Geek with Family

0 dBFS+.

Ever heard of the above digital audio condition? No? Me neither until I was reading a review of my Panasonic S97 HDMI DVD player by Christine Tham on Audioholics. 0 dBFS+ is illegal (in digital audio). It is a distortion of an audio signal above the absolute digital audio amplification level ceiling of 0 dB. It can hide on your CDs from the original mastering (loudness wars), appear when your digital music files are “normalized” (like iTunes’ and your iPod’s “Sound Check”) and be introduced by an upsampling DAC while converting the signal to analog.

Continue reading im in ur dac, clippin ur t00nz

Popularity: 6% [?]

In my post “How to Camouflage Your Hi-Fi System for Higher WAF” I called for a modular, fine, antiqued wood paneling system that would make your high tech CD player look like a antique decoration instead of ugly kit. At least one audio component manufacturer agrees: DIY Paradise.

For the past week I’ve been obsessively searching for an affordable outboard DAC to improve the performance of my Airport Express (haven’t found anything that I can afford that will outperform my Onkyo TX-DS989’s DAC, but I’ll post a survey of what I’ve found). Along the way I found the Monica 2 DAC in a Jewelry Box at DIY paradise. You can buy the DAC as a bare bones DIY PCB up to a fully built model in a high grade aluminum case. Another option is to conceal the electronics in an antique jewelry box. The above pictures give you the idea. I have no idea if it’s a good idea to set a DAC PCB on velvet (probably not).

The Monica 2 is well regarded on forums (like head-fi.org where I first read about it). As an audiophile, you have to ask yourself if the wood enclosure gives the DAC a different sonic character than aluminum. Falsely transferring visual asthetics to sonic ones you could guess that the jewelry box sounds warmer, fuller with lots of treble “sparkle”; the normal aluminum case is cold and hard and analytical. Heh.

So now that we have a real world example of a camoflaged hi-fi component do think it’s a good idea or just a novelty. I wonder if DIY Paradise sells many of these compared to the fully assembled aluminums.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Could a clever engineer record a rock band with only two microphones like an audiophile jazz or classical recording set up? Has anyone ever tried?

The twenty-some members of Broken Social Scene got me through my morning commute. For an indie rock band that’s enough members to accommodate two full drum kits, a percussion station, a half dozen electric guitars and basses, a horn section, a string section and everybody singing, chanting and clapping. The supergroup has a big sound that isn’t always recorded all that well (the self-titled album from this morning sounded best). Could a band of this size’s sound improve with a different type of recording? Is multi-track, discrete recording always the answer for amplified rock? What if we recorded BSS in an acoustically controlled space with just two mikes?

Continue reading Recording Rock Like Classical

Popularity: 5% [?]

We’re being invaded by France.

HCFR (named after the homecinema-fr.com forums) is a free video calibration tool for Windows. The program is developed by some French forum DIYers who designed their own colorimeter and needed software to take readings and calibrate their home theater video devices. The software also works with X-Rite DTP-94 and Colorvision Spyder2 sensors (no support for Eye One Pro yet, though there is hope as Spyder2 support was added in less than a month).

I discovered HCFR just a few days ago through this AVS Forum Display Calibration Thread. The thread is long and mostly covers discussions of Gamma calculation math, comparisons to other, more expensive, software like Calman, and users posting their results. It was very hard to find concrete answers on how to use the software to calibrate a display. Once I tried the software last night with a Spyder2, I found out why: the interface is very intuitive and it holds your hand through the process.

Continue reading HowTo - HCFR - Free Video Projector Calibration Software

Popularity: 15% [?]

Fuzzy just posted this video he shot of my co-worker and I Wii Sports Boxing during the office holiday party. I’m pretty sure the dancing doesn’t help your avatar get back up from a knock out, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I’m the spaz closest to the camera in the brown sweater. Enjoy.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Slim Device’s self-proclaimed audiophile grade network music player, the Transporter ($1999), is highly recommended by Soundstage AV’s Doug Schneider. After going over its easy set up and sonic qualities (on par with similarly priced DACs, this is encouraging to hear as the Transporter’s quality to value ratio has been questioned by other reviews and random forum posts), he proclaims the Transporter the death of the stand alone CD transport as a high end digital source:

The Slim Devices Transporter marks a shift in the way we audiophiles play music, and I believe it signals the death of the CD transport. In fact, I think someone would be foolish to spend much money on a CD transport today. Have one, yes, but start thinking about other ways to store and stream your music — such as Slim Devices’ Transporter-SlimServer solution. It’s that good — and it’s the way of the future. It just happens to be here today.

Awesome. I can stop my search for a new CD player, ignore MSNBC’s bad advice to buy an old Playstation as an “audiophile” CD player (I looked into this a few months ago and the PS1’s are hard to source and it takes way too much work to get the game machine to sound nice (and not even “audiophile” nice, just better than many DVD players and cheap CD players), this site has info on all the mods) and be satisfied with my computer music over a network player like the Transport (or my more humble Airport Express and Sony PSP set up which I still need to find a batter DAC for than my Onkyo TX-DS989 AV Receiver).

Popularity: 3% [?]

Paige (and I) need a Nintendo Wii. Fortunately, for my pocketbook, none are available.

Nintendo has a six Wii strong demo kiosk strategically placed behind the children’s playground at my local mall. We passed it while wandering around the mall after Paige’s visit with a real-beard Santa (who thought she was telling him she was a good girl instead of really asking him for Groovy Girl dolls). After lunch, Beth, my wife, and I split up so she could shop for baby boy clothes at H&M and I could take Paige to play Wii Sports Boxing.

Rounding the corner to the kiosk, it looked like a large crowd had formed but they evaporated by the time we got there (it was hard to tug Paige past the play area). I asked the Nintendo rep if he had Boxing (I wanted to recreate this video of a spastic toddler with the right hook, left jab and fancy footwork). We followed him to the other side of the kiosk but Boxing wasn’t loaded on any of the machines (I think the Wii’s had weird demo discs with limited features).

Continue reading Cute Toddler Moment - Fishing with Link at the Nintendo Wii Kiosk

Popularity: 7% [?]

The Oyaide Carbon Fiber Wall Plate, available through Music Direct, has me scratching my head. I cannot figure out how an aluminum and carbon fiber AC receptacle wall plate can have any effect on the sound of your hi-fi.

Music Direct’s copy:

OYAIDE/CARBON FIBER WALL PLATE (Without Outlet)

Not only the coolest looking wall plate ever designed, this one has technology to back it up! The Oyaide Wall Plate Mounting Frame is milled from 13mm thick, solid aluminum, machined from a single block. Check out the picture of the rear, this is not an outer frame, but an essential part of the rigidity and resonance damping properties of the wall plate! The Carbon Fiber front panel is fully shielded, non-resonant and non-magnetic. This is the first link in your entire audio system, so don’t skimp on the A/C connection! 100% Money Back Guarantee!

Note: Although the picture shows an Oyaide XXX inserted into the wall plate, the Wall Plate does not in fact come with an outlet.

Continue reading Oyaide Carbon Fiber Wall Plate - The $200 Tin Foil Hat of Audiophile Tweaks

Popularity: 7% [?]

Thank goodness this is art and not an actual turntable. The 2.5 cc Turntable’s combustion engine would at least hop the cartridge’s needle out of the groove, if not shatter your favorite vinyl LP.

The designer’s explanation (the site is in Flash and I didn’t feel like retyping, so this is a screen shot, sorry):

So, I guess my new title should be “Best Ironic Turntable Design Ever that Fulfills Your Secret Desires.”

(Via Boing Boing and Ektopia)

Popularity: 3% [?]