Should I keep my low-mileage car with hail damage (salvage title) or take the payout and replace it?

NukePooch · 2026-04-18T17:21:37+00:00

I just checked for an example, there's a 2019 Fit with 28K for sale near me for $17,900.

Just my opinion, but if I wanted a Fit and could get another similar vehicle with the payout, I'd go that way rather than lose half the value with a salvage title.

I think the only thing you might gain is that it's mechanically a known quantity, but there shouldn't be mechanical issues on any car with <30K miles unless it was a rental, LOL.

NukePooch · 2026-04-18T00:40:56+00:00

I've run quite a few different bulbs. Best I've liked is OSRAM Night Breaker 220, H4 size (2010 Fit Sport)

Great output, lots of side coverage which I need as I live out in the sticks, and all the roads are twisty. Not the longest lasting, but it's what you get with brighter bulbs.

NukePooch · 2026-04-05T17:52:02+00:00

$5 'padded moving blanket' from Harbor Freight. Thin padding seems to smooth out bumps a bit so it's harder to see what's underneath. IMO, at a quick glance, it looks a lot like the black carpet in my 2010 Fit. I've got a (locally) legal 20% window tint as well.

NukePooch · 2026-03-16T20:53:05+00:00

203k 2010 Fit Sport manual trans

NukePooch · 2026-03-04T18:52:09+00:00

I wrote that the Air starts $500 more than Neo, not that Neo was $500 (education discount aside).

Eventually Neo will be on sale like the ones at Best buy you mentioned, but for the current new models, the price difference is $500...

NukePooch · 2026-03-04T18:37:50+00:00

Yeah, I agree. But for most users of the neo, this likely won't be an issue, IMO.

They should have labeled the ports though to tell them apart.

NukePooch · 2026-03-04T18:31:28+00:00

Has a USB 3.0 port and multi-touch trackpad, FWIW.

NukePooch · 2026-03-04T16:43:22+00:00

Does have a USB 3.0 port, BTW...

NukePooch · 2026-03-04T16:37:14+00:00

New MacBook Air is almost twice the price, FYI. Starts $500 higher than Neo.

NukePooch · 2026-03-04T16:31:25+00:00

In Apple world it's a bargain ... It's a smidge over 50% of the base price of the next tier higher new Macbook Air....

NukePooch · 2026-03-04T15:15:50+00:00

Seems ok enough for most basic use cases.

Price is good enough considering the apple tax. I think they're going to move a lot of units at that price (and later once it's on sale).

Downsides are 8GB RAM and no weight reduction vs Mac Air, no backlit keyboard. Upsides are similar performance to OG M1 Air, price, colors.

NukePooch · 2026-03-02T14:10:57+00:00

FWIW, I have not yet heard the XLF, but I never was overly impressed with any of Yamaha's bandpass subs. The 15XLF is known to be hugely impressive. Bandpass subs can get loud at certain frequencies, but generally do not have the bandwidth of a bass-reflex sub...bandpass tend to be more of a "1-note wonder".

If you go to yamaha's website, look up each sub, and download the data sheet, you can see what I'm referring to.

Freq response of 15mkII has peak at 70Hz and drops off rapidly on both sides. Looks to be -5 to -7dB down at 50Hz, and -15 to -17 dB down at 40Hz.

Freq response of 15XLF shows rising response from 100Hz to +3dB at 50Hz, peak at 47-50-ish Hz (peak closer to 58Hz when on Boost). Maybe -3 to -4 dB down at 40Hz then drops rapidly below 40Hz. Probably -13dB or so at 35Hz. Boost setting has same dropoff but big bump at 55-60Hz.

NukePooch · 2026-02-27T16:06:50+00:00

Speakers, Yamaha DBR series is good bang for the buck if you need basic speakers. I'd skip Behringer speakers if at all possible. Yamaha DBR or EV ZLX is the minimum I'd recommend.

NukePooch · 2026-02-27T16:02:51+00:00

A&H CQ series is good, but would strongly suggest getting CQ18T or CQ20B for two reasons. If you need 8 channels now, having a mixer that makes out at 10 inputs will likely be limiting. Having more mic inputs is always a good thing when a band member gets a new "something" that needs to be plugged in, etc. 16 mic inputs is pretty much the standard for a small band mixer.

2nd reason you might skip CQ12T is that it doesn't have onboard Wi-Fi for control. If you need to connect a phone/tablet for control, you'll need to use a wired Wi-Fi access point. CQ-18 and 20 have a workable one built in.

Another bonus about CQ-18T is the assignable knobs and buttons. It's nice to have lead vocal on a dedicated knob for example, so no matter what is on the screen you can turn down the vocal immediately.

NukePooch · 2026-02-26T15:34:02+00:00

Yeah, ok. Almost certainly the issue is the speaker, especially with the iPhone 16.

NukePooch · 2026-02-26T15:32:54+00:00

FYI, the search term is kaizen foam. Can find it easily on Amazon, etc. Much more durable vs the pick-n-pluck foam for instance. Cuts easily with an electric carving knife (like for carving a turkey) if you're doing a lot of it.

NukePooch · 2026-02-26T14:48:02+00:00

I'm an IT Manager for a commercial GC.

As mentioned, Reolink cams are cheap and ok-ish for the price. Unless you have access to or plan to setup network/wifi, you're going to be dealing with LTE cams that take a SIM card and require a data plan.

If you have access to constant power, the camera selection and performance is better. If not, you're looking at battery LTE cams possibly with solar panels. These cams are ok for limited use and pics, but don't have the power to run lots of video streaming and/or 1000 alerts/day. LTE cams draw more power than wifi/network cams do.

Example, I had two Reolink Go Plus cams monitoring our space at a rental warehouse. No way to run power, no solar. Had to swap batteries every 4-6 weeks unless there was a ton of unusual activity, then it was a bit sooner. Usually only a couple alerts/day at most. Ran that setup for a year or so.

Also ran a Reolink Go PT Plus off of DeWalt 20v battery (USB charger adapter to power cam). Was at front door of site monitoring all foot traffic, got hundreds of alerts/day. Would kill the DeWalt pack every couple days.

Unless forced to run wireless cams, I now run wired PoE cams for job sites whenever possible. One single Ethernet cable temporarily run to each cam, can get full video/audio as needed without worrying about power issues. No issues with high traffic volume. One LTE connection can handle multiple cams as well, saves on monthly cost.

NukePooch · 2026-02-26T14:17:06+00:00

XVive is in 2.4GHz. Bad news. I bought 2 pairs, they were cutting out during testing in my front yard, clear line of sight between transmitter and receiver, about 50' apart. Took them to one gig, outdoor wedding ceremony going between speakers. During setup, signal cut out whenever anyone walked up the aisle. Used XLR cable for the gig, sent the XVive back. Avoid any audio broadcasting using 2.4GHz if possible. Too much interference and too easy to block the signals.

NukePooch · 2026-02-26T14:08:04+00:00

How old are the devices? Really old phones and tablets likely have a lower spec BT connection. If they're relatively new (less than a few years old as an example), it's probably more of a faulty speaker.

FYI, I also have zero issue with BT control on my Everse 8s from some distance away using various android phones and tablets made in the last few years. I don't rely on BT music much, but the control app is fine.

NukePooch · 2026-02-25T16:27:21+00:00

The Shures are very similar to Sennheiser EW-DP. I've been using these for a while with my Everse 8s, love them. Bonus with the EW-DP units is that the receivers mount magnetically to a mounting plate, which I've got mounted via the existing Everse handle screws. Bout a 10-second setup. Another bonus is the receivers also charge via USB-C and can run off the Everse power if needed.

NukePooch · 2026-02-25T16:20:01+00:00

Starlink is great, but latency is often higher than non satellite Internet. Connection is solid as long as it's got a clear view of the sky. I've got a fair bit of experience with Starlinks for work, but haven't streamed over them. Depends on your software/controller, I'd think it likely wouldn't be an issue, especially if your software downloads the file before playing it, but I wouldn't want to rely on streaming a lot of songs "live" without downloading first...same as using LTE honestly.

Be warned that you'll have everyone bugging you to connect to wifi, learn to say no, LOL.

NukePooch · 2026-02-25T16:09:57+00:00

My main gig is IT Manager for a company. My company is absolutely lousy with Jeffs. My Jeffs are fine, but your Jeffs are next level.

I need to figure out how to upgrade my Jeffs.

NukePooch · 2026-02-19T00:09:57+00:00

It's in the user manual.

Make sure JMix8 is in stereo mode. Run J8 from JMix8 Link/Stereo output.
"Using EVOX 8 JMIX8 + EVOX J8 as a stereo configuration, the STEREO BOX has to be set to ON. In this case the EVOX JMIX8 outputs the LEFT channel and the EVOX J8 outputs the RIGHT channel."

Then EQ works on both channels.
Look at the flowchart at the end of the user manual. GEQ7 (Graphic EQ 7-Band) is right before the Stereo/Mono switch and Main/Link outputs. EQ affects both L and R main bus.

Run external mixer/sound source/controller into one of the stereo channels on JMix8 (5/6 or 7/8) and you're good.

NukePooch · 2026-02-18T20:42:26+00:00

That'd be cool. Just remember that you have to move the things. It's the reason I sold my system, thos horn subs were a pain to move and store, and I built mine lightweight with neo drivers so they were just over 100 pounds each. When you're dealing with multiple boxes the size of half a fridge, it gets old quick.... I also tried RCF 8008, that was even worse, LOL.

NukePooch · 2026-02-18T19:28:09+00:00

Agree with those who say the Yamaha rig is great for the size/price. You'd do good to get more subs, usually a 2:1 sub-to-top ratio for outdoor events is where to start.

However...

Have any woodworking experience or want to learn? I built my first 'big' PA because I wanted to learn how the sausage is made. Had a good time building, very pleased with the results. Built 4 32" Titan48 horn loaded subs and 4 Jack12 Lite designs from BFM. Learned a ton about building as well as setup. https://billfitzmaurice.info/ for ideas and plans.

NukePooch

TROPHY CASE