HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ras@btr.btr.com (R. A. Schaub  ras@btr.com)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Help with Stax Headphones
Date: 14 Oct 92 19:55:29 GMT
Organization: BTR Public Access UNIX, MtnView CA. For info contact: info@BTR.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


SRM, Mk. II Class-A Amp.; while I enjoy the headphones very much, they
have a lot more high-frequency energy than my Quad ESL-63 USA loudspeakers.
Does anyone know how to soften the sound of the headphones without losing
all of the detail? I have tried using different interconnect cables, and
considered the T1 tube Amp., but had had hoped not spend a lot more money.
If it makes any difference, I own a Spectral Preamp.
From: gt0179a@prism.gatech.edu (Mike Chu)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Portable DAT Decks..
Date: 9 Oct 92 16:55:40 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu



Howdy folks, 

	I was wondering if any portable DAT decks are available for under
500 dollars.  Also, Is this form of media on the brink of dying out, or
is there a future for prerecorded DAT tapes, and will it continue to be
used as a professional recording media?
	
	I'm considering to purchase a small DAT player to record 
vintage LP's on, and possibly use it while jogging (what, you say!).  

I am posting my message on rec.audio.high-end because sound is also 
extremely important. . .

Mike Chu
 
-- 
Mike Chu  --  Chemical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp:	  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt0179a
Internet: gt0179a@prism.gatech.edu
From: Scott Dorsey <kludge@grissom.larc.nasa.gov>
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Sola
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 13:43:43 EDT
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


The Sola power conditioners are nice units.  They are essentially big
isolation transformers, with a ferroresonant circuit for voltage
regulation.  They keep a nice even voltage, reduce the power companies'
complaining about strange reactive loads, and do a good job of removing
noise.  We have a 1,000KVA unit at work to keep the power to the machine
room clean, and I have a 1KVA unit on my stereo at home (less the amplifier
which draws too much current).  For what they do, they are fairly
inexpensive, although admittedly the prices that you see are rather high
for used models.  You can often find the mid-sized units selling surplus
at very low prices when industrial parks are remodelling or changing
hands.  I picked up a 20KVA unit for $20 a couple years ago; it's sitting
in my garage since I don't have that kind of power requirement (and in fact
the drop from the power company into the house isn't that big).
--scott
From: Scott Dorsey <kludge@grissom.larc.nasa.gov>
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: CSO broadcasts
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 10:38:46 EDT
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


The CSO broadcasts, like most of the NPR stuff, is done with a coincident
pair suspended above the audience.  While the lack of phasing between channels
does reduce the realism of the imaging considerably, it also means that there
are no significant comb filter effects when the channels are summed to mono.
This is a big issue for me, since I live far enough away from the local NPR
affiliate that the additional 26 dB of quieting that I get with the receiver
set to mono is very important.  (And yes, I have a roof antenna; it's a 
six-bay steerable Yagi-uda tuned to 90.3 MHz and the NPR station is at 89.5).
--scott
From: siemerin@cs.utwente.nl (Ben Siemerink)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Sound Quality of CD Players
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 21:53:24 GMT
Organization: University of Twente, Dept. of Computer Science
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Keywords: Processing speed, CD player, sound quality
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

Hi Folks!


Keith McIntyre wrote:
> The reason for the CD player sounding that good I believe is due to the
> increased speed of the digital processing circuitry in the Sony ES player.
and:
> Evidently 1 bit systems can sound worse than multibit systems if the 1
> bit systems are not fast enough.

I don't believe that processing speed affects the sound quality so much.  It is
this where the saying "digital is digital" holds. In my opinion, the largest
part of the sound quality by far is affected by the analogue part of the CD
player together with the DACs.

If you want to do some maths, it seems that oversampling makes life much easier
for CD player designers. Someone with a more electronical background than me
once explained it, but I forgot the details. It also had something to do with
artificially increasing the sample frequency.

And there is of course the famous discussion about what technique is better:
1-bitters or multi-bitters.  In my opinion, they're just different and need
different designs, also for the analogue part.  Some multi-bitters will
sound better than some one-bitters and some one-bitters will sound better than
some multi-bitters.  Just listen to the whole.

I myself just bought the Rotel RCD-965BX one-bitter.  IMHO it sounded better
than the Rotel RCD-955BX multi-bitter. It could also be taste of course.


Ben.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ben Siemerink                           University of Twente, The Netherlands
siemerin@cs.utwente.nl                         Department of Computer Science
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: bell@asdsun.larc.nasa.gov (John Bell)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Is AUDIO-CONTROL still in business?
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 18:25:41 GMT
Organization: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA  USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

In article <1992Oct6.131859.10227@meaddata.com>, georged@meaddata.com (George Dibos) writes:
|> 
|> Can anyone tell me if the small audio component company called Audio-Control
|> (I think they were based in Washington or Oregon) is still around?    
|> 
|> If so, an address or phone number???  Thanks
|> -- 

They sure are. They advertise in car audio magazines, and I have bought some
of their car audio products within the last several months. I don't know if
they are still making "regular" audio products still. If nobody else posts
their address / phone number, I will tomorrow after I look it up at home.
BTW, they have a reputation of making some of the best automotive audio 
equipment there is.

-----
John Bell
NASA Langley Research Center
bell@haloe.larc.nasa.gov
From: Mike Neil <mackid@engin.umich.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Good amp/preamp combo for $1500-$2200
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 92 17:09:58 EDT
Organization: Univ. of Michigan CAEN
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

Good amp/preamp combo for $1500-$2200

  I am also looking for a combo in this price range.  I'm still waiting
for a new pair of speakers to arrive before I start listening at home.
  You might take a look at Stereophile (Sept 92).  There is a review of
the PS Audio 100 Delta, and they didn't give it high marks.  There is also
a review of the Aragon 4004 Mk II, and they gave it very high marks.  I
am considering driving quite a distance to listen to the Aragon.  Has 
anyone had any experience with the Aragon 4004 Mk II?  How do people
feel about buying used amps, is there anything (other than the odvious)
I should be concerned about.

-Mike Neil
mackid@engin.umich.edu
From: weems@cs.umass.edu (CHIP WEEMS)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: DCC
Date: 15 Oct 92 18:32:00 GMT
Organization: University of Massachusetts CS Department
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


One of the things that Phillips is supposedly banking on with DCC is that
the format is "compatible" with the current compact cassette. Because
they are the same size, and have the same spindle spacing, and use some
of the same guides, you can actually stick a CC into a DCC drive. It
has been reported that some of the early DCC machines will be set up
to play both formats, so people can keep using their existing media
without having two decks. The DCC cassettes do not fit into a CC
drive (they have a different construction).

Chip
From: kbsw1!kbsw1!cj%kbsw3@uunet.UU.NET (CJ Herman)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Source for Neutrix XLR Connectors Wanted
Date: 15 Oct 92 10:58:32
Organization: Kentek Information Systems
	(queueing-rmail) id 211956.10183; Thu, 15 Oct 1992 21:19:56 EDT
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


Try Full Compass Systems in Madison, WI 1-800-356-5844
-- 

		cj@kentek.com	C.J. Herman
From: daniels@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Daniel Segel)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Audiophile thoughts on DCC?
Date: 9 Oct 92 19:15:42 GMT
Organization: SF-Bay Public-Access Unix
  (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for rec-audio-high-end); Fri, 9 Oct 1992 12:18:47 -0700
	id <m0mdPol-0009auC@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>; Fri, 9 Oct 92 12:16 PDT
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

Now that DCC decks are about to hit the shelves, it ocurred to me
that I should have paid attention to all the hoopla about how their
sound quality is/is not as good as a Compact Disc (such as it is).

Does anybody have any details about the sampling rate, data
compression artifacts, frequency response, dynamic range, etc. 
for the DCC standard?

Any reasons I shouldn't buy one instead of a Recordable CD (if/when
they become available)?

Are they suitable for mastering in a home studio environment?

I would appreciate hearing from both the audiophile and consumer camps
on this one.

Thanks,

Daniel A. Segel
daniels@zorch.sf-bay.org

-- 
1. TO PLAY WITH SLINKY IN HANDS:
   Hold end coils of SLINKY with both hands.  Now raise and lower
   each hand in a rythmic motion.
From: wiseman@tellabs.com (Jeff Wiseman)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Good amp/preamp combo for $1500-$2200
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 17:47:56 GMT
Organization: Tellabs, Inc.
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu



I'm interested in hearing if anyone has done any significant comparisons of
quality amp/preamp combinations that would list in the $1500-$2200 range (amp
power rated approx 100 watts or better).

I have Vandersteen 2Ce's with Audioquest Indigo bi-wire cables. I am currently
using an 11 year old Harmon Kardon HK670 receiver to drive them. The tonal
quality of this setup is basically acceptable to me using CDs but I would like
to try and improve the imaging and soundstage (I've heard the 2Ce's on much
better amps and I know that they are capable of much more than I'm getting).

I've not started really listening to systems yet but I am thinking of starting
with the PS Audio 100 delta amp and their 5.6 preamp (the one with the phono
section).

Has anyone compared this type of setup with (say) and Adcomm 565 + amp type
arrangement? What other brands or combinations could compete "sonically" with
the PS Audio setup?

I would like to identify maybe 3 or 4 setups that could be critically
evaluated. Note that amps running over 120 watts/side are not really necessary
based on the listening levels that I use, I'm more interested in "fast" than
"muscle" amps. Also I'm not interested in Carver equipment.

Any ideas or suggestions?

----
Jeff Wiseman:	....uunet!tellab5!wiseman OR wiseman@TELLABS.COM
From: hsu@ecf.toronto.edu (HSU TITUS HENG-HSUEH)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Inexpensive Interconnect Advice Needed
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 20:52:44 GMT
Organization: University of Toronto, Engineering Computing Facility
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

In article <1992Oct13.164557.1@ualr.edu> jmbarthol@ualr.edu (John M. Barthol) writes:
>Hi All,
>
>I was wondering if any of you could recommend decent interconnect cables
>for around $50-$60.  I am currently using homebrew interconnects with some
>PS-Audio braided cable I purchased from a dealer who is no longer in business.
>Please respond by E-Mail.
>

In the price range you are looking into, I have had very good impressions with
Audio Quest interconnects.  I think the one I listened to was the Topaz at $49
a pair.
From: eacj@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Julian Vrieslander)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: Experience with Mirage M-3 ???
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 01:29:56 GMT
Organization: Cornell Theory Center
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Keywords: loudspeakers
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

In article <3783@bcstec.ca.boeing.com> mcmillen@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Mark McMillen) writes:
>Also, have any of you heard the latest version of the M-3? (M-3ci?).

The newest version is called the M-3si.  I have heard them demonstrated 
twice in dealer showrooms and was generally impressed.  They did not seem
to have the "acoustic-microscope" sort of resolving power of, say, the
Apogee Stage (which was available for comparison at one store).  But the
balance between highs and lows seemed more natural to me.  The M-3si's
sounded a bit rich and lush, perhaps due to a slightly underdamped bass,
but not annoyingly so for me.  Imaging was decent, but not as precise
as some other competing models.  This is because the Mirages send some
sound energy backwards, to reflect off the rear wall.

If I have enough $$ left this year to get some new speakers, this is
one of the models I will be considering.  If you are looking for
speakers that will let you count the individual vibrations of Amanda McBroom's
tonsils, these are likely not for you.  But they are likely to be more
forgiving and enjoyable with typical-quality recordings than many other
"audiophile" speakers.  Other speakers that I have heard that compare
favorably: Vandersteen IIce, Scientific Fidelity Tesla, and Thiel 2.2.
-- 
Julian Vrieslander 
Neurobiology & Behavior, Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853    
INTERNET: eacj@theory.tc.cornell.edu     BITNET: eacj@crnlthry
UUCP: ..cornell!batcomputer!eacj
From: Scott Dorsey <kludge@grissom.larc.nasa.gov>
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: No Holds Barred Headphones
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 92 13:45:49 EDT
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu


Actually, I don't like the sound of the MDR-V6 headphones.  I thought I did
when I bought them, but after a while the excessive brightness started to
get to me.  It wasn't a problem when I was using 1/4" tape and using them
as monitor phones, but as monitors for the DAT machine they are much too
shrill.

The Stax headphones are definitely the best I have ever heard at any price
range.  And, yes, I have heard th $10K high end Sennheisers and they aren't
as good as the mid-range Stax units.  The problem, however, is that the
Stax models don't block outside noise at all, so if the reason you are using
headphones is because you are not in a quiet environment (either for 
recording monitor work, or trying to shut out the jackhammer in the street),
they definitely aren't a good choice.

The AKG headphones that I have heard weren't bad, but they didn't strike me
as being incredible.  I have lived with some of the studio phones for 
extended amounts of time and wasn't displeased, but I wasn't delighted
either.  They were definitely much less transparent than the Stax models.

I have only briefly heard the Grado headphones, and what I heard I really
liked.  I wish I could get a pair of these things to try out for an extended
amount of time; they really seem to have good tone to them.  I wouldn't
recommend them since I haven't really had an opportunity to use one for a
long period of time, but they may well be in the running.
--scott
From: kmr4@po.CWRU.Edu (Keith M. Ryan)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Stereo Review (was Re: Very expensive cables)
Date: 15 Oct 1992 22:14:53 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: kmr4@po.CWRU.Edu (Keith M. Ryan)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc12.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, yen@stsci.edu (Felix Yen) says:

>
>You could also go to a good hardware store and spend 3-4 times
>less on thick copper cable that is not labeled "oxygen-free" and
>conduct the same experiment except with one less variable.  Make
>sure you clean the thin cord's connections too, preferably by
>cutting off the old ends and making new ones.
>
>Another comparison is oxygen-free cable vs. hardware-store cable
>of the same thickness.  Any takers?

	I have done some personal testing with this idea in mind, albeit
not very scientific. The very first difference between hardware store 
10 ga cable, and relatively modest price Monster Cable 10ga was the 
cables were really physically different. The MC's strands were much
finner, with more; while the hardware variety [ home depot ] used lesser
but thicker individual strands. The MC was much more flexible than the
HD cable. This also seemed to make a substantual difference when using
connections, albiet I was only experimenting with the radio shack gold
crimps. I simply could not get a good strong crimp with the HD cable,
it would always wiggle a bit. 
	I listened with one on one side, and vice versa. I could hear
a substantial difference between the two in the treble. Whether or not
this was due to the poor connections, or the actually cable physics itself
is not known. However, I was more than willing to pay $50 for another run
of MC, and some good quality gold [ plated ] banana plugs. Even for 
aesthetics reasons alone, it was worth it. 

	Come on, you can get good quality cables, rather inexpensively!
There are many fine cables for $1-5/m on the market, and several good
connectors/plugs also available. Don't knock it until you try it. Many
find places will even loan you a pair to try ( some do require a security
deposit )

	
	What I don't recomend is buying $500/m cables before seeing
your shrink.... :-)
-- 
So there I was, snuggled in the leather seat of my brand new Ferreri [sic]
I had the oiled wood gear shift in one hands, and the leather wrapped Momo in
the other. And, I had the stereo cranking _Born to be Wild_...
	Only one problem, I was unside [sic] down, under six feet of water...
Newsgroups: rec.audio,rec.video,misc.consumers
From: fineberg@win31.nas.nasa.gov (Samuel A. Fineberg)
Subject: Re: Extended Warranties
Organization: CSC, NASA Ames Research Center, NAS Division
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 92 16:40:08 GMT
Reply-To: fineberg@nas.nasa.gov
Distribution: usa

In article <1992Oct9.031705.23732@bilver.uucp>, bill@bilver.uucp (Bill Vermillion) writes:
|> 
|> In fairly large type - at the start of the warranty section it states,
|> in approximately these terms "This warranty covers lightning damage".
                                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|> 
|> In this area that means a lot.  Most warranties exclude lightning
|> damage - so I look as this as more of lightning insurance more than
|> anything else.   Lightning is about the only thing that will damage a
|> power amp.
|> 
My renter's insurance covers lightning damage too.  Why get double coverage?

However, my general policy on extended waranties is that they can be ok, however,
if you buy a lot of stuff, they are not a good deal.  Look at it this way,
if I buy an audio/video system containing 5 components, with a total value
of $3000, the extended waranties will likely cost about $300.  Asuming they
are making no profit (which is unlikely), that means that about 1 in 10 products
will fail.  Thus, it is unlikely that more than one of your components will 
fail, and if you didn't buy the waranty, you have $300 to fix it. 

This does not mean that you will have zero cost for repairs, however, given
the fact that the waranties usually are a money maker, you are likely to do
better by not buying them as long as you never buy them.  The worst policy,
of course, is to buy them sometimes.  Then, unless if you get lucky and
the component you bought one for fails, you have wasted your money.

Of course, you might get a lemon or have especially bad luck, but remember that
waranties on a/v gear are money makers for most stores and they would never
make a profit if everyone got thier money's worth.

Sam
From: jmbarthol@ualr.edu (John M. Barthol)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: <None>
Date: 16 Oct 92 09:26:25 GMT
Organization: University of Arkansas at Little Rock



Hi

Recently I have been shopping for some new audio equipment.  I now own
An Onkyo A-8017 integrated amp, Polk model 10 spkrs, and a Sony CDP715
cd changer.  I plan on upgrading the Onkyo amp because I would like
surround sound and remote.  I've heard about a new receiver Onkyo makes
that would satisfy my needs.  I think the model number is TXSV909-Pro.
It's rated at 110W/chan, 110W center, & 35W rear.  I went to a local
Onkyo dealer but he told me they do not keep one in stock.  I plan to
spend about 2K on the upgrade and this receiver sells for about $1800.
Has anyone out there had any experience with this beast?  Is it worth
the $$$ or would I be better off getting something else?  I would like
a receiver or integrated amp/tuner combo with preamp out jacks as well.
Thanks in advance.

John M. Barthol
JMBARTHOL@UALR.EDU

Please respond by E-Mail.
From: jeffr@ora.com (Jeff Robbins)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: At what speed does a CD spin?
Date: 7 Oct 92 16:40:21 GMT
Organization: O'Reilly & Associates, Cambridge, MA
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A6F88A7C1003416C@macjeff.ora.com>
X-Xxdate: Wed, 7 Oct 92 12:37:16 GMT
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d11

Does anyone know at what speed a CD spins (in RPM's)?  My band is
pressing a CD.  The artwork on the CD will look like a vinyl record. And
the label will say ??? RPM.

Please send me EMail as i need this info ASAP.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff Robbins
(jeffr@ora.com)
From: yip@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Tom Yip)
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 22:09:43 GMT
Subject: Re: Re: Sony STR AV1070 ... SUMMARY
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: rec.audio


I have an STR-AV1020 and have had similar problems that you have described.
I just got my reciever repaired (3 days before the warranty expired).

I have had the following problems:

   1.  Loud buzzing from the main speakers.
   2.  Hiss from the rear channels.
   3.  Inauduble noise displayed on spectrum analyzer when volume is
       adjusted from remote.
   4.  Extreme heat emissions.

The receiver was just repaired for the buzzing in the main speakers.
The problem was a loose internal ground connection.  The receiver
runs fine (for now).  However, I can still roast marshmellows on it.

I too am somewhat disappointed by the receiver.  I like Sony products
because of their design and quality.  However, the quality seems to
be going downhill.

Please keep me informed of this on-going topic.
I can be reached through E-mail at yip@fc.hp.com


Thanks
Tom Yip