Thoughts and Non Thoughts

 Using a 5-year chart, MACD and RSI. The PSE Index has been on a downward trend since its peak at 9,000;level. At the same time, it has a solid support at 6,000 and a rising trendline since the pandemic.  The two trend lines converged in June, and it seems to have made a move above the downtrend.  Will it break the downtrend and finally push through the strong resistance at 7,000 level after three attempts? If so, next resistance would be around 7,300, then 8,000. If not, it could continue ranging between 6,000 to 7,000. My bias? The rising trend line will hold. Catalysts are the impending rate cuts. Downsides are black swan events and geopolitical risks, which would reset this analysis. (Chart from Investagrams)

  Can a cartridge slow down the music? The record is still spinning at 33&1/3 rpm, right? Yet somehow the music is less frantic, compared to an AT and a Shure cart.  The timing, the tempo - it feels “right” with the Nagaoka MP-110. I don’t know how it does it. Perhaps less of the upper mid emphasis of the AT, or the upper mid bass bump of the Shure.  All I know is that I can relax to the music. If that’s what others call refinement then so be it. It just sounds smoother. Maybe the music doesn’t slow down, my brain waves do. 

Initial test for a newly bought K&F Concept Nano-C circular polarizer.  The first image has the polarizer set to minimize the reflection and glare from the flower and leaves.  The second image has the polarizer rotated 90 degrees.  The light was harsh and directional. To me, the polarizer did reduce the glare and reflections from the flower and leaves, particularly visible in the second image. The first image, however, looks a little flat to me. The polarizer works, but shooting these hibiscus flowers under better lighting conditions, i.e., even and less directional, would do wonders.  --- Handling of reflections from water or glass would be an interesting next test. --- Canon EOS M6 Canon EFM 15-45mm pancake lens K&F Concept Nano-C HMC CPL 49mm Both images shot in raw and converted via Canon DPP4.0 and slightly cropped.

These orchids were shot using the "Portrait" camera setting of an iPhone. After asking me to "move further away," the phone's AI gave quite an impressive output, blurring the background. The second image above is without the "computational photography" applied. I would say that this setting works well in creating images that focus on the main subject and blur distracting elements like the fence in the background. Here's another shot — the first image is without the computational effect and the second has it applied. It still works, though notice that the stems of the flower on the upper left of the image and below the main bunch at the center have been blurred, too — the flowers appear to be floating in the air. This setting is good if you want to focus on a single subject, but look out for unexpected blurring effects.

I got this Jico N44G stylus a few years ago but didn’t get to use them until now. It’s the bonded tip version before Jico stopped making them, costing around $35 at the time. For a conical tip, it sounds pretty detailed and well balanced across the frequency range. It has the Shure warmth and weighty yet agile bottom. I find loading at low capacitance brings out the higher frequencies to my liking. Jico now offers the “nude” version of this stylus at a much higher price ($113). A new “SD” (synthetic diamond) model is also available ($60) that claims to equal the performance of the bonded stylus (apparently discontinued due to difficulty in sourcing the bonded tips).  I am thoroughly enjoying the sweet nature of this stylus (mounted on a M55e body). I think its 6 mv output is just right for my phono stage too. Truly a gem, now out of hiding.

 January 25-28, 2024. Glorietta Mall, Makati