Z
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Post by Z on Aug 15, 2011 2:40:54 GMT
gone?
just leaves the place feeling odd.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2011 3:41:22 GMT
gone? just leaves the place feeling odd. Who has gone ! We aren't all mindreaders .
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Z
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Post by Z on Aug 15, 2011 3:57:27 GMT
rick.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2011 5:41:17 GMT
I still sometimes 'hear' him in my made up voice for him. The humour and wit that he showed was lovely. He made me buy an M50.
Ian
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Post by PinkFloyd on Aug 15, 2011 7:11:37 GMT
I know what you mean Colt.... Rick had a HUGE personality and his style was just total class, a real work of art he was and a true, down to earth Gent.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2011 12:26:31 GMT
I assume it's incorrect but I always read his posts with broad Texan drawl. I'm sure his real accent was very different.
He also persuaded me to do the full conversion of the Sony PS1 to a very respectable CDP. A very worthwhile project and enjoyable too.
Left a huge impression and not easily forgotton. I wonder how those who knew him (family obviously a given) up close and personal think?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Aug 15, 2011 13:22:17 GMT
Rick spoke like a New Yorker and was very "large" in real life too... VERY quick witted, never at a loss for words and very LOUD Yes, he used the "asshole" word quite a lot too It was great talking with him on the phone, he always made me laugh.... "goddam man I can't understand a friggin' word you're saying" was the first sentence he ever spoke to me Quite funny as I was finding it hard deciphering him too, he spoke VERY fast and when he laughed it almost blew my eardrum.... took a couple of calls but we soon managed to understand each other
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Z
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Post by Z on Aug 15, 2011 23:11:29 GMT
yeah, i called one of you brits once and couldn't understand a damn thing.
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natospec
250+
Squeal like a hawg! Yeeehaw!
when in doubt, the simplest and dirtiest fix will do, even if it is twisted wire and tape
Posts: 384
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Post by natospec on Aug 22, 2011 6:32:59 GMT
I was after his time, so for the sake of knowing my history who was rick?
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mrarroyo
Been here a while!
Our man in Miami!
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Post by mrarroyo on Aug 22, 2011 10:37:26 GMT
The MAN!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2011 11:47:26 GMT
A real character who got stuck in. Very knowledgeable and clever guy who saw the world in colour and not black and White. Never took things for granted - he had a good pair of ears and said what he thought.
Unfortunately, he passed away last year and continued to write, right to the end.
A heart wrenching end but none of us here will forget him and his wit.
Ian
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leo
Been here a while!
Team wtf is it?
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Post by leo on Aug 22, 2011 18:25:47 GMT
Have to agree with the above posts and sorry to say IMHO things have become quite boring without the big fella, certainly not the same anymore Apart from the sense of humour the guy always had time for folks who needed advice and contributed a lot to the forum.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Aug 22, 2011 19:49:19 GMT
Thing is Leo, as I am sure you appreciate, things are only "boring" if nobody contributes stuff to the forum. Rick was a HUGE contributor and his posts were great to read but you can't expect (or ask) one man to sit at a keyboard all day entertaining people. I used to have great fun interacting with Rick on the forum, we kind of understood each other, and it was great fun with him on board. OK, you reckon the forum has become boring.... in what way? Tedious? Predictable? same old? If so, then inject some life into it Yes.... YOU! You can't expect a one man band to entertain mate. There are a few great characters on here and I wouldn't describe the joint as "boring".... it's maybe getting a bit set in it's ways but that can change.... whatever happened to our discussions about "skinning" capacitors (and all that other "out there" stuff")? Where has the rainbow foil gone? You, Rick and I were ALL of the opinion that caps / resistors had their own "house sound" yet that type of discussion has gone very quiet.... it's up to all of us to add some ingredients to the pot and not complain the food is bland now that the chef has died. I never had you down as a "watcher" Leo..... I always had you down as a doer, so come on mate, let's inject a bit of pace back in to the joint! My "style" has had to change over the years as I am "apparantly" running the joint and "apparantly" have to set a decent example I really MISS being outspoken and behaving like a total arsehole and may ban myself and re-emerge as a member (seriously!) That way I can really piss the "admin" off and nobody could complain that my behaviour was "inappropriate" etc.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Aug 22, 2011 20:52:47 GMT
Yup! and a real "man's MAN".... tough as old boots, down to earth, he called a spade a spade and only the "big dogs" got to drink with him on his porch Cool? This guy wrote the book on "cool"! Even when he was in agony in the last few days of his life he was STILL cool and his only concern was what would happen to his family when he was gone. Rick was VERY clued up with electronics but he was also extremely clued up with LIFE.... he was a Marine, in his younger days, and worked in the construction industry when he left the forces.... A hard worker and got into a few "scrapes" along the way... Lots of life experience and always had a good tale to tell. I remember the time he said he wouldn't go to a local Head Fi "meet" as he would have ended up beating the crap out of the knuckleheads (and he would have!)..... Rick was no "softy" and if he didn't like you he would say so RIGHT to your face, same in real life too.... he wasn't a smarmy little yes man he was a true INDIVIDUAL. He NEVER posted in the "Happy Birthday" threads, he felt "that" type of thing was for "knuckleheads".... he really had no time for online "bonding" and didn't give a CRAP if anyone agreed OR disagreed with him, he was "RICK" and that was good enough for him "comfortable in my own skin" as he always said Toward the end I noticed he DID have a soft side and he DID care about all of us here and I am glad that we showed him that we ALSO cared about him and told him what a special person he was. I would like to think that he got an extra few months thanks to his friends here, he was pretty much in tears when he received all the get well gifts and stuff, it helped him out a lot.... He told me that he just couldn't believe that a small forum like this could have shown that much "love" for someone they had never met..... I told him that you don't have to "meet" somebody to know them and that he was part of our daily lives.... he asked me if he would be remembered and if all his posts were appreciated.... I told him he would ALWAYS be a part of this place and would ALWAYS be alive in our thoughts. natospec..... A bit more background.... Rick was one of the founder members of Head-Fi and started the DIY section.... he was a moderator for a few years, he basically got the place off the ground and wrote most of the rules..... Long story short, when they had what they wanted they ganged up (the admin / mods) and got rid of him (a few months after life banning me) Rick came over here (there was me, Merton, Nigel, Rick and that was about it!)..... Rick and I did our best to add "content" to the forum and it may be worth your while reading a few of his very early posts to appreciate the WORK he put into this place.... you could also read a few of my early posts too, I was a lot more active back then rockgrotto.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=viewprofile&user=rickcr42 His second to last post was a "Happy Birthday" post and his reference to "outskie" meant he was going to die a few days later By the way, Rick joined in 2002 and not 2009 (as is shown in his profile) He got pissed off with a certain amp manufacturer who was camping out here and he deleted his account If you want to get an idea of Rick Nato just flip back a few pages to when he was "well" and operating on all four.... Three posts down was one of his last posts before he died and it still saddens me to see how his spelling deteriorated due to the tumours in his brain.... his liver was also cancered (as was most of his body), he was in EXTREME pain but still tried to entertain right to the end rockgrotto.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=5029&page=2#63184
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Post by PinkFloyd on Aug 22, 2011 20:56:33 GMT
This was Rick's last post here, It brought tears to my eyes and still does: "Wow Mike ! How does one respond to all that ?
Fisrt.Two way street bro,I enjoy my time here,get as much as i give,enjoy the lack of restrainsts even when I stray and I DO stray ,the freedon from oberbearing shackles a more mainstream web site would bring and yet,sometimes i wonder if I go to far and either self edit or worry for hours (sometimes days ) what to do,what is the right path.
On the one hand it can be refresshing to have a "freewheeling" so called monitor because it lets one get thew impression we are not so tight assed you can kick your feet up and yet again,not SO off the hook that I would not be taken seriously when the need arose.I beleive I have acted "one of us" mostly,we are after all a small tight knit group but yes,have had to from time to time "nudged" members when I thought it time.
As for "street cred" yes,I came here hoping i could help get this albatross of the ground and once in flight with a clear destination and even when you were in one of your now famous "Fk it.Closing up everything" moods (remember bro,love ya man so you gotta take this ) did what I could to talk you down from the ledge with the "do you REALLY want to be 5,000 strong ? " type speech where yes,it was decided we can't and hell DON'T WANT to all be headfi do we ? Let them do what they do best and us what we are good at-nothing
So yeah,love and have loved my time here otherwise (as most of us know) I would not BE hear (no gun to my head notice..........)
which brings me to "my delicate position"
well to say I was good and everthing is gool would be a lie to make others feel good so while not all gloom and doom no sugar coating here either
1-Can't walk PERIOD ! I can get from the bed to "elsewhere" via a walker which is no more than a brace so I can drag myself from "A" to "B" and no more but hell,I still get there right ?
2-I am in my bedroom,in a fkn hospital bed (yes,the one with all the buttons ) a table for food and drink,my nightstand for "whatever",and a nifty laptop stand/table,This is where I talk to you knuckleheads from and THIS is where I try mightily to do my electronic projects from but damn,to say it is tight or that building ANYTHING like this was not a real b_tch would be an understatement of historical/call guiness (book not the beer proportions
3-Today I signed the "do not resuscitate" papers and got my little arm band it being decided after a loooong discussion it would be best AND signed away my "critical care" rights and went "full" hospice there being nothing for me other than my will to live and guys,that is a LOT !
I am SICK AND FKN TIRED of these doctors and nurses waiting for my expiration date to go off and they are ! Trust me !
First,my doctor upon initial diagnosis gave me 2 months to live back in Sept-Oct
Welllllll,after the puke did everything to kill me via that life sucking chemo I am here PROOF they are not always right (@4 and counting )
Everytime I went to even SEE this guy he was always taking MY number,where I think i can be,and cutting it or taking me into the office with one of those (i don't think you are facing reality) type talks
WHAM !
Didn't happen but was when i decided I no longer liked my doctor even though everyone else had nothing but preais,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Then again today "reinforcing" they are just trying to keep me comfy 'til the end and when one,"my guy" that comes in even though there is no need and a guy I actually like asked after the discussion turned that way ( I HATE THAT) "so how long do you think you have ?" and i responded "Oh I don't know,a couple of months or so" and his immediate response of "anything is possible" it came to me that everyone is just waiting for me to DIE !
well screw them because I ain't ready dammit ! why is everyone trying to TAKE AWAY my optimism ? What is the fkn rush hmmmm ?
Besides, I still have sh*t to design and build after first designing and building a modest "eval" system even IN my limited work area and even IF my most commonly used tube these days is a frikkin" solder sucker due to diminished skills and my hearing not what it once was,
all about the MUSIC right ?
That and the journey which for ME includes deciding,building then listening to the gear which right now is "baby bites" in stature me no wanting to start anyrging TOO ambitious or expensive (just in case they are right and staying within "daytrips".........if i can get the friggin' parts that is.just this week I spent fkn $17 on a single toggle for instance (why oh why did i not add in the Superlux filter parts list if ONLY to "fluff" the bill so it wasn't all postage AND so the fkn thing would get built to my spec AND have the wife "place another order" her not realizing it is exceedingly hard to single source ANY project so the ealier in the day "2x Panel Mount TRS Cliff jacks cost less than the postage just as did the toggle/postage wellll.........................ain't happening is what so looks like the "getting ready to build the filter" may outlive ME dammit......
Anyway,Still here,still building (sorta ) and still me and for me ?
enough to get by
Thanks Mike,Thanks all
Rick out"
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natospec
250+
Squeal like a hawg! Yeeehaw!
when in doubt, the simplest and dirtiest fix will do, even if it is twisted wire and tape
Posts: 384
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Post by natospec on Aug 22, 2011 23:24:33 GMT
wow... that final horray of a post was deep. i dont think ive read anything of that caliber for a long time. really wish i could have met rick now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2011 20:26:35 GMT
Reading his last posts at the time were heart wrenching. He was trying headphones that hurt him really badly and that post that Mike put up again had me in a flood of tears when I read it at the time.
I'd never met him but I was in bits myself in the lead up to that post.
Very brave man.
Ian
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Z
Fully Modded
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Post by Z on Aug 23, 2011 21:01:36 GMT
i don't think i read that one. he was building them in the hospital?
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XTRProf
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Pssst ! Got any spare capacitors ?
Posts: 5,689
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Post by XTRProf on Aug 26, 2011 5:07:16 GMT
Sorry, I didn't see this until now. I must really add my part in the sum of the whole for him. This is at least what I should correctly do for him eventhough it had been about 1.5 years since his passing. I wouldn't say that Rick was one of my best friends but I really respected him for his views on audio. I enjoyed his audio related writing. A typical no boundary and beyond all frontiers freewheeling progressive American way at it's best. Not his cursing and swearing though , also another trade of many Americans although luckily not every Americans. Although he knew technically that that will matter, but that didn't keep him from embracing, and correctly so , mind us, the subjective approach as the last say. That's why we are, and still is, seeing more great sounding gears from the US than elsewhere in earlier years. Only recently did others embrace this seriously from other country audio makers. He correctly mixed technicalities with the final subjective mindset to try to redefine the SOTA for audio. More a Zen guy than a Tech guy, like me, like the Jap and like most at Rockgrotto. In general, I agreed with him in almost all things written about audio although at times I did find it hard to comprehend his writting. Too advance in thoughts? I only had this feeling when I talked to my former technical PhD colleagues many years back. I can sincerely say that he fought his best battle not on the battle front, as he was an ex-US army, but here with us at Rockgrotto. He kept his best trying to write to us until he succumbed in his last few weeks to cancerous weakness before his passing. Btw, before he was found with cancer, he was struggling hard to make ends meet for his family. So we could see the fighter in him no matter what the circumstances were. He was a good "family man", surprisingly to know that considering his swearing and cursing. Glad he passed away peacefully in his sleep and not in a ugly way. His loss here is audio heaven (literally ) gain, I can say. I hope he is happy there. Nope, wrong, he should definitely be happy at audio heaven being an audiophile at heart. Farewell again, my friend. Great to have known you here at Rockgrotto. An iconic figure like Steve Jobs? No, not really there yet. At Rockgrotto and the rest of the forums he previously frequented, a definite yes. Yes, yes, yes ..........
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leo
Been here a while!
Team wtf is it?
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Post by leo on Aug 26, 2011 18:41:27 GMT
Thing is Leo, as I am sure you appreciate, things are only "boring" if nobody contributes stuff to the forum. Rick was a HUGE contributor and his posts were great to read but you can't expect (or ask) one man to sit at a keyboard all day entertaining people. I used to have great fun interacting with Rick on the forum, we kind of understood each other, and it was great fun with him on board. OK, you reckon the forum has become boring.... in what way? Tedious? Predictable? same old? If so, then inject some life into it Yes.... YOU! You can't expect a one man band to entertain mate. There are a few great characters on here and I wouldn't describe the joint as "boring".... it's maybe getting a bit set in it's ways but that can change.... whatever happened to our discussions about "skinning" capacitors (and all that other "out there" stuff")? Where has the rainbow foil gone? You, Rick and I were ALL of the opinion that caps / resistors had their own "house sound" yet that type of discussion has gone very quiet.... it's up to all of us to add some ingredients to the pot and not complain the food is bland now that the chef has died. I never had you down as a "watcher" Leo..... I always had you down as a doer, so come on mate, let's inject a bit of pace back in to the joint! My "style" has had to change over the years as I am "apparantly" running the joint and "apparantly" have to set a decent example I really MISS being outspoken and behaving like a total arsehole and may ban myself and re-emerge as a member (seriously!) That way I can really piss the "admin" off and nobody could complain that my behaviour was "inappropriate" etc. I didn't mean it to sound as bad as that Not had much free time for a while to do anything worth sharing at the mo, time just seems to be flying by! I agree a little pace injecting into the place could be good though , we'll have to do something soon, even if its trying more crazy tweaks. BTW what do you mean you used to behave like an arsehole? surely not
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rowuk
Been here a while!
Pain in the ass, ex-patriot yank living in the land of sauerkraut
Posts: 1,011
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Post by rowuk on Sept 18, 2011 16:09:13 GMT
I am happy that he doesn't have to suffer anymore. I lost my mother the same (courageous) way to cancer. His accounts were deja vu.
Rick was a 100% straight shooter with ears and technical knowledge. Instead of criticizing the other half, he offered alternatives. In that respect he was neither technically or artistically blind. Definitely one of the heaviest hitters in the industry.
I miss him, but like I said, prefer the fond memories instead of a friend living in unimaginable pain.
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