Ask MuppetFace Stuff

Top five huh?

Starman - James Robinson's take on Jack Knight is one of the best written superhero stories I've ever encountered. He's a relatable human being, while possessing just enough believable bad assery in his own unique way. I just really like the story telling and aesthetic of this particular reboot.

Batman - Come on, I gotta give one to Bats. Especially when he's written by folks like Grant Morrison who take his 'unique' psychological issues to new heights. I like the Batman who kicks people who are eating ice cream cones in the back of the head. I like the Batman who is so paranoid of even his friends and associates, he keeps a fail safe of each of their weaknesses on hand. The Batman who wears a Kryptonite ring.

Spider Jerusalem - Does he even count? I don't care. I love comic book Hunter Thompson who has the power to make people literally shit themselves.

Joseph Joestar - Since manga is acceptable, I gotta give a slot to my main JoJo. Just love his goofy personality and rugged, cliche manliness. He's hot as a young man and even hotter as a running gag grampa.

Doomguy - The space marine from Doom. He had a comic. It's legendary. Rip & tear.

 

As a baby I'd rock out to Peter and the Wolf in my high chair. As a little kid my mom would play Donovan tapes in the car. In elementary school I somehow obtained a copy of Nirvana's Nevermind and Raekwon's Purple Tape (a friend's older sister was responsible, I think?). In middle school I was angsty and liked Nine Inch Nails (still do). In high school I had a brief KoRN phase. It's embarrassing, I know. Then I got into Radiohead, Beck, Melvins, Ween, and Flaming Lips. The latter in particular helped introduce me to experimental music like Boredoms and the like.

By the time I got to college, I had access to local record stores and joined some music related communities on Live Journal. I met some amazing people, and my tastes in music exploded. By my sophomore year of college I had an HDD with 100 GB of mixed quality MP3s, and crates of vinyl records were slowly taking over my dorm room much to the chagrin of my roommates.

My first true "audiophile experience" was probably getting my Sony minidisc player in high school. Got an old Sony turntable and bookshelf speakers in college.

Funny enough, what got me into headphones were those anime-girls-wearing-them pictures that so many members used as avatars on head-fi. I remember being impressed by the sheer variety of types and brand names I'd never heard of (at the time I was mainly familiar with Bose, Sony, and Grado --- and only Grado due to my friend owning a pair). The one that caught my eye the most was STAX. I mean, what kind of name is STAX? And why did they look like little air conditioners for your ears?

So I did some research, saved up, and got a used Lambda Nova system as a sophomore. Hooked the amp up to my Sony CD player and a cheap phono stage for my turntable. Was totally blown away by the sound which seemed to materialize out of thin air all around me. I was hooked.

In a lot of ways, that old system remains my favorite. They say you never forget your first...


How'd I get involved in Changstar? Well, I was lured here from head-fi with a trail of Andes Mints and then trapped when they pulled the string tied to the twig that held the box.

1. Often times inconvenient.

2. Sorta?

 

They sound great!

There's this odd notion among some audiophiles that a TOTL system should sound downright bad with certain source material. I think that's why so much TOTL gear gets away with being poorly balanced, and why so many audiophile demos consist of mid-centric music. It's my belief that a good setup should neither enhance certain recordings nor make them sound painful (unless they are meant to be painful a la Masami Akita).

I've got two-and-a-half questions for you:
1. Why is this thread oddly creepy?
2. Who is baldr? What did he say? I don't even remember lol.

As for being one of the few females around here, it's not that big a deal really. Most of my friends growing up were dudes, and I actually feel more comfortable around dudes than other chicks often times.

 

Sony and Stax stuff got me into the hobby.

I stayed for the modified orthos and IEMs.

1. Not really
2. Dunno
3. In me? No. In others? Maybe.

 

Paradox Slant

Also dig: Sony R10, Fostex TX00, Stax 4070

The Focal Classic and NAD HP50 are pretty good too.

 

No need for a surgeon. Just buy a dolphin suit.

Anyway, back in my earlier days of head-fi patronage, I owned several hundred pairs of headphones and nearly as many earphones. Over the course of a few years I sold most of them off. The funds either went to medical bills, upgrading my turntable setup, or toward a good deal on some nice stand-mounted studio monitors.

Currently I own maybe ten pairs of full sized headphones? Some of them are rare, some vintage, some new... but all of them are good sounding. No more of that collecting just for rarity or quirkiness. I do, however, still collect earphones. It's like another world compared to their larger counterparts: the in-ear market moves so quickly, with so many obscure companies, so many innovative or bizarre designs... you can find so many different "flavors" of neutral-ish earphones. There are interesting options at nearly every price point now. Best of all, they don't take up as much space: I was feeling suffocated before by the sheer bulk of my headphone collection.

As for choosing just two headphones, I'd probably go with the SR-007mk1 for the open pick and the Paradox Slant for the closed / portable option.

The SR-007mk1 (when given enough juice) is just the best all-rounder for *me* personally. Sure, there are more exciting or more capable picks, but I can use the Omega IIs for hours on end without experiencing a hint of sonic fatigue. I can also wear them for that long as well; I find their build extremely comfortable.

I absolutely adore the Abyss AB-1266 sonically, but I just can't wear them for very long. Same with a lot of headphones, especially after my reconstructive jaw surgery: too much weight or clamping pressure sets off really sensitive nerves and muscles and results in a tension headache after a few minutes. That's why I'm interested in the Abyss Diana as a possible alternative. If I can get a similar sound in an easier to manage headphone, then I'd be a happy camper indeed.

 

Oh yeah, I definitely get hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-the-neck moments with my Kuzma and ZYX setup.

More than any other source component, I feel like the point of diminishing returns aka the ceiling is a lot higher on turntables.

 

1. It was last year, actually. I was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer in my left cheek, traveling up the nerve to my jaw. Likely caused by medication I used to take for IBD called Humira. I had extensive surgery to replace that part of my jaw, along with several months of intense radiation and chemo therapy. Definitely one of the hardest episodes of my life. Thankfully all my scans since then have shown no signs of reoccurrence. Hopefully it means I'm going into remission.

2. You mean my "top 100 albums of 20XX" lists? I might do something along those lines here if it's something the community wants. It takes an awful lot of work to make those, so it largely depends on whether I've got the time and energy.

3. Yeah, I still love Final's utterly bizarre "audio jewelry." One of my ongoing projects is to write a product guide that discusses all the various models of FAD and Final earphones over the years. Not really a SBAF kinda thing, though.

 

The ESP 950 is a favorite of mine, but the build quality just doesn't make it a viable single headphone for me. I'd prolly end up shipping it back to Koss for repairs just as much as actually listening to the thing.

It would most likely come down to either the SR-007mk1 or the original Orpheus for me, and since I don't currently own an Orpheus, it goes to the SR-007mk1 by default. But then I think a properly driven SR-007mk1 is more versatile anyway. That's just me, tho.

Wait Until Dark (1967)

*thumbsup*

 

Take her stargazing.

 

I'm a professor of ancient literature and philosophy.
Also a freelance writer and editor.
Used to do translation work too.