Any interesting hobbies?

[Scott]

I've only been on here a short while but I've noticed a small community of well established members who frequent the forums over my weeks on here. I love the community spirit of forums so please forgive the far left off topic thread.

I only really have 3 passions in life, 4 including my work (engineering). Fortunately for me, number 1 is engineering (my work) I love taking things apart, putting them together, figuring out how they work, etc, etc, etc. I reverse engineer and analyse everything I'm able to in my daily life. Fortunately that leads me onto my other 2 main hobbies...... Computers and cars.

Computers I've been into since I was a very young kid. At 5 years old (1985) I was given my very first computer for Christmas.... a 48k Spectrum! Those really were the days. Since then I've always had an interest in electronics and PCs/laptops. My 2nd PC ever was built by myself and it was the best I had ever owned. Since then I have always dabbled and my curiosity and interest has taken me onto programming, in a hobbyist fashion, and any high end usage that I can (Learning Photoshop, All M$ softwares, VBA, C+, PHP, etc).

Next, I'm a HUGE petrol head. I understand that external websites aren't allowed so I've attached a picture of my hobby car. I've had this car since 2007 and I've pretty much stripped it down and built it from the ground up. It's not for the faint of heart and it's a constant on-going project.

Lastly..... I'm a homebrewer. Strangely I've been brewing my own beers, wines and ciders for the past 5 years but I've only started trying beer outside "lager" over the past 12 months. I really had my eyes opened on a visit to St Andrews when I tried Caesar Augustus IPA/Lager hybrid. Since then I've been on a journey to taste every beer, ale, porter, IPA, stout and anything else I can get my hands on. So many beers... so little time.

Anyway... the Supra...

 

[Grumpywurzel]

I know I've dragged this thread from the depths...

Like @Scott I'm a massive petrol head, had to get rid of my X5 as my drivers license was racking up the points like no ones business . Got a grandad car till my points are all removed and will go back (probably) to the X5 but got for the X5M next time 🤪

Getting back into Nitro RC racing, got two cars that have been in "Storage" or the loft as the Mrs calls it. Was out there today tuning one of em till the heavens opened!

Any one with something more unusual??

 

[Scott]

Total thread resurrection there. Can see it really took off back in 2016

 

[SpyderTracks]

Why did this not take off in 2016??? Great thread!

I'm completely and utterly obsessed with music of all forms, the older I get, the more music I used to find intollerable I now find I can see the ingenuity behind it. We're even talking stuff like Spice Girls..... I know, I know, I don't own any and don't intend to, but now when I hear it, I can see why it was so popular.

I started off with tapes when I was a kid and then CD's once I reached school. Then in 2000 I shared a house with a very accomplished DJ who introduced me to vinyl. I was transfixed in how good it sounded and started collecting singles and the odd album. I had no record player, and was extremely poor til relatively recently so had no means to play the damn stuff, but it was a firm dream of mine that I would some day be able to amass a dream system. In about 2011 I sold all my CD's and moved to digital for convenience and to raise some finances.

For my 40th, my family helped me get my very first record player, and it's an absolute beauty, the Rega Planar 3 2016 in white:

Since then I've modified the record player quite substantially, replacing various components and really splashing out on a top notch moving coil cartridge.

I have it paired with a little digital speaker that punches way above it's weight, the Naim Muso (like a sonos on steroids):

But I knew that the DSP in the speaker was essentially clearing out the magic that vinyl can produce, so I'm now about to receive my dream amplifier, a PrimaLuna Evo 100 Integrated which is a very capable tube amplifier (my version has a black front):

I'm then going to pair it with these speakers who are from a relatively new company whose founder, Mads Buchardt http://hifiknights.com/reviews/speakers/buchardt-audio-s400/, came from Dynaudio, the Buchardt S300's:

And I've now amassed a pretty healthy collection of records at around 800 which keeps me very entertained.

And that will be my journey complete. It's taken a long time, but dreams do come true, keep them in mind, bring them to the fore once in a while, be patient and you will naturally gravitate to them. Once the system is complete I'll post a picture of it as I'm so proud of it!

For any fellow audiophiles, if you haven't heard of them, keep an ear out for Buchardt, they are going to transform high end audio in the digital sphere, they've just released the A500's which are absolutely incredible and bridge the gap between high end analogue and digital:

Buchardt A500 Review and Measurements: The future of speakers (I hope)

Last year I wrote that Buchardt Audio’s popular bookshelf speaker, the S400, was near endgame material. It sounded good enough that I felt it would be difficult to find a speaker that was a clear upgrade without opting for something larger

thenextweb.com

I actually emailed Buchardt Audio for some advice on speaker pairing with my soon to be amp, and to my surprise, Mads actually contacted me himself. IIRC it was on Christmas day last year, and he was still answering emails, and not just answering glibly, but gave me real attention, looked through the schematics of the amp and advised which speakers would pair best, really lovely guy.

 

[AgentCooper]

Count me in! I’m happy to help breathe some more life into this necro-thread 😁

My biggest passion, like @SpyderTracks would have to be music. My father is the true audiophile in the family, he’s got kit that can quite literally make your ears bleed but I’m just happy absorbing new things that pique my curiosity. Case in point, the last two months have been quite heavy on getting into psychedelic Zambian rock music (imaginatively known as Zamrock, check out Lazy Bones by WITCH, if you fancy a taster). I’ve also been playing guitar forever and love making up tunes, melodies and lyrics, I’ve probably got enough to make about twelve albums but I’m perfectly happy being the only one who’ll ever hear them 🙂👍

My next one, which borders on an obsession, is Twin Peaks. I love the work of David Lynch and that show has kept me wondering what the hell is going on for 27 years. It’s a real fascination, I’ve even got it tattooed on me and it’s why I opted for the name AgentCooper 😜

It’s lame, but I’m also big on my job. I work for the NHS doing lots of different things and it gives me an amazing amount of satisfaction, I genuinely enjoy helping people.

Lastly... Beer and whisky. Before I got into healthcare I used to manage a bar (Morning Advertiser Pub of the Year 2006, no less) and got really educated on all the depth and nuance that can be contained from a fermented or distilled beverage. If you even want to talk beer @Scott, I’m here for you 😆

 

[Scott]

I absolutely love audio. I'm by no stretch an audiophile though, I just don't have a precise enough ear to really notice the nuance a proper setup can bring.

That being said, I have a 5.1 surround system in the livingroom with 4 yamaha floor standers, tannoy mid, etc.... I just don't have the ear to go much higher than that. I have a pair of WH1000MX3s which I absolutely LOVE, so much so I bought the WF1000mx3s (in ear) which are also fantastic. This is about my limit of understanding though, and at the point where I can hear a difference.

However, vinyl...... now there's a hankering I've had for years. Even before it became popular. I will definitely be investing in a player and some records once I have a bigger house (really need more space for all my... ahem... stuff). There really is something lost when listening on anything but vinyl. Not saying I would notice a full tubular amp or anything, but even just the nostalgia of listening to records when I was young has me recalling the different warmth of sound.

 

[Deleted member 41971]

Count me in! I’m happy to help breathe some more life into this necro-thread

I'm in the wrong forum

Agentccooper, this may be of interest regarding Audiophile tech

 

[SpyderTracks]

My next one, which borders on an obsession, is Twin Peaks. I love the work of David Lynch and that show has kept me wondering what the hell is going on for 27 years. It’s a real fascination, I’ve even got it tattooed on me and it’s why I opted for the name AgentCooper

OMG, man, me too, massive fan, I've just picked up this on vinyl but haven't had a chance to play it yet, thanks for the reminder:

I have a pair of WH1000MX3s which I absolutely LOVE

Lols, I got those for christmas last year, insanely good headphones, managed to get them in the black friday sale for about £170 which made them too good to be true. I actually have to take them off sometimes cos I hear things I don't recognise and it sounds so real that I swear it's coming from outside. Insane bass as well, great headphones!

However, vinyl...... now there's a hankering I've had for years. Even before it became popular. I will definitely be investing in a player and some records once I have a bigger house (really need more space for all my... ahem... stuff). There really is something lost when listening on anything but vinyl. Not saying I would notice a full tubular amp or anything, but even just the nostalgia of listening to records when I was young has me recalling the different warmth of sound.

I can't describe how much more satisfying vinyl is, not just from the sound perspective (although if you want real vinyl sumptiousness, you have to go tubes!), but moreso from the tangible value of the records. There's something so utterly satisfying about it for me, it's nothing like even CD collecting was, with vinyl, they're often released in very small quantities, and not every pressing is equal, some are from digital sources and you have to hunt around to find the proper analogue pressings. But when you find a label or series that hits that spot, my god, it's so so satisfying.

Couple to watch out for are MoFi (Mobile Fidelity), specifically the UD1S pressings (Ultra Disc 1 Step), these are insanely expensive ($125) but they are true magic in how immersive they sound, even on a fairly entry level system, it's quite astounding. Also Mondo do some incredible stuff, although not every release is spot on, sometimes they have pressing flaws. Analogue Productions are another. And my favorite for a safe bet at normal prices are Music On Vinyl (MOV).

But the covers are all special, the artwork is so much more meaningful than on a CD, they sometimes do special things like hide a 10" record in there with bonus tracks that you weren't expecting, or in the case of Sigur Ros, they do amazing etchings on the blank side of the record:

It gets quite addictive to say the least!

 

[AgentCooper]

You need to get on that Lynch album, @SpyderTracks! It’s immense. You may need to smoke something before it and drink something after it, be warned 😆

 

[Gavras]

Similar to @Scott, engineering and cars, all types engineering and cars are mainly 400bhp plus types.

also have Sony WH-1000xm3, simply brilliant when travelling, until January I was away about 6 months a year.

this Is the first year since I was 18 that I have not travelled overseas with work

Definitely not an audiophile, as my hearing is crap lol.

other hobbies are shooting, again anything goes up to ultra long range stuff.

Computers as well just don’t get as much free time.

Also do alcohol, beers, lagers, whisky, rum and Gins.

For beers, a trip to Belgium is well worth it - Trappists

 

[AgentCooper]

Similar to @Scott, engineering and cars, all types engineering and cars are mainly 400bhp plus types.

also have Sony WH-1000xm3, simply brilliant when travelling, until January I was away about 6 months a year.

this Is the first year since I was 18 that I have not travelled overseas with work

Definitely not an audiophile, as my hearing is crap lol.

other hobbies are shooting, again anything goes up to ultra long range stuff.

Computers as well just don’t get as much free time.

Also do alcohol, beers, lagers, whisky, rum and Gins.

For beers, a trip to Belgium is well worth it - Trappists

Yes! Trappist beers! Chimay Blue changed my life and made me fall over repeatedly.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I'm in the wrong forum


View attachment 18817

Agentccooper, this may be of interest regarding Audiophile tech

I love that guy, he does some awesome videos, and he's bang on about some of the madness when it comes to audio.

 

[Deleted member 41971]

I love that guy, he does some awesome videos, and he's bang on about some of the madness when it comes to audio.

Theses one regarding automatic machine cleaning of records

 

[SpyderTracks]

Theses one regarding automatic machine cleaning of records

He’s so right, a properly cared for record and a decent needle pretty much eradicate any surface noise.

He missed the fact that you can alleviate the dirtying of record by storing them in anti static sleeves like these:

Original Master Record Inner Sleeves (50 pack)

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has been the undisputed pioneer and leader in audiophile recordings since the company's inception in 1977.

www.mofi.com

And keeping the covers in protective sleeves also:

Vinyl Guru 12 inch LP album Record Sleeves Covers

Choose from white paper, white polythene lined paper, black card, polythene, Plain or Stitched weld PVC for single or gatefold LP's, Standard or large "Blake" style outer sleeves with or without re-sealable flap, "Blake" style inner sleeves or "Nagaoka" style round bottom inner clear bags...

www.vinylguru.co.uk

The anti static sleeves will stop dust collecting on the record after playing as the bag attracts the dust, plus stops any dust getting in while in storage. Obviously stops static build up also.

The outer sleeves help with dust also, but have UV filtering and stop the cover discolouring also.

 

[ubuysa]

@SpyderTracks only Americans call them 'tubes' we Brits call them 'valves' and I grew up with them.

All valves can be fussy about the socket they're in so sometimes a bit of wiggling is needed - the heater pins suffer more from this because they carry by far the largest current. Oh and they're too hot to touch when they're running!

The anodes degrade in all valves over time, a useful tool is a small soft rubber hammer. If the amp isn't working gently tap each of the valves with the rubber hammer (this dislodges the residue that builds up on the anodes and gets the value working again) until you find the one that wasn't working. Plan to replace that valve sooner rather than later.

BTW. You'll also find that for the best quality output you want matched pairs of valves (or quads in your case) - just like RAM - because you'll find that valves from different manufacturers have slightly different properties.

Welcome to a whole new world.....

 

[AccidentalDenz]

History is very much my passion, as ever since I was a kid I've always enjoyed learning about the past - I literally asked for a kid's history encyclopedia for my 10th birthday, and then read it cover to cover over the space of like 6 months. As I've gotten older, I've developed hobbies that feed into history - I love video games with a historical setting, I also enjoy watching films and TV shows too. I also really enjoy sci-fi, which again is easily covered by gaming, TV shows and films.

I'm also naturally inquisitive, so even if I don't know much about particular subjects, hearing others talk about their passions interests me. I don't have much interest in cars personally and my knowledge of music doesn't stray too far outside of late 90s/early 00s pop, but reading the petrol heads and audiophiles in the thread talking about their interests has been really interesting to me.

 

[Gavras]

@SpyderTracks only Americans call them 'tubes' we Brits call them 'valves' and I grew up with them.

All valves can be fussy about the socket they're in so sometimes a bit of wiggling is needed - the heater pins suffer more from this because they carry by far the largest current. Oh and they're too hot to touch when they're running!

The anodes degrade in all valves over time, a useful tool is a small soft rubber hammer. If the amp isn't working gently tap each of the valves with the rubber hammer (this dislodges the residue that builds up on the anodes and gets the value working again) until you find the one that wasn't working. Plan to replace that valve sooner rather than later.

BTW. You'll also find that for the best quality output you want matched pairs of valves (or quads in your case) - just like RAM - because you'll find that valves from different manufacturers have slightly different properties.

Welcome to a whole new world.....

Ah the joy of valves, I started my career on Radars and other electronic kit (crt’s etc) that used Valves.

You can’t beat surface voltage of 22kv going through your little finger while trying to tweak a pot when setting up Klystron etc.

Fault finding was pretty straightforward and sets were always nice and warm in winter.

The move from Valves to digital was fun, fault finding was not logic probes etc.

The size of some of the valves used in high power sets could be impressive.

The ones used these days tend to be more focus on a retro visual look, than functionality.

 

[Martinr36]

Some years back I was into power kiting and used to kite buggy, however you really need to have access to decent beaches for that, and being in bucks they aren't really close.

I sold my buggy about 5 years ago when I got divorced, so no longer have the adrenalin rush of flying along at 30+ mph with my backside 2 inches above the ground with no brakes...

These days I'm into cycling and have both a road and gravel bike.

At the end of January 2019 I had an accident in which I broke my left hip, and had to have a total hip replacement.

The morning after the replacement the physiotherapist came round, and I told her, that her mission was to get me back on the bike asap, 6 weeks later I was riding again, and in July that year I completed my longest ride of 140 miles, I ended up doing just over 7000 miles in 2019.

I'm also slowly getting back into making video which is where the computers come in, the kite buggy always used to have a camera attached and both bikes have mounts for my GoPro hero 7 black.

Oh and I know I mentioned it in another general thread, I'm 61

 

[ubuysa]

Ah the joy of valves, I started my career on Radars and other electronic kit (crt’s etc) that used Valves.

You can’t beat surface voltage of 22kv going through your little finger while trying to tweak a pot when setting up Klystron etc.

Fault finding was pretty straightforward and sets were always nice and warm in winter.

The move from Valves to digital was fun, fault finding was not logic probes etc.

The size of some of the valves used in high power sets could be impressive.

The ones used these days tend to be more focus on a retro visual look, than functionality.

I wasn't kidding about the rubber hammer. One of the earliest stored program control devices I worked on (in a large trunk network telephone exchange) used a magnetic drum as the storage media and all the logic gates were valves (EF86 if memory serves). They were in a standard 10 foot 6 inch high rack and I looked after 10 of the things.

In the mornings those that had failed in the night were offline (with an indicator light on). Fault-finding was by oscilloscope checking each of the logic gates - with experience you came to know which ones generally failed first. A quick tap with the rubber hammer would shock the valve enough to get it working again for an hour or two, so I'd run round those offline with the oscilloscope (on a trolley), find the faulty gate, tap the appropriate valve to get them all back online and then I could take my time taking one offline at a time to change the failing valves. They were soldered in rather than in sockets, so it was a 20 minute job taking the old one out, cutting new insulating sleeves for the wires and soldering the new one in.

Unfortunately there were around a half dozen logic gates per panel and it wasn't uncommon that when you plugged the panel back in again the thermal shock blew one or two other valves. Sometimes it took two goes to get a panel to go back in and work - if it failed a third time I'd just change every valve, it was quicker that way....!

 

[Gavras]

I wasn't kidding about the rubber hammer. One of the earliest stored program control devices I worked on (in a large trunk network telephone exchange) used a magnetic drum as the storage media and all the logic gates were valves (EF86 if memory serves). They were in a standard 10 foot 6 inch high rack and I looked after 10 of the things.

In the mornings those that had failed in the night were offline (with an indicator light on). Fault-finding was by oscilloscope checking each of the logic gates - with experience you came to know which ones generally failed first. A quick tap with the rubber hammer would shock the valve enough to get it working again for an hour or two, so I'd run round those offline with the oscilloscope (on a trolley), find the faulty gate, tap the appropriate valve to get them all back online and then I could take my time taking one offline at a time to change the failing valves. They were soldered in rather than in sockets, so it was a 20 minute job taking the old one out, cutting new insulating sleeves for the wires and soldering the new one in.

Unfortunately there were around a half dozen logic gates per panel and it wasn't uncommon that when you plugged the panel back in again the thermal shock blew one or two other valves. Sometimes it took two goes to get a panel to go back in and work - if it failed a third time I'd just change every valve, it was quicker that way....!

oh I know you weren’t lol.

Back in 1980’s before fully digital systems came in to play, we had aircraft computers using synchros.

These would from time to time get ‘stuck’ so on a number of occasions an aircraft rubber chock was used to ‘unstick’ the offending computer, the joys of analogue computers lol.