Stuff you've thought of but it's too dull for conversation

[Herman 9,819]

Watching a news item about the darts last night and was shocked to see the mullet making a strong come back amongst the younger generation. 

[dylanisabaddog 4,970]

What do people think about the choice between glass jars and squeezy bottles of mayonnaise and tomato sauce? 

On a similar topic, I have a tip for toothpaste. When you think a tube is empty, cut the bottom off with a pair of scissors. There's loads of the stuff still in there! 

[A Load of Squit 5,210]

On 02/01/2024 at 17:44, Wings of a Sparrow said:

Couldn't find the cost of living crisis thread, so posting here.. 

Has anyone noticed the price of olive oil these days 😮

I didn't know she was charging, Popeye must be livid.

[A Load of Squit 5,210]

Toby Jones would be great casting to play Ian Hislop in the Private Eye Story.

Marvelous!

[dylanisabaddog 4,970]

Is it just me? This morning I heard more about the Houthis and a bizarre Pythonsesque image entered my head of blokes in robes with long beards doing the Hokey Cokey. 

Hooty Hooty Cooty. 

Sorry if it's in your head now..... 

Edited January 15 by dylanisabaddog

[Wings of a Sparrow 1,425]

Vera, TV detective.

Annoys the hell out of me. The hat, the coat, the accent, the ponderous plotlines...

[sonyc 5,541]

2 minutes ago, Wings of a Sparrow said:

Vera, TV detective.

Annoys the hell out of me. The hat, the coat, the accent, the ponderous plotlines...

Yes, watched twice (and that was plenty) and the plots are so convoluted as to be preposterous. Add in some unpleasant, humourless characters with the all-knowing, salty, slightly smug Vera and its not a great recipe. Never read Catherine Cookson but I wonder if these are some TV knock offs? She must have had a shtick that worked given her sales so someone thought they could get mileage out of a TV programme.

At least the dialogue doesn't include the latest trend that we seem to be taking on from the US....."I have a bunch of things to do..." and using 'super' in front of everything...."I'm super excited"...and so on.

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,361]

[TheGunnShow 5,986]

Well played, Hamilton, well played.

[littleyellowbirdie 2,577]

On 15/01/2024 at 09:19, dylanisabaddog said:

Is it just me? This morning I heard more about the Houthis and a bizarre Pythonsesque image entered my head of blokes in robes with long beards doing the Hokey Cokey. 

Hooty Hooty Cooty. 

Sorry if it's in your head now..... 

Funnily enough, I always thought Taliban as a word sounds quite cute. A bit like teletubbies.

Edited January 16 by littleyellowbirdie

[dylanisabaddog 4,970]

Just now, littleyellowbirdie said:

Funnily enough, I always thought Taliban as a word sounds quite cute. A bit like teletubbies.

😂

Poor Connor is probably reading this with mounting horror. 

[dylanisabaddog 4,970]

Here's one for @littleyellowbirdie

If I'm going down I may as well take him with me. 

 

 

[TheGunnShow 5,986]

1 hour ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

Funnily enough, I always thought Taliban as a word sounds quite cute. A bit like teletubbies.

Some people probably think Al-Gebra is an Islamic terrorist group of maths instruction. 😉

[dylanisabaddog 4,970]

I went Muslim speed dating once

 

You've got nice eyes

You've got nice eyes

You've got nice eyes 

 

[The Raptor 1,231]

Stick insects. Why did my friend have them as a pet?They did nothing! May as well have put any old stick in a box!

[Herman 9,819]

It's small and it's petty but I got the better of someone trying to cut me up at the usual roundabout. Sometimes it pays to have a small car.😁

[Herman 9,819]

Admittedly it's a bit crappy of Madonna to start so late but suing her seems a bit too far.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/jan/19/madonna-sued-late-start-show-barclays-center-celebration-tour-new-york-court-case-details-what-happened

[Thumbbass 319]

It's been at least 25 years since I last had an operational record player.

Back in the game due to a Christmas present from the Mrs. Yes, the sound is not the same as the range you get through a CD or a good stream, but there's something more zen about listening to an album without the temptation to skip. 

Having developed a bit of an obsession buying stuff on 12", my current squeeze is Dig Lazurus Dig by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. All killer. Oh and a 70s pressed motown compilation I bought for 99p! The other side of it all is I cannot believe how expensive vinyl is now. January 324th and I am skint. 

[Wings of a Sparrow 1,425]

18 minutes ago, Thumbbass said:

It's been at least 25 years since I last had an operational record player.

Back in the game due to a Christmas present from the Mrs. Yes, the sound is not the same as the range you get through a CD or a good stream, but there's something more zen about listening to an album without the temptation to skip. 

Having developed a bit of an obsession buying stuff on 12", my current squeeze is Dig Lazurus Dig by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. All killer. Oh and a 70s pressed motown compilation I bought for 99p! The other side of it all is I cannot believe how expensive vinyl is now. January 324th and I am skint. 

A good vinyl hi-fi system st up, is the best sound you'll get from music. Pi.sses all over CD and other digital formats. Can cost you a lot of money (and space) though. Depends how much money you have to or want to throw at it. Facebook marketplace a good source for upgrades, and have a look in charity shops for vinyl. I also guarantee you'll see ABBA and the Carpenters and musical soundtracks that your mum and dad used to have 😁

Although I sometimes hear the argument that reel to reel is the best, but not ever having access to one, I can't comment.

 

[Thumbbass 319]

4 minutes ago, Wings of a Sparrow said:

A good vinyl hi-fi system st up, is the best sound you'll get from music. Pi.sses all over CD and other digital formats. Can cost you a lot of money (and space) though. Depends how much money you have to or want to throw at it. Facebook marketplace a good source for upgrades, and have a look in charity shops for vinyl. I also guarantee you'll see ABBA and the Carpenters and musical soundtracks that your mum and dad used to have 😁

Although I sometimes hear the argument that reel to reel is the best, but not ever having access to one, I can't comment.

 

Yes, my dad has a far better setup with some floor standing speaker cabinets and the sound is lovely (celestion cones), but the Mrs bought me a turntable with an integrated amp. I am a little of an audiophile (a sleeping side of me since having kids) and the lack of flexibility did fill me with dread, but I've embraced the gift for what it is. I have swapped the speakers over for some 90s JVC bookshelfs I'd horded which pair up nicely with the amps output and actually it's pretty good (the speakers supplied were terrible). But for me, it's just as much about giving myself some headspace and listening to stuff that the artist has written as a piece and not pick'n'mix listening.

[Nuff Said 5,165]

3 hours ago, Thumbbass said:

It's been at least 25 years since I last had an operational record player.

Back in the game due to a Christmas present from the Mrs. Yes, the sound is not the same as the range you get through a CD or a good stream, but there's something more zen about listening to an album without the temptation to skip. 

Having developed a bit of an obsession buying stuff on 12", my current squeeze is Dig Lazurus Dig by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. All killer. Oh and a 70s pressed motown compilation I bought for 99p! The other side of it all is I cannot believe how expensive vinyl is now. January 324th and I am skint. 

There’s your problem. If the month never ends, payday never comes!

[Nuff Said 5,165]

On 19/01/2024 at 11:14, Wings of a Sparrow said:

A good vinyl hi-fi system st up, is the best sound you'll get from music. Pi.sses all over CD and other digital formats. Can cost you a lot of money (and space) though. Depends how much money you have to or want to throw at it. Facebook marketplace a good source for upgrades, and have a look in charity shops for vinyl. I also guarantee you'll see ABBA and the Carpenters and musical soundtracks that your mum and dad used to have 😁

Although I sometimes hear the argument that reel to reel is the best, but not ever having access to one, I can't comment.

 

Oh no! No, no, no.

 

Vinyl is the most “coloured” music reproduction you’ll get and a lot of people like that colouration. Pretty much all audiophile kit  also introduces some colouration, the evidence being that speakers, amps etc. in professional recording studios are designed differently - to accurately reproduce what is being played. Engineers then tweak the music to better suit listeners’ preferences, for example, brighter sounding for “poppy” singles.  
 

Almost all new music is recorded digitally, so then transposing it to vinyl will inevitable lose some fidelity. Lossless streaming (which Spotify doesn’t do) or downloads are the most accurate, then CD quality.
 

Added to which as someone who still has a vinyl collection from the first time round, dust, static and scratches inevitably spoil the listening experience. It is true that you still can’t beat a 12 inch record sleeve visually though.

 

The whole audiophile area is a massive minefield though, a mixture of prejudice, science and pseudoscience (and very bloke-y). I recently finished putting together a decent hifi setup after yearning after one since my teenage years, and some of the holy wars I read while researching it were ludicrous. People arguing blind that a £10,000 cable gave better sound quality than a cheaper one when it carries a digital signal - 1s and 0s. A 1 carried down a cable either gets to its destination or it doesn’t (and if it doesn’t error correction picks that up). You can’t get a 1 that sounds better than another one. I carried out a few of the tweaks recomended once I’d built the basic system (better cables, squishy balls under speakers to isolate them and so on) but realised the main factor holding back my sound quality was the room I listen in. I’m not moving or rebuilding my house, so time to enjoy the music and stop worrying about infinitesimal potential improvements (and spending money!).

 

Edit: coincidentally, I read this earlier, it shows the ridiculous ends people go to to get the perfect sound: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/interactive/2024/ken-fritz-greatest-stereo-auction-cost/

Edited February 6 by Nuff Said

[The Raptor 1,231]

24 minutes ago, Nuff Said said:

  but realised the main factor holding back my sound quality was the room I listen in. 

This. The room is a massive factor I've found when we've tried to record stuff. It makes such a difference. 

 

[Thumbbass 319]

1 hour ago, Nuff Said said:

Oh no! No, no, no.

 

Vinyl is the most “coloured” music reproduction you’ll get and a lot of people like that colouration. Pretty much all audiophile kit  also introduces some colouration, the evidence being that speakers, amps etc. in professional recording studios are designed differently - to accurately reproduce what is being played. Engineers than tweak the music to better suit listeners’ preferences, for example brighter sounding for “poppy” singles.  
 

Almost all new music is recorded digitally, so then transposing it to vinyl will inevitable lose some fidelity. Lossless streaming (which Spotify doesn’t do) or downloads are the most accurate, then CD quality.
 

Added to which as someone who still has a vinyl collection from the first time round, dust, static and scratches inevitably spoil the listening experience. It is true that you still can’t beat a 12 inch record sleeve visually though.

 

The whole audiophile area is a massive minefield though, a mixture of prejudice, science and pseudoscience (and very bloke-y). I recently finished putting together a decent hifi setup after yearning after one since my teenage years, and some of the holy wars I read while researching it were ludicrous. People arguing blind that a £10,000 cable gave better sound quality than a cheaper one when it carries a digital signal - 1s and 0s. A 1 carried down a cable either gets to its destination or it doesn’t (and if it doesn’t error correction picks that up). You can’t get a 1 that sounds better than another one. I carried out a few of the tweaks recomended once I’d built the basic system (better cables, squishy balls under speakers to isolate them and so on) but realised the main factor holding back my sound quality was the room I listen in. I’m not moving or rebuilding my house, so time to enjoy the music and stop worrying about infinitesimal potential improvements (and spending money!).

 

Edit: coincidentally, I read this earlier, it shows the ridiculous ends people go to to get the perfect sound: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/interactive/2024/ken-fritz-greatest-stereo-auction-cost/

100% there are gains to be had through higher end equipment, but like watching a good film on a black and white television, good  writing (song or screenplay) really cuts through any equipment. That's where my head is at, I'm just buying older stuff that I know is timeless and the reproduction becomes less relevant.

There must be some kind of curve where the marginal gains per £ spent become imperceptible. Especially when you're in your 40s and been in bands for 25 years, there may be a bit of top end missing!

There was a thing on QI where, if you know how a song should sound, if the elements of that tune are missing your brain fills them in so you think you heard them anyway. 

[Nuff Said 5,165]

24 minutes ago, Thumbbass said:

There must be some kind of curve where the marginal gains per £ spent become imperceptible. Especially when you're in your 40s and been in bands for 25 years, there may be a bit of top end missing!

The sort of person who will spend thousands in the search for the perfect sound will tell themselves (and anyone who will listen) that they can hear the difference, and I’m sure it’s the case that with practice you can become more discriminating, but it is all massively subjective and you run the risk of forgetting that you’re meant to be enjoying your music, not the equipment you’re listening to it on. 

[sonyc 5,541]

A great pair of headphones makes a massive difference. For £100 you can get some Beyerdynamic Pro's. All the bass you want too.

[Nuff Said 5,165]

1 hour ago, sonyc said:

A great pair of headphones makes a massive difference. For £100 you can get some Beyerdynamic Pro's. All the bass you want too.

But do you use a dedicated headphone amp… sorry, I’m going back down the rabbit hole. 

[sonyc 5,541]

1 minute ago, Nuff Said said:

But do you use a dedicated headphone amp… sorry, I’m going back down the rabbit hole. 

Yep. A pre amp (a fairly cheap digital interface). I use for listening to all kinds of stuff plus when recording things myself.

Researched loads before buying. Lovely soft velour too so not grippy. Plus, very long lead which is ideal. WiFi ok but when you're at home you don't need them. Oh, and they're closed so no others can be disturbed.

[Yobocop 1,105]

Dull men’s club is a great Facebook page maybe the inspiration for this? 

the endless expanse of the universe and is there an end to it 

much like @cambridgeshire canary posts ; ) only joking mate 

[Nuff Said 5,165]

1 hour ago, Yobocop said:

Dull men’s club is a great Facebook page maybe the inspiration for this? 

the endless expanse of the universe and is there an end to it 

much like @cambridgeshire canary posts ; ) only joking mate 

I was going to recommend it too although many of the threads seem fascinating to me,  I must really be a dull man. However I recently found the Damp and Condensation group which is a definite step up.