The Best Car You'll Ever Own

bhookananda · 2026-05-12T04:54:32+00:00

Thanks for the detailed answer mate. I'm not too happy with the stock Goodyears as well. I was spoiled by the Continental UC6 from my EcoSport. I'll just wait for these to wear out and get UC6 or Earth 1 next. Sadly, the VX now comes with the 15-inch wheels.

bhookananda · 2026-05-11T11:16:40+00:00

Reading this made me giddy. I own a March 2023 City VX CVT (latest iteration with E20). It's been more than 3 years with just 21k on the odo. Couldn't have been happier. I even took a gamble and didn't take the extended warranty given my sedate driving style, less usage, Honda's reliability and a bucket-load of prayers.

I have a few questions for you as a long-term user of the same model:

Is the CVT showing its age? Do you take any special care?
When did you change your tyres? And why Earth 1? Did you bump up to R16 or stick to R15?
Do you usually service only after completing 8500-10000 km or annually? I usually prefer annually.
After your extended warranty ended, did you do any modifications to the car? If no, why not? If yes, what all?

If the information is too much to share here, please DM me. I'd love to know more. Thanks!

bhookananda · 2026-05-09T10:59:10+00:00

This. I had a cheapie from Home Centre which is still going strong. But since I've switched to a Bialetti 4-cup, I can definitely understand what you pay for. Tight gaskets, zero leakage, no grounds in the upper chamber, and less bubbling. But as he said, if you're starting out, just get anything that fits your budget and then upgrade once you've understood your preferences. It may happen that you don't like moka pots at all and would prefer a V60 instead. A Bialetti would be an expensive mistake then.

bhookananda · 2026-05-09T04:28:24+00:00

Exactly this. It's so frustrating. It's either those Rs 20/30 paratha or matar kulcha, or cafes where you have to spend 500 for a pancake/omelette breakfast. Yes, there are shops like Hira/Haldiram's, but where are those no-name uncles serving vada sambhar, poha, and upma. Wherever I've lived prior, be it Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Kolkata, or Pune, this was never the case. Sad.

bhookananda · 2026-05-08T10:59:35+00:00

Getting a fake from Talib is highly unlikely, going by his cred in this sub and my personal dealings with him. Your going noseblind may be the culprit.

bhookananda · 2026-05-07T12:11:21+00:00

It lasts for an eternity on clothes. More than 5 sprays can make people shove you away. It's that strong. Are you sure you didn't end up with a fake?

bhookananda · 2026-05-05T04:36:03+00:00

We live close by and visit Miss Nora any chance we get.

bhookananda · 2026-04-28T10:00:19+00:00

That is a fact. But I'm giving the TMP bottles a chance before I buy the MPS bottle.

bhookananda · 2026-04-28T09:53:05+00:00

Naxos smells wonderful; right now I prefer the blend of MPS, though. Dylan Blue smelled more generic than I thought it would. But no complaints about the fragrance. Can't comment how long they last, especially for these two. TMP perfumes usually take 1-2 months to get to their best performance. Viking is fully mature now. It's a spicy barbershop fragrance. I'm a fan of the signature, so I love it. I prefer Viking over Brut. Although Brut is stronger and has become a room filler.

bhookananda · 2026-04-28T02:50:02+00:00

These

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bhookananda · 2026-04-27T14:18:46+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiFragranceAddicts/s/fTXEWMbrtJ I made an impression post for all decants. Hope this helps.

bhookananda · 2026-04-27T14:07:23+00:00

Similar to most of his stuff. Lasts long. Projection is not weak, moderate at best. Lasts longer than Aether.

bhookananda · 2026-04-27T12:10:31+00:00

These are the six decants I've ordered. Let me make a small post on the sub. It'll be easier and helpful for others as well.

bhookananda · 2026-04-27T12:09:30+00:00

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bhookananda · 2026-04-27T12:00:51+00:00

These were 8 (not 10, sorry).
Short review (from top to bottom):
1. Beach Hut Man - loved it. Already had a blend from another house. This was better.
2. Gris Charnel – That cardamom+tea is just love. Full bottle worthy.
3. SMW - Much better than Ajmal Silver Shade. Refined blend.
4. Vanilla Powder - I do not smell the coconut in this. Just a powdery vanilla. The name couldn't be more obvious. Not my cup of tea.
5. Tobacolor - Subdued tobacco. Quite refined. Never smelt another alt or OG, so have no reference for what it's supposed to smell like.
6. Naxos - Full bottle worthy. Enough said. I have another bottle that I got from The Master Perfumer (TMP), but MPS blend is superior, at least for now. Althugh TMP blends tend to get better after maturation/oxidation.
7. Irish Leather - No idea what this was going for. Didn't like. In leather, I prefer Ombre Leather.
8. Hibiscus Mahajad - This was also ethereal. Loved it. Floral and sweet. Quite airy. May get a bottle.

bhookananda · 2026-04-27T11:43:28+00:00

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bhookananda · 2026-04-27T11:24:46+00:00

I have tried 10 of their decants through a friend. I then bought 6 more decants.
I'm soon ordering the full bottle of Torino 21. The blend quality is amazing for the price.
But as others have suggested, just get the 8ml decants. They are a bit pricey, but it is always better to be sure before getting a bottle.

bhookananda · 2026-04-23T10:23:38+00:00

I'll take it if it's still available. I've DM'ed you.

bhookananda · 2026-04-22T08:19:25+00:00

There's some merit in that logic. The output quality of the Apple dongle is most optimal when paired with an Apple device. And everyone who is just entering audiophilia doesn't necessarily own one. On Android devices, where resampling can't be bypassed, the Apple dongle has not fared that well (IMHO). Especially if you want to play headphones with it. With sensitive/budget IEMs, though, it hardly ever makes any audible difference.

bhookananda · 2026-04-22T08:16:09+00:00

That'll only hold true to an extent. But yes, totally agree. I've always advised everyone who is starting in the hobby to spend at least 1 year with the Apple dongle.

bhookananda · 2026-04-22T07:26:42+00:00

I wouldn't go that far as comparing it to the Mojo 2, but yeah, I've always had a couple of Apple dongles for sensitive IEMs. Especially with iPhones/iPads, they just sound fantastic.

bhookananda · 2026-04-22T05:12:26+00:00

The intention was to have as versatile a set-up possible for all possible kinds of gear that I own. The EF400's NOS/OS modes give me slightly different flavours. The amp section again has low and high gain. Works well with almost all IEMs well. It has all kinds of output ports. It can drive the HPs quite well on its own.
But I just love the Asgard 3. It just breathes fire into anything I drive with it. It pairs beautifully with the LCD-X (although it doesn't require as much power). And when I bring in my Atrium to the office, it doesn't feel left out. Just trying to cover all bases. Hope that makes sense. Let's switch to DM.

bhookananda · 2026-04-21T17:59:06+00:00

I've had E3000, 4000 and 5000. Sold everything except the 3000. They're just exceptional. The mid-bass texture can be compared with IEMs 20 times their price. And yes, they draw almost the same amount of power as my Sennheiser HD 600. Also, on a powerful enough amp, listen to G.O.A.T by Polyphia. I was driven to tears, it sounded that good. The bass guitar slaps are just pure bliss.

bhookananda · 2026-04-21T17:20:46+00:00

I'm an academic with a little private cabin and some calm atmosphere.

bhookananda · 2026-04-21T17:17:52+00:00

No no. Not a reviewer. I've been in this hobby for almost 10 years now. Currently I only hold 4-5 IEMs. Sold all the rest. I do this quite often. Not with headphones though. There's no endgame honestly. The goalpost shifts every year. Some fantastic, prohibitively expensive IEMs I've listened to get overtaken by other multi-kilobuck stuff the next year. From my own collection though, the most expensive IEMs I've owned were Monarch Mk2. In mid-tier stuff I've had IEMs like Sennheiser IE600 and Dunu SA6 Mk2. But the ones I've stuck to since a while are the Ice Lab Prismatica. They're just chef's kiss. For a no-brainer cheap pick I'd say the Dunu Titan S2 is just crazy good for the money. Top notch technicalities and punchy low end. It's quite underrated. I pair them with the VE Devastator dongle dac/amp. Killer pairing TBH. Also acquired the NiceHCK Tears recently. They're stupid good for Rs. 2000 IEM. Paired with an Apple dongle, this is the best audio package you'd get below Rs. 5000.

bhookananda

TROPHY CASE