Waaaaay OT - Amar Bose and Eyesight Exercises?

[Wrecked944]

Okay, I admit I am getting old and my eyesight is already starting to fail. Lying underneath my car last summer I tried to see the TDC hash mark on the flywheel and had to back off like a foot or more to get any detail. Sigh...but then I read the latest interview with Amar Bose (the founder of Bose Corp) regarding his latest insanely cool invention (i.e. some sort of super duper advanced automotive suspension system) and they casually mentioned that at over 70 years old he has "perfect eyesight" due to "exercises". Hello? Unfortunately, they didn't elaborate. Now normally, when I hear about "eye exercises" I think "scam". But Bose is a really smart guy, right? So does anyone havea clue regarding this? I figure if anyone has a clue it will be you folks.

[kach22i]

Originally posted by JanusCole
Now normally, when I hear about "eye exercises" I think "scam". But Bose is a really smart guy, right? So does anyone havea clue regarding this? I figure if anyone has a clue it will be you folks.

He exercises his eyes by counting his cash, both large and small bills.

Bose: Over-priced garbage that looks real cool.

It's like the two out of three things you can have with a car. You can not have a fast, affordable, and reliable car. Pick two as the saying goes.

[}{arlequin]

at least as far as audio... most of his inventions only *seem* like inventions yet they've been around in one form or another for a while. He ends up packaging it for the masses and it looks different from your average set-up.

[kach22i]

Bose has interesting concepts and industrial design, the genius is in the marketing. How else can you sell so much stuff without people actualy listening to it first? I mean they are sold without critical audition. I guess you can buy a TV without looking at the piucture, but I trust my own senses over that of paid advertising.

Cool stereo by B&O, expensive, looks good and SOUNDS good.

http://www.beoworld.co.uk/photopost/index.php

PS: I have tube electronics and Martin Logan electrostatic hybrid's at home. Bang & Olufsen (B&O) hanging on the wall at work. Another expensive hobby.

[}{arlequin]

looks like an audio thread is about to start up... I'm also into tubes, Kimber, B&W etc... even though it looks much better than anything else out there, even B&O isn't immune to criticisms. In some audiophile circles it's regarded on the same level as Bose. I just think it sounds a bit too clear and bright... like the electronics improve it by *adding* clarity...

edit: I'd like to try out this "Zen amp" sometime, it could be the base for a great, not too $$$ bedroom system: http://www.decware.com/zpage1.htm

[djmcmath]

Eyesight exercises -- there is, to some extent, some exercise you can do for your eyes. The lens is a piece of flexible transparent membrane that becomes more and more stiff with age, requiring more muscle force to stretch into a usable shape to focus. The muscles gradually become stiffer, generally become more tense -- relaxing those muscles to get a relaxed-shape lens gets more and more difficult as time passes. Eyes also have been known to stop working together as closely as they did when they were new -- sort of like a car going out of alignment. One eye may be marginally better than the other, so the brain gradually begins ignoring inputs from the worse eye, which reduces overall signal inputs.

There are eye exercises you can do to make your eyes work together better. Speed training, recognition training, eye coordination-type exercises, that sort of thing. Making the muscles work like new, or re-flexing the lense -- those things are less possible. Well, at least, they were less possible when I was doing eye therapy, anyway. I did some eye therapy in high school that, over a 6 month period, brought my eyes from about 20/60 to about 20/40.

I think that answers the question, anyway. Haven't seen anything on the topic in about 9 years, so it's probably dead, no?

Dan

[kach22i]

Originally posted by }{arlequin
http://www.decware.com/zpage1.htm

What is that, something like 10 watts? Bet it sounds grat with the right speaker load.

Check out the turntable stand I built recently, in-between the tube amp and the floor lamp which I designed and built 14 years ago.

If you are into vinyl and ever get a chance to buy a GRAAF (from Italy) pre-amp, jump on it - great tube phono section.

The perforated wall is sound absorbing/diffusing for the rear wave. There are M&K speakers above for movies powered by Rotel S.S..


I don't do eye exercises..................................but I do have an idea what live music should sound like.

[}{arlequin]

cool. nice system. Is the 'table stand all wood? Metal legs or just the feet? Any vibe absorbing material there (other than under the turntable itself)?

yeah, the Zen amp is a low-watt, low budget (at least when compared to Cary and Co.) SET exercise. If you read through the site, the guy seems to know his stuff. He even sells them as diy kits for $100 less. It definitely requires 92-93 dB or higher speakers to come into its own.

[imcarthur]

Originally posted by kach22i

Looks like your amp is sitting on one of our racks - 'rosewood' Atlantis Reference Rack . . .

Ian

[kach22i]

Looks like your amp is sitting on one of our racks - 'rosewood' Atlantis Reference Rack

Yes, it's served me well.................never filled it with shot and sand though. I have thought of securing a steel plate to the bottom so those legs actually work like they look like they do (but really don't). before I purchased it I called the factory (six years ago) to see if you made a lower/double wide version. They said they did not, and had no plans to. I was a little angry when a month after my phone call the double wide/lower version came out. I would not mind putting two componets on the same spike/cone supported shelf if it lowered the center of gravity/tilt/wobble factor.

I looked for a mid-height Atlantis amp stand but could not find one. What is your website again?

The turntable stand was made in a single evening from leftover copper pipes and a maple top which was also scrap from a fancy table cut to fit a flat wall. I kept that stuff in the basement for 12-14 years before I used it, I have an understanding wife.

I have a turntable design which I hope to build. I will look like a Lute or mandoline with two legs forming a tri-pod. The spindle and motor will be from "Terns" ($1,000), and I may cast a platter out of some homebrew materials.

I love doing sound experiments and have had several layers of hard/soft materials under the turntable before. I will begin sound tuning after the Nordost blue heaven speaker wires get broken in.

Note: The Nordost wires were under my oriental carpet for six years. They recently failed, just snapped because they got crinched and beat up over time. Nordost replaced the wires ($800 approx. for 5.5 meter run) under warrenty. However they now recommend both top and bottom be protected by carpet pads. I picked up some good padding from a good carpet store. Other wires run under the floor system, that is always the best way if you can keep the runs short. Pass the word on to Nordost owners, use pads T&B.

What you can't see: The lamp has a truncated pyramid base inspired by Canadian artist Wendel Castel's work of the 1980's. I made two of these lamps in a single weekend, the lamp shade came from Pier-One.

[Joeaksa]

Kach,

You are a sick, sick man! Course I can say this as I listen to the Today show on my B&O television, and when its over I turn on my B&O 9500 hooked up to the Beolab 4500 & 8000 speakers. You see, I have the sickness as well and have B&O in almost every room now.

Used to have some old Harmon Kardon tube time stuff and wish that I had not gotten rid of it but thats life.

Now onto the reason for this thread... There aint no way to get around the changes that the eye has around 42-44 years old without surgery. Lots of people are doing the new latest modification to the RK or CK or whatever it is but they do not realize that its still not 100%.

Have a very good friend who is a pilot who is now grounded, unemployed at the moment and has a very dim future (in several ways) as he just had the operation on his eyes and it did work out. He cannot see well at night and has lost his medical, so he cannot work. As this was elective, he is not covered by insurance either.

Excercises may help the eyes but as it ages it changes shape and that cannot be stopped or reversed as far as I know. Glasses are not fun but necessary. Go to a .99 cent store and they have generic reading glasses for a buck, grab a handful and put one in each car, each room and so on...

Joe A

[kach22i]

Isn't David Finch who just won the mid-Ohio GT-2 race in a 944 an optometrist? Maybe it was the guy in the new 996 GT-2 who was the optometrist. That guy twisted around and crunched his tail, I felt so sorry for him.

I watched Speed channnel this weekend in lieu of working on my own car. Just did not have the energy to tinker around with the fuel pump/fuel pump relay.

Yep there are more expensive hobbies than stereo and old Porsches....................racing Porsche's trumps all.

Note: B&O is not the last word in stereo or TV, but it looks so cool. Anyone with a sence of design is bound to love the stuff. They have to be the most copied brand, even cheap knock-offs look good in the Sharper Image catalog.

[Wrecked944]

Originally posted by }{arlequin
edit: I'd like to try out this "Zen amp" sometime, it could be the base for a great, not too $$$ bedroom system: http://www.decware.com/zpage1.htm

WOW. That is a really cool link. Thanks!! As a lover of all things tubularly amplified, I totally dig that idea. I think I may need to buy ne and find a use for it. Sweet!

[}{arlequin]

Janus,

Yeah, it's very interesting. Before he got into redesigning amps, he used to repair/build speakers. I guess he knows this stuff pretty well and is really into this.

Somewhere on his site is a section that shows a gigantic, life-size nautilus/horn that he built in his basement. Basically a large, narrowing spiral (that you can walk into!) that has a basement/room on the wide end and some kind woofer/horn on the narrow end. Apparenlty he can get some ridiculously low frequencies out of it that makes his tools and other stuff hanging one the walls fall down

He also has some cool ideas/plans/products for home theater. His sub enclosures are tempting too.

[KFC911]

Wow, nice systems guys! I'm into audio too, but have gone for convenience with an "old school '80s solid state" system with over a thousand cds (numerous multiple cd changers) available at the touch of a button...powered by 2400+ watts of Carver power (some love 'em...some hate 'em) through classic Polk Audio (back when they made good stuff) SDA 170 lb speaker towers. Everyone who's ever heard my system thinks it ROCKS...I do too ! I've also heard 18 watt tube systems that didn't suck either . Different strokes...

ps: IMO, Bose blows...marketing at it's finest...

[Joeaksa]

Keith,

Bose likes smaller speakers, but the larger ones are mucho more better. Built a set of bass reflex systems years ago (weighed 150 pounds each) and they worked like a dream, but took movers to cart around.

Just like the way B&O looks... but there are some other nice systems out there...

JoeA

[Wrecked944]

I must confess the tube amp thing is kind of funny to me. I always played through tube amps when I was a guitarist and still think they are infinitely better than solid state (for guitar). But jeez, the price!! I recall seeing catalogs with replacement parts for cheap and thinking, "Hey, I own a soldering gun. For $100 in parts I can build a $2000 amp." Which was probably true but I was always too busy giging to sit down and build my own amp. I'd rather be playing than building I guess.

BTW - to go even further off topic...has anyone read a recent interview with Amar Bose? The guy is just a tinkerer. He doesn't care about money or fame. He uses his company as a giant workshop where he tries out new ideas. His latest is a new auto suspension system using electromagnets. I've never actually heard any of his audio equipment so I can't comment on the quality or lack therof. But I really like the idea of having my own research company just for "trying stuff out" without regard to profit or cost. Cool.

[KFC911]

Actually, I used to have a Lexus SC400 which had a very nice Bose speaker system in it (...lots of little mid-ranges and tweeters place strategically througout) which sounded great for a car. My 'Bose blows' comment was directed towards the current home audio trend...unlike what I tell my girlfriend, imo, 'bigger is better' when it comes to home audio, and I'll take large speaker towers (with LOTS of power to drive them) over a bunch of tiny cubes any day. As far as guitar amps go (although I don't play), vintage tube amps are hard to beat according to my ears !

[A Quiet Boom]

My company is the exclusive supplier for the adhesive that is used on the bobbin stock for Bose voice coils. As a result the retired former owner knows Dr. Bose personally and he mentioned his shock absorber technology years ago. While I don't consider Bose equipment to be top end audiophile stuff, it is certainly top end mass produced quality. I do like their car audio, however I may be a little biased since the speakers use our product.

[kach22i]

Originally posted by A Quiet Boom
While I don't consider Bose equipment to be top end audiophile stuff, it is certainly top end mass produced quality.

I have to admit, I don't hear alot about the Bose stuff cracking up or shorting out. Which reminds me, stay away from Cambridge Soundworks.