stuff. A really good marketeer like Jason is needed.

So I built odd tube preamps – everyone asked me “Why no 12AX7s?”. Some wanted an answer other than “They sound like ass.”, which, of course, they do. So you say, “Outside audio in instrumentation, no one uses 12AX7s because they suck.“ Then I build D/A converters and people say “What do I need a D/A converter for?” and I say because they don’t sound like ass and in instrument labs no one integrates D/A converters with sources (which in the 1980s were tape decks). And so on and so on. I live on the outside and build outside stuff, like obsolete multibit DACs, gadgets (which you will see as soon as I can figure out how to package it.), and a couple of other obsolete (and new) things that you will see soon as soon as we can figure out how to debug them. This cheap-ass homebrew Schiit USB solution has been killing me for way too long now. The road goes on forever and the party never ends.

I want everyone to know I have a ten year Schiit product plan. I may be seventy (Sunday) but feel mentally much younger. Not only can I not imagine retiring, I cannot see myself doing anything else. Retirement is for those unfortunates who hate their jobs. I just cannot imagine myself retiring and realizing the hopelessness of daytime TV (You ARE the father!) makes me want to die. My only physical Schiit is leftovers from Agent Orange defoliant while I was overseas in my military service as a feed-cow. (I fooled them!) I function more as a R&D director and do a little less prototype building than I did years ago, but that stops nothing. I still do all of the research part, and Schiit’s digital R&D team including Dave, Ivana, (Oh and Jason of course for the analog stuff) have built a phuc-ton of products over the last 8 years.

So here I am with a plan to keep going for a long while. I really need to realize that this is impossible without those of you support this hobby and I appreciate it. I must be doing something right to have a few detractors. In the long run, they really do nothing but help me with the free advertising. I hope they can also find their own happy places as well.

 

[CAPT Deadpool]

An outlier looks at 70 (with apologies to Jimmy Buffet)

Damn! As I write I am about 48 hours away from entering my eighth decade. Only a number, I say to myself. I remember, some fifty years ago at 20 when I realized that I actually came home from Vietnam as an unlikely mortarman; then I was about to turn 30 dreading my feeling that my best years were spent. Then it was 40, 50, and 60, each passing with increasing curiosity and decreasing dread. Trouble was, I always thought the sunshine was moving from in front to behind me as I walked. Now it finally dawns on me that the sunshine has always been right beside me. I just had trouble finding it because it wasn’t lost. It wasn’t the light that moved, it was me. All I had to do was take a step sideways, enjoy it, and search out where I really belong. Yup, pretty simple. Thanks to Townes Van Zandt for that.

So how do I figure out what to do? I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was thirty or so; maybe it was the milestone birthday. All I knew was what my parents wanted me to be. It turns out that was actually a blessing. What I took away from living my life as they wanted was a persistence and desire to be the last one standing. All these years later, I harbor no bad will for them; they only wanted the very best for me to enjoy all which was denied to them. Granted, I knew that I liked building things and making them work, particularly radios and Hi-Fi. I also wanted to go see or research things nobody else gave a Schiit about, whether they were geographical or found in a library (yup, I am that old). I was always on the outside looking in. After I learned I could get on the inside whenever I wanted, it became much easier to go outside and watch the passing parade.

Same thing about building hi-fi for sale as part of a formal company which I have now been doing for over 40 years (Can it be??). If you are an outlier, you tend to build products which live outside the norm. Beats being on the inside, because then all you do is make minor variations of the same Schiit everyone else does. That is probably 2/3 of all current products, period. BTW, NOT just Audio. You need a pretty good story to separate your almost same stuff from other almost same stuff. A really good marketeer like Jason is needed.

So I built odd tube preamps – everyone asked me “Why no 12AX7s?”. Some wanted an answer other than “They sound like ass.”, which, of course, they do. So you say, “Outside audio in instrumentation, no one uses 12AX7s because they suck.“ Then I build D/A converters and people say “What do I need a D/A converter for?” and I say because they don’t sound like ass and in instrument labs no one integrates D/A converters with sources (which in the 1980s were tape decks). And so on and so on. I live on the outside and build outside stuff, like obsolete multibit DACs, gadgets (which you will see as soon as I can figure out how to package it.), and a couple of other obsolete (and new) things that you will see soon as soon as we can figure out how to debug them. This cheap-ass homebrew Schiit USB solution has been killing me for way too long now. The road goes on forever and the party never ends.

I want everyone to know I have a ten year Schiit product plan. I may be seventy (Sunday) but feel mentally much younger. Not only can I not imagine retiring, I cannot see myself doing anything else. Retirement is for those unfortunates who hate their jobs. I just cannot imagine myself retiring and realizing the hopelessness of daytime TV (You ARE the father!) makes me want to die. My only physical Schiit is leftovers from Agent Orange defoliant while I was overseas in my military service as a feed-cow. (I fooled them!) I function more as a R&D director and do a little less prototype building than I did years ago, but that stops nothing. I still do all of the research part, and Schiit’s digital R&D team including Dave, Ivana, (Oh and Jason of course for the analog stuff) have built a phuc-ton of products over the last 8 years.

So here I am with a plan to keep going for a long while. I really need to realize that this is impossible without those of you support this hobby and I appreciate it. I must be doing something right to have a few detractors. In the long run, they really do nothing but help me with the free advertising. I hope they can also find their own happy places as well.

I’ve been with the Army (Active, Guard, and now Army Civilian) for 17 years and cant imagine retiring. Recently our office had an Army Civilain finally retire after over 57 years. He originally enlisted in 1961.

I think it awesome you were a mortarman. The smartest line troops in my Infantry Battalion in Mosul were our mortar platoon.

I finally got to fire a mortar in 2012 and it was awesome! At the time it was the only thing on my bucket list. I need to think of something to add to the list! I don’t think it’s possible to fire mortars on a range and not enjoy it.

Thank you for your service and your dedication to audio. And Happy Birthday!

 

[Odin412]

Happy 70th! May you enjoy many more years of health, happiness and prosperity.

 

[wink]

An outlier looks at 70 (with apologies to Jimmy Buffet)

Damn! As I write I am about 48 hours away from entering my eighth decade. Only a number, I say to myself. I remember, some fifty years ago at 20 when I realized that I actually came home from Vietnam as an unlikely mortarman; then I was about to turn 30 dreading my feeling that my best years were spent. Then it was 40, 50, and 60, each passing with increasing curiosity and decreasing dread. Trouble was, I always thought the sunshine was moving from in front to behind me as I walked. Now it finally dawns on me that the sunshine has always been right beside me. I just had trouble finding it because it wasn’t lost. It wasn’t the light that moved, it was me. All I had to do was take a step sideways, enjoy it, and search out where I really belong. Yup, pretty simple. Thanks to Townes Van Zandt for that.

So how do I figure out what to do? I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was thirty or so; maybe it was the milestone birthday. All I knew was what my parents wanted me to be. It turns out that was actually a blessing. What I took away from living my life as they wanted was a persistence and desire to be the last one standing. All these years later, I harbor no bad will for them; they only wanted the very best for me to enjoy all which was denied to them. Granted, I knew that I liked building things and making them work, particularly radios and Hi-Fi. I also wanted to go see or research things nobody else gave a Schiit about, whether they were geographical or found in a library (yup, I am that old). I was always on the outside looking in. After I learned I could get on the inside whenever I wanted, it became much easier to go outside and watch the passing parade.

Same thing about building hi-fi for sale as part of a formal company which I have now been doing for over 40 years (Can it be??). If you are an outlier, you tend to build products which live outside the norm. Beats being on the inside, because then all you do is make minor variations of the same Schiit everyone else does. That is probably 2/3 of all current products, period. BTW, NOT just Audio. You need a pretty good story to separate your almost same stuff from other almost same stuff. A really good marketeer like Jason is needed.

So I built odd tube preamps – everyone asked me “Why no 12AX7s?”. Some wanted an answer other than “They sound like ass.”, which, of course, they do. So you say, “Outside audio in instrumentation, no one uses 12AX7s because they suck.“ Then I build D/A converters and people say “What do I need a D/A converter for?” and I say because they don’t sound like ass and in instrument labs no one integrates D/A converters with sources (which in the 1980s were tape decks). And so on and so on. I live on the outside and build outside stuff, like obsolete multibit DACs, gadgets (which you will see as soon as I can figure out how to package it.), and a couple of other obsolete (and new) things that you will see soon as soon as we can figure out how to debug them. This cheap-ass homebrew Schiit USB solution has been killing me for way too long now. The road goes on forever and the party never ends.

I want everyone to know I have a ten year Schiit product plan. I may be seventy (Sunday) but feel mentally much younger. Not only can I not imagine retiring, I cannot see myself doing anything else. Retirement is for those unfortunates who hate their jobs. I just cannot imagine myself retiring and realizing the hopelessness of daytime TV (You ARE the father!) makes me want to die. My only physical Schiit is leftovers from Agent Orange defoliant while I was overseas in my military service as a feed-cow. (I fooled them!) I function more as a R&D director and do a little less prototype building than I did years ago, but that stops nothing. I still do all of the research part, and Schiit’s digital R&D team including Dave, Ivana, (Oh and Jason of course for the analog stuff) have built a phuc-ton of products over the last 8 years.

So here I am with a plan to keep going for a long while. I really need to realize that this is impossible without those of you support this hobby and I appreciate it. I must be doing something right to have a few detractors. In the long run, they really do nothing but help me with the free advertising. I hope they can also find their own happy places as well.

Happy 70th.....
Beat you by almost a month........
Not bad for someone who rode motorbikes and wasn't expected to see my 21st.......
The used to call me a TA (Temporary Australian)......

 

[Ripper2860]

Happy Birthday with a heaping pile of thanks for all you've done (and continue to do) to contribute to our great love of audio!!

 

[dieslemat]

Happy Birthday @Baldr !!

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I'll be sure the neighbors hear the Götterdämmerung as I raise a whisky to your continued good health.

 

[Ableza]

Happy bday Mike. Enjoy some music and raise a glass and keep kicking ass!

 

[Byronb]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

 

[barondla]

Happy birthday! Enjoy your special occasion and thanks for all the cool equipment.

 

[yonson]

Happy almost 70th birthday @Baldr !!!!!

Thank you for your service both for our Country and the audio industry!

 

[MWSVette]

Happy Birthday Mike, I hope you have a great day.

 

[ItsAllInMyHead]

Happy Birthday, Mike! Thank you for your service and for sharing your wisdom. I'll look forward to your post on your 80th. If the innovations you've contributed in the last decade are an indication - the next 10 years will be epic.