Audio Talk - what is it?

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

A very good forum that has lost its way and mojo. FFS compared with WW, PFM, AoS you are a sanctum of sense. As the end of term report would say - could do better.

[shane]

But if we're all happy with it, why worry?

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Because Nick said that this is the important question.

It is a bit more lively now (you all know why) but a couple of months ago it was dying in complacency, Compare the forum size four or five years ago with now. Compare the activity, the enthusiasm.

Is this what you want, or more to the point is this what Nick wants.

Anyway the question is "What is it".

[pre65]

But if we're all happy with it, why worry?

Indeed Shane.

I don't really trawl other audio forums much these days, but those I do visit on occasions don't seem to have much of interest going on, just a happy bunch of like minded individuals jogging along with lots of assorted stuff but not much else.

What I value most, is actually knowing most of the regulars here, and looking forward to our Owston event, which is as much social as audio.

I suppose the commercial aspect of some members work limits what can be displayed on a public forum, but I really do appreciate the help I receive when "those who know" spot I'm doing something wrong.

So, any other views ?

[shane]

I appreciate what you say, Richard, and I agree that things have been a bit quiet hereabouts up until recently, so new blood is always a good thing, especially if it brings new ideas. Unfortunately, the only thing recent new blood seems to have brought is abuse and conflict. Now I know you'll lay the blame squarely at the door of Phil and Greg, but both have been prolific members here, and no-ones had a problem before. It would be a huge shame if this forum went the way if all the others.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

No one is answering the question.

[Nick]

I suppose the commercial aspect of some members work limits what can be displayed on a public forum

You are making the same assumption there that Greg did some years ago, the reason I dont post much of what I do is there is no real point. there are a handful of people who are trying to advance the art and craft (if only by a tiny amount) or at least fail in a way that provides more information, some who would copy that, while probably missing the reason for the work as it was too complex or involved maths, or modify the work in such a way as it took it in the other direction, and most seem to just want to have a shared blog. The bike folk do that just fine.

I understand that we can't all be obsessives, real life has its requirements, but it would be good to create a environment where we could attract a few more obsessives, and rejoice in their passion and focus, even if "we" don’t agree with them. Where "we" is some group think construct that to be honest I would prefer to upset a bit more not less.

I am getting old and the desire for a easy life is always there, but remember punk and reggae? the idea that anyone could do whatever they want, remember the shock and horror of the establishment, and remember how much better the world is because of it. Well, everytime I think about a easy life, I realise that’s what being part of the establishment means.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

I appreciate what you say, Richard, and I agree that things have been a bit quiet hereabouts up until recently, so new blood is always a good thing, especially if it brings new ideas. Unfortunately, the only thing recent new blood seems to have brought is abuse and conflict. Now I know you'll lay the blame squarely at the door of Phil and Greg, but both have been prolific members here, and no-ones had a problem before. It would be a huge shame if this forum went the way if all the others.

Sorry IMO you are wrong, apart from the froth which you all seem to concentrate on, it has brought new ideas that are making you question and think. Note the the phase thing thread amoungst others. Also your conventional established ideas are being questioned.

[Cressy Snr]

This is on Greg's thread too but...

If we go way back to the days when Nick started his forum, we had Paul, Darren, JamesD, Andrew, and Nick. All building interesting stuff and commenting on and gently helping out those of us like me, DTB etc, who had just started building valve gear.

The reason I actually know what I'm doing now, is down to those people. They rarely post now, because apart from the fact that they have their own lives to lead, there are simply no new people who are the slightest bit interested in building anything, and why should they be! So the situation now, as opposed to ten years ago, is that there is no one there anymore for them to to give any advice to. It's an old man's hobby and maybe it will decline until it dies with us, if it continues along the same path.

My particular interest is in trying, in my own way, however small, to work through, and design hi-fi equipment, namely speakers that work in people's living spaces, that are acceptable to women, and give very high quality sound at the same time.
One or two of us have heard in their own or my living space, and "seen" the results of my efforts.

I first stuck my head above the parapet, on the potential of designing for WAF and good sound, via AoS and was simply sneered at.... interestingly enough, not by Marco, who along with Macca, saw plenty of merit in what I was up to and to their credit, they did try to support me in that argument, against a few arrogant eejits, but it was a waste of time in the end.

So what should this forum be. Well I think it should be a place where all views are acceptable, a place of diversity and inclusion, and should be celebrating its roots in DIY audio, expanding its coverage of that and thinking about how this throwback to the post war era of hobbyist hi-fi we have here can do some good in the industry.

For my own part re DIY, I'm now out of ideas; the limit has been reached, I know Nick hinted on another thread that he wasn't sure how many more designs I had in me. Well unfortunately at the moment there are none, so others need to step up. Not necessarily in the blog style I do, but....

If electricity goes through it, post!
If you change a resistor, post!
If your amp blows up, post!
If you stub your toe on your speaker, post!
If you get your multimeter out, post!
If you make an arm out of a broom handle and a rusty nail, post!
We still wanna know about 2A3s, 26s, 71As, 801s, PX4s, Tribute transformers, mosfets, decent speaker drivers ad infinitum.

Oh and stop whining and be in the moment. If a miserable bastard like me can give it up after almost a lifetime of depressive illness then anyone can
Quit referring to or insinuating that inclusive lefties like me are grovelling apologists and anything for a quiet life!
Step away from the cans of kerosene
Grow up!
Quit forming cliques, and remember it's only a bloody stereo when all is said and done.

[jack]

I fully see your point, Nick.

I guess that as far as I'm concerned, I'm old fashioned in that I prefer to spend time with folk who are polite.

Most rude/aggressive engineers I've worked with really weren't very good and used bluster, hubris and sarcasm to hide their weaknesses. Invariably, they excuse their behavior by claiming that they've no tolerance for idiots/"wrong" information/whatever but essentially they're just insecure, socially inept and not very nice people.

Luckily, they're in the minority.

I'm guilty of not publishing most of what I do, not out of a desire to keep things secret, but because a lot of it isn't very good or not finished. I set high standards, often disappoint myself and re-work what I do continuously. Also, a lot of what I do is unlikely to be of any interest to this community...

However, I am an engineer at least, but there aren't that many on this group, so there is a unlikely to be a lot of genuine innovation as typically (with a few notable exceptions) you need formal (or a lot of self-taught) knowledge to do much that's meaningful.

In the forums where I'm a moderator/owner, we enforce (gently) an "Open house, play nicely" rule and have done from day one. It works well - I rarely moderate at all - maybe once in the last two years (when two folk started a full-on slanging match - supplier vs. customer). Members join knowing the rules; no rules = anarchy (by definition).

I suppose it comes down to managing expectations - if you want a heavy technical content, you do need to go out and solicit members who can provide that, but unless you set ground rules (play nicely) and enforce them in order to provide an environment conducive to "constructive" (*) discussion, then a p*ssing match will invariably ensue and folk will wander away as most have lives to live and better things to do.

Just my two AED's worth...

(*) SWIDT (tm DtB)

[shane]

Ok, I'll increase the precision of my terminology if I must. Recent new members have brought a few interesting ideas that have been all but lost in a huge morass of completely unnecessary abuse and bullshit. For example, I don't need seventeen pages of appalling (popular word here) rubbish to tell me that Scott's an idiot. I'm quite capable of forming that opinion myself without sssistance. I am equally quite capable of deciding for myself that he isn't.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

You see reality goes out the window. Go to the ORIGINAL thread and see how it started, you may be surprised.

[jack]

There you go - I've posted some original content in the "Everyone's Projects" forum...

[shane]

You see reality goes out the window. Go to the ORIGINAL thread and see how it started, you may be surprised.

I did, and I wasnt, but it's probably not worth persuing. Life's too short. I'll just have to turn my bullshit filter up to 11, I suppose. Ho hum. I used to enjoy this place.

[Dave the bass]

"Audio Talk - what is it?"

A very good forum.

One I've participated in for about 10 years. I've learned a lot from it. I like it and a lot of the folk that are also on it. At times there was shed-loads happening and other times is goes a bit quiet sometimes, thats OK IMO. Over the years it's helped me build a system I enjoy listening to music on. Its so good in fact it might be another reason I haven't built so much for about 2 1/2 years in addition to some problems in life but 'stuff happens' like that.

I used to be able to build stuff at work, that was one of the reasons I was asking so many questions and building so much for many of the earlier years, about a year ago I changed job and my current one doesn't allow that anymore.

It doesn't stop me from reading and learning from here though, vive Le Audio-Talk