HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mike@fionn.lbl.gov (Michael Helm)
Newsgroups: rec.audio,rec.music.folk,rec.arts.wobegon
Subject: Re: Hi Fi VCR for taping audio FM? (Re: A Timer/Recorder for AM/FM Radio?)
Date: 23 Nov 1992 18:37:39 GMT
Organization: N.I.C.E.
Reply-To: mike@fionn.lbl.gov (Michael Helm)
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.128.60

Iskandar Taib writes:
>>Well, I just opened the box of my brand-new Samsung Hi Fi VCR ($266 cheap!) 

Good bargain!

>Kinda funny having the opening piece on Relativity's "Gathering Pace" 
>playing while cowboys ride by...seemed appropriate somehow.

You'll be amazed at some of the multimedia gems you can produce -- I
have an awesome gag tape made by accident of cartoon characters
dancing to Greek folk music from an unrelated radio show.  It is
perfect -- on the beat & they start & finish on time with the tunes!

Spooky too -- I did part of a 6-hour Arab music show from the radio
that has TV coverage of the gulf war breaking in on the video.

>1) Is recording in SLP (or whatever its called - 6 hours on a "120"

This comes down to religion.  I've done blind tests with others.
Nobody I have run into can _hear_ a difference (tech specs suggest this
should be so) between the speeds.  Some folks suggest that the tapes
won't "last".  No opinion on that yet.

>2) How important is auto-tracking? The Samsung doesn't have it; a 

I find it's unreliable.  I almost always have to manually retrack 
hifi rental tapes.
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: gre253@mis.csiro.au (Steven Green (+61 6 276 6813))
Subject: TV speakers as centre channel ( was Re: Pro Logic Center channel speakers )
Keywords: pro logic
Organization: CSIRO ITS
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 03:06:19 GMT

In article <lg00njINNqj8@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> chakng@amberwood.Eng.Sun.COM (Chakchung Ng) writes:
>I have been seeing a lot of discussion of adding a center channel speaker to
>an existing system but not a post (I might missed them) about using the
>existing system. The existing system here is the TV set it self. Most TV come
>with their own speakers and would like to hear opinions about using those
>speakers as center channel speakers.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Chak

I'm glad you brought this up. I know I'm going to get flamed for this - but
I dont care.

Firstly, the speakers in you TV are shit compared to virtually any centre
speaker you can buy. Even high-end TV's have shit speakers!

However, a centre speaker tends to move the dialog off screen. Try closing
your eyes and mentally placing where the people are - you see what I'm
talking about.

You could try what I have done. Use a centre speaker on top of the TV together
with the TV speakers ( if it has one on either side ). The net effect is to
place the dialog _in_ the screen. It really does work! And little ( if any )
quality is lost since the centre speaker is still carrying half the load.

-- 
* 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: kirk@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Kirk Lindstrom)
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 17:07:25 GMT
Subject: Re: Setting HiFi system gain in amp feedback loop?
Organization: Shredding the water of SF Bay, HP-OCD
Newsgroups: rec.audio

Gain tracking could also be a problem.  Interesting idea, though.

Kirk out
From: curt@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Curt Welch)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: DCC -- JUST SAY NO!  (was: The end of cassettes,
Date: 19 Nov 92 17:47:06 GMT
Reply-To: curt@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Curt Welch)
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

In rec.audio, whs70@dancer.cc.bellcore.com (sohl,william h) writes:
>I see almost NO "play only" equipment in the analog cassette arena and
>I have little doubt that a "play only" DCC or MD deck will not have
>a big sales market.

Car cassette players and alsmot all walkman type cassette players
are play only.  I'd bet that if you added up all the units you'd
find at least 3 play only units for every cassette player that
could record.

>Another reason there isn't likely to be much
>"play only" DCC or MD equipment is because the incremental cost
>difference to produce a "play only" unit vs. a "play and record"
>unit isn't probably that much.

It's enough.  To make the unit record, you need the inputs (which
can mean both a digital and analog input); You need the extra
knobs and buttons (like input level control - and the record
button); you need to A/D converters, you need the DSP type chips
to do the compression, etc etc.

And on an MD player, you need two heads to record (the optical head
on the bottom, and the magnetic head on the top.)  To play back, you
only need the optical head.  And to record, the optical head has
to be able to put out a lot more power (to heat the disk to something
like 400deg), so I assume you need a special high power (expensive?)
laser diode that you don't need in a play only unit.

On top of this, a play-only MD unit can one day be much smaller than a
play-record unit.  It won't need the extra buttons, the extra
circuitry, the extra input jacks, the extra record head, or the extra
batteries to power it all.

What were the prices just posted for the MD players?  Something like
499 for the the play only unit and 699 for the play/record.  There's
definitely going the be a market for play only units.

Curt
Newsgroups: rec.audio,rec.arts.wobegon,rec.radio.shortwave
From: johna@tigger.cs.Colorado.EDU (John J. Allison)
Subject: Re: Hi Fi VCR for taping audio FM?
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 21:02:15 GMT

In article <kosts.722544886@ursa> kosts@ursa.calvin.edu (Steven Koster) writes:
>ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Iskandar Taib) writes:
>> [asking about recording a long radio program on a HiFi VCR]
>
>	But, please note, Hi-fi audio is recorded *underneath*
>	the video signal. SO, just to be sure,
>	Always record hi-fi audio along with some video signal.
>	I've no idea if it would work without a video signal.

I'm no expert either, but I have always heard that you should NOT
record a video signal if you're recording off the radio, because
it can interfere unnecessarily with the audio signal. Of course it
will work, just plug the radio outputs into the "line" audio inputs
and don't put anything into the "line" video input.

I have included "rec.radio.shortwave" in the newsgroups line because
they do this sort of thing alot. Any opinions?

-- 
, jja
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: bill@thd.tv.tek.com (William K. McFadden)
Subject: Re: Surround Speakers
Summary: Home theater on a budget
Keywords: Minimus 7 speakers
Organization: Tektronix TV Products
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 20:26:29 GMT

In article <KIM.92Nov19122248@kim.Software.Mitel.COM> kim@Software.Mitel.COM (Kim Letkeman) writes:

>For someone looking for surround on a very tight budget, perhaps the
>purchase of 5 Minimus 7's and something like a Yamaha powered sub is the way
>to go.

That's what I did, and I think it sounds pretty good for the price.

If you want home theater on a budget, you might be interested some in other
ways I saved money.  For example, I built my own subwoofers, power amp and
active crossover.  The satellites are powered by a used 1974 quadraphonic
receiver coupled to a Pro-Logic decoder I picked up at a demo sale.  Remote
control is provided by a Pioneer remote volume control/input selector
purchased at a liquidiation sale, and a DAK graphic equalizer is used to
improve the tone quality of the Minimus 7s.

There are a lot of separate pieces, but they were affordable, especially when
bought over a long period.

-- 
Bill McFadden    Tektronix, Inc.  P.O. Box 500  MS 58-639  Beaverton, OR  97077
bill@tv.tv.tek.com, ...!tektronix!tv.tv.tek.com!bill      Phone: (503) 627-6920
How can I prove I am not crazy to people who are?
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: isc30182@nusunix1.nus.sg (Goh Kee Shiun)
Subject: Opinions on Rotel RCD965BX and Marantz CD52
Organization: National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 03:22:15 GMT

I'm looking for a CD player and considering either the
Rotel RCD965BX (second hand, about US$350) or the
Marantz CD52 (new, about US$250). Does anyone have any
opinions on the above two?

There's also a new Marantz bitstream player CD42 just out
(new, US$210). Anyone has any reservations buying the
CD42 instead of the CD52?

Replies via e-mail. I will summarize and repost.

Thanks in advance!

--
_________________________________________________________________________
  Goh Kee Shiun Vincent, Dept Of Information Systems & Computer Science 
  National University of Singapore.  Internet: isc30182@nusunix1.nus.sg
From: ranck@joesbar.cc.vt.edu (Wm. L. Ranck)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Help!
Date: 20 Nov 92 16:29:39 GMT
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Bob Myers (myers@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM) wrote:
: > Could somebody tell me the names of the inventors of:
: > 	The record
: Thomas A. Edison.
:
I think it was a German who actually invented the flat "Gramaphone"
type of record.  I can't remember the name.  Edison used cylinders. 
: > 
: > 	The 8-track
: Don't know.

Lear, the same guy that built LearJets.  He held a *lot* of patents.

--

*******************************************************************************
* Bill Ranck                                          ranck@joesbar.cc.vt.edu *
*******************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: penfold@rock.concert.net (Patricia A White -- Oxford University Press -- MIS)
Subject: How do you know when you've killed your tweeters?
Organization: CONCERT-CONNECT -- Public Access UNIX
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 20:28:55 GMT


The subject header says it all.
To be honest, I think it's just my imagination that my stereo
(NAD receiver, Sony CD player, B&W speakers) doesn't sound as good as it
used to but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask...

-Patricia
 penfold@rock.concert.com
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: ssr@cypress.com (Bapcha/FPGA)
Subject: Re: ELITIST SNOBS
Organization: Cypress Semiconductor, San Jose, CA
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 14:53:52 GMT

In article <1992Nov17.041802.29436@dgbt.doc.ca> ted@dgbt.doc.ca (Ted Grusec) writes:
>In article <1992Nov17.002041.10751@nas.nasa.gov> fineberg@nas.nasa.gov writes:
>>|> |> |> 
>>|> |> |> 
>>|> |> |> >TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, MY $200 SOUNDESIGN SYSTEM SOUNDS
>>|> |> |> >JUST AS GOOD.  THE BASS SOUNDS JUST AS BIG!  THE SECRET
>>|> |> |> >IS TO ADJUST THE BASS CONTROL TO MAX.  TRY IT ON SOME
>>|> |> |> >OF THESE CHEAPER SYSTEMS.  IT REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!
>>|> |> |> >ADJUST THE SYSTEM BEFORE YOU JUDGE!  GEEESH HOW HARD
>>|> |> |> >CAN IT BE???
>>|> |> |> 
>
>You were robbed.  I can put together a system to your specs for
>$19.25.


Naw - more like "As seen on TV for $199.95;  THousands sold at $69.95;
but now for a limited time only.... $19.25"....



-- 
Bapcha - A very bad boy from Cypress Semiconductor
3901 N.  First Strasse
San Jose,  CA 95134, 408-943-2719
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: So? Anyone have dcc yet? (long)
From: MATGBB@LURE.LATROBE.EDU.AU (BYRNES,Graham)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 00:27:29 GMT
Organization: La Trobe University
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24

In <KAUTZ.92Nov12132921@hunny.research.nj.att.com> kautz@research.att.com writes:
[....]
> Personally, I don't see the technical advantages of this format ---
> analog cassettes are dirt cheap, and the sound quality on a
> high-quality deck (eg, in the same $500+ price range) is similiar
> (except for a bit of hiss); CD's players of all types are also
> incredibly cheap, and recent advantages such as electronic memory
> buffering eliminate the skipping problems for portable units.
> Certainly pre-recorded DCC tapes will sound better than pre-recorded
> analog tapes, but I doubt that they will cost less than CD's!
> 
Just to amuse us all, I read down in soc.cult.french that MD is due
for release in France 16/12 (thats 12/16 for the americans out there...):
The prices qoted for pre-recorded MD's was 130FF (US$24.50) and 90FF
(US$17) for blanks....

> There is, however, a clear *marketing* advantage to DCC.  In just a
> few years, CD player technology........[cut]...
> Now suppose the recording industry (manufacturers, record companies,
> Stereo Review magazine, etc :-) all got together and decided to
> promote DCC, and gradually eliminate CD's and analog cassettes.
> First, everyone has to buy a new DCC deck.  Then, the sonic
> limitations in the format will lead to an endless series of real
> improvements in the sound quality: so you've got the high-end of the
> market locked into buying a new machine every few years.  Even the
> rest of the market will have to replace their DCC machines eventually,
> since the complicated mechanisms, belts, heads, etc will simply not
> last as long as (e.g.) that of a CD player.  Next, you have eliminated
> the dubbing "problem": high-quality dubbing, probably even for a
> single generation, will be impossible, due to the losses entailed by
> repeated compression and decompression --- much more securely than
> with a serial-copy protection scheme.  Next, I predict that we will
> *never* see inexpensive dual-well DCC decks --- so you have simply
> eliminated the low-end dubbing crowd.  So everybody gets rich(er).  Far
> fetched?
A frightening thought, but one of the great joys in my life was when Sony
bought Columbia records, the champion of copy-tones and other rampant paranoia.
Given that Sony have an obvious interest in avoiding the above (no royalties),
at least their chunk of the recording industry won't go for it.
I think we will get dubbing decks, that use the copy protection device
cuurently in use for CC, ie lousy sound...In other words they will be badly
made and have rotten analogue circuitry 
But digital dubbing decks?
SCMS stops that...
Graham
> --
> ---- Henry Kautz
> 
> :internet: 	kautz@research.att.com
> :uucp:		allegra!kautz
From: jj@alice.att.com (jj, curmudgeon and all-around grouch)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: DCC -- JUST SAY NO!  (was: The end of cassettes,
Date: 17 Nov 92 16:30:18 GMT
Article-I.D.: alice.24214
Reply-To: jj@alice.UUCP (jj, curmudgeon and all-around grouch)
Organization: NJ State Home for Bewildered Terminals

In article <TONYB.92Nov16135326@oberon.juliet.ll.mit.edu> tonyb@juliet.ll.mit.edu ( Tony Berke ) writes:
>The previous poster insinuated, probably correctly, that the only
>reason DCC was being promoted was that it would lead to increased
>profits for Phillips.  I don't doubt it, but I must point out that
>that is the same motivating factor for the release of about 99.99% of
>all products on the market!  You can't really blame Phillips for being
>part of a (semi-)capitalist market system, can you?  DAT would have
>been my first choice, but the record companies and lawyers screwed it
>all up.  To the extent that Phillips may have contributed to that,
>shame on them.
Must I again point out that a second-generation DCC (analog interface
between decks) is going to sound pretty bad? (Well,
"bad" is relative, perhaps I'm picky.)  This is
a boon to companies who own record companies, because you're
not going to be able to make good copies from DCC to DCC,
and everyone is going to have to buy a tape.  Now, this is
what copyright law thinks should happen, and I have no trouble
with that, BUT I dislike having to accept a degredation for
my own use, and that's what's implied.

I'm not buying DCC.
-- 
Extremism *Copyright alice!jj 1992, all rights reserved, except transmission
   in the    *by USENET and like facilities granted.      Said permission is
  defense of     *granted only for complete copies that include this notice.
 liberty is no vice.  *Use on pay-for-read services specifically disallowed.
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: chiu@gpb-mac. (Norman Chiu)
Subject: Recommendations needed for $500 CD player
Keywords: cd player
Organization: SPS
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 23:14:29 GMT

    I want to upgrade my CD player, (after all, it is almost Christmas!!)
and I want all the opinions please.

What I want:

*) single disc cd player
*) priced in the range of $500 to $600
*) optical/digital output
*) indexing feature
*) custom file (nice, but not necessary)

The brand names I am considering are:

*) Denon (1560 and 2560)
*) Sony ES
*) Yamaha

If you have opinions and/or recommendations, please let me know.  Thanks!

--
Norman Chiu - chiu@gpb-mac.sps.mot.com
Motorola Inc. - uP & Mem. Tech. Group
Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
---------------------------------------------
I was just going to ask where he practices.
   Hunan.  If you must know.
Hunan as in China?
   No, Hunan as in North Dakota.  
So Eve is in China?
   Am I talking to myself??
                      Joel asks Adam about Eve's whereabouts
From: welch@royalt.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Def Tech Prices/Opinions?
Keywords: Speakers
Date: 19 Nov 92 16:57:37 GMT
Reply-To: welch@royalt.enet.dec.com ()
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation



        Two days ago I purchased a set of Definitive Technology speakers
        for my surround system (Pioneer D1S).  List price for these
        speakers were:

        BP-10 (pair) $1100 US
        BP-2  (pair) $ 598 ''
         C-1  ( one) $ 299 ''

        I paid $1587 at a local A/V store (Cookin') - special deal 'til 11/30

        FWIW: I _luv_ the way they sound!  Great sound stage.  Quite sweet
        and transparent.  They do a wonderful job of reproducing all types
        of music.  I was amazed at how much better they sound on SS material
        (Apocalypse Now and Fantasia LDs so far) than my old speaker system 
        (AR sub-woofer and satelites, NHT center chanel, Sony bookshelfs at 
        rear).

        I would recommend them without reservation.  Call if you have any 
        questions.  Also, I would be glad to FAX you a video mag review
        and/or sales flier.  -bob



--
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Bob Welch, DEC Westford   || 6 Technology Park, Westford MA 01886.4197
 mailstop DSG2-2/F6        || 508.635.8503
 fax: 508.635.8556         || Internet: welch@regina.dsg.dec.com
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: msc@ramoth.esd.sgi.com (Mark Callow)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Interface Digital Audio <---> Computer ???
Date: 23 Nov 92 22:59:26 GMT
Followup-To: rec.audio
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.  Mountain View, CA


In article <logan.722231192@nectarine>, logan@nectarine.ucsb.edu writes:
> zilla@ccrl.nj.nec.com (John Lewis) writes:
> 
> >I believe the new macs (vx and performa600) can read audio directly off
> >of a CD, as well as control the CD as an audio player.
> 
> Does anyone know of any software, preferably PD, that will allow you to
> read audio data off a audio CD with a CDROM drive?  Also what format is
> sound stored in on audio CDs?

You need more than software.  We (Silicon Graphics) pioneered reading
audio across the SCSI bus from audio CD's in CD-ROM drives.  We worked
with various drive vendors and Toshiba eventually modified their drive
for our use.  Modifications had to be made to both hardware and
firmware.  We were the first company to request such changes.  This
isn't a surprise since we were the first to have audio hardware that
could actually make use of the 16-bit 44.1kHz audio data.

I don't know of any other CD-ROM drives that have this capability.  I
have no knowledge of the new Apple drives.  We do not have an exclusive
licence, so Toshiba is free to sell this technology elsewhere.  As far
as I know they have not yet done so.  Other vendors we have dealt with
have not been able to produce drives with working direct audio features.

Audio data is stored in arbitrary blocks called frames.  There are 75
frames per second.  The audio samples are linearly encoded as 2's
complement 16-bit numbers (yielding 4 bytes per stereo pair of
samples).  Left and right channels are interleaved.  The data within a
frame is further interleaved to reduce the effect of scratches on the
CD.

----
From the TARDIS of Mark Callow
msc@ramoth.sgi.com, ...{ames,decwrl}!sgi!msc
"and a wonderful method (reorganization) can be for creating the illusion
of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization."
	- Petronius Arbiter, ?? AD.
From: garyj@pyrtech.mis.pyramid.com (Gary Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Question about record cleaning.
Summary: record cleaning
Date: 19 Nov 92 16:07:31 GMT

In article <1992Nov19.004301.1@auvax1.adelphi.edu>, schmidt@auvax1.adelphi.edu writes:
> \In article <1992Nov15.051849.27622@cs.mcgill.ca>, narpet@cs.mcgill.ca (Greg WARD) writes:
> > I have a question that has probably plagued mankind for decades, and (I
> > fear) will become increasingly hard to answer: what's the best way to
> > clean my vinyl LP's?  I've got a nice little anti-static brush that's
> > good for getting everyday dust off, but for those worse-off albums,
> > I don't have much.  I was in an audio store today that sells a kit
> > (by Discwasher, I think) for a ludicrous-seeming amount ($25 or so,
> > and considering that I also had to blow $35 on a needle for my 
> > turntable, I wasn't too keen on that).  One of the salespeople said 
> > distilled water would be enough -- just something that won't leave
> > deposits in the grooves!  I asked him why, then, do/did most products
> > sold as record (or CD) cleaning fluids consist of isopropyl alcohol and
> > freon.  Is it just for convenience, since they evaporate faster than
> > water?  Or is there some good reason for cleaning records with alcohol?
> > 
> > Much thanks!
> > 
> > 	Greg Ward (narpet@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca)
> -
> My experience over some years is that plain tap water, with a small amount of
> hand soap works wonders, scrub gently with a soft rag or such, but NOT the
> label, unless you like to have to guess what is on the album, and then rinse
> well.  Don't put too much soap on the record, you don't want to have it slip
> out of your hands into the sink :-[ . Water also has the advantage of reducing
> the static charge on the disc in the winter. 
> - 

Don't put ANY soap ON THE RECORD! If you're going to use soap, use a mild
detergent like Ivory dishwashing detergent. Dilute it in a solution and 
apply the solution to the record. Rinse with water, preferably distilled.

The cleaning solution that came with my Record Doctor cleaning machine
had a warning on the label that it contained 20% Isopropyl alcohol. I've 
seen posts in this group for formulas that use varying amounts of alcohol,
distilled water and a labratory grade detergent such as Liquinox. In all
of the formulas, the amount of detergent is  very small, perhaps only a few 
drops per gallon of solution. The whole idea of using such a solution is to 
get crud out of the groves without putting another foreign substance such 
as detergent back in. 





Newsgroups: rec.audio