|
|
Post by pumacat on Mar 12, 2023 8:18:40 GMT
Hey guys, Stephen, aka Puma Cat here. Just joined as a I found this site doing a search for optical transceivers, of all things. Retired molecular biologist working in the SF Bay Area on developing molecular diagnostics and human genetics tests using PCR (of which I am also an inventor). Also worked as a Design for Six Sigma Master Black Belt teaching my fellow scientists and engineers how to be...better scientists and engineers. Long time audiophile, former classical ballet dancer and expert-class motorcycle roadracer.  Also do some part-time professional photography, including having been an accredited motorsports photojournalist for Laguna Seca and Sonoma Raceways for many years....  Also wrote for TAS for about 3 years (that's another story for another day...) Been in this wacky hobby for a long time. Recently just streamlined a fairly complex system down to a few components. Simpler is better, as Linn used to say. You'll see me hanging about and chiming in from time to time. Cheers, Stephen aka Puma Cat aka "PC". |
|
|
|
Post by petea on Mar 12, 2023 8:28:45 GMT
Welcome, Stephen. You've been busy!  |
|
|
|
Post by pumacat on Mar 12, 2023 8:36:21 GMT
Ha! Thanks! You don't know the half of it!  |
|
|
|
Post by MartinT on Mar 12, 2023 9:36:43 GMT
Hi Stephen and welcome to the other TAS! Lots of hobbies makes for interesting discussions. Some of us have been using optical links so dive in and ask questions.
|
|
|
|
Post by pumacat on Mar 12, 2023 9:42:12 GMT
Thought I'd post a pic of my system currently. My TT is not set up presently; will post a pic of that once I have the TT set up... Anyhoo....Lumin P1 "integrated" streamer/DAC/preamp; the P1 is really superb. I run LC/LC fiber optic cable in to the optical SFP cage of the Lumin P1 from a Roon Core located "remotely" in another room via LC/LC fiber using 1310 nM SFP optical transceivers and Corning 9/125 LC/LC optical fiber ( no Ethernet or USB cables...YES!). Amplification is a Constellation Inspiration integrated amplifier. 100 W/pc, fully dual-mono throughout, as the Lumin P1, BTW. Shunyata Research QR-s power cable from the Lumin P1 to a Shunyata Everest power distributor (PD), and Sigma NRv2 power cord from Inspiration integrated to the Everest PD, Shunyata Venom-X XLR interconnects from the Lumin P1 to the Inspiration integrated amp. Also shown on top of the Lumin P1 (top shelf) and Constellation integrated (bottom shelf) are the amazing Shunyata Research Altaira ground hubs. The Altaira ground hubs are a veritable breakthrough in audio quality, and I would estimate, provided a 40% increase in performance of the P1 and Constellation Inspiration integrated (which was very impressive to begin with). The Lumin P1 is also amazing, and by installing it into the system, I was able to remove... 15 pieces of gear from the main audio rack alone from my previous system configuration.  Harbeth 30.2 speakers and Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables...  |
|
|
|
Post by julesd68 on Mar 12, 2023 10:43:10 GMT
Hi PC,
Beautiful room and beautiful motorbike pix ...
I'm fascinated to read you were a ballet dancer - please tell me more! I'm a big fan & love an occasional visit to the Royal Ballet here in London. I had a few classes as a kid but didn't have my mother's natural ability who nearly turned pro back in the day.
Good to have you here.
|
|
|
|
Post by MikeMusic on Mar 12, 2023 11:35:02 GMT
Welcome to TAS Stephen
Thassalot !
Closest I get to that is implementing Deming at my little company, and hifi of course
|
|
|
|
Post by Slinger on Mar 12, 2023 15:17:21 GMT
Hi, Stephen, and welcome. The next question in this interrogation is " What types of music do you listen to? N.B. There are very few wrong answers; good luck.  |
|
|
|
Post by pumacat on Mar 12, 2023 22:37:42 GMT
Hey Jules,
I started training when I was 23; I played other sports, including tennis and basketball before starting training in ballet, but I saw Baryshnikov on the PBS series, Dance in America, and decided I wanted to start ballet. I got really lucky in one sense, in that I trained under, not one, but TWO ballet instructors that trained in the UK at RAD (Royal Academy of Dance, the Royal Ballet's official ballet academy) as professional ballet instructors, so I received REALLY good training. Starting at 23, though, is WAY too late to ever be able to make a career of it, and by that time, I was working as a professional scientist.
I trained assiduously, class 4-6X/week for 10 years. However, after a decade of that, I had pretty much beat the sh*t out of my body, including rupturing an Achilles tendon, so I finally stopped and took up motorcycle roadracing. Raced with the AFM in the SF Bay Area with an expert class license for 5 years. Lots of track days as well, before and after the time I was racing. That entire time I also working in biotech in the Bay Area as a , a molecular biologist, and was fortunate to be part of the team that invented, reduced to practice, and develop PCR into the technology it is today. Those were some heady times! LOL...
|
|
|
|
Post by pumacat on Mar 12, 2023 22:39:49 GMT
I listen to all sorts of music, ranging from 10th Century Liturgical Chant to Melody Gardot.
|
|
|
|
Post by pumacat on Mar 12, 2023 22:40:45 GMT
Welcome to TAS Stephen Thassalot ! Closest I get to that is implementing Deming at my little company, and hifi of course Deming is good, good stuff in his teachings. I still have his book, Out of the Crisis. |
|
|
|
Post by MartinT on Mar 13, 2023 6:05:12 GMT
I once saw the ballet Battleship Potemkin at the Kirov in St Petersburg.
No, no-one else has ever heard of that ballet, either.
|
|
|
|
Post by MikeMusic on Mar 13, 2023 10:33:23 GMT
Just remembered there was a guy came to our Aikido class
He was a ballet dancer and was instantly good
The sweeping moves, dynamics and general movement he took from ballet worked very well for him in Aikido
|
|
|
|
Post by julesd68 on Mar 13, 2023 12:36:48 GMT
Hey Jules, I started training when I was 23; I played other sports, including tennis and basketball before starting training in ballet, but I saw Baryshnikov on the PBS series, Dance in America, and decided I wanted to start ballet. I got really lucky in one sense, in that I trained under, not one, but TWO ballet instructors that trained in the UK at RAD (Royal Academy of Dance, the Royal Ballet's official ballet academy) as professional ballet instructors, so I received REALLY good training. Starting at 23, though, is WAY too late to ever be able to make a career of it, and by that time, I was working as a professional scientist. PC - that is such a wonderful story and I can't be any more impressed with your dedication, not only to start classical ballet at that age but also to dedicate yourself to it for so long whilst working. Excuse my ignorance but I know nothing about the SF ballet - are they a good outfit that you watch and enjoy? |
|
|
|
Post by orange55 on Mar 15, 2023 20:18:43 GMT
Welcome pumacat. Think I have seen you elsewhere looking into optical receivers.
|
|
|
|
Post by nicholas on Mar 15, 2023 23:22:03 GMT
Welcome Stephen... we have tread upon similar paths with biotech and bikes but, sadly, not ballet. Spent my last working years in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Despite impressive progress I still feel we are just scratching the surface with what can be derived from further study. Will be interesting to see what comes of AI being applied to these areas. Listening to an eclectic assortment of music on ever improving systems got me through the bumpy bits.
|
|
|
|
Post by mattspl on Mar 17, 2023 12:12:10 GMT
Welcome along Stephen
|
|
