HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rmg53668@dcl-nxt53 (Ryan Martin Grant)
Subject: Re: MiniDisc is here!
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 21:59:32 GMT

todd@crayola (Todd Katz) writes:

>I agree with the gentleman pointing out the computer potential for  
>minidisks. These suckers are an ideal replacement for both floppies and HD  
>in portables and laptops. On desktop-type systems they eliminated the need  
>to have tape backup systems and greatly reduce (to one) the number of  
>disks needed with new releases of software. 

Assuming of course that the PASC circuts are dropped for computer srorage, and
that the important part of the MD is the MO read/write features, they seem
promising for simple archival and other data not needed for random access.
MD still suffers from the same problems CD-ROMs do with regard to variable 
spin rates and inertia killing random seek times.  I still look forward to a 
small portable disc capable of handling well over 100MB, but I do not expect
it to replace my 250MB HD.

- Ryan Grant

Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: ted@dgbt.doc.ca (Ted Grusec)
Subject: Re: questions on new digital formats
Organization: The Communications Research Centre
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 92 18:44:53 GMT

In article <28963@oasys.dt.navy.mil> curt@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Curt Welch) writes:
>Norman Chiu writes:
>>No. DCC decks can only play analog cassettes, not record them.
>
>Perry A. Caro writes:
>>Correction.  No *current* DCC decks support ACC recording, but there
>>is nothing in the technology or specification for DCC that prevents
>>analog recording in the same deck.
>
>Don't the DCC decks uses the same heads for reading both type of
>tapes? I was wondering if the reason they don't record is because
>these new thin-film (or whatever they are) heads (which are designed
>to read and write the 8 (or 10 or 11 or whatever) track DCC tapes
>can't do a a very good job of recording in the ACC format.

Someone should correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that
there are two different sets of heads on DCC decks - one to read-write
DCC, the other to read-only analog.  So it may not be the case that
you will ever get analog write on DCC decks.

>
>Personally, I don't expect DCC to last more than 6 months.  If it had
>come out 3 years ago, before DAT, then it could have found a market.
>But now, with DAT already established, and with MD comming out, I don't
>see how DCC has a chance.

Yes, BUT, the major use of cassette tape is NOT music, but dictating
machines, telephone answering machines, etc.  Pedestrian uses, not
music.  DCC may fail for music, yet be a raging success in this much
larger domain.


>And I think MD will not only beat out DCC, but it will also replace
>ACC, and in about 3 years, I think MD sales will even pass CD sales.
>MD will never replace CD, but I think MD will replace CD as the primary
>audio distribution format.

It might be a sad day for audiophiles and other fussy people if MD
threatens the CD.  It is a lossy compression format, and the
ultra-sensitive may hear some distortion, perhaps momentarily, on some
kinds of materials.  If MD becomes primary for audio distribution, can
CD survive?  I think not.  Lossy compression, I assure you, is NOT
perfect, although casual listening under the usual non-critical
conditions may not reveal this.  Mass market, OK, but what's to happen
to audio and musicophile perfectionists?  Must they pay big bucks?
Even with big bucks, can non-lossy formats for consumers survive? The.
last couple of years of Stereophile magazine have been following the
issues closely for anyone interested.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ted Grusec - Communications Research Centre, Ottawa, Ont., Canada
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: Richard.Chalk@launchpad.unc.edu (Richard Chalk)
Subject: Yamaha mid-line CD Player for sale
Organization: University of North Carolina Extended Bulletin Board Service
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 02:54:15 GMT

For Sale: Yamaha CDX-510 CD Player, middle of the line, programmable, remote,
but missing hand unit. 1988 or so model. Perfect Condition.

Sold new in 1988/89 for $279.00

Asking $125.00 or reasonable offer.

Richard Chalk

--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  laUNChpad.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: igb@fulcrum.co.uk (Ian G Batten)
Subject: Re: CD Sound Quality
Organization: Fulcrum Communications
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 13:57:52 GMT

In article <7490271@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> myers@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Bob Myers) writes:
> > 	Obviously yet another "critical listener" who auditioned
> > 	a $200 CD player versus a $200 phono set-up and decided
> > 	that digital was inherently better.
> > 
> 
> Not so fast, Mike - that same sin (or similar) has been committed equally 
> often by the pro-analog crowd; especially the sin of believing that a problem
> with a particular "digital" system or implementation was sufficient to damn
> the basic idea of digital storage.

I must confess that my views on digital are a lot more positive since I
accepted that I would soon be unable to buy vinyl and, by implication,
over a decade or so it would get harder to maintain vinyl replay
equipment.  I embarked upon a serious evaluation.

The virulent pro-digital camp had argued that (1) digital is better than
analogue and (2) all cd players are good.  Therefore I felt it
reasonable to audition Phillips 104 players against Linns and Roksans,
hear the difference and stay analogue.

As an engineer, I felt that proposition (1) was probably true, but
proposition (2) was questionable.  Especially since a D-A converter has
all sorts of analogue aspects to its design, and finally is another
component that has to drive non-infinite input impedences from non-zero
output impedences, and so on.

So I decided to hold true to a faith in the basic soundness of digital
and investigate serious replay equipment.  I think that by spending
money on a well-engineered DAC based around the Ultra Analogue 20400
chip I've got something that competes well with Linn/Roksan equipment,
for about the same money.  And because it can be driven by my DAT
machine, I'm certainly better off than I would be with a cassette deck
(I'm not getting involved in open-reel...)

I'm now happy with digital.

My findings: it's not the medium, it's the hardware.  DACs differ...

ian



Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: kong@leland.Stanford.EDU (Kong Kritayakirana)
Subject: CD Sound (continued)
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 92 05:20:25 GMT

From: jj@alice.att.com (jj, the really irritated tonight)
 
>>>people can't hear the difference between 15 and 16 bit.
>False.   Turn up the level enough, dither the 15 bit system
>and not the 16 bit system, and the 15 bit system will sound
>much better.
 
That's beside the point. I posted the original statement assuming proper 
dithering is done in both 15 and 16 bit. Sorry if this wasn't clear.
 
From: igb@fulcrum.co.uk (Ian G Batten)
 
>money on a well-engineered DAC based around the Ultra Analogue 20400
>chip I've got something that competes well with Linn/Roksan equipment,
>for about the same money.
 
Linn uses Burr-Brown PCM63P and Roksan uses Crystal CS4328. (May I add
that the $4000+ Theta DS Pro Generation III also uses PCM63P?) Both DACs 
are definitely inferior to the UA DAC-D20400 with properly designed 
analog stage, specwise.
 
>My findings: it's not the medium, it's the hardware.  DACs differ...
 
And the proper ADC procedure is not executed during recording and mixing....
Do you know that CDs with DDD spars code pass through a chain of ADC and 
DAC during mixing? That is, the mixing is usually done in analog!
 
From: grego@bit.UUCP (Greg Sanguinetti)
 
>When I auditioned CD players for my system I (single) blind AB tested two
>Sony ES systems. One was a 16 bit 4x system and the other was a dual 18 bit
>8x system. Two copies of same CD switched into same amp/speakers. Independent
>person working switch.
 
Was the level matched to within 1% using AC voltmeter (around 0.1dB)? Was
the timing difference between 2CDs exactly matched? It is quite possible to
hear differences between CD players. Attribute this to different design of
Analog Low-Pass that kills the ghost images.
 
----------------------------------------------
Kong Kritayakirana  (kong@leland.stanford.edu)
Remotely reading and posting to rec.audio from
a nice beach somewhere in south pacific.  Damn
the technology that helps  us to get in touch.
----------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: znpt01@trc.amoco.com (Norman P. Tracy)
Subject: Re: analog pride
Originator: znpt01@gpss43
Organization: Amoco Production Company, Tulsa Research
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 20:57:20 GMT


In article <MANI.92Dec20193246@aix.Berkeley.EDU>, mani@aix.Berkeley.EDU (Mani Varadarajan) writes:
>    >Norman P. Tracy (znpt01@trc.amoco.com) wrote:

!!!!!!!!!!  OH NO HE DID NOT  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
>    >This makes me think of TV shows that are filmed (using movie film) rather
>    >than video (like Cheers as opposed to most sitcoms).  Film gives a more
>    >unrealistic, softer look.  The crispness of video makes shows look "cheap".
>    >Maybe this is just because we are conditioned by movies...
> 
> I don't think that film gives a more unrealistic look; in fact,
> i believe that film reproduces colors much more realistically
> than videotape does.  Bright colors tend to dominate too much
> in videotape, and lighting conditions affect it a lot more than
> film.  
> 
> Film is just far better to look at.
> 
> Mani
> 

For the record guys. The above quote must of come from someone elses followup
to my followup. I did not use a film/video anology.  I do however agree with
Mani.

Norman Tracy
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: dmlkm@cbnewse.cb.att.com (david.e.montalbano)
Subject: Paradigm and Klipsch
Organization: AT&T
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 22:08:09 GMT
Keywords: Speakers

I went to check out the Paradigm titans yesterday after all this talk
about bookshelf speakers.   I bought Infinity reference ones.  Wasn't
too pleased.  So I returned them.  Anyway, this was a stereo place I
go to often so the guy kinda knows me, and he was all excited about
Paradigm Phantoms.  They are one stop above the titans.  He said he
just got them in.  Well, let me tell you, these things sounded 
awesome.  He had the adcom gfa 555 II going to them (200w/ch) and
they handled it just fine.  I also heard the titans and they sounded
great too.


So you ask did i buy them.  No i ended up buying Klipsch quartets.  
Couldn't really afford them, but they were only $800.   Thru mail order
the cheapest I found these were for $900 plus shipping.  plus he
threw in 100ft. of good speaker wire.   i couldn't decided between
the nht 1.8, the paradigm 11se's, but i guess the price made the decision.
and now that i have them, i think they sound great.   imho, i think they
sound better than the paradigms, really tight base on these things.


DM
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Looking for opinions on cd changers
From: erkamp@janus (Bob Erkamp)
Date: 21 Dec 92 14:10:01 MDT
Reply-To: erkamp@janus
Organization: Alberta Research Council

In article <BzD2Iv.BHy@utdallas.edu>, goyal@utdallas.edu (MOHIT K GOYAL) writes:
>
>Can anyone give me advice on what are some of the better/best 
>cd carousels(sp?) available.
>
>I'm interested in ones that let you change cd's without stopping the music.
>
>The only companies that I know make these are Technics, Yamaha, and Denon.
>
>Are their others?
>

I believe that Nakamichi has a player that will do this (5+1?)

Bob
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: dave@news.ccutah.edu (dave martin)
Subject: Lexicon CP3 crossover-digital/analog?
Organization: University of Utah Computer Center
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 03:07:27 GMT

Is the 80hz crossover in the lexicon CP-3 an actual crossover from lucasfilm
(or elsewhere), or do they implement it digitally?

dave@csulx.weber.edu (ignore the header address, its probably wrong)

Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: gre253@mis.csiro.au (Steven Green (+61 6 276 6813))
Subject: Why is my FM reception ordinary (was Re: FM reception)
Organization: CSIRO ITS
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 92 07:28:55 GMT

OK. I have a NAD 4225 Stereo tuner. I also have a external 28? element
UHF antenna aimed at the local TV (and FM radio) source 7km (~4miles) away.
The antenna has no "line of sight" problems with the translator, however, 
I do have a problem with ghosting, althought not bad, should be better
given my setup. This, I am told, is caused my the proximity of the flat metal
roof, which the antenna sits about 2m ( 6feet) above.

My problem with FM reception is as follows. I have tried BOTH connectiing to 
the external UHF antenna, via a 75ohm coaxial cable, and using an internal
300ohn dipole antenna. With both I get annoying high frequency interference.
The only work-around at present is to press the BLEND botton on my tuner
, which eliminates the interference, but sadly, a lot of the hi-end as well.
As I enjoy recording simulcasts of classical presentation on the public
TV channel I would like to know how I could improve my FM reception.

Do I but an external FM-audio antenna or, as a freind suggested, raise the
height of the UHF antenna to about 5-6m (15-18feet) from the flat metal roof.
My feeling is the latter may improve my TV(video) signal, but is the antenna
too selective for FM(audio) use?

Thanks is advance.




-- 
* Steve Green     *  "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit outa my hat!"    *
* Comms Group     *  "That trick never works"                            *
* ITS Branch      *  "Nothin' up my sleeve - PRESTO"                     *
* CSIRO Australia *  "No doubt about it - I gotta get another hat"       *
From: dencisco@eos.arc.nasa.gov (David Paul Encisco)
Subject: Class A, Class A/AB, Class AB, help?
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 22:47:30 GMT

I've heard the difference between a Class A amp (Forte 4) and a Class
AB amp, but I'm not quite sure I understand the principle behind a
Class A/AB amp like a Classe or a McCormack. Is it user switchable?
Does a certain music or playback component perfer a particular class?
If so, it sounds as if you would get the best of both worlds...what's
the sacrifice?

Also I noticed that Music Reference makes an A/AB tube amp how does
this differ from a solid state A/AB amp?

Any enlightenment to my naivety is always welcome.
Thanks,
Dave
From: znpt01@trc.amoco.com (Norman P. Tracy)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Clipping questions
Date: 31 Dec 92 15:01:55 GMT
Organization: Amoco Production Company, Tulsa Research
Originator: znpt01@gpss43


In article <1992Dec30.183914.24983@midway.uchicago.edu>, cal@gsbux1.uchicago.edu (Cal Lott) writes:
> >
> >If the Adcom amp didn't cause any clipping, but the Fisher amp did, with
> >the SAME speakers, wouldn't you say it is pretty obvious the Fisher is
> >causing the problem?
> 
> 	Yes, except those Fisher speakers, as awful as they were,
> provided deeper bass at more volume without clipping. They did use
> bigger woofers.
> 
> 	I had thought that the Polks would be easier to drive, but
> perhaps they are just a lot more revealing of the amplifier's many
> flaws than I had thought. It just seems strange that the amp would
> clip on the smaller Polks and not on the big Fishers.
> 
> 	There is no doubt in my mind that the Fisher is a piece of
> excrement and that it needs to be replaced. I was simply curious as
> to why the amp was clipping now, and not before.
> 
> 	Thanks for the reply.
> 
> 						-Cal
> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Cal Lott          "Oh, I see-- I thought 'no' meant 'spoon'!" --Dan
> Email me, baby!   cal@gsbux1.uchicago.edu   cjl1@midway.uchicago.edu
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cal, et al.

All engineering is the art of trading off compromises.  In box speaker
design the three basic tradeoffs are: 1) efficiency vs. 2) bandwidth (how
low does it go) vs. 3) distortion.

Thus the Fisher speakers have as design goals lots of numbers 1 & 2 and
let 3 be damned.

The Polks, being real hi-fi speakers, have been designed to tradeoff 1 to
gain 2 and esp. 3.  Thats why they sounded so good at the dealers with
the Adcom amps, with enough power you overcome the efficiency loss and
reap the benefits of 2 & 3.  The Fisher amp can not overcome the lack of
efficiency so you fail to get the benefits of the design.

The speakers impedance and power ratings are only a very indirect
indicator of how the designer picked these tradeoffs.  Without Dick Pierce's
experience and test equipment the best most of us can do is listen to the
EXACT combination of source/amp/speakers before plucking down the long green.

Norman Tracy
znpt01@trc.amoco.com
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: jlee@leland.Stanford.EDU (Joseph Chee-Yoon Lee)
Subject: BMG 800 number?
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 93 08:39:59 GMT

I thought I once saw a posting that said there is an 800 number for BMG.
Could someone please re-post?  Also, is it still possible to ask them
to assume that I do NOT want the monthly selection so I don't have to
send that silly card in every month?  Thanks in advanced,

Joe

======================================================================
Joe "DJ Skinny Lee"          MIT Class o '92 --> Stanford Grad School
        /|                                     OR:
    \'o.O'                   Snow and slush  --> Sun, quakes, and tofu
    =(___)=
       U                     E-mail: jlee@leland.stanford.edu
  Ack!  Thpth!
From: ibhan@husc10.harvard.edu (Ishir Bhan)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: WHY a 60-minute MD?
Date: 28 Dec 92 22:14:40 GMT

weitzman@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Adam J. Weitzman) writes:


>So I'm getting all psyched for this MD thing, seeing as it's just like a
>recordable CD with slightly lesser sound quality, and I'm getting ready to
>put all my taped music on MD and whatnot. So I'm looking around for blank MDs
>which are supposed to be roughly 74 minutes in length. However, all the 
>blank MDs that are being sold are only 60 minutes long. This is not good if
>I want to tape some my long CDs for the car or whatever. I was already 
>unhappy that I couldn't get some of my >74-minute CDs onto one MD, but now
>I find out that the recording limit on a blank MD is only 60 minutes? What

According to Audio (I think) Sony will be releasing a recordable 74-minute
version in the future (soon).  
-- 
               -  Ishir Bhan -  ibhan@husc.harvard.edu  - 
                                     - - - 
           "The sky and the impossible explode..." -The Cure
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: dtshield@kittyhawk.ecn.uoknor.edu (Dorwin Thoma Shields)
Subject: Surround hum
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 17:08:24 GMT
Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

  I don't normally read this group.  However, it seems that I could benefit
greatly from your expertise.  I own a JVC RX801 receiver which is connected to  Infinity SM112's and pioneer surround channel speakers.  The unit is hooked also to a VCR (a tv is on its AC outlet) and a CD player (plugged intothe receiver's outlet).   My problem is that I get a REALLY annoying hum from my surround speakers--it's not the speakers I've actually hooked the surround channels to the Infinity's and it still hums.  How can I get rid of this?---Any help would be appreciated.

  Also--I have a computer in which I have a soundblaster pro.  I hook up the soundblaster to one of the VCR inputs and it hums very annonyingly even when I'm not listening to the computer--is there an impedance problem? what can I do to fix it?---

    Thanks for any help---Dorwin Shields, Jr.
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Fixing Scratched CD (back side)
From: ebs@lilly.com (Eric B. Stauffer)
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 18:03:40 GMT
Distribution: all,usa,local
Organization: Eli Lilly and Company

I was always under the assumption that one should be especially carefull not 
to scratch the front side (non-labeled) side of a disk. However, much to my 
dismay, my Paul Simon Graceland CD slipped from my grasp, skidded (label 
side down) across my wood floor. When I picked it up I noticed absolutely NO 
scratces on the playing side but it looked like someone took a brillo pad to 
the back. Now the CD mistracks like there is no tomorrow.

Now my question. Would it be possible to repair the label side using one of 
those silver paint pens? How much reflection must be there in order for the 
reading lens to pick up the laser? Has anyone attempted a repair like this?

Cheers,
  Eric

 Eric B. Stauffer - Clinical Research Information Systems
 Eli Lilly & Comapny, Indianapolis, IN 46285 
 Internet: ebs@lilly.com
 

Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: chiu@gpb-mac.sps.mot.com (Norman Chiu)
Subject: Re: Clipping questions
Followup-To: rec.audio
Organization: Motorola Inc.
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 17:36:56 GMT

In article <1992Dec29.210924.21212@midway.uchicago.edu>,
cal@gsbux1.uchicago.edu (Cal Lott) wrote:
> 
> Hi folks!
> 
> 	I have a few questions regarding clipping that I would like to
> submit for the group's consideration.

[stuff deleted]

> 	The amplifier driving the speakers is an *awful* Fisher
> 100-watt (RMS into 8 ohms, 20-20khz, <0.08% THD) integrated amp.

It's the amp that caused the clipping.  Fisher, you may/may not know,
ranks among Kmart's rack system in terms of quality...  So you get
the idea of how bad it is.

> Polks have an average impedance of 6-8 ohms. (I'm not exactly sure
> which, but it is not a particularly difficult speaker to drive in
> terms of impedance.) Maximum power handling is rated conservatively
> at 125 watts. (The Polks were demonstrated in the store with an
> Adcom GFA-555II 200wpc amp at an extremely high volume, and they never
> showed a hint of strain.)

If the Adcom amp didn't cause any clipping, but the Fisher amp did, with
the SAME speakers, wouldn't you say it is pretty obvious the Fisher is
causing the problem?

   /|   /  chiu@gpb-mac.sps.mot.com  | Norman Chiu - Motorola Inc.
  / |  / ___________________________ | "We never gonna survive
 /  | / /  / /__/  /\/\   /_\   /| / |  unless we get a little
/   |/ /__/ /   \ /    \ /   \ / |/  |  crazy"       - Seal
From: kirk@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Kirk Lindstrom)
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 01:23:49 GMT
Subject: Re: quiet current sources.  Any ideas?
Organization: Shredding the water of SF Bay, HP-OCD
Newsgroups: rec.audio

So just how small is the amount of noise allowed before it is a problem?
We're always fooling around with low noise fiberoptic amps, so the
exercise is interesting.  I have access to scaling geometries for lower
transistor rb (lower noise) so what we can do on an IC may not always
make sense for home projects.

There are some highspeed, low noise microwave transistors available that 
I've used in the distant past that might work if you filter them.  I
think the BFR-51 was one that I used for an Rf amp in a home project
(video descrambler) that worked well.

Kirk out
Newsgroups: rec.audio