Geek with Family

The Fatman iTube is a new two piece integrated tube amp from TLAudio that docks any iPod except the shuffle (or my pre-dock, normal FireWire iPod, I assume). If I already didn’t have my convoluted Airtunes-DAC-Rogue Audio 99 Tube Preamp setup, the iTube would make a handsome addition to my listening room with its exposed tubes, laser etched chrome finish and wood block die cut around the tube seats (maybe it’s even maple, everyone knows how good maple sounds, just ask Mapleshade).

From the product description:

We present the Fatman iTube Valve Dock. This unit features a docking station that is compatible with all iPods (except Shuffle). You can control the iPod functions via the remote control – allowing you to sit back and relax whilst enjoying your favourite music and movies (yes, you can watch the movies and images on your TV too !) In addition to this we have developed a matching valve amplifier. This provides the classic audio characteristics of valves, improving the listening experience and adding value to your iPod system. The amplifier can also take alternative sound sources to allow for more audio options as well as a video output to connect video enabled iPods to your TV!

I know the iPod is more than just music now, I just hope the extra video circuitry doesn’t add any noise to the audio stream.

Shiny.

[via Boingboing and Gizmodo]

Popularity: 4% [?]

I’ve mentioned Babelcolor in the last couple posts about calibration. The application can sample and convert between any color space and profile. I checked it out because it is the only third party Mac application (it’s available for PC too) that can accept xyY readings (important for certain calibration Excel spread sheets) from the Eye One Pro in emissive or ambient modes. I was surprised to find it does everything I need to calibrate my Sanyo PLV-Z3 projector in its trial mode.

Continue reading Babelcolor - Mac OS X Utility for Eye One Pro and Projector Calibration

Popularity: 5% [?]

Google SketchUp was released a few days ago for Mac OS X. I’ve been waiting for this one to render my real and imagined home theater rooms and electronic components in all their detail.

Searching through Google’s 3D Warehouse (keywords: hifi, electronics, audio, HDTV, etc.), I found many SketchUp users already had the same idea. After a quick search, I discovered three or four nicely detailed theater or listening rooms. One SketchUp-er created super nice replica’s of his Classé system including CD player, processor and amp. You can download and edit or use any of the models as components in your own SketchUp constructions. This is a great way to learn the application by reverse engineering other’s hard work.

Continue reading Google SketchUp for Mac OS X - Render Your Home Electronics in 3D

Popularity: 4% [?]

I stayed up until 3 a.m. Friday night running between my computer and listening rooms. I was trying to push a high bit, expanded frequency WAV music file from my Mac Mini’s iTunes to my Airport Express’s connected to my hi-fi set up. This experiment failed but I learned something that will make me pursue a new experiment that I always thought silly before.

Continue reading PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party - Update - 24-88.2 Upsampling

Popularity: 3% [?]

Curious to find any electronic mods for the Airport Express, I ran across this tip for improved iTunes fidelity on a Mac: switch your MIDI controls to 24 bits.

On a Mac, launch the Audio MIDI Setup.app from your Utilities folder. Change the Audio Output controls on the Audio Devices tab to 88200.0 Hz/2ch-24bit for all sources as in the screen shot. You can actually switch the settings while iTunes is playing for A/B comparisons.

Continue reading PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party - 24-88.2 Upsampling

Popularity: 3% [?]

Toddler_o_Geek and I danced until bedtime Sunday night.

We started out with Gnarls Barkley (didn’t get us moving) and quickly switched to Futureheads. I pogoed, my daughter stomped. I made the mistake of pogoing toward her instead of just side to side, we then went into full chase mode—I was still dancing (a series of spastic kicks, arms flailing and hopping like a frog) and she screamed around the room as fast as she can navigate the furniture. We got through "Alms" before bathtime (I was freaking her out with my expert lip-synching at this point).

I can enjoy myself while dancing because I don’t have to wonder if the music sounds good or not. I don’t have to go upstairs to find a new CD in my armoire and then eject the playing CD and load the new one. My musical desires are answered by pressing left, up, right, down and X. I control my whole music collection through my Sony PSP and Coverbuddy on my Mac Mini. Convenience and fun overshadow audiophilia and tweaking. My initial experience with this music server wasn’t as fun.

Continue reading PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party - Listening Test

Popularity: 6% [?]

Now that I have my Mac Mini set up to deliver my whole iTunes library to my listening room through Airtunes with Sony PSP remote control, I needed to rewire my hi-fi components. The goal: deliver the digital Airtunes signal through the best DAC in the path and passing the analog signal cleanly through to my loudspeakers. I have no budget, so I must only use components I already own.

I also wanted to test how much I could combat the compressed audio feed’s nasties in the analog realm. My weapons: Taddeo Digital Antidote II and Rogue Audio Magnum 99 Preamp. One of these components won the battle and the other almost lost the whole war.

Continue reading PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party Hi-Fi Wiring

Popularity: 9% [?]

Not able to afford an additional $2500 investment in remote music server hi-fi equipment I had to make due with music server components I already owned: Airport Express, Mac Mini, Onkyo TX-DS989 AV Receiver and a Rogue Audio Magnum 99 Preamp. With some additional software on my Mac Mini I could remote control the music served to the remote system in my listening room with my Sony PSP.

Continue reading PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party Software Setup

Popularity: 7% [?]

Inspired by the "Creating an Audiophile Music Server" blog, I set up a user-friendly music server that I can control from my main listening room. Using my Sony PSP as a remote, I can play, pause, skip any song on any album in my iTunes library.

Overjoyed with this new freedom of musical whim and access mixed with hi-fi, the family broke into two spontaneous dance parties over the weekend. Toddler_o_Geek loves the Jaxx.

Continue reading PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Hi-Fi Music Server Dance Party - Introduction

Popularity: 14% [?]

I’ve never bought entertainment software for convenience’s sake. If I try to purchase something I already own, Wife_o_Geek vetoes with, "Don’t you already have that? We need diapers." I can’t smell a dirty diaper while riding the train to work, watching Samurai Champloo on my PSP. We move out of electronics and into the baby aisle.

Why buy expensive UMDs and iPod TV Videos from the iTunes Music Store? You can rip and re-encode the DVDs you own, right? Not so fast, that’s illegal and you’ll get sued by the MPAA.

When dealing with electronic forms of entertainment you want your money to go toward improvements to the experience: higher resolutions, bigger screens, more surround sound channels, crisper and clearer, less noise, whatever. You may have a hard time paying for tiny resolution, formatted for a 2 inch screen, mono or stereo sound (Dolby Pro Logic II on headphones with some UMD titles), and compressed and noisy audio and video.

Continue reading Mobile Video Convenience versus Home Theater Quality

Popularity: 6% [?]