Julian

I can mainly only front squat since low/high back squats hurt my knees.

Walking isn't a big deal we can utilize public transport when needed, a couple miles wouldn't be out of the question. $100 per day/person for food wouldn't be bad, more if it's worth it for an especially nice meal. i need to do some more solid planning, we can reserve the hostel ahead of time so as long as the reservation is kept we should be fine on NYE. I believe the hostel we were looking is at 9-11 Place du Colonel Fabien

We were looking at private room hostels which are pretty affordable at around 100 a night depending on the day, budget for food is relatively unlimited (company pays for food ) so hotel would preferably be under a thousand maybe more.

Four to five days at the most, we would probably leave sometime after Christmas and inbetwern NYE. As cliche as it sounds we want to experience Paris on NYE. We're into art, architecture, history, FOOD, and really anything else.

Off topic, I just got a job in Tunisia for 6 months so my boss offered me to fly my girlfriend out over Christmas/NYE. we were planning on going to Paris/Barcelona but we decided on Paris being the superior stop (this trip). What are some suggestions you'd make? We're not exactly on a strict budget but we would rather spend the money on seeing the sites and experience the real Paris.

five minute epoxy for spider landings and amazing goop for surrounds.

Check out the WikiLeaks AMA where they didn't want to answer anything regarding their ties to pro-russia propaganda and how it affected the US's elections. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5c8u9l/we_are_the_wikileaks_staff_despite_our_editor/d9umchd/

Its an absolutely beautiful country both the scenery and the people. Hopefully this weekend we'll be taking a trip down to Mount Kilimanjaro.

The view from Drew's and I's hotel here in Gilgil, Kenya

Nice work as always man!

I have a DCON 15 ported to around 30hz and I have to load the woofer off a wall to get a decent response and output.

I don't believe that the .gifv format works here.

It goes without saying that here on SSA we are adults and when our ideas are challenged we should look at it as an opportunity to convey our FACTS to support our claims instead of allowing it to deteriorate into an insult-fest. As we go through life we have plenty of opportunity to learn and improve ourselves. Therefore, no matter what kind of criticism is aimed at you, look at it from a third perspective and try to learn from it. We're not here to spoon feed you or tell you exactly what you want to hear, we're here to grow as a forum and better our community. Just because someone is attacking your ideals does not mean they are personally attacking YOU, You often need to step back and identify what is being said instead of applying what you think is being said. If another member has something negative or constructive to say, don't disregard their comments even if you don't have a high opinion of the person. Instead of shutting down, stay objective about what they are saying. Be prepared to ask follow-up questions during the conversation in order to prevent a bigger misunderstandings. Asking questions shows that you're willing to figure out a solution and that opens up a meaningful exchange that will lead to better understanding and even a learning opportunity yourself and for others.

sweet baby jesus

Aesthetics & Design I placed the order straight from the Sound Solutions Audio store on the 13th and it was shipped same day and I later received it in about 3 business days. Upon opening the double packaged box, I was glad to see it packaged very well with strong although soft foam on both corners and one directly in the center. In the box there was included hardware and allen keys for the terminals, also there were "Docking Pads" to reduce amplifier vibrations. The listed dimensions of the amplifier are 16.4 x 8.9 x 2.2 and weighs in around approximately 15 pounds. I was greeted with a very aesthetically pleasing and simple design. The top has machined heat sink channels running the whole width of the amp with an appropriately sized US Acoustics logo which is inset and also happens to be plastic. Near the top on the flat surface above the logo on the left the amplifier model name is etched with a gunmetal colored "Barbra Ann" and on the left "4 Channel High Power Amplifier" is also etched in the same gunmetal color. Going to the side with the Crossovers and RCA inputs there are 4 inputs and 2 additional outputs to daisy chain other amplifiers. I was pleased to see that the amplifier came with included covers for the unused inputs, a very nice touch although most; including myself, will probably loose them if all of the inputs and outputs are populated. There are also two LEDs which are green for power and red for protect. Now moving to the side with the power inputs and speaker outputs, you will notice two 4 gauge power inputs with 3 35 amp fuses between the 8 speaker outputs which are angled. Personally speaking I am not a huge fan of angled connectors, although if used correctly they can enhance the looks of your instillation. But in my experience if they are not properly tucked they can have a tendency to come out. Now flipping the amp over to reveal the rear cover which is vented with punched vents on both the left and right side. Upon flipping the cover over you will notice squishy foam to prevent any rattling between the cover and the amplifier. I was disappointed to see a "warranty void if seal is tampered with or broken", by no means is this a deal breaker but as with many other companies it is completely normal to be able to take the rear cover to get a look at the guts. Power & Capabilities The listed power specifications are as listed at 14.4v, at 4 ohms per channel it will do 100 watts, and 2 ohms it will do an impressive 175 watts per channel, and then bridged it will crank out 350 watts for two channels. The amplifier also supports 1-3 operation which allows you to bridge channels 3 & 4 for a subwoofer and use channel 1 & 2 for speakers. The amplifier crossovers include on channel 1 & 2 a selective switch for either full or High Pass operation with a range of 50 hertz to 3,000 hertz. On channel 3 & 4 there is a 3 position switch from left to right that allows you to do mono operation with Low pass and band-pass at 24db. The second click over is for low-pass and band-pass stereo at 12db. The third click over allows you to do High-pass at 12db. There are two potentiometers for high-pass from 15 hertz to 500hz and a low-pass from 50 hertz to 3,000 hertz with an included bass boost 3 click switch from 0,6, and 12. Build Quality On first look the build quality is excellent, all of the paint and finish is consistent with no noticeable color shift between the various panels. I am no electrical engineer and I do not attempt to pose as one, but from a very uneducated first glance of the internals they seem to be high quality, positioned well, and nothing outside of the ordinary. The only thing I could note is the thermal paste on the mosfets is a bid messy, but that poses no risk and is more or less an observation and not a comment on the quality of the manufacturer. Usage & Experiences I have owned the amp and have had it installed for approximately a week, the amp for a class A/B stays fairly cool in the Missouri heat (~95-100 degrees). Not once has it over heated, gone into protect, or randomly shut off. When I first received the amplifier I swapped it out for my current long running Alpine MRP f300 which has been extremely faithful for the last 8 years I have owned it. However had some noticable line noise on the horns, upon switching them out without changing anything the high pitched squeal went away regardless of the gain position on the Barbara Ann. Not noticing that you are unable to run all 4 channels full I ran into some issues, which were at fault to myself and partially the manufacturer. In a normal install for an average user you wouldn't notice, but since I am running full 2 way active setup I was accustomed to my Alpine being able to run all 4 channels full, however on the Barbara Ann you have to run the tweeters on channels 1 & 2 and the mid basses on channels 3 & 4. Both my roommate and I were scratching our heads until we finally figured it out. It seems that the crossover network for the price ($300 USD) is a bit lacking when compared to other amplifiers within its price range, although for non enthusiasts the crossovers would be more than enough. The power output of the Barbara Ann is excellent, running two way active on a pair of Eric Stevens Full bodied horns and two Silver Flute 6.5. Both the mid-basses and the horns are running at 4 ohms, which for the first time in my car audio hobby has been too much and I ended up turning them down with the seemingly unlimited power from the Barbara Ann. I do not consider myself to be an audiophile or have the ability to distinguish two amplifiers apart, subjectively the Barbara Ann sounded excellent with no noticed added distortion on my typical driving music. Everything from Bach, Riff Raff, and Rusko sounded great while being able to keep up with heavy listening for long periods of time without fatiguing. Wrap up & Conclusion Since I have received the Barbara Ann I have had ZERO buyers remorse and loved owning thus far. I would fully recommend this amplifier to anyone I know, it performs well within what I expected and even more than I thought. The clean and straight forward aesthetics would fit within any install from a clapped out honda civic to any luxury car. The build quality fits well within its price range while exceeding many in its class. My chief complaints mainly have to do with the included crossovers, at $300 it seems that the crossovers were an almost afterthought. Personally I would love to see the ability to run all of the channels full rather than each pair of channels be locked in to what the crossovers allow. Also personally I am not a huge fan of angled inputs, very rarely do I ever tuck my carpet or down into grommets. One other thing I additionally would like to see is Phillips screw heads verses the Allen key. The extra torque you are able to apply to the speaker terminals through the hex heads are not needed in my opinion. Positives Tons of power especially for the price. Great aesthetics Excellent build quality Cool running Included vibration dampening for both the feet and the rear cover Included RCA dust shields Neutral sounding Well packaged Tons of Headroom Negatives Relatively limited crossover options. Angled Inputs Hex head screws versus Screw type No High Level inputs Pictures

I'm looking at building a new enclosure for the HT DCON, I'm trying to strike a balance between music and movies (more weighted towards music). What would be a good starting point enclosure wise? I was thinking of starting around 5-6 cubes tuned to around 20hz.

All 600+ pounds of table saw will be arriving by freight sometime tomorrow, then time to get building something! Not sure what I want to build yet, but I'm thinking a new HT Dcon enclosure.

Chicago is by my favorite cities to be in, I haven't been in a few years but I've always loved it. My parents and I would always go see family during the Taste of Chicago, I have so many fond memories of Grant Park.

Got home at 6pm last night, woke up at 430 am this morning and now I'm flying out to Virginia to see my girlfriend.

My recommendation would be to go to a reputable shop and see what they can come up with.

The W7 is one of my favorite drivers that I've had the pleasure of using, great output, and very very linear sound. That being said I would NEVER NEVER pay full retail for one.

Currently on our way home on the second to last leg of our 24 hours of flight time from afghanistan. About 3:45 from making it into Atlanta then a layover then flying into KC. Normally I hate delta/Air France but for once this has been an uneventful flight.

Unfortunately very rarely do you find Icon motors floating around.

Thanks man I appreciate it!

Man I was just happy I hit 50k FF miles this year although for conUS flights it really doesn't get you far, my Girlfriend and I were looking to take a trip to Japan sometime next year using my miles and it covers WAY more than I thought it would have.