Archive through March 05, 2008
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1913 Registered: Oct-04 | Why do I get a hint of a "conspiracy" here? But I don't have time to explain. I have some re-wiring to do - the NAD is being operated on, and I shall see and hear the results sometime Wednesday. This is one of the happiest Christmas seasons I've had in a l o n g time. Very respectfully. . .LarryR |
|
Silver Member Username: SemNew York/Cal... USA Post Number: 743 Registered: Mar-04 | Hmmm, can't wait to hear about it. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1737 Registered: Nov-05 | You're keeping us in suspenders Larry. |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1914 Registered: Oct-04 | Well, so much for Christmas. Conspirators, you already know. Others may only guess as to the silver angel who sent me a Carver amp as a present. He/she may not even be on this forum for all you know. . . Anyway - it brought tears to my eyes, and I was preparing to modify the NAD so the Carver 4.0T could run the two mains speakers. Then disaster struck. Mer fell off a ladder this evening, and broke her left arm in two places. Emergency room - doctor - and to an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow (Wednesday) for some heavy-duty bone-setting procedures. Ouch. The bills are staggering - we have no insurance - so any or all stereo upgrades that I don't have here in place will remain a misty memory. I shall post whenever I can get around to hooking up the Carver, and will let all dawgs know if the Carver sounds "better" than the NAD mains amps. Jan - please don't "get into it" with me on whether the Carver is a great piece of gear. I sold at poverty level my Carver units and Kef 104/2 speakers when Mer and I "went sailing," and have been mourning the loss ever since. For me personally, there has never been better-sounding gear than the Carvers. The "new" Carver is a gift if immense emotional value to me - as the giver must already realize. So - Happy Holidays to all - and hope for better times ahead. Respectfully. . .LarryR |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1741 Registered: Nov-05 | Larry, I sent a note. Jeez mate, we are so sorry about this news. Take care of Mer and yourself. |
|
Silver Member Username: SemNew York/Cal... USA Post Number: 744 Registered: Mar-04 | Oh Larry, I am so sorry to hear about Mer's fall. I hope for a full and speedy recovery. My thoughts are with you guys. |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1915 Registered: Oct-04 | Dawgs: thanks for the good wishes. Sem - if you look out a window - far, far to the south - you will see a black cloud. I live under it. Sigh. . . Anyway - I hope to rip jumpers off the NAD tonight, and hook up the Carver 4.0t amp. My guess is that it will make the B&Ws sing. I know that even the B&W brochure says they need and want a lot of power to sound good. And when I reconfigured the NAD one time so that all the amp power was directed to the mains, the B&Ws "seemed" to have a much fuller sound. We'll see. And Jan - I hope you know I was only kidding about giving me a hard time. Right? Only kidding.. . Well, it's time to leave for the orthopedic surgeon. Double sigh. . . Respectfully. . .LarryR |
|
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11794 Registered: May-04 | . Give Mer my best wishes, Larry. And good luck with the amp. A little Pledge will make it sound better yet. |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1916 Registered: Oct-04 | Jan: Laughing out loud! Pledge! Of course it will make the Carver sound better - or at least smoother? Will pass along good wishes - with thanx. Mer doing fine, with bone all set and hidden under tons of crud on Mer's arm. Six weeks of that and I'm sure she'll be happy to be cast-less! Was going to try for a Carver preamp/tuner, but with Mer's bills - not. Sigh. Hope the NAD mod works. Respectfully. . .LarryR |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9308 Registered: Dec-04 | Good luck to you and Mer, Larry, mind she will have to have the wine poured for her. |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1917 Registered: Oct-04 | All dawgs: Mer is feeling better, but still has to have the arm re-done in a hard cast next Thursday. Pain in manageable, with pills. As to the Carver. Sigh. I FINALLY had time to dig deep into the back of the equipment cabinet. The li'l plugs that connect pre to amp are devils to pull out! Almost tore one apart, but finally got it. Carver to cabinet top - blue jeans connection plugged in - power cord plugged in - lights lit up - hopes up as well. Well - it didn't go quite as I'd planned. Seems that one channel of the Carver won't come up. Checked the cords, connections out from NAD, and now me thinks that the shipping must have done something to the input plug, which seems very loose on its mounting. Will dig in tomorrow or Monday. One of the speaker connections was badly bent, so I'm guessing that something caused the packing material to do something bad. Sigh. I'm still optimistic - but if, when I open the case, I find that there's more than just a broken connection, I'll have to ship the unit to Miami - and the guy there said he wants $85 up front just to put the amp on his bench! Ouch. I'm still trying to find somebody local who knows anything about Carvers. So far, they just say "what?" If I may - - -double sigh. Still optimistic..... Respectfully.. .LarryR |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5694 Registered: Feb-05 | Wow I didn't even see the news (not any more I guess) about Mer. So glad that all will be fine. Last I heard my brother still has and loves his Carver....awesome. |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1918 Registered: Oct-04 | Art et al: Yep, I know there are many things to be thankful for this Holiday Season - one of which is that Mer didn't break BOTH of her arms! Six more weeks in a cast, and if she doesn't drive me crazy by then, well, all will be good. (grin) The Carver - sigh - working on it today, but I doubt that I, personally, can help. We'll just see. . . Respectfully. . .larryR |
|
Silver Member Username: SemNew York/Cal... USA Post Number: 745 Registered: Mar-04 | I tried earlier to post this but it disappeared. I'll try again. I thought this was interesting, written by Steve Hoffman, a highly regarded audio engineer. http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=133328 |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1748 Registered: Nov-05 | Larry - whatcha prefer: being crazy or having a broken arm? [lol!] Glad Mer is managing the pain. It's a tough thing to have happen. Keeping fingers crossed for your Carver. Thanks for the info btw - communicate soon. Sem - interesting for sure. |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1919 Registered: Oct-04 | MR - (grin) well, we've got it both ways: Mer has a broken arm and I'm crazy! So there. . . Today was C-day. Got out my screwdrivers, hammer, chisel, crowbar and a stick of dynamite - and cracked the 4.0t's case. Hmm. . .some dust and stuff, as expected, so I vacuumed out everything, top and bottom. It was actually pretty clean. . . Then I put a strong light over the unit and went through all the parts - a little tightening here, and little pushing and pulling there - and took out what looked like a couple pieces of almost-melted black electrical tape. Don't know where they came from or where they'd been. Hmm. . . Anything that could come apart did, and got cleaned. Pretty cramped in there,and I didn't have a lot of room to play around - nor did I want to. Saw nothing "burned" or pulled apart or squished. So I cleaned what I could and put the thing back together again. took it into the living room, plugged it into the pre outs of the NAD and hooked up the B&Ws. Wowzer! It worked! Such nice, clean, clear sound! The B&Ws sounded like they went to heaven and got harp lessons. I think they like a lot of power behind them. . . Anyway - do NOT ask me what was wrong. I haven't a clue. And I don't have any parts left over, either! GRIN So thanks to the silver angel for the gift that now plays merrily merrily! Only problem is that it has to sit on top of the equipment cabinet - and Mer sorta frowns at that. We'll see. . . I suppose I'll have to bite the bullet and get a Carver preamp someday - but right now I gotta pay bigtime medical bills for Mer. So goes the, well, y'all know. . . And to all, a good night. . . Respectfully. . .LarryR |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1753 Registered: Nov-05 | Larry, that is wonderful news. You must have the magic touch. Now all you need is the Midas touch LOL! Seriously that's just great. The silver angel will be pleased for sure. |
|
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11812 Registered: May-04 | . Larry - With those short cable runs in your rack you'd probably be a good candidate for a passive "pre amp". Nothing better than nothing in the signal path. Nothing cheaper either. |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9364 Registered: Dec-04 | Larry, that's great! Just a little slippage in shipping after all. Your tinkering is still top shelf. Let's have a look a a passive setup, then? |
|
Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 905 Registered: May-06 | Nice work Larry, good epilogue to a wonderful story. I had a '64 Buick LaSabre that I had that kind of luck with when I went under the hood. Except I always had an extra part or too.  I like Jan's idea of trying the source direct to amp, if in fact the source has a volume control.  |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1920 Registered: Oct-04 | All dawgs: Thanks for the comments. I'm still pondering those liddle black "blobs" that I found inside the cage. I'm thinking that I need a Carver pre/tuner - most likely a CT-7. That's what I had before, as I recall, and it was wunnerful. I've been looking on eBay and other places, but they all seem to sell in the high 200s - about 270 average, and that's more than I can afford at the moment. Mer says it's exciting to have "at least part of a Carver" back in the house - but she has said several times that I have to remember yet another set of speakers to go with it if I want it as a separate system. Yeah, uh, that's right. . .more money. I don't have anything to run directly to the amp, so I'm outta luck there, as well. . . Maybe next month. . . Respectfully. . .LarryR |
|
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11818 Registered: May-04 | . "Thanks for the comments. I'm still pondering those liddle black "blobs" that I found inside the cage." They were the output transistors trying to get out of the amp when MW was playing Pink Floyd at 105dB. . |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1921 Registered: Oct-04 | Jan: Wow! Thanks! I wondered what doze tings waz! Do I have to put them back somewhere? Hmm. . .looks like all the plug-holes are filled. (grin) Pink Floyd at 105dB? Maybe I'm not the only dawg who's going deaf? Respectfully. . .LarryR |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5707 Registered: Feb-05 | "Pink Floyd at 105dB? Maybe I'm not the only dawg who's going deaf?" Or soon will be... |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9393 Registered: Dec-04 | "huh?" |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9412 Registered: Dec-04 | And Tina is so happy today. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2007/12/12/ike-turner-obit.html |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5738 Registered: Feb-05 | Ike was one of the great influences of modern music. Listen to any blues station or old school R&B. Read interviews from some of the most influential artists of our time and you will hear time and time again how Ike Turner influenced their music. He is one of the giants of music even if he was wasn't a perfect man...who is. |
|
Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 942 Registered: May-06 | Ike Turner is credited by some as producing the 1st Rock song in 1951. A guitar's distortion was introduced in the recording for the first time. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1779 Registered: Nov-05 | A man who brutilizes women doesn't deserve a mention in my 'music greats' book. |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5740 Registered: Feb-05 | How many music greats would that remove...or do we know. Domestic violence is more common than you think. Ike had his personal demons but that doesn't change his contribution in music. |
|
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11847 Registered: May-04 | . If you're an all star in more than one category as Ike and Barry Bonds both seem, they require an "*" by their name and possibly an additional "s" in that "*". Nothing more, nothing less. Goodbye, Ike; hope you've got a good riff to play for St. Peter. |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9418 Registered: Dec-04 | Hate the dude, dig the tunes.Whatcha gonna do? |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1780 Registered: Nov-05 | hope you've got a good riff to play for St. Peter It would have to be a DARN good one, wouldn't it? |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9456 Registered: Dec-04 | http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/12/19/science-birds-tune.html Change of pace. |
|
Gold Member Username: Rick_bOrlando, FL Post Number: 1437 Registered: Dec-03 | I just dropped in to wish all the "Dogs" Happy Holidays. I hope everyone is well. |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5791 Registered: Feb-05 | Good to hear from ya Rick...have a very Merry one, you and your family. Also to all the other Dogs...wishing all of you the best for the next year. |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9496 Registered: Dec-04 | Hey Rick, LTNS. You doing awright? Back at ya Art. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1795 Registered: Nov-05 | Ditto Art. Hey Rick! All the best doggies. Nuck, it's a few hours to Christmas here, my thoughts are with you mate at this time. Stiff upper lip and all that my friend. |
|
Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4772 Registered: Dec-03 | Merry Christmas, friends. |
|
Silver Member Username: SemNew York/Cal... USA Post Number: 752 Registered: Mar-04 | I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday season. |
|
Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 964 Registered: May-06 | Happy Holidays friends and acquaintances all. As I am a frequent shopper at a national coffee chain's local establishment I have been able to garner a number of their promotional free iTunes song downloads from a wide variety of artists. Each card has it's own code to get your free song. Whoever is interested, you have until 12/31/07 to download your song, please send me a PM as to what artist song combinations you want and I will try to get some song download codes out to you! Instructions; 1, If you do do not have iTunes on your PC you have to download it free first. 2. Open iTunes and click on iTunes Store. 3. Click Redeem. 4. Enter the code I send you. Your download will start immediately. Artist / Title Federico Aubele / Maria Jose Band of Horses / No One's Gonna Love You Sara Bareilles / Love Song Bitter:Sweet / Heaven (Nicola Conte Remix) Brandi Carlile / Turpentine Ceu / Roda (Bombay Dub Orchestra Grateful Dub Radio Mix) A Fine Frenzy / You Picked Me Gloria Estefan / 90 Millas Galactic / I Got It (What You Need) Greyboy w. Sharon Jones / Got To Be A Love Bebel Gilberto / Um Segundo Herbie Hancock / Maiden Voyage [I only have one of these] Sonya Kitchell / I'm In Love With You John Legend / Show Me [I only have two of these] Annie Lennox / Dark Road Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds / Grace Is Gone John Mayer / Dreaming With An Broken Heart Paul McCartney / Only Mama Knows Hilary McRae / Consider Me Gone Rogue Wave / Lake Michigan Alice Russell / Hurry On Now (Featuring TM Juke) Sia / Day Too Soon Alice Smith / New Religion [I only have one of these] Suzanne Vega / Frank & Ava Cheers all!!! |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9503 Registered: Dec-04 | RIP the legendary Oscar Peterson. |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5798 Registered: Feb-05 | Oscar was one of the very greatest. We lost a fabulous musician and a nice man. I saw him a couple of years ago in Seattle...glad I did. |
|
Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4773 Registered: Dec-03 | M.R. is in 2008 already. 5 hours of 2007 left at 0 degrees East/West. Somehow the world keeps turning! Peace, understanding, and best wishes for the New Year to us all, including old friends made here. |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9526 Registered: Dec-04 | May it be a damn site better than the last. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1799 Registered: Nov-05 | Does that mean I'm younger than the rest of you guys, John? Best wishes to you and yours and all friends here. Nuck - it would have to be! |
|
Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 985 Registered: May-06 | Back at you John! 8 hours 8 minutes 8 seconds to '08 in Texas Nuck, you did gain a whole lot of understanding this year... M.R. sorry to say mate, but I believe that makes you older. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1801 Registered: Nov-05 | Mike - okay, you caught that one!  |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9529 Registered: Dec-04 | Mike, if I understand any better, I wanna check out. HNY boys! |
|
Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 987 Registered: May-06 | No checking out with only 471 posts to Platinum! |
|
Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2007 Registered: Feb-04 |  |
|
Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4774 Registered: Dec-03 | Wow, John S. 2 minutes after midnight and post no. 2007! Plus fireworks! Cheers everyone. We must all be the right age again by now. |
|
Silver Member Username: SimplymcintoshPost Number: 368 Registered: Jan-05 | Hey Dawgs! If JohnS doesn't mind my borrowing his graphic, I'd like to say:  Reading through some of the posts to catch up, it appears ole LarryR doesn't fill me in with all the details of his life in his email posts to me. Carver amp? Lar, did you think I wouldn't find out about your NAD betrayal? Just kidding. I hope you enjoy the Carver and can eventually get the equipment you need for a separate music system. Once you get your Carver pre-amp, go to Fry's and pick up a set of Polk RM6750 surround speakers and subwoofer (for an insane price of $149 plus shipping) to use in the HT and move the BW's to the Carver system. You're all set. I'm using these Polks in my HT system and they sound pretty darn good. In fact, they are actually paired with my Mac right now in the music system. With young children attending my Christmas gathering the other week, I didn't want to expose the JM Reynauds to them so I set up the Polks to play the Christmas music for the party. Man, I love Christmas music. This year, I picked up Johnny Mathis "Merry Christmas" as well as a cool remix of Mahalia Jackson's "Silent Night" and The Ventures doing a surf guitar version of "Feliz Navidad". Love it! In the long stretch of time since I last posted, I've made very few changes to my system. Still am using my beloved MA6200 as the amp, the wonderful JM Reynaud Twin MKIII speakers, the Squeezebox 3 as the source and the Mac Mini as the music server feeding Apple lossless files to the SB3. I did upgrade the power supply (woo! woo!) on the SB3 to an "audiophile" version modified by Bolder Cable. I am considering new speaker and IC cables, as well. In fact, I believe I was thinking about this on my long ago post but never pulled the trigger on it. For the most part, I'm very satisfied with the system I have although I am considering refinishing the Reynauds. They have a light Cherry finish that really doesn't blend with my decor so I'm thinking of trying to refinish them with an espresso/walnut finish. Don't you guys miss this kind of insight on this forum?  I noticed the discussion above about SACD and Jan's Denon 2900. I still have my Denon 2200 but it is in the HT system paired with a Harmon Kardon receiver and the Polks. It's role is now strictly as a DVD player as I never listen to SACD's, anymore. I also solved a noise problem I had with my system. Actually, it isn't fixed but I found the source of the problem and found a workaround. For a long time, I could hear a hissing sound out of the right channel if the music was not playing. I thought it might be coming from the SB3 but, when it continued after disconnecting the SB3, I realized it might be the MA6200.  At this point, I began planning a trip to the shop for ole Mac. But, one day, I was fiddling with the controls and found that the source of the hissing was coming from the Loudness control. At that time, the Loudness was set in the middle of the dial. I found that if I turn it completely down OR completely up, the hiss goes away. It only occurs if the dial is somewhere between those two points. For now, I can live with the workaround. The past few days, I have had a little bit of an itch to try out some different equipment. Fortunately (?) I received my American Express bill with the charges for recent remodeling projects so that itch ain't getting scratched for awhile. At least not until February when the balance is at 0 again.  I thought about you guys a week ago but didn't bother to drop in. Now, I have a technical question and hope to mooch a response. Hopefully, you'll forgive me for this. If someone needs to have equipment that can reproduce sounds in the 5hz range, are speakers/headphones the only real concern or does source equipment play a role, too? Well, that's all for now (as y'all are thinking "Finally"!). Its great to get caught up with you again. Don't know how long I'll be around as I'm pretty happy with my system and don't have any great insights to offer (unless you would like some decorating advice). Take care! Cheers! SM |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9533 Registered: Dec-04 | SM, about time you dropped by, you have been missed. Not knowing what you want to do in the 5hz range,you source must be fully opened in the files for all of it, FLAC files usually do this. Not sure what is available for content at the hz. Headphones and regular speakers don't do anything at 5, the sub made from a fan in the attic will do this. where's the stinking link? Oh yeah, on the old puter in my old place. Dagnabbit. |
|
Silver Member Username: SimplymcintoshPost Number: 369 Registered: Jan-05 | Hey Nuck! Thanks for the response. Here's a little more info. The purpose is to play binaural beats from brain entrainment programs. Woo Woo!  I can see the Old Dawgs rolling their eyes now. Yes, it is true, I am off the deep end. Lar, knows more about this but is not granted permission to divulge details! Actually, he knows part of the story - the brain entrainment thing is new to him, too. Ahem. Anyway. Some of these programs have beats that go down to 5 hz which is beyond human hearing but apparently the brain is still affected by them. Don't ask me how this works - I don't know. There's a possibility it might be Mind Pledge, too. lol. One of the programs said the files can be ripped to lossless format and still be effective. So, the files I'm working with are ripped using Windows and Apple Lossless. My source equipment can be either an iPod (20hz-20,000hz), a Zune 2 or a MacBook. Not sure of the specs on the Zune or the MacBook. These programs must be listened to using headphones so I'm using Sony MDR-V6 whose specs show 5hz-30,000hz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_MDR-V6 So, for instance, do the specs on the iPod which show as 20-20,000hz, limit the effectiveness of the programs? If this is the case, then I may have to use a CD source - and, I haven't even checked the specs of that yet as I had hoped to have the convenience of computer-based playback. Or is the source generally irrelevant and the capabilities of the headphones are most important (this is what the maker of one of the programs says but another program's maker appears to contradict this.) I figured there is expertise on this board to help me understand this better. Well, I'm off for the moment to buy a food processor! I look forward to your input. Thanks! |
|
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11935 Registered: May-04 | . HNY, SM. From your questions I suspect Mr. Dual still has you flomixed. If you had him up and running you would see visual confirmation of the importance of the source and the value of the speaker. With a slightly warped disc on a turntable you'll see the woofers pumping way in an attempt to respond to the 2-5Hz warp frequency (sans subsonic filter, that is). If the arm/cartridge match is poor or the table's suspension not well thought out, then you'll watch as the drivers wobble back and forth at about 8-12Hz. All of this is beneath the speaker's system resonance (and the limits of your hearing mechanism which gradually crosses over to a physical response) of any reasonably sized loudspeaker system and the output volume is quite low compared to a referenced 1kHz level. Depending on the enclosure type, speaker systems (approximately) roll off at either a 12 or 24dB rate (per octave) below system resonance. Given a subwoofer with a realistic 20Hz system resonance- and the room that will allow such response (meaning not many of either in a domestic situation) - the 5Hz response from a vented speaker system will be approximately -36dB below that 20Hz baseline response level which will already (typically) be down several (>10?)dB from the 100Hz mark. So, a signal 40-50dB beneath midbass levels is what you're looking at in most cases through the most optimistic on paper viewpoint. But, if the driver is presented with the signal, it has no choice but to respond even if you can't hear or feel it's pressure wave. Your headphones specs are unfortunately, but typically, worthless. There is no sense of how far down in level the headphone system is at 5 or 10Hz. If that is meant to represent "flat power response" down to 5Hz, that is astounding even for high priced headphones. I hope from your research into this "brain entertainment" you have some concept what a constant five Hz pressure wave and subsequent compression would do to your ear drums and hearing mechanisms at any reasonable level. I suppose this is why you are intrigued by the possibility. (Might I suggest, good homegrown is the better alternative though not quite so techie/nerdie nor hardware extensive.) If responding to the signal is all it requires to make claims of broadband frequency response, your speakers could claim 3Hz bottom end response since they move in relation to warp frequencies. As you can see from the above example, -36db does not sound like promising "response" to most people. An average of -3/6dB is what most speaker manufacturers would claim and that is quite optimistic given the room conditions most speakers must contend with. But, like your speakers and that warp frequency, the headphone drivers will very likely respond to a signal if it is presented to the voice coil inputs. What you hear (or, in this case, respond to) is another matter all together. As to your source, the same applies as with the headphones. Without any reference to actual frequency response, the numbers provided on a spec sheet are worthless for your purposes. Most digital equipment is capable of response in the digital domain down to DC (0Hz). When it crosses to the analog stages of the equipment extended low frequency response is not terribly difficult in low level (source/pre amp) signal stages and you could easily expect the signal to survive into the single digit regions in any reasonably well designed and executed piece of gear. Whether a particular manufacturer sees any advantage in allowing such extended response is debatable but certainly not out of the question. (Response down to approximately four Hz is certainly advantageous in many ways but more difficult for the power supply to maintain and therefore more costly to the manufacturer in a situation where most people won't notice the difference between a four Hz and a twenty Hz cut off.) Long story short, you'll have to ask the manufacturer for their actual frequency response (and level) at system output. In digital gear, it's quite possible to achieve single (1Hz) digit response but it is not always done since there is little value to the manufacturer in doing so. As to the rest of the system, the laws of physics demand this be quite difficult to realize and therefore not the sort of thing which errant teenagers can unleash on a nerdy classmate's home in hopes of bringing the structure crashing down around the unsuspecting family. A true response down to or below 20Hz is quite impessive and demands substantial amounts of power and quite a bit of driver surface area along with a physical space which can support this sort of bowel moving, whale killing pressure wave. (I suspect this is where Andre will come in to tell you just how to achieve 5Hz response at 125dB SPL.) I'm not sure what your experiments entail but I would say playing with such low frequency response is the audio equivalent of unleashing the undesirable elements of a ouija board. As they say in the disclaimer, "Closed course. Professional drivers. Do not attempt at home." . |
|
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11936 Registered: May-04 | . However, it is amazing what you can find on Wikipedia. |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1922 Registered: Oct-04 | Hmmm, comes the new year and I find out new things about my good friend SM - I've tried to train my brain for decades, and look where it got me? Can't remember... As to all the Hz talk - atomic submarines communicate through-earth at 8 Hz - so if SM is playing around down there - well, you never know what she might find out! GRIN Anyway - a tentative Happy New Year to all dawgs, with hopes that we might finally get out of Vietnam II. or whatever you choose to call the insanity. Respectfully. . .LarryR |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9534 Registered: Dec-04 | I am backing the homegrown suggestion back there. |
|
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11947 Registered: May-04 | . "I am backing the homegrown suggestion back there." That ain't exactly a foolproof plan either. |
|
Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2014 Registered: Feb-04 | My apologies if you guys have already seen this: The World's Number One Audiophile? |
|
Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4776 Registered: Dec-03 | Thank you, John S! I always thought an "entry-level" system meant something about price, not which floor it was on. Phew. |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5847 Registered: Feb-05 | I have seen that one...oh my! Money to burn apparently. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1803 Registered: Nov-05 | I always thought an "entry-level" system meant something about price, not which floor it was on. . . . or how many floors it was on. Yes, thanks John S, and nice remark John A. |
|
Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2017 Registered: Feb-04 | I always thought an "entry-level" system meant something about price, not which floor it was on. "The elevator doors opened and the first thing I saw were two massive AC power stabilizers--all to power his hi-fi gear.....And these were the stabilizers for just the second floor; each floor had an identical pair." To this guy, "entry level" means two large (humming?) boxes juicing the goodies on that floor. I would almost make the trip just to hear those big MartinLogans.... "All the turntables in Mr. Li's house were spinning and ready for action." It probably takes 10 minutes for those huge platters to get up to speed. As Mr. Li always says, "Time is money." And if anybody thinks he's gone to wretched excess, just look at guys like Jay Leno and his warehouse full of vintage cars. |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5852 Registered: Feb-05 | "And if anybody thinks he's gone to wretched excess, just look at guys like Jay Leno and his warehouse full of vintage cars." What's to say that they both haven't gone to wretched excess...however it's their money to spend as they wish, not to mention that's all relative. My coworkers think that I've gone to "wretched excess". |
|
Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4777 Registered: Dec-03 | I agree, Art. It's a free world. Another moral of the story of Mr Li may be this. However much time and effort and money you spend, there'll always be someone, somewhere, who's got more. But I hope the gentleman does not lie awake at night worrying about whether he's using the right cables, for example. And he does go for "classic" and "vintage" gear, so I guess he does not get upgrade-itis so often. Hats off to a perfectionist. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1806 Registered: Nov-05 | however it's their money to spend as they wish, not to mention that's all relative Speaking of which . . . Mrs R has finally had her revenge on my audio spending. As a lover of movies she decided(especially with the xmas season sales) she'd fancy a larger screen tv. After being told by one big box store salesperson that the one we were particularly interested in was not real full HD that it was 1920x 1080i, another salesperson at another big box store guaranteed us that the set in question was, in fact, full HD 1080p. So after he offered an amazing deal, we made the purchase and took the 50inch display home ourselves and installed it. That was my first mistake - Mrs R put her hip out and re-ignited her bad shoulder - my bad indeed. Next, after seeking reviews on Google, I discovered an article claiming Hitachi had been a little deceptive with their marketing of their new range of HD displays as they were only 1080i resolution and not really full HD. Okay, I'm getting to the thread direction soon - anyway, I phoned Hitachi Aus and was told that the sets were only 1080i (a recent admission after many claims against the company I believe). I copied the internet article and took it to the salesperson and told him the news. Not only did he sincerely apologise, he brought out the manager who gave us an even more incredible deal on a full HD Samsung (which retailed for a grand more). Then, we discovered Samsung had a xmas bonus deal going - a free high def 26inch LCD which we applied for on-line. The whole deal, including an extra 4 yr warranty cost us not a cent more than the original purchase. Not only that, but they delivered the new display and picked up the first one after we had the use of it for a week until the Samsung arrived from the distributors. Who said you don't get service from a big box store? They bent over backwards to ensure our complete satisfaction. Wierd huh? So, (getting close to topic now) next we decided to get a Bluray player - especially now that Warner has made their decision to go with the format also. We got a wonderful deal from our big box store salesperson on a Panasonic (partly because it decodes DD true HD and DTS HD and does DVD-Audio through it's analogue outputs) and partly because of its good reviews. We've had the Denon 2900, the Denon 3910 and the NAD M55 and we were blown away not only by the outstanding BluRay HD picture quality, the Panasonic absolutely outshined all those other universal players with its DVD-audio playback. The sound is exceptional and the only thing I can think of that explains it is that the player has 192/24 DACs for each channel (I can't find what sort). With the scarcity of SACD's in my favourite music genres, and because of the excellence of the Naim/MF marriage for cd's, I am selling the M55. BluRay music DVDs with hi-res sound are now also appearing making this particular player quite a decent universal one, even without SACD playbck. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1807 Registered: Nov-05 | Oh, and I haven't tried CDs on the Panasonic. Imagine my dismay if it proved better than the Naim? |
|
Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2033 Registered: Feb-04 | Oh, and I haven't tried CDs on the Panasonic. Is playing a CD with a blue laser (vs. red) akin to playing an LP with an elliptical (vs. spherical) stylus? |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5917 Registered: Feb-05 | Very interesting MR and congrats on the acquisition of a whole bunch of fun new stuff. |
|
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 12023 Registered: May-04 | . Big changes in Aussie land. Is there a web page to list the music only Blu-ray DVD's? |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1808 Registered: Nov-05 | John S - sorry, with my limited experience with t/t's I can't answer that one. Art, thanks. These acquisitions have added a whole new dimension to watching movies. Brilliant is the word that sums it up. The Panasonic's rather non-audiophile finish really belies its attributes. I believe it is the only player at present to offer 7.1 analogue outputs to cater for the Hi-res 7.1 channels (you'd think that would be mandatory for all players). Behind its understated reflective front hinged panel designed for contemporary appeal, lies quite a plain looking DVD player with limited info on its display and no open/close on the remote. And also it lacks 24fps playback which some reviewers consider a big no-no, though the tiny amount of panning judder I've seen so far hasn't been a bother. But, picture and sound (even 5.1 lpcm) are simply outstanding. And it upsamples ordinary DVD's wonderfully, though we have only watched a couple so far. http://panasonic.com.au/products/details.cfm?objectID=3930 Jan, I haven't seen such a site - but looking on CD universe, there's about a dozen music Bluray movies in a list of 250. That doesn't mean there's no more - the site only lists 250 of any genre. There's usaually more titles available when a search is conducted. Even so, with only a small amount of releases in general, I believe musical BR dvd's will flourish under this format. I almost bought one of Tony Bennet (with guests) but Mrs R wanted a movie (for show and tell) and the pockets are almost empty (grin). |
|
Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4782 Registered: Dec-03 | That's a fine and interesting story, M.R! Congratulations to you and Mrs Rantz. It is ALL on-topic. "Old dog learns new trick down under"....! JOHN S -- Does a blue-ray player use the same blue laser for reading CD...? |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1810 Registered: Nov-05 | Thanks John A - so much information, it's hard to recall it all when looking at these products. According to the specs, if I read them right, I believe the same laser is used but at different levels for Blu-ray, DVD and CD. Bought a Chris Botti B-ray DVD - about to try it shortly. 5.1pcm 96/24 or DD 5.1 (or 2 ch on both). |
|
Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4785 Registered: Dec-03 | More, please, when you have time, M.R! Best wishes. |
|
Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2038 Registered: Feb-04 | JOHN S -- Does a blue-ray player use the same blue laser for reading CD...? This old dog tries to learn something everyday, and this is what I've found: My Toshiba HD DVD player manual (yeah I know, my dislike for Sony is exceeded by my penchant for underdogs) states LASER Semiconductor laser Wavelength: 405nm/650nm/780nm It is my understanding that if you change a laser's wavelength, you by definition change its color. 780nm (nanometer, or one billionth of a meter) is the Red Book wavelength for CDs, and is classed as red (actually it is infrared). 650nm is the standard for DVD and this is red. 405 is the standard for HD discs of both formats, and this wavelength falls in the blue range. So the semiconductor laser in these new players has to change its wavelength not just from 650nm to 780nm --- as regular DVD players have done for some time --- but all the way down to 405nm. This also necessitates a lens aperture change. http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t171/JohnS45/blu-ray-6.gif |
|
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5934 Registered: Feb-05 | Good stuff John S...thanks. |
|
Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1023 Registered: May-06 | Thanks John S. Looks like it is akin to VTA in a sense. Each format DVD and HD have the reflective surface increasingly closure to the laser. Out of complete ignorance I wonder if by decreasing the distance from the "read" material back to the "scanner" it allows for one, quicker data retrieval therefore allowing a higher bit rate capture, and two, minimizing potential for "distortion". Please remember that my postulations are borne of complete ignorance and I am simply associating some analog logic to this digital process. I will have to make the time to study up on this as it is intriguing to me. |
|
Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4786 Registered: Dec-03 | Thank you, John! It must be one tunable laser, then, to read all three disc formats. Clever stuff. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1813 Registered: Nov-05 | I'm still very impressed with the Panasonic for not only the Hi-res sound (and picture quality) associated with Blu-ray movies and the one live musical disc we own, but also with DVD-A playback. By rights, it shouldn't be as good as both the Denon 2900 & 3910 and NAD M55 universal for this format, but it is, and I imho, a little better. Upscaling of standard DVD's is also very impressive - especially the well produced titles. However, our Naim CD51 has been certainly been reassured of its place on our rack. I played a CD while Mrs R was in the kitchen and she immediately commented on the poorer SQ. It's really not that bad for a multi disc player for the money, it just isn't in the same league as a quality stand-alone cdp. That's to be expected of course. Phew! |
|
Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2047 Registered: Feb-04 | I find it curious that a BD player (essentially Sony's format) supports DVD-A, which was a competitor to Sony's SACD in another format war (skirmish?) that seems almost like ancient history. And wasn't DVD-A the loser? And if you're going to support DVD-A, why not do SACD too? |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1815 Registered: Nov-05 | I agree John, but the only BD player that has SACD I know of is the superceded PS3. The new one doesn't. Also, DVD-A is more closely aligned with DVD and doesn't need extra DSD filters etc. A totally universal BD player would be great, but I settled on the Panasonic because it has all the inboard decoders and DVD-A. I think both SACD and DVD-A will be the losers (although both still have a few new titles appearing occasionally) with the advent of Blu-ray. The hi-res codecs from Dolby and DTS and even 5.1 PCM sound terrific and I would be very surprised if music promoters don't untilise these choices of hi-res music formats. But maybe DVD-A could make a real comeback maybe with movie video content now that there's the storage capacity on these discs. |
|
Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1041 Registered: May-06 | M.R. Where did you No. 1: Find a wife with an ear, and No. 2: An audio opinion. That in itself trumps every married man's kit my friend. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1817 Registered: Nov-05 | Mike, I'm really fortunate, she actually came with two ears and - I don't have to accept her opinion. But, I do listen if I know what's good for me. LOL! |
|
Silver Member Username: SemNew York/Cal... USA Post Number: 756 Registered: Mar-04 | MR, good one. And lots of interesting information to ponder. Makes me wonder that since DVD-A and SACD were never really advertised with the full backing some of us felt it deserved, perhaps it was the industry's way of chumming for interest until Blu-ray and HD-DVD came along. |
|
Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2059 Registered: Feb-04 | Sombody started a thread on another forum titled "Will Blu-ray Disc save hi-res audio?" Seems to me BD has got to save itself first. Until the general public sees real value in its video performance, BD will be a niche format like DVD-A and SACD. And it had better happen soon: During CES week, the HD DVD v. BluRay war was called in favor of BluRay. This may be premature or it may be right on the money -- in truth, it would be great to have a single optical solution for HD storage. But, while everyone at the show was taking sides and talking trash, some people might have missed the other big story at CES -- solid state memory. You know your jump drive (the little USB thingy you have on your key chain)? It could be up to 8GB, but it's probably a smaller model. Well, several manufacturers were showing prototypes of jump drive and SSD (Solid State Disc) technologies up to 832GB. Yes, you read it right, almost a Terabyte of data could be hanging on your keychain within a very few months. What will that mean to you? Well a standard DVD holds one movie and some additional material in 4.7GB and BluRay disc holds about four times as much. But, if you compress a movie to about 2GB where it still looks good, you can imagine a world where any given teenager could be walking around with over 400 full length, HD feature films, 1,200 standard definition films, 2,000 hours of television or 250,000 songs on their iPod or hanging on a keychain or lanyard. Current technology would not allow a consumer to transfer all of that data very easily (and what exactly would you be transferring it to anyway) so thinking about a world where your jump drive, or whatever it will be called, contains $5,000 worth of content, you can easily foresee a business in wearable art, jewelry or some other accoutrement keeps your data close to you and makes it hard to lose. https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/products/articles/434615.html |
|
Gold Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 1923 Registered: Oct-04 | John S. et al: Good points re the solid state storage. That's what my friend, Verne, and his cohorts in LA are working on right now. They claim super-hifi music and what he calls "vast" movie storage on his removable chips, whatever they are. He claims that a very large computer manufacturer and an Asian CD/DVD/BD player developer are "very" interested. But he won't say any more than that. . .sigh. I have long contended that we'll be playing our music from credit card-type cards in my lifetime (which gets shorter every day!) - we'll see. I do notice that one or more of the new Mac computers now comes with a flash memory "hard drive," and I read where Dell is about to announce the same. Hmm. . .I'm staying tuned. What will this do to, say, the SACDs? Me thinks an epitaph will soon be in order. Sadly, because they DO sound better than redbook CDs. . . Interestinger and interestinger. Respectfully. . .LarryR |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9621 Registered: Dec-04 | http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/blog/shows/saturday_afternoon_at_the_opera/ |
|
Bronze Member Username: AsimoRamat-GanIsrael Post Number: 70 Registered: Apr-04 | After I saw SM on the thread coming from the frost I felt also a compulsion to drop a line and to say Hi and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my audiophile friends over the world. I realize that there are no radical revolutions in most of your A/V systems, SACD and DVD-A are not superstars anymore. New stars were born, Blu-ray and Hi-DVD, I hope they will not disappoint us. I did two major upgrades in my system, most impressive is the new 32" Philips LCD 7332 TV. It is not top Philips CINEOS with Perfect Pixel HD and Ambilight that cost more than $2000, but not far from it for less money. I replaced my speakers from Sonus Faber Concertino's to Jamo C803 also shelf speakers. I know that Jamo are not sold very much in US but I listened to some speakers both shelf and floor standing like B&W 705, Quad 21L, OPERA PRIMA and decided to buy the Jamo's. The Jamo's have a different sound from the Concertino's and I think it is good opportunity to listen again to all my discs in a little different interpretation and color of the sound. Also, the Jamo's have 7" woofer unusual for a medium size bookshelf speaker that give a very good bass when needed, and improves the soundstage. My other stereo components are all NAD: C162 Pre, C270 power, C542 CD Player, and C422 Tuner. My DVD Player is Pioneer DV- 400 V but I want to change it to NAD T585 when its price will be more logic. I also use Creative SB Extigy as USB DAC external sound card to improve the sound of the Pioneer DVD. With all these improvements I have now a good stereo video presentation. I personally believe that an audiophile of the classical music does not need more, and 5 or 7 or more channels are not necessary and in some cases can cause chaos of the music spread in the room. Best wishes to all of you |
|
Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4787 Registered: Dec-03 | Best wishes in return, Asimo. I'm getting overtaken by technology, here. Blue Ray. I suppose I'll catch up eventually. Meanwhile, for the likes of Larry and Asimo, very nice free download from Tasmin Little "The Nak_d Violin". Choose 320 kbps mp3 in my opinion. http://www.tasminlittle.org.uk Beautiful. Best wishes. |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9708 Registered: Dec-04 | http://q107.com/home/FunStuff/TheQRockReport/tabid/265/id/6571/Default.aspx |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9709 Registered: Dec-04 | I am there(here) in Indio right now. A tad early to line up for tickets. I will stick to SNL. |
|
Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1061 Registered: May-06 | Get us all tickets while you are there! Next Saturday SNL is on my radar, thanks. |
|
Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1069 Registered: May-06 | Knock, knock. Hey, I just started a new thread aimed primarily at the old dawgs and some regulars on Speakers. It's Audio Context. Check it out, participation optional, but certainly preferred and appreciated. |
|
Silver Member Username: SemNew York/Cal... USA Post Number: 765 Registered: Mar-04 | http://www.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/02/19/toshiba.hdd/index.html |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1838 Registered: Nov-05 | Thanks Sem. Great news and about time AFAIC. I was hoping for something like this: http://stereophile.com/news/021807blu/ |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9853 Registered: Dec-04 | R.I.P. Jeff Healy. Any jazz lovers here might want to sample some of his last 4 recordings, all jazz. Old school. Loved his movie career. Did 'roadhouse' with Patrick Swaze and had the memorable line.. scuse me, gotta drain the main vein. A class guy all around. Google him on Canadian sites. |
|
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1846 Registered: Nov-05 | That's terrible news. The guy had class and talent by the truckload. |
|
Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1151 Registered: May-06 | And then today I heard the news about Patrick Swayze's terminal illness. |
Main Forums
Today's Posts- Home Audio Forum
- A/V Receivers Forum
- Amps Forum
- Cassette Forum
- CD Players Forum
- CD Recorders Forum
- DAC & Transports Forum
- DVD-Audio & SACD Forum
- Equalizers Forum
- Integrated Amps Forum
- iPod Docks Forum
- MiniDisc Forum
- Mini Systems Forum
- Digital Music Systems Forum
- Phono Forum
- Preamps Forum
- Speakers Forum
- Subwoofers Forum
- Tuners Forum
- Home Video Forum
- Home Theater Forum
- Car Audio Forum
- Accessories Forum
- All Forum Topics