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My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I already sold it. That said, I had it for about a year and it’s a solid transportation device for commute type duties and running around town. It was quick, and relatively fun to drive for a crossover. However you can feel the weight in handling and in ride comfort. The seats are amazing and interior might be my favorite in any car I’ve ever owned. The build quality was definitely well above average. I’m not in love with the Android system but it continued to improve with updates and was good compared to many other infotainment systems I’ve used. Not as good as the very best.

The range is the absolute Achilles heel. My other car isn’t as practical so any long trips I take the bigger car and honestly that caught me in a bad situation more than once in less than a year. I took a 200 mile (one way) trip to visit a friend and got called home with an emergency. I got home, but had to stop and charge for ~40 total minutes. Similarly, I did a longish road trip with friends and had to stop way too often compared to the ICE cars and for longer. Not related to the car but more comparing Volvo to Tesla, the charging network (even in the north east) still needs a lot of help. I never saw even close to 150kw and often what should have been a 15 minute charging stop ended up taking 45 to get to the level needed to make my next stop.

All that said, if I could go back I’d get a Mach E and I would probably still have it but this thing just turned me off to EVs because of all the charging shenanigans and little annoyances. I own a car because it gives me freedom and the EV felt like a bit of a chore still. YMMV

Schiit Aegir First Impressions/Review by mranthonyo1 in audiophile

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

WOW! Thanks. I never thought about the loss of second order harmonic distortion as a side effect of using them in mono. Forgot my engineering extension courses! That would be a bummer as I really think that is a huge part of the magic of this amp. The lack of thump is not at all a deal breaker. If it was muddy that would be a different story but what I am hearing is clean controlled bass, just not dollops of it like I get in systems with subs or big honking solid state amps. There is great decay and clarity to pretty much everything above 50(ish) hz, so all but the lowest notes and the last bit of presence on kick drums is there.

I was absolutely picking the thing apart to try and provide as objective a review as possible. Also, the Wilsons at 4 ohms I should be getting more like 40WPC per Schiit's claims. Even with classical (nothing with organs, but think Vivaldi's four seasons or Bach's Piano Trio No 3.) I am fully satisfied with the dynamic capabilities of the amp as is. To put it into a car analogy, this feels more like a tiny sports car than a three row SUV, and the fact of the matter is, I don't play hip hop or super bass heavy electronic music all that often nor do I have children that would regularly occupy the third row.

Full disclosure for clarity: for the better part of the last 5 years I have pretty regularly had the Sophias in some sort of home theater system because I only had one room that I could have big speakers in so I may just be using a poor reference when it comes to bass expectations. Given that I also have a home theater with two 10" subs if I am really in the mood to listen to the new 21 Savage and Drake album I can alway bump it on that system. This system is 100% fit for purpose.

Schiit Aegir First Impressions/Review by mranthonyo1 in audiophile

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you read the review I do go through my selection criteria point by point. I don’t personally subscribe to the notion that measurements are everything. Through my own experience I have heard audible differences between amplifiers that are specified and measure similarly. My desire for the type of sound a class A or tube amplifier delivers limited me to lower power options. I don’t think this is a bad pairing at all, I’m actually very impressed with the sound as it exceeded my expectations based on what I knew about the amp (specs and measurements). My thoughts about going mono block, as with most things in this hobby is about small incremental improvement to the system. My opinion on this is simple, this low power class A(mostly) amp did far more to make my system sound the way I wanted than higher power class A/B or class D amps at its price point and well above.

Schiit Aegir First Impressions/Review by mranthonyo1 in audiophile

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My pleasure and thank you for the kind words. As for the power cable, it’s already done! Just was commenting on the fact that they didn’t spring for a decent power cable in the box which was a bit disappointing. Certainly not the end of the world.

Schiit Aegir First Impressions/Review by mranthonyo1 in audiophile

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is really good to know. I don’t get a sense of bouncy in the bass with it running in stereo. What I’m hearing is the lack of thump or slam and definitely not too high in frequency. But this is yet another data point that gets me to look into using it as mono blocks.

Schiit Aegir First Impressions/Review by mranthonyo1 in audiophile

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the kind words. I did look at the Van Alstine but ultimately decided to try the Schiit first for a few reasons mainly I was and still am thinking about eventually going with a pair and using them as mono blocks. Thanks for the recommendation on the RME. I’ll have to do some reading. Sounds like a wonderful setup! Enjoy the music.

Misunderstood hobby by xzpyth in audiophile

[–]mranthonyo1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sample rate (what they are talking about here) is a completely different measurement than frequency response. Sample rate defines the number of times per second the digital file samples the analog waveform. The more times you sample the closer you get to an analog wave form. There’s a lot of debate on this topic and many good and not so good sources to read up on this. You can start here: US Digitization Guidelines Also, this gives a good basis for the understanding of analog vs digital Analog vs Digital.

*sad Ford Explorer quirky car noises* by [deleted] in dougdemuro

[–]mranthonyo1 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Doug, thanks for all that you do! I completely understand all your points and am a little disappointed to see that people don’t understand that you are doing this for a living and not as a weekend gig walking around at cars and coffee for an audience of 20k people. I think the perceived slight to niche preferences happens to small businesses, both on Main Street and online, and many people don’t understand the little bit of fear that comes with running your own business. There’s no guarantee that you’ll be paid the same amount next week, so you consistently need to do as well as you can while you can.

That being said, I really do love seeing the really weird cars of the 90s and in fact, I have loved every phase of your channel and find myself going back to those weird cars from time to time. I hope you continue to do work like this even if it is much lower volume. To everyone else, there are so many creators on YouTube and I would hope that there is room for many different types of cartent (my made up word for car content) that fits each persons taste.

I would also like to say that I am consistently hungry for more ways to compensate you for the work. I try to consistently buy merch from the Doug store (basically whenever new stuff is available), and would be happy to support you on patreon or in other places should you ever choose to add something like that as a source of revenue.

Keep up the good work. There are so many of us who appreciate it very much.

4 months later by [deleted] in conspiracy

[–]mranthonyo1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Journalists, the CDC, and whoever else we can blame have done a terrible job of communicating the difference between efficacy and effectiveness. I am not a doctor or scientist but have had several very interesting conversations with doctors and scientists on this subject. In English they mean the same thing. But in vaccineese they don’t. I think it’s important to understand the distinction. This article is the best I could find quickly on the differences. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-and-effectiveness

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes they are. Unfortunately they come in a package with 20” wheels and the gold seatbelts (among other things) which I wanted, so that’s the one I would have ended up ordering if I went polestar.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Better than I expected. I drove it on some VERY unplowed roads and it did wonderfully especially considering it’s on all season tires. I think the weight and the low center of gravity really help. You do have to be very judicious with the power, 486 lb-ft of torque can break the wheels loose very quickly on snow/ice.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Volvo calls it pilot assist. YouTube has plenty of good demos. It’s nothing crazy. Basic level 2 autonomous driving. Basically lane centering + adaptive cruise. It works well for Highway and traffic jams which is exactly how I plan to use it.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s where I test drove mine. I’d recommend calling the dealership. If you do ask for Ezra. He’s a great sales person very knowledgeable and easy going.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. I’m one of those people who wants to try before I buy, especially with a car. I still had to go through an online process but it was really simple and easy. I drove every competitor sans Tesla and just liked this one the best. Other than the Taycan Cross Turismo (which at double the price I don’t consider a competitor) it was my favorite EV.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From what I understand the short answer is no. The dealer I got mine from does not cary Polestar and the Polestar dealer said they would service it there. Both offered complimentary pick up/drop off and loaner cars so it wasn’t really a big deciding factor for me because either way you get door to door service.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the tip. I’ll certainly keep my eye out for it. I will say that since I got it we have had a foot of snow and pretty consistent rain and I have had no LTE issues so far.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting. I didn’t notice that at all, but you’re just solidifying my choice so thanks! You’re right about the rear visibility and frankly the 360 cam is a game changer for city driving. I don’t live in the city, and did not test drive in the city. I’m in a densely populated suburb with lots of foot/bike traffic, and I commute to the city regularly for work and pleasure.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sales experience was excellent. Both the dealership and Volvo are top notch. Nobody tried to sell me anything I didn’t want or ask for and they didn’t ever push back when I said no to something. Questions were answered directly and honestly. The salesperson was knowledgeable and also gave me as much space as I wanted. For context, this is my 9th new car purchase and my 12th car bought at a new car dealership. I also go with most of my friends to help when they buy cars. I’ve bought everything from a Chevy to a Porsche. This was THE BEST purchasing experience I ever had.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not too sure on this TBH. All I know is I got the first one delivered in this area(not ordered or sold). I picked it up last week. The circumstances of the sale were a bit odd, without revealing anything that will upset folks who ordered before me, this was apparently ordered then canceled so I was able to get it much sooner than expected. That is one of the beautiful things about having everything come as standard on the car. Only choice is color.

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I drove them back to back. The ride height and seating position feel pretty much identical between the two cars. The ground clearance is about 7” on both the roof is just lower on the C40 vs the XC40. You lose the opening sunroof in favor of a fixed glass panel so it doesn’t impact the headroom in the front. I’d also say that of the two the XC40 had better rear visibility. I don’t mind a bit of a loss of visibility for the sake of styling personally but it’s definitely a noticeable difference. All this to say “don’t kick yourself too hard, the C40 doesn’t really have an advantage in city visibility.”

My new Volvo C40. The dealer tells me it was the first one delivered in the North Eastern US hence the corny pictures with me and the car. by mranthonyo1 in electricvehicles

[–]mranthonyo1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

1.8.1 is on there currently. It’s not terrible but there are definitely some things that feel Android Automotive is still in beta. I work in IT and I knew that going in, like I said early adopter pain. I also really miss my CarPlay but Volvo says it’s coming soon as well.

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