Hi Scott et al
Still here too, although primarily lurking lately - once in awhile you'll hear from me although burnout (& combination of other factors as mentioned above) has slowed me down such that I still have the desire to participate at a slower pace. I've even finally caught up with Kelly (we both have >1000 posts) but too much of this can get to you after awhile, so for sanity's sake (a sane audiofool - oxymoron statement!) you just have to kick back sometimes.
Many topics have been over-reviewed & many people regretably just don't bother to check the archives or use the forum search engine. Not that I've seen it all, nor do I claim to know it all, hardly! And it is nice to be missed so thank you for the compliment.
One thing that really bugs me, & I'll get this off my chest right now, is the continual nay-saying by those with nothing but opinions & no experience to back up their 'knowledge' yet they unfortunately continue to misinform & misguide the newbies. Some newcomer posts a legitimate question, gets some good answers, then those know-it-all clowns come on here saying "that's bullshit - prove it to me", "that will never work", arguing on & on adnauseum with nothing useful to contribute. One gets really tired of refuting their disbelief after awhile, not that I care what they think (their rigs obviously suffering from their ignorance) but that the poor soul who doesn't really know the truth from lack of their own experience becomes hopelessly confused & gives up too soon. The naysayers do a real dis-service to the hobby by endlessly promoting their ignorance & that really gets my goat.
I advise according to what I've heard on my own & learned firsthand from my own experiences. I may say "this tweak worked for me, that didn't, but the other guy over there had a different experience altogether". or "I loved this product, couldn't stand that one, but that guy over there loved it anyway". I try to see both sides, realizing that synergies are never the same from rig-to-rig, and stating my own experiences yet acknowleding that *there are NO absolutes in this hobby!* Simply keeping an open mind has served me so well here, & has taught me that many of my preconceptions were so far from reality as to be laughable, my electronics degree aside.
I too am about finished with my rig for now, but I'm still here to learn, to share, to grow, to fellowship, to promote that which is perceived to be a shrinking hobby which I truly love. I hope to see/hear audio flourishing, & being enjoyed by everyone well beyond my time on this planet. And that is truly a part of my motivation for still being here after all these years.
