My I begin by saying two of my passions in life are F1 racing and Hifi. Part of the allure of Formula One is the sound. If you want a graphic demonstration, find Sterophile Test CD3. It contains a binaural recording made at the 1992 Canadian GP (I was in attendance). 1992 was probably the zenith of for the beautiful sounds a race car can produce. Two of the cars recorded had the F1 Lamborgini V12, which many contend was the finest sounding engine ever built. Those that don't buy the Lamborgini story prefer the F1 Ferrari of the era which is also recorded on that test disc. These engines are turning about 12K to 13K. A turbocharger has the effect of acting somewhat like a muffler; that is why current F1 and Indy cars do not sound as incredible as the cars of the past. Two people above yearned for the day F1 cars would be electric powered. Obviously, that would produce a sound like someone vacuuming a rug. If that day ever comes me and about half of the current F1 fans will be "labyby." Me? I race cars with SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) and pit crewed for a CanAm car all in the '70s. When I stopped driving I took up aerobatic flying.
Does Formula 1 racing and high end audio go together for anyone else?
I don't think nearly as many in the US are into F1 racing, as a sport, as others around the world are. At least that's my understanding. I just turned onto it a couple of years ago but really enjoy it a lot. I turned onto it the season before the big rivalry came to a head last year between my man Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
My big system is actually in my bedroom b/c I live in a high rise in an urban community and the other big reason is b/c acoustically it appears to be pretty good.
I'm obviously not a hard core purist, because I've got my seventy five inch big screen between my ML Summits. Anyway, I'm curious if F1 racing is a thing with anyone else and more interested in what others think about the way things are looking for Mercedes and more specifically Mr. Hamilton.
I've been enjoying alternating between listening sessions and the practice sessions and the qualifying laps yesterday and would love to hear what others have to say about the distance b/w Verstappen and Hamilton leading p to the race today.
I find it kind of hard to feel sorry for Hamilton, personally, b/c he has a tendency to come off with such an air about him. At the same time, I do feel a little bit sorry for him b/c he appears to've lost his confidence on the track. I don't think he can blame his performance this weekend on the car.
I'm also loving the competition Ferrari is showing Verstappen on the track right out of the starting gate this season.
I've found that audiophiles tend to have some similar traits in common as far as things we appreciate about life and I'm curious if anyone else around here enjoys F1 like I do? And especially thoughts about the rivalry b/w Verstappen and Hamilton and the season so far in general.