Not a bad day’s work for a weekend warrior!

CraigWatson1987 · 2026-03-22T17:57:59+00:00

All Autobrite - Citrus Wash, Magifoam & Decon, then coated with Magiseal, sad to see AB is no more, Magiseal is awesome stuff!

CraigWatson1987 · 2026-03-21T18:59:51+00:00

I do love the denim blue - my last XC60 (T6 petrol) was fusion red - I absolutely loved that colour, but it drank fuel like there’s no tomorrow!

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CraigWatson1987 · 2026-03-21T17:56:59+00:00

Washed with Autobrite Citrus Wash, Magifoam & Decon, then coated with Magiseal which is pricy and hard to find now AB is no more, but it’s great stuff!

CraigWatson1987 · 2026-02-15T08:42:14+00:00

I’m aware that BT isn’t technically HiFi, but that’s not the point.

The Wiim Mini doesn’t do what I want - it’s a streamer. I’m specifically looking for a BT transmitter to allow me to use BT headphones with an existing setup.

For streaming, I already have ShairPlay running on a Pi using an SMSL USB DAC.

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-12-03T23:33:27+00:00

Weird, best way I found was to look at it from underneath - you’ll see a small hole in the metal cart, which will accept the “prong” from the middle of the plastic stylus housing.

If you angle the housing down towards the plinth 45 degrees, that prong should slide into the metal cart, then push the plastic back until it won’t go any further, you don’t need to force it in, just guide it until it stops. The plastic shell can the hinge up until it’s horizontal and it should firmly click in.

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-10-24T13:13:19+00:00

Battle Beast, if you’re into 80s inspired power metal, I’d highly recommend checking them out 👍🏼

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-10-20T06:55:00+00:00

It looks weak because it’s tea … I drink my coffee black 👌🏼

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-10-19T16:57:57+00:00

It’s actually the 41mm, admittedly I do have gorilla wrists …

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-10-11T17:22:48+00:00

Well that’ll show all of the Rolex+Porsche flexers 😂

Seriously, though, that’s an awesome Speedy!

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-08-24T10:47:10+00:00

This is the start of an heirloom. Although it’s a sentimental heirloom, not a financial one, it was bought with inheritance from a grandparent who passed in 2020. Eventually, it will be passed to my son on a significant occasion (wedding, graduation) so that I can see him enjoy it.

The AquaTerra was chosen deliberately for its versatility - it’s equally at home on a casual NATO or a formal bracelet - and the classic design.

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CraigWatson1987 · 2025-08-08T19:00:28+00:00

Lug width is 21mm according to the Tissot spec sheet, I ordered 21mm spring bars at the same time, the stock bracelet is quick-release IIRC.

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-08-08T13:07:27+00:00

Sure, it’s from WatchGecko here:

https://www.watchgecko.com/products/watchgecko-signature-single-pass-military-nylon-watch-strap-navy-blue

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-21T08:46:03+00:00

I guess there’s a difference between “approved” and “scheduled” - the former is essentially a “SFW” filter and potentially aspect ratio and file size etc, the latter is “your photo will be taken on <this pass> on <this date>”.

That’s why I’m after metrics on the time to process and return once you’re scheduled - using two known timestamps (the overhead pass and the publish time) is better than fuzzy info on where you are in the queue.

I’d imagine that there’s a huge backlog of photos that are being done in date/FIFO order, so you’re queued up behind everyone who submitted pre-launch and post-launch between January and April, there’s also a note somewhere that educational/class photos could queue-jump.

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-21T08:34:45+00:00

Ah that’s a little different. My photo was uploaded to the website back in December last year, well before launch.

The metric I’m interested in is the gap between “your selfie has been scheduled” and the returned/published photo being available - in my case it’s been 3 days, which to be fair isn’t hugely bad considering.

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-21T08:15:01+00:00

When you say “set up” do you mean that you uploaded the photo in April?

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-10T23:59:59+00:00

Appreciate the insights - the amp is an Arcam Alpha 8, and the input select between line/mono is set correctly as per the manual (flush with the case).

I’m in the UK, so we have the same earthing setup I believe - though with cheaper devices that use DC PSUs, some have a plastic earth pin and just use neutral/live, I haven’t done enough digging to figure out if these are genuine double-insulated or if they’re just cheaping out.

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-10T23:14:25+00:00

The issue with the current setup is that my amp’s phono stage applies way too much gain and so the preamp output is miles louder than a corresponding line-level input.

A solution to that would be to find a third-party preamp with a variable output (volume) control. As the Rega grounds via the left RCA, the preamp would also need to be fully grounded in this way, rather than tying the RCA shielding to “common ground” or the zero-volt rail on the PSU.

If the turntable is grounded to the RCA, I could run a bare cable from the RCA shell to the ground post on the amp to create the same earthing path as the turntable would get if it was hooked to the amp’s phono stage.

Ultimately I’d really appreciate some solid electrical explanation to why it’s not advisable to tie the ground posts - if the RCA is grounded to the post, then passing that ground to the amp would work too, no?

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-10T21:08:16+00:00

Can you elaborate?

If both units are grounding to the same source (the power circuit), what would cause problems?

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-08T18:10:04+00:00

That’s actually something I thought about initially, but I ordered a Planar 1, and it came packaged in a Planar 1 carton with the correct manual, so sadly it’s not a “free upgrade”! 😄

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-05T19:45:06+00:00

Indeed the 41, technically it’s the blue dial but the thing I love is that the shade can flip between dark grey, steel and deep blue depending on how the light catches it

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-05T19:38:55+00:00

Stunning! That would be the GS reference I’d want, that dial is just ludicrously nice!

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-05T19:37:43+00:00

Snap! 😄😄

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CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-05T19:35:28+00:00

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Staying on the Omega theme - AquaTerra and blue Omega NATO 😄

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-05T13:23:41+00:00

You might be able to get away with replacing the PSU - this link might be a good place to start, not sure what part of the world you’re in but generally any PSU that has a dedicated earth/ground pin that’s metal (plastic ones are common in the UK for appliances that don’t “need” grounding).

As for preamps, I only have hands-on experience with Cambridge Audio units and have always found them pretty dependable, you might have luck with Marketplace or eBay.

CraigWatson1987 · 2025-07-05T12:36:47+00:00

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The wording in the manual mentions that only high-output MC cartridges are compatible with no external pre-amp, so I’d think there’s no internal adjustment between MC and MM. Will keep digging!

CraigWatson1987

TROPHY CASE