Thread: What does Everybody do?

Postman from the UK.
Music is my main hobby. I like a wide range of genres.
My current hifi system is the best I've had (currently waiting delivery of the Music First Audio Baby Reference V2 preamp) which I ordered a couple of months ago.
I drive a Nissan 370Z which I enjoy driving round race tracks, which I will be doing in August.
I also like driving supercars round race tracks.
Last year I drove the latest Maclaren, Lamborghini and Ferrari round Thruxton race track.
I also drove a Ferrari round Silverstone race track.

I work at a financial advisor firm in Dallas. In addition to audio/music, I enjoy traveling, Cardinals baseball (bucket list item to visit all 30 stadiums with my wife - we’ve hit 6 in the two years since we started), good tv/movies (just got into The Wire recently), cars, bourbon, and a tasty burger.

It’s been great getting to know and learn from the fine folks here over the years, and I look forward to many more.

Originally Posted by Marslo

Entiendo espanol tambien, mi amigo

Tu parles Català també?

Originally Posted by wisnon

Tu parles Català també?

Lo siento mucho , pero no.
Frances, Ruso - si .

Originally Posted by Rantzmar

Hifi! How are you? Blackraven says hes been on forums for about 10 years....Heck, me (frenchmon) You , Peabody and Blackraven where at AVR longer than that. At least it sure seems like it.

Oh and while im at it...I do IT work.

Dude, how ya been. Yes, it was early 90s when I started in the Cables forum and then switched over to Rave Reviews where we shared so much good music. I still have and spin many of the great comps I received. I just recently spun one Troy sent me, very first package, after I asked "What is Prog?" From that day I got about 300 disks in the mail and sent back out more than that.

Things are good, thanks for saying you were here.

Originally Posted by Mordante

And pay taxes.

Retirement came my way in early November of 2017. I took a long vacation, worked on my Honey Do list, helped the wife structure her art glass company and put up her website.

Then...I needed something to do so I am now consulting under a retainer agreement to a local legal firm. I also help small businesses purchase or lease their fleets. Of course, the glass business needs attention overy other day or so. I also keep pretty busy moderating on a couple of vehicle based forums.

I think I am busier now than when I retired!

I already wrote in this thread a few days ago. I forgot to comment that one of my hobbies, is to visit toy stores. In fact a few days ago I was in one and I send you a photograph that proves it .......

Very interesting the wide range of occupations. I've been retired for a decade. For the first thirty years of my career I was a theoretical astrophysicist and professor of astronomy. Then I made a big change and for the last 10 years I started a non-profit operating (non-endowed) educational foundation and served as its CEO, growing from one person to a staff of 135. Much of my retirement (six years) was spent in digitizing about 2/3's of my 15,000 record and 1000 tape collection - a total of about 40TB, all at 192/24. It is essentially all classical. I also wrote a book on Decca Records (Decca: Supreme Stereophonic Legacy) interviewing several of the old Decca staff in London, including several of the original recording engineers. It includes four CD's that the late Winston Ma of Fist Impression Music produced and published from great Decca recordings, remastered by Michael Bishop and Robert Friedrich, multi-Grammy award winner. It was quite well received selling out its first printing in less than two months.

We are very involved in music, especially attending classical music concerts, about 70 a year. My wife and I both play the piano and we have two grands in our home, and I also dabble on the viola.

Larry

Hey Larry, interesting career. Sounds like you had some fulfilling life work.
On another note, could I ask why you digitized all the Vinyl and tape. Seems everyone scoffs at digital.

I'm 74, retired from the commercial photography business in 2003 after a 40+ year career that started in high school. In the late 60's and early 70's I did mainly large format studio work for the food and wine industries in San Francisco. Sold my SF studio in '76 to finance a 2 year sailing odyssey to the South Pacific with my wife (now of 52 years) on our 40' ketch. Upon our return in 1980 settled in the wine country and started a family (2 daughters now in their 30's, 2 grandsons) but eventually went back to SF and re-engaged in food & wine photography. Later ran 3 photo labs/studio and did aerial photography. Retired for the 3rd time in 2003 and moved to our 45 acre ranch in the boonies near the Sonoma Coast where I manage a forest of 35,000 Redwood and Douglas Fir trees which I planted in 1993 following a wild fire that destroyed the old forest. These trees are now 50-60' tall. We (I have 3 workers) thin and groom, and remove the "ladder" fuels, creating what are called "Shaded Fuel Breaks" so as to inprove the survival odds in the next fire. In another 10 years, we will be able to start a sustainable annual timber harvest. I bike, hike and am a daily lap swimmer. San Francisco is once again my primary residence which allows me to enjoy city life and frequently attend performances at the SF Jazz Center, the SF Opera and Symphony, while my wife remains mostly at the ranch where we have a large garden, orchard, chickens and sheep. I am currently overseeing a major remodel of the SF property, which dates back to 1910. Bicycling is my primary form of city transport.

My audio history started in my early teens with a Kenwood receiver, a Thorens TD124 tt (should never have sold it!) and a pair of AKG headphones. Speakers came later. It has progressed ever since to better and better gear. My love of planar speakers led me to Sound Lab electrostatics about 15 years ago, becoming a home based dealer, mainly to support this expensive hobby. I have 2 very fine but different systems, one in the country and another in SF. Music is my passion; I have a huge library that spans many genres, Classical, Opera, Jazz, and a lot more, including Bluegrass, Country (think Willie, Lucinda Williams) and Blues- 4,000 lp's and a large digital library. I now primarily stream Tidal via my 2 Lumins. Roon will be added soon.

Originally Posted by Kingrex

Hey Larry, interesting career. Sounds like you had some fulfilling life work.
On another note, could I ask why you digitized all the Vinyl and tape. Seems everyone scoffs at digital.

I really am an analogue person. Vinyl, but even more so R2R (15ips, 2 track). However, after I retired, my wife asked a simple question. She was looking at my 15K records and 1000+ tapes and asked "What are you going to do with all these records and tapes - our daughter and son-in-law won't take them." They both love classical music and are fine amateur musicians. So I started thinking about the collection as a legacy. I went to the first Computer Audiophile symposium in 2009, looking for possible digital solutions, having heard about Amarra and their soon to be released digital recording system. There I met Tim Marutani, consultant extraordinaire (and his friend and audio dealer Maier Shadi (of Audio Salon in Santa Monica), and Mr. CA himself Chris Connaker. With Tim, I was introduced into the high end of pro audio, including several superstars. Tim helped me search for the best solution to my problem and after several months of research arranged a shootout at my home, conducted by mastering engineer Paul Stubblebine, with several different A to D convertors and different software packages.

I realized that with the goal of digitizing 10,000 records and tapes, it would take, in real time, over 5 years (actually took 6 years), so my time was the most expensive commodity. With my wife's support, I decided that getting the best equipment to do the digitizing was important, since I didn't want to do the ripping more than once per record or tape.

I ended up choosing the Pacific Microsonics Model Two (which can digitize at 192/24) using Merging Technologies Pyramix software and their Mykerinos card. I had a custom designed phono preamp with adjustable EQ curves for my old and new vinyl and a balanced output to the Model Two built by Dan Schmalle of Bottlehead. The PM Model Two was the most difficult to get. There were only 150 or so ever built and almost all of them are locked up in recording and mastering studios. Tim started his hunt, and after about four months, I had my Model Two, found by Maier Shadi at Warner Bros studios, where it and another (now owned by Maier) were used in mastering sound tracks for films. And I was off.

My collection includes about 3000 British Decca classical recordings, 95% are original pressings and labels, and include just about all of the Decca stereo classical records released in the analogue era, and about 3000 British EMI recordings, almost all original pressings and labels, including about 90% of all the EMI analogue stereo recordings. I also have fairly complete collections of the great RCA and Mercury recordings, and several other labels. I also have a complete collection of all records (600 of them) that ever appeared on HP's TAS Super Disc List, while Harry Pearson was still alive. Those are the heart of the 10,000 records and tapes that I have digitized.

Of course most of the records I bought used, mostly from British dealers during almost annual visits to the UK for the past 20 years. So there were issues with clicks and pops and occasional surface noise. Through Tim Marutani, I met and hired recording engineer Mark Willsher to teach me how to use all of this equipment and he introduced me to Izotope RX which I used, in various forms, to remove clicks and pops without affecting the sound quality and even reduce surface noise when needed with minimal effect.

So now I have a legacy for my daughter and son-in-law and our two grandchildren, who were born during this odyssey. Chris Connaker has built two computers for me, the first for recording all the files, and the second, just last year to play back all the files using Roon and HQP (and powerful enough to playback mch files in DSD, upconverting them to DSD256.) The latter was designed by Chris who consulted with Jussi of HQP in making sure that everything would work.

I still play analogue mostly, a lot from my over 500 15ips 2 track tapes. But my digital set up allows me to play 5.1 mch digital files, other digital files I have purchased and my 10,000+ digital rips. And my daughter and her family have a good sampling of my rips and many of my duplicate records for their analogue set up.

Larry

Originally Posted by astrotoy

I really am an analogue person. Vinyl, but even more so R2R (15ips, 2 track). However, after I retired, my wife asked a simple question. She was looking at my 15K records and 1000+ tapes and asked "What are you going to do with all these records and tapes - our daughter and son-in-law won't take them." They both love classical music and are fine amateur musicians. So I started thinking about the collection as a legacy. I went to the first Computer Audiophile symposium in 2009, looking for possible digital solutions, having heard about Amarra and their soon to be released digital recording system. There I met Tim Marutani, consultant extraordinaire (and his friend and audio dealer Maier Shadi (of Audio Salon in Santa Monica), and Mr. CA himself Chris Connaker. With Tim, I was introduced into the high end of pro audio, including several superstars. Tim helped me search for the best solution to my problem and after several months of research arranged a shootout at my home, conducted by mastering engineer Paul Stubblebine, with several different A to D convertors and different software packages.

I realized that with the goal of digitizing 10,000 records and tapes, it would take, in real time, over 5 years (actually took 6 years), so my time was the most expensive commodity. With my wife's support, I decided that getting the best equipment to do the digitizing was important, since I didn't want to do the ripping more than once per record or tape.

I ended up choosing the Pacific Microsonics Model Two (which can digitize at 192/24) using Merging Technologies Pyramix software and their Mykerinos card. I had a custom designed phono preamp with adjustable EQ curves for my old and new vinyl and a balanced output to the Model Two built by Dan Schmalle of Bottlehead. The PM Model Two was the most difficult to get. There were only 150 or so ever built and almost all of them are locked up in recording and mastering studios. Tim started his hunt, and after about four months, I had my Model Two, found by Maier Shadi at Warner Bros studios, where it and another (now owned by Maier) were used in mastering sound tracks for films. And I was off.

My collection includes about 3000 British Decca classical recordings, 95% are original pressings and labels, and include just about all of the Decca stereo classical records released in the analogue era, and about 3000 British EMI recordings, almost all original pressings and labels, including about 90% of all the EMI analogue stereo recordings. I also have fairly complete collections of the great RCA and Mercury recordings, and several other labels. I also have a complete collection of all records (600 of them) that ever appeared on HP's TAS Super Disc List, while Harry Pearson was still alive. Those are the heart of the 10,000 records and tapes that I have digitized.

Of course most of the records I bought used, mostly from British dealers during almost annual visits to the UK for the past 20 years. So there were issues with clicks and pops and occasional surface noise. Through Tim Marutani, I met and hired recording engineer Mark Willsher to teach me how to use all of this equipment and he introduced me to Izotope RX which I used, in various forms, to remove clicks and pops without affecting the sound quality and even reduce surface noise when needed with minimal effect.

So now I have a legacy for my daughter and son-in-law and our two grandchildren, who were born during this odyssey. Chris Connaker has built two computers for me, the first for recording all the files, and the second, just last year to play back all the files using Roon and HQP (and powerful enough to playback mch files in DSD, upconverting them to DSD256.) The latter was designed by Chris who consulted with Jussi of HQP in making sure that everything would work.

I still play analogue mostly, a lot from my over 500 15ips 2 track tapes. But my digital set up allows me to play 5.1 mch digital files, other digital files I have purchased and my 10,000+ digital rips. And my daughter and her family have a good sampling of my rips and many of my duplicate records for their analogue set up.

Larry

Larry, Holy Smokes, you are our own HDTracks or similar.


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Ummm, I ripped most of the CDs that I didn’t spill beer on in college with free software and a cheap PC ....

Seriously, you have an amazing story and it is quite the legacy. Congrats on the life long process.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

On your back pack?
___

I was going to give my prediction on the 2018 World Cup favorite...the Frenchmen. But I just saw that the thread is close down.
FIFA World Cup 2018 thread; why is it closed?
It's a sport thread where everyone is on a sporty and friendly mood. Did I miss something? I am certain that I did not miss a thing. So it is very surprising today to find it closed.

Pete I'm glad you saw the good humor.

Wow - just read this thread from the start. A lot of success and hardship and well, life.
My working life is in electronics design and manufacturing. I started my career as an audio design engineer. I did that for about 15 years, then turned to the dark side. I’ve been managing product development in large multi-national corporations until just recently, when I started a business that helps companies get their electronics products connected to the internet.

Originally Posted by astrotoy

I really am an analogue person. Vinyl, but even more so R2R (15ips, 2 track). However, after I retired, my wife asked a simple question. She was looking at my 15K records and 1000+ tapes and asked "What are you going to do with all these records and tapes - our daughter and son-in-law won't take them." They both love classical music and are fine amateur musicians. So I started thinking about the collection as a legacy. I went to the first Computer Audiophile symposium in 2009, looking for possible digital solutions, having heard about Amarra and their soon to be released digital recording system. There I met Tim Marutani, consultant extraordinaire (and his friend and audio dealer Maier Shadi (of Audio Salon in Santa Monica), and Mr. CA himself Chris Connaker. With Tim, I was introduced into the high end of pro audio, including several superstars. Tim helped me search for the best solution to my problem and after several months of research arranged a shootout at my home, conducted by mastering engineer Paul Stubblebine, with several different A to D convertors and different software packages.

I realized that with the goal of digitizing 10,000 records and tapes, it would take, in real time, over 5 years (actually took 6 years), so my time was the most expensive commodity. With my wife's support, I decided that getting the best equipment to do the digitizing was important, since I didn't want to do the ripping more than once per record or tape.

I ended up choosing the Pacific Microsonics Model Two (which can digitize at 192/24) using Merging Technologies Pyramix software and their Mykerinos card. I had a custom designed phono preamp with adjustable EQ curves for my old and new vinyl and a balanced output to the Model Two built by Dan Schmalle of Bottlehead. The PM Model Two was the most difficult to get. There were only 150 or so ever built and almost all of them are locked up in recording and mastering studios. Tim started his hunt, and after about four months, I had my Model Two, found by Maier Shadi at Warner Bros studios, where it and another (now owned by Maier) were used in mastering sound tracks for films. And I was off.

My collection includes about 3000 British Decca classical recordings, 95% are original pressings and labels, and include just about all of the Decca stereo classical records released in the analogue era, and about 3000 British EMI recordings, almost all original pressings and labels, including about 90% of all the EMI analogue stereo recordings. I also have fairly complete collections of the great RCA and Mercury recordings, and several other labels. I also have a complete collection of all records (600 of them) that ever appeared on HP's TAS Super Disc List, while Harry Pearson was still alive. Those are the heart of the 10,000 records and tapes that I have digitized.

Of course most of the records I bought used, mostly from British dealers during almost annual visits to the UK for the past 20 years. So there were issues with clicks and pops and occasional surface noise. Through Tim Marutani, I met and hired recording engineer Mark Willsher to teach me how to use all of this equipment and he introduced me to Izotope RX which I used, in various forms, to remove clicks and pops without affecting the sound quality and even reduce surface noise when needed with minimal effect.

So now I have a legacy for my daughter and son-in-law and our two grandchildren, who were born during this odyssey. Chris Connaker has built two computers for me, the first for recording all the files, and the second, just last year to play back all the files using Roon and HQP (and powerful enough to playback mch files in DSD, upconverting them to DSD256.) The latter was designed by Chris who consulted with Jussi of HQP in making sure that everything would work.

I still play analogue mostly, a lot from my over 500 15ips 2 track tapes. But my digital set up allows me to play 5.1 mch digital files, other digital files I have purchased and my 10,000+ digital rips. And my daughter and her family have a good sampling of my rips and many of my duplicate records for their analogue set up.

Larry

Great story Larry and congratulations on an amazing feat.

Tim is a great guy and extremely knowledgeable. Ended up myself with a Pacific Microsonics model 2 - an amazing performer even now.


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I read this entire thread and find it very interesting. Such varied backgrounds and life experiences.

I grew up in upstate New York near the McIntosh factory. My father was a mechanic and do it yourself person and instilled in me that work ethic. My first introduction in audio gear was in high school when a class mate brought in a system to demonstrate for a school project. It fascinated me and got me hooked.

When in college (Binghamton University/Harpur College and later Syracuse University) I started working at a stereo store. I continued working for this store for a number of years and ended up managing a couple locations for them.

My other main hobby was computers and even though I thought I had a good job I never thought of it as a career so I took a job as a PC Tech. Back then it was more who had the aptitude in the IT field then who had the education. A couple months later I was made an analyst and then started programming and grew to love data management. So I became a software engineer and database administrator and in the mean time the company had merged a few times and became Blue Cross Blue Shield of Upstate New York.

I then meet my sole mate, deep down I always knew she was out there somewhere, and decided to move to California (with my son in tow). We have been together ever since. She is a very special lady and had many hardships in her life including loosing her first husband to a car accident when she was 24 years old and 8 months pregnant with her fourth child. She put herself through school and became a Nurse. Her calling was Hospice and she worked as a Nurse for them for many years. She is a very special lady!

I have worked as both a software and database engineer designing and creating software to assist in launching rockets at Vandenberg Air Force Base. After the company I worked for lost their DoD contract I became a Vice President at a local bank in charge of all their data. Then the bank was sold to a large LA based bank (no way am I moving to LA ). So I took a job as a Senior System Administrator at the county. Government benefits are by far the best I have ever seen. I am hoping to retire in a few years! I wanted to move out of California because of how expensive the Central Coast is, but it is also an amazing environment and my wife prefers to stay near the grand kids.

I had gotten out of high end audio raising my son and building my career. A few years ago I got back into this crazy hobby. I participated in a few forums to learn all that has changed. These days AS is the only forum I participate in.

I'm not a Doctor, but I play one on TV.

Honestly.. I do absolutely nothing of value. I'm retired and spend most of my time listening to music and figuring out ways to spend money on audio. I'm sure i will burn in hell.

You are allow to enjoy your retirement. It is your reward for working hard your entire life!

Since I started this thread, it is good to hear all the Member stories, but this one that takes the cake

Wow! great thread!

I worked in the Television broadcast/production biz right out of school, started at Ampex way way way back when.
Enjoyed every minute of it since I was a "tech" at heart always. I got to travel, work at Olympic games - Lake Palcid, Sarajevo etc. so blessed.
My wife of 38 years passed away 5 years ago, I've since remarried to a second amazing woman...once again so blessed.

I've been an "audiophile" since forever as a tech that enjoyed music, it was a perfect match.
I retired a few years ago now and even though I enjoyed what I did immensely, I'm enjoying retirement just as much.

Dozens of hobbies still, audio of course, photography, science/physics, reading, etc.etc. I did trade in my motorcycle hobby for cycling though about 7 years ago.

I must admit I've grown a bit tired of "audio forums"... same stories today as 10 years ago - arguments etc. Just change the name of the thing and the people involved in the discussion.

One specific hobby that's popped back to the top since retirement is cycling, I've been riding my butt off the last few years. At 66 - It's really true, you're never too old to improve your health.
I'll be peddling my way in the Garden State Fondo this September, 107 miles.. can't wait!

Originally Posted by Gene

Honestly.. I do absolutely nothing of value. I'm retired and spend most of my time listening to music and figuring out ways to spend money on audio. I'm sure i will burn in hell.

Same here. Started retirement May 1st, and haven't done squat since then. I did join a gym this week, and went Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. First time since April, I have worked out. Now I am ready to drink beer and listen to music all night. Of course, I am so tired from working out, it might be short night.

Originally Posted by BlueFox

Same here. Started retirement May 1st, and haven't done squat since then. I did join a gym this week, and went Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. First time since April, I have worked out. Now I am ready to drink beer and listen to music all night. Of course, I am so tired from working out, it might be short night.

Congrats on the retirement Bud....and joining the gym. Enjoy retirement. You’ve earned it.

Thanks Mike. I will be spending much more time listening to your Lumin, Pass, and Magico gear.

Not sure if I already replied in this thread but here we go (again?)

I finshed my MBO education (associate’s degree?) when I was about 22. Started working for a pharmaceutical company. From there I went into construction, to car refinishes, to pharmaceutical again. So now I’m at myth 6^th company in about 22 years. Yes I’m 44 now.

My current job is maintenance planning (PM, CM, & calibration), purchasing, and lots of other things. Hopefully in about 26 years I’ll retire.

In 2001 I met my girlfriend, no plans to get ever married and neither of us wants to have children. About 10 years ago we bought a house in the Dutch city of Suffering.

Other hobbies include riding my motorbike, a 2009 KTM Superduke 990R. Going to concerts and festivals (mainly metal). This years I’ve been to Graspop Metal Meeting (Be), Werfpop (NL) and Metal Days (SLO), coming weekend Into the Grave (NL) is on the calendar and later this year Into the Void (NL).

Also I play a little bit of squash but in the summer not so much. I have a go at indoor bouldering. I sometimes go to the gym. I like playing computer games and tabletop roleplaying games (D&D 3.5).

So that’s about it.

From 1966-69, I was a First Class Engineman in the Coast Guard, in charge of the engine rooms & fuel supplies. We patrolled off Cuba, helping refugees escape, as well as performing as a always-ready rescue vessel.

Went back to college and worked part-time at a high-end hi-fi shop in Norfolk, VA. In a few years, I became the mgr.

One day in 1975, Bill Johnson walked into the store, unannounced (I had never met him), and offered me a job at ARC - Sales & Customer Service. After working at ARC for a year or so, Jim Winey offered me the job as Natl. Sales Manager for Magnepan. Taking him up on the offer, I wrote the owner's manuals, as well as taking the dealer network from 80 erstwhile dealers to 40 who were dedicated, training them on set-up and such, while doubling the sales (no doubt that the introduction of the MG-1 helped that).

Left there in late '79 to open my own shop (Audition) in Birmingham, AL. It went on to receive all sorts of awards, especially as to the quality of the demos. The staff was required to help their clients with set-up. I was often especially pleased when a client would come in & ask for one of the staff to help them - thinking that he or she was the owner.

Closed the store in '91 and joined some of my former employees as a partner in a high-end custom installation & home theater company. Was a certified Lucas Film Home Theater Designer. Left that operation when I finally realized that I was bored out of my head with the business, especially very high-end home theaters.

Two years later, I started a telecommunications company built around an idea that popped in my head while out running track. The scariest thing was when I had to call on Qwest Communications in Denver to sell them on being our main carrier, and to handle my invention. I was in a large room full of knowledgeable industry vets. Somehow, they thought I knew what I was doing... . I really knew NOTHING about telecommunications, and here I was in a room full of experts in the field. But they loved my product, and it all worked out.

Went on to received several attractive offers to buy the company, and finally accepted an offer from an Atlanta based group.

Moved to Atlanta to help the new owners, but that didn't work out so well. So I took some offered money & left.

Personally worked with & helped my former audio clients until Avantgarde Acoustics offered me the North American distributorship in 1998. Dragged my feet for 18 months or so, waiting for an upgrade to the UNO & DUO subs, as well as the intro of the Solo.

That went very well, but in late 2005, I resigned - as the Euro - on which my costs were based - had gone from the original 86 Euros/USD to 126 Euros/USD - a price increase to me of over 45% (!) in less than five years. The products had not changed significantly, and the dealers couldn't take less margins, so I resigned rather than raising the retail price 45-50% with no real model changes or updates.

I started up another company that assisted audio retailers & manufacturers in honing in on what they were doing best. It was called My USP (My Unique Selling Proposition).

That went well, until my back was broken in a very bad car accident. A bunch of friends & industry acquaintances said, "Why don't you write that audio set-up book that you always say is needed?"

So I did, and the rest is history - way too long (and I skipped a bunch of stuff).