New Ways to Pursue an Old Love

I have always loved music. As a teen I would never have dreamed of what is available now. Used to be a visit to a record store meant 'maybe' the purchase of one album. Today I can add as many albums to my streaming account as I want and listen to them as much as I want for about the price of one album per month. And I can carry around that ever growing collection in my pocket.

It seemed so simple. Streaming from YouTube music sounded ok but I kept reading about hi-res streaming and the many advantages. 

I researched a better set of headphones. I wanted the sound that I remember from a set of Toshiba, a very wide sound stage where different instruments can be heard in the various parts of your head. Drums bass and vocals down the middle with guitar mostly on one side and keyboards on the other. Listen to Hotel California on the Eagles Hell Freezes Over album as a great example.

My research brought me to the Philips Fidelio X2HR. Very comfortable and with a very wide sound stage. I found them on Ebay and paid half of the current Amazon price.

I tried a ddHifi DAC (digital audio converter) that plugged into the usb-c port on my phone. A big sarcastic thank you to Apple for starting the trend of dropping headphone jacks. 

I thought I could hear a difference but wasn't sure. I returned the small piece of hardware. I tried another with bluetooth and it failed to provide an uninterrupted stream of music. Returned. I tried another DAC and eventually sold it. DACs serve as both the device that converts the digital signal from the music stream to an analog signal that headphones can turn into music. They can also serve as a headphone amplifier because the phone does not have enough power to provide enough volume on many headphones.

I had given up but after another month and more research I found the answer. It was not the equipment but the source. An Android phone plays everything at the same bitrate, regardless of the external dac.

I purchased a Hidizs DH80s dac/amp with its own battery during a spring sale. I tried a hi-res Qobuz account which requires another app. It worked, I could finally hear the difference but the app was not great. I tried Tidal which recently underwent a price reduction! The app is terrific. It includes artist bios and track credits listing the musicians, engineers and producers. Lyrics, daily suggestions and very up to date. You can have Spotify, it has promised hi-res but not delivered.

Next a set of Hidizs MS3 iems and I was all set for every kind of listening. I'm spending lots of time just listening to music new and old, no distractions, eyes often closed, just listening. I'm trying artists I never would have considered and enjoying more and more of them. If I find a recommendation for an album that is well recorded, I'll give it a spin stream. 

 

Flats Blow

I decided it was warm enough not to have to layer up for a longish ride this afternoon. I was wrong about that and apparently the Miyata decided it was time to go home 6.5km away from home. 

I felt the unmistakable feeling of a rim touching the road, stopped and pumped the rear pack to a rideable pressure. Turned around and headed back the way I came, for about 30 seconds. Once again felt the same bad feeling and stopped. Resigned to calling for help, I texted Sal.

The 90's Miyata Triple Cross is supposed to be heading for Calgary where she came from later this summer. She underwent a major overhaul, the most ambitious project I've ever completed. After upgrading my All-City Pony Express to a wider range Microshift drivetrain I decided to replace the 7 speed drivetrain on the Miyata with the original Sram 10 speed of the All-City. Sounds straight forward doesn't it?

Not so much. It required cold setting the steel frame, widening the space between the chain stays to allow a longer axle and wider cassette. I watched a few Youtube videos, gathered the components to make some crude home-made tools and went to work. It took some head scratching and testing to get it right. After lining up the derailleur hanger by eye she shifts very nicely. 

As for the flat, better here and now than someplace miles from rescue in Calgary.

One More Major Change

 As of April 2023 I am no longer the president of the Northwood Hockey League!

While I mostly loved what I was doing during my tenure, the hassles of trying to provide a program during Covid were the proverbial straw. Going to the Gardens or another arena most weekends from September to March was just not something my heart was into any longer. A perfect replacement was convinced and he's done a tremendous job. I have remained as the registrar and past president. My time at the arena has been greatly reduced.

I remain as the scheduler and 'computer guy' for Lakehead Minor Hockey. I even got back to some timekeeping for both leagues this past season.

A Lot Can Happen in 3.5 Years

'Time flies'. No truer words have ever been written. Unless you add 'after 65' to that often used phrase. My last post in September 2020 was all about a new bike project to stave off covid isolation and boredom. The project was completed in July of 2022 and I've taken maybe 5 rides on that bike. It's been revamped with flat bars. My days with drop bars appear to be over. Looking cool is secondary to being comfortable now.

Eyowen II

The good news. Our 5th grandchild was born since my last post, Everly Marie. We were in Calgary when she was born and got to hold her the day she arrived, something we have not been able to do since Brandyn was born in 2001.

The bad news. Dad passed in January of 2023. He fought leukaemia for months, back and forth to the hospital for treatments 4 times per week. It was a shock. It never occurred to me that he wouldn't get better and be there for us as he always had been. 

I've semi-retired from Fat Guys, putting in 15 hours a week. That was never in the plans until Dad passed. I was never replaced and only now some 11 months later my long list of tasks is almost completely passed on to other staff members. I'm slowly moving on to new special projects and am excited for the future. 15 hours a week doesn't even feel like I'm working.