I know how to cure depression !

Hehe...I missed out on a nice Fisher tube amp, but was just given a Kenwood Supreme 500...now to find some Nakamichi speakers to pair up...

 

All that 70's stereo equipment was removed to the garage. I bought a Bose and love it. Small speaker that I can stream music on. Nice not to have large speakers all over the house with wires.

As for the music today, some is garbage. I think much of the rap music is harmful to the youth that is listening to it. My kids like dubstep music which I think is odd because IMO you can't sing and dance to it. We stream classic rock in the house.

 

I think younger generations always try to do something different with music, probably trying to express their individuality showing they are different from the authority figures over them. The rap era was nothing more than made to shock listeners, mainly the older generation. Rock and roll was the same and it came with long hair on boys/men which, the old generation of that time, considered to be ungroomed and/or feminine.

I don't listen to modern music, I try but always turn the channel. I normally listen to old folk music, normally lots of Russian, Irish and/or American folk (Dubliners, Wolfe Tones, Christy Moore, Deanta, 2nd South Carolina String Band...), Classical when I want something restful, beautiful and thoughtful, or a good dose of the Pogues when I am upbeat and, normally, when drinking.

Now, there is/was a band (The Pogues) that would go against the grain of any and all respectful society for the lyrics of Shane MacGowan were indeed harsh and cut to the bone, no Political Correctness there, just told the harsh reality of life as it was lived in the gutter. Rough stuff and definitely not acceptable by most but...I love it and still listen to it but they also had lots of songs concerning parts of history, again with lyrics that were ice cold but told the real story, harsh lyrics with deep meaning.

I guess what I am saying is while I see Rap and some other music as crap, I am positive others would have the same opinion of the music that I enjoy. Simple as that... I wonder if listening to the Pogues shows that I am mentally ill, unstable? Probably. LOL!

For example, here is a sample showing MacGowan at his harshest, 'Back In County Hell':
"Well oh well I'm back in the County Hell
I just flew in and my Head it feels like hell
I'm so glad to be back in County Hell
I missed the smack, I missed the crack,
I missed the killings too
I missed the London Irish girls
but especially missed you
The USA never fails to make me blue

Put me in charge I'd execute the Artistic Queers
And all the fuckin' bastards that drink trendy Irish beers
My death squads would be kids from flats
All high from sniffing glue
I'd use them to kill rich Brits
and the high city Jews"

 

IMO most depression is self centered .
One of the better ways to deal with it is, volunteering to help others with their problems .
Food pantries and homeless shelters need helping hands to get things done.
1 helping gives a sense of purpose
2 being the lives of others in trouble you see your not alone and some worse off than your self.
3 doing good in the community often can draw the positive attention of better people . a better group to hang around .

Of course if your life revolves around finding fault and being a b--ch there is on way out of that sewer pit.
Making excuses and casting blame NEVER made a better man/woman, ever .

 

I rebuilt my set about five years back. As you noted, tube response drifts due to internal changes: filaments cool, cathode material degrades and looses mass by plating the envelope, plates warp, or they just die. Electrolytic caps all degrade or short, pots get noisy or bad, on and on. It was well worth the time, and I put aside two complete sets of tubes while I could get them. Next will be the drivers in the speakers...