Is High End Audio catchin' up with you all?

Cool! He was an amazing driver until Las Vegas as well....he always talked about Brian Redmond NOT breaking things LOL...

@ghasley I did some work for him or the museum in the 90’s fabricating some one off ignition components to get 2 of the cars running for the Tour De Elegance at Monterrey Laguna Seca er Weather Tech Raceway. They brought me along in case they needed a chap with a spanner. 

@jerryg123 Jim is an amazing guy to talk to. He had so many ideas and still does but his eyes turn red when talking about a bunch of whiny prigs when recalling the Can-Am days. Supposed to be no rules, unlimited only by imagination...until you dominate LOL.

Ring a ding ding time to shut down the system...lol

@ghasley Jim Hall was the best thing to come out of Midland TX.

Funny ,I just turned 70 on Elvis Birthday.Im 6' ,200,I try and walk and walk and walk...up to 15 miles a day.I got Gist cancer in 2018,had a 2 1/2 lb tumor removed from the lining of my Stomach...Did I notice no ,I just thought my stomach felt funny   ,but I learned becareful what you take like over the counter acid relief bills.This was the wed before Thanksgiving, no Turkey for me that year.i spent 3 weeks in the Hospital then 3 weeks in a rehab which yeah it's a freaking Nursing Home all the cold ladies were trying to pick me up ..lol..I lost 50 lbs and had to take a medication that cost over $10,000 a month.Good thing I got it taken care of for Free.One pill a night for 36 months and it made you into a Gas making machine...and theres nothing you can take to relieve it.OMG gas bombs, like i would never wish on anyone..I'm feeling good now ,but you never know what can happen in life....But I'm not as strong as i once was and lifting  100 lb.speakers is over.My Doctors were wonderful and I got to see the birth of my Grandaughter  Lily ....so life is good other than the coronavirus which cost me and still is money..But walking is what helped me recover. 

How about some 1967 Alfa Romeo orchestra warm up?

No electronic gizmos/correction or power windows.

Just the sound of a Weber carbs-BADASS!

He once said that the suction created enough static downforce that it exceeded the weight of the vehicle. In theory, it could be stuck to the ceiling. Much of what he learned developing this car enabled him to develop his Penzoil Indy car that harnessed the venturi effect without the need for a power source like the chainsaw motors on the 2j.

Below is a really cool exhaust note you would rarely encounter. Jim was an absolute genius when it came to cars and aerodynamics. A world class driver, a Cal-Tech engineer, a curious mind and a very real desire to kick Europe’s butt results in something like this!

I think we can agree that the exhaust notes of Italian cars and bikes are the Stradivarius of internal combustion engines.  However, I'd like to introduce my list of

The WORST-SOUNDING cars I've owned.

#1:  '74 Mazda RX3 (showroom stock)

Bad:  On a good day this car sounded like a convoy of 2-stroke dirt bikes with exhaust restrictors added.

Worse: Broken Apex seal.  The audible equivalent of a dragging a Port-a-potty thru a construction zone while making a batch of microwave popcorn.  

#2:  '66 Corvair Corsa (aftermarket "Trombone" exhaust added)

Bad:  The "good news" is the car did achieve the goal of "not sounding like a showroom stock Corvair".  However, the car did attract the attention of local law enforcement (ticket read:  "Loud and excessive noise due to improper exhaust and rapid acceleration") while also having the attribute of rejecting the attention of 18-24 year old females.  I'm just thankful that the "man card" didn't exist in the late 60's.  If so, I would have been wrestled to the ground and had it forcefully removed.

Worse:  Automatic car washes in the late '60s operated by latching on the car and pulling it thru stationary washing equipment.  During such an event I felt a vibration and heard a loud "thump".  Checking the rear view mirror allowed a full panoramic view of the bulk of my 3-day-old exhaust system lying on the ground.  While, admittedly this is about as close to the car would ever come to mimicking the sound of a full-on race Porsche 911, it wasn't the result I was going for.

Even worse:  17-years old, freedom and a couple of quarts of Coors can lead to good times.  They can also lead to you backing your car off the road into a ditch and burying the exhaust tips into a dirt embankment.  The sound of car transitioned from spots car(ish), showroom stock, suffocation, and death.  As they say: "What's the most valuable tool in your tool box?".  Answer: "The one you have with you".  I can report that the "tool we had with us" (beer opener) can successfully excavate enough material to dislodge the tips of a Corvair Trombone exhaust from a dirt embankment if time is not a factor.  

The Hayabusa is a very expensive very neat engine, but there are many lesser modern engines that work well in street cars.

My daily driver has a 2.0 4 cylinder The sound they make isn't as nice, but it puts out 375 bhp and 375 Tq and gets 30 mpg when you keep your right foot out of it. (That is more than stock as I can never restrain myself from 'improving' things.)

And this is the race engine in one of my vintage race cars.

@limomangus ...when the ears stop ringing, natch.... ;)

...a Fibrefab'd MGA.....(...the 'skin' looked familiar, but couldn't place it....)....but a lovely bit of hardware 'neath the hood... *BS*

Even if beat in an impromptu street race, you win the 'lookin' good' comp. ;)

And now it's time for:

Nitro'd snow blowers! *pockapockapockaBURRAPpockapocka..* 

HEY that guy Carl is one Bad mother......lol.....nice but when do you have the time to listen to your system?

@mijostyn ....you're assuming I stopped...;)  As for 'odds', I ought to play the Lotto.

Then I could afford a barely 'street-able' version of below....*evil S*

'Combat traffic' demands a 'weapon of choice'...😏

@wspohn ...well, it's a beautiful car, even if 'it's only a 6'.... ;) 

When it comes to 'road racket', here's my 'go-to', even if only in my dreams..
A 'street-able' version that kept the progressive shifter...nothing like 'small & nimble' and more HP than God would trust me with...

(...and it's likely it's an Exige vs. an Elise....Exige are hardtopped, where Elise are droptops....)

Getting wet flurries here in AVL now....grid thy loins, gentlemen.

It is actually a 1956 MGA under the skin with a GM V6 I transplanted into it and a body by Fiberfab called a Jamaican made in the 1960s..

It is another hobby of mine.

@asvjerry , it sounds like you beat the odds. You can try recreational drugs now.

@wspohn , What is that? Not a Ferrari or a Lambo. 6 cylinder? That's rare. I thought only the Dino did that. I agree, 12 cylinders make the best sound for an automobile but IMHO the best internal combustion noise comes from an L twin Ducati. The worst comes from my snow blower which I shall know intimately in about 24 hours. 

For any New Englanders out there, good luck tomorrow. Warm up your generators!

Well this thread took an unlikely turn - didn't expect to see cars as a subject of discussion.

Best sound comes from a V12 (I miss my old Lamborghini!), next best from a straight six (sold my MGC but still have a BMW Z4MC), and after that maybe the rather blatting loud but unrefined V8 (though I still own them as well) and then the poor four cylinder (still own three of those - one makes 375 bhp out of a 2.0 - but the sound is always a bit inferior to the others mentioned.

This one (I drive it in summer) sounds decent as well, although a V6)

@mijostyn (We be wayy off topic now, but I'm real good @ that.... ;)...)

Down with that 'we will Not test That' function, Yes....I've only had a gun waved near me once a very long time ago, and fortunately I was Not Involved. *whew*

I was happy about TAVR as well, I'd advised any and all that I thought would give a * about it that I would likely be an utter prick if involved in the rehab of having my chest wrenched open.  TAVR is a walk in the park....*S*

The Boston Sci implant is/was a new device at that time, ergo the study.  I was pleased to be included in it, 'spearheading SOTA' in my own small way.
I've actually seen a commercial for it awhile back; if anyone is a candidate for it, push towards it..👍😁

If the 'defib' function fires, I'll let you know what that's like.  So far, no 'events'... ;)

(You can 'go technical' on med terms with me, I was reading at a college level at an early age.  And I've a vested interest in what I'm being subjected to...

"Oh, that drug does....*boing*...That....*LOL*)

The specialist that initially treated my suggested that I'd need a 'valve job' eventually, so I'd kept in mind that I was just an organic '57 Chev in the long run....
"Reseat my valves, Baby!"

Hey, being a GP is a Good Thing.  Not enough of you of late, and mine is a good one.  Sarah is used to my 'left of centerline humor' and saved my lunch once...
"Go to the ER NOW!  Can you get there on your own?"

Yup, just watch... ;)  And I did....the troops were waiting with a 'chair...
Local med center is a short mile away, and specializes in pulmonary, so I couldn't be in a better place unless I lived there....

I think I surprised the attendants re the trach tube....that, and apparently they'd nearly 'lost me' in the OR, so I can accept a higher level of concern overall.

My 'valve thing' was an utter surprise, and is part of the family DNA.
My father passed from heart issues (was called an 'athletes' heart' at the mid-/60s'), my brothers' first child didn't survive, my nephews' first needed cardio surgery to pull through....
...and brother was mis-diagnosed by his MD, and dropped dead in the home hallway.  Same thing, caught too late. 😔

Upshot on my end:
I take a lot of non-recreational drugs, including blood thinners.  Being 'thin-skinned' due to age, if I damage self I leak like I've gotten knifed.
Fortunately, I clot quick...which is why the thinners...

I work with saws and other 'high probability of severe damage devices' but still have all appendages in place. 👍😁

Had to have my right little toe exorcised, but unrelated to work issues.
But *sigh*, I can only count to 19 now....*L* 

Keep on doin' whatcha' do, J

@asvjerry , I think we can avoid testing that. Good that you got the TAVR. I avoid using medical terms when talking to lay people. I think most still get the "donkey kick version" but, I am just a family doc so what do I know. I do not have any of the soft kick versions in my practice. I do have three Bicuspids in the practice that I am watching. They will probably need valves eventually. It is a very common congenital defect like cleft lips. Waking up with an endotracheal tube still in place is considered bad form. Must have been a nurse or a resident running the case. The anesthesiologist bounces back and forth between several rooms making sure things are running well. It is less expensive than running an anesthesiologist in all the rooms. I have been replaced by nurse practitioners. They expect me to be a supervisor, not what I went to medical school for. Anyway, when I had my wrist fused I got screwed at both ends. My throat was sore and raspy for a week and I peed razor blades for three days, residents at both ends. The lesson here is avoid teaching hospitals whenever you can. Unless you have a really uncommon problem stick with community hospitals. 

...I did have a concern over how 'robust' the implant is....

"There's a record on one stopping a .38 bullet at close range.  Does that help? *S*
Oh, and it still worked after impact...."

Small target....2" dia,  Lucky shot...at least for the bearer....

@mijostyn , the actual valve is designed like a stent, collapsed until in location.  Then it's 'deployed', expanding and pushing the aortic valves' 'petals' open and taking over the process.  The most annoying part of the whole surgery/recovery was waking with the breathing appliance still in my mouth & throat.

Which was dry, so the damn thing was 'stuck' to the walls of its' location....
Although 'still in the dark' of anesthesia, I was able to point at the device and register my annoyance...

"Oh, he's back with us....we'll have that out in a moment, 'K?"

I think my response got 'interpreted' properly...."Now would be great..."

I think they kept me for an extra day or 2 because I was a 'refreshing change' in the cancer ward they had room for me in.  Most left it covered up entirely...

...and I'm the noise at the end of the hall with a laptop playing Spotify and teasing the aides, RNs', and the parade of specialists and MDs'.
Since I was considered 'young' to receive TAVR (new at the time), I was 'interesting' and considered 'novel'....

...must have been my 'choice of music'...;)

Follow-up surgery for the pacer/defib entailed a nice young lady asking if I'd like to be a part of a study of the Boston Scientific unit, limited to 500 people in the U.S.

100 cardiologists nationwide with 5 patients each, to study the effectiveness of their new device.  The pacer makes 'tiny adjustments' if it registers inconsistencies....the defib likewise will make a more subtle approach to 'kick-start', as opposed to the 'donkey-kick' to the chest....
I like the concept of subtle.... *G*

I live with a bedside device that looks like an early network box.  It has a cell dongle that's in com 24/7/52 with BS, and go in for a 15 min. IRL system check 2x/yr.

They don't advise as to how I'm doing, other than I've not had to be defib'ed up to now...

So I'm partially Borg with onboard Bluetooth.  It is a bit weird to see ones' readouts on a laptop 10' away without the usual wiring and sensors applied.

@mijostyn all in good fun. Tall sizes hard to come by, we are even. I am from N. Ohio, watched the river burn……twice… And to this day, there are idiots who think we don’t need the EPA…

Jim

Okay, just one more off topic/on topic comment for audiophile/old car guys:

(goes back to the early 90's) The Sunbeam Alpine has solid lifters that sound like a broken Singer sewing machine at cruising speeds.  Then, I remembered I had a can of Acoustical Magic material that I used to dampen the vibrations of turntable platters on hand.  So, I cleaned up the inside of the aluminum valve cover, coated it with this stuff and cured it in the oven for a couple of hours.  

After reinstalling the valve cover and going for a test ride, the exhaust note(s) were louder than the sound of the lifters.  A much improved driving experience.  

And, yes, audiophile/car guys CAN successfully mention audio tweaks AND car tweaks in the same sentence.

@nonoise Must have been somenoise emitted from the exhaust of your project car?  fyi- I used a Webber downdraft for the blow through turbo set up on my Alpine.  Removing the choke, substituting plastic floats for the brass ones (they collapsed under pressure), rejetting, and filling in a few gapping holes did the trick.

@asvjerry , you must have had a mess in there for them to use a metal valve. Most now use a flexible ring that folds up and we deploy them by catheter, no cracked chest.. Has your defibrillator gone off yet? Lots of fun. People do not realize what that is like when it fires. It can be entertaining until the docs get the sensitivity adjustment right. I really wanted a either a Volvo 1800 or 911 when I was a kid. Had to settle for the 911.

@tomic601 , you better watch out! I'm one of those short people. My favorite Randy Newman line is, " God can make you tumble. God can make you turn. God can make you overflow. But, God can't make you burn." He was referencing the Cuyahoga river fire. My favorite RN song is, You Can Take Your Hat Off. 

@barbaramoriggan , Yes, absolutely. Your back is under very little stress on a bike because your arms are supporting it. The Neo 2 is a real hoot.

@jerryg123 , The air cooled motors have a raspiness  missing in the watercooled units. You can still get one in the Scrambler models, 1100 cc! The Italians have a passion for motors everyone else can't seem to match. Somehow they always manage to make them sound right. Listen to a Fiat 500 Abarth. Little sucker sounds like it would tear your throat out. Just listen to a Duc at idle. Only the Italians can concoct a symphony like that. (desmodromic valve train)

Obviously, none of you had the temerity to get one of these and spend so much time fixing, towing and pushing it that you could work on it blind folded:

I took it from stock and added a 1/4 race cam with a 40mm Weber downdraft carb on matching intake manifold from FAZA Racing (run by Al Consentino of Florida). The carb linkage that came with it didn't match so I had it and the stock one cut and welded together so it would work (front half of one and rear of other). Also had the FAZA headers and ran straight pipes out the back.

With over 30 additional HP I terrorized Triumphs, MGs and smaller Porsches out on Mulholland Dr. That Webber was the easiest carb to work on and swapping air and fuel jets took just a few minutes. Everything was tuned by ear. Those simpler days were the best.

All the best,
Nonoise

...owned a Spitfire for a time....It was nice to be able to sit on a front tire while rolling pushrods on a pane of glass to check for the bent ones.....*S*

....speaking of 'going off-topic (which I'm shocked hadn't happened earlier...)...

A 'beam Tiger was a hoot to see IRL...

"Cute droptop....is it fu.....WTH!" 

"I guess it is....*LOL*"

Watched an Elan suck the doors off a Stingray 'Vette.... I'd bet the 'Vette owner did some homework to find out WTH that car was....Refrigerator White, innocent as yellow snow..... ;)

The Tiger would have survived if only they'd opted like Shelby to clean slate' the entire car.  The existing frames weren't up to dealing with v8 anything....
...and I'd bet the guys back at the factory weren't amused when putting them together....   

I can't bend my arm that way!"  was likely common....

@waytoomuchstuff ...*L* Nahh, you're quite 'normal' 'bout your Tiger...

...and your 'apparent age' makes you a Perfect 'Sleeper'.
Go gittum'....*nasty L*

Lucas; Prince of Darkness for a reason…..

@waytoomuchstuff LOL…he focused mostly on pre-war French and German cars and post war Mercedes up through the early 1960’s. He could be forgiven for not wanting to venture into British cars with American iron transplants. Im sure you have fun with your Tiger.

@tablejockey  Yes, it can get a little squirrelly.  "Involuntary lane changes" are a phenomena of high power and a short wheelbase.  Glad you got to have fun in your friend's Alpine.  I put a turbo on my '67 and still drive it.  Quarter mile times quicker and faster than a factory stock Tiger.  

@acresverde Sounds like you had a "perfectly normal" relationship between a young enthusiast and a sports car to me.  I still abuse my turbocharged Alpine.  It deserves better than me.

@ghasley Your mechanic is partially correct.  The #8 plug is accessed thru a grommet in the driver's side transmission hump.  It's actually quite easy to remove/reinstall.  #s 2-7, not so much.  It rate myself a 6.2 on the "vintage car mechanic scale" and have kept a couple of Tigers running for 20+ years.  Sounds like your mechanic needs to stick to working on slant six Plymouth Valiants.  Lots of room to work in the engine bay.

LOL, I seem to recall when I was at a classic car auction seeing a perfect Sunbeam Tiger about to cross the block. I remember it because my mechanic begged me not to bid. He said there was a pass thru in the glovebox necessary to be able to change a sparkplug(s). Shoehorned that powerplant in there. I just laughed.

@waytoomuchstuff    Maxwell Smart would be SO envious. My very first car was a '67 Alpine in french racing blue...a total stripper...not even a radio. Only had it a year but I flogged it mercilessly the whole tome so probably put the equivalent of 5 years of "normal" use on it. Never once did it go in for service but, hell, what was there to break???

"'66 Sunbeam Tiger with hand-built 347 stroker motor sounds like a pro stocker when I get on the gas.  Music to my ears."

waytoomuchstuff

That must be a handful to drive!

Never seen a Tiger. Only a few Alpines over the years. A high school friend drove a beat up Alpine, that I loved to drive, when given the opportunity.

Wear the same size pants as I did in high school

Me too, but about 6 inches lower...lol. 

I want to be carlsbad when I grow up.

Speaking of "good noises".   My '66 Sunbeam Tiger with hand-built 347 stroker motor sounds like a pro stocker when I get on the gas.  Music to my ears.

And, I'm 72 and still wear the same size pants as I did in my 30's.  Does that count?

😏 I’m 70, 5’-11", 62 ish kilos per a visit to the cardio doc today.

I fit clothing that’s the same sizes essentially since HS.

I have no ’gut’ to speak of.

My ’exercise routine’ is dealing with treated lumber, typically still ’wet’ from ground contact processing. If it’s Really heavy, have the intellect to use our Bobcat to move it vs. using ’gym guys’ show muscles’ (I’d rather flex my brain instead of my back....the former learns, the latter can remind you of idiocy for weeks..).

I prefer being ’nimble’ on a lot of levels... ;)

I admit to having some....’bad habits and preferences’....that haven’t seemed to stop me in anything significant....*G*

I Do have an aortic pig & stainless steel synth valve with an onboard pacer & defib; not due to my atrocious habits, but a DNA ’kink’ that gave me a mutant 2 flap valve that finally developed ’back flow’, enough for TAVR....

(I warned the MD’s that splitting my chest would let the demons out...scary sh*t in an OR...got me out of the hospital in 3 days. as they wanted to make sure I’d take the demons with....)

What should bother y’all is that I will likely outlive the bulk of you. Let spouses and/or significant others know that I’ll make a lovely bouquet of your high-end cables for your ’new digs’ (Yes, pun on purpose) and a larger ’whip-like’ version for that person to ’antique’ your stone with.

Yup. Some of us just exist to annoy you. ;)

(Thanks for all the hand gestures and loud shouts of encouragement..._

Good one flat black!

at 6’2”, I believe Randy Newman sang it best…. “ Short people…”….

I got a RAD electric bike to take my son to school. He sits in the back and I peddle the total of 325lbs. In the 5 months, we have been doing this we have done 1600 miles and I have gained a ton of fitness. I highly recommend these new electric bikes. I thought they were kind of wimpy at first however, we are on the bike without worrying about wind and most weather issues and gaining tons of fitness.

This thread makes a lot of sense (NOT).

Who does that guy think he is fooling?  So obviously an implant!

Shout out to  flatblackround! I'm 6'7" and have always hated running, workouts, and all the other reindeer games. I am coordinatized but never saw the point of putting myself through the misery. I have a theory that tall people on average don't like working out, while shorter people love it. I know I'm stereotyping, but maybe it's on average true. Maybe the shorter person get results faster or gets the endorphin release faster than tall people. Maybe tall people's lungs aren't sized for the total blood volume.  Sure, pay a 7 footer 10 million dollars a year in the NBA and they will lumber up and down the court, but not normally the running type. Think about it...ever see a really tall guy running on the road, or were they pretty short? Weight lifters...pretty short. Bikers, maybe a few more taller people, but mostly short. No judgment, it has just always seemed to me that shorter people have some motivation/reward for these activities that taller people don't get. To flatblackround's point, in a bar you get a normal distribution of height and weight!

I'm pleased to say that I weigh only about 12 pounds more than when I graduated college.  I still wear the same size clothes.  I exercise, I hike in the Summer months, and I ski in the Winter months.  I pull up from the ocean large tuna and other pelagic species during the Summer months, too.  I'll say, that is an exercise unto its own.  My diet is excellent, and I do enjoy craft beer and good wine.

I exercise my mind with reading and with great high fidelity.

I am fortunate that my genes are from a wonderful lineage of good health and long lives.  That said, nothing is a guarantee and there is no expiration stamp on my rear end.  While I am not exactly like either of the 3 dudes in the picture, I do my best to live a healthy life and maintain good strength and mobility.  And great music with good high fidelity playback plays a nice role in my healthy life.  High end audio is not catching up with me, it has been a part of me for most of my life.

Keep it going, everyone!

@mijostyn I have Ducati 888SP I race in the American Historic’s AHRMA and a 1976 750SS I run from time to time.

great bikes the old air cooled Ducks. 

@audioquest4life , It depends on what type of bike you put on the Tacx. If you want to be more upright put a mountain bike on it.

@jerryg123 , Nope. I am inseam challenged. The Multistrada is too tall. Besides, they are ugly. I have a Supersport 950S but, I am thinking about a Diavel S. My Panigale days are over.