Quote: Originally Posted by MichaelFranks ONE WORD PLEXTOR Five years ago I would have agreed completely. Today, as far as ripping goes, there's little reason to pay the Plextor premium. The Lite-On I'm using now is every bit as good and reliable as the Plextors I've used in...

Quote: Originally Posted by enzoferrari650 ONE WORD, WRONG SECTION. i think the computer as source section would fit this thread better. Or possibly the members lounge. Uh, isn't that two words?

I have a Lite-On DVD reader (sorry, don't remember the model) that does a great job on ripping CDs using EAC. I paid about $50 for it a year ago. I wouldn't mess with a CD-only drive at this point. The DVD readers are only marginally more expensive, do an excellent job on CDs, and bring DVD to...

I'll second the suggestion of MP3 Tag Studio. It makes it very easy to go from file name (including path) to ID3 or ID3 to file name. I use it all the time, particularly when preparing files for burning to CD (which doesn't like the really long file names I typically use).

I've had the 350 for almost two years now. I use it pretty much every day during the week. Sometimes for just an hour or so, sometimes for several hours. Overall I'm quite pleased. The battery life is reasonable, particularly when using both the internal gumsticks and the external batteries...

When trying to physically reconstitute a CD, be VERY careful of the TOP side of the CD. On the bottom there's a fairly thick layer of plastic between the surface and the actual data, but on the top the data is protected only by a very thin layer of material and the label. Scratches on the bottom...

I have an IMP-350. Like the IMP-450, it uses rechargeable gumstick batteries ($20 for a pair from the iRiver online store). It also came with a external battery tube that holds 2-AA batteries. With fully charged internal batteries and fresh batteries in the tube, the thing will play for well...

Quote: I found some of the smaller Pelican cases (1120 and 1150) for $18 & $21, respectively. Is that for the ones with the Pick 'N' Pluck foam? If so, those are excellent prices... about 10% cheaper than the best prices I've found.

The Pelican case would be great if you were shipping the Ipod or putting it in your luggage instead of carrying it with you. Otherwise it's likely to just get in the way. I have several flashlights that use the small lithium batteries and recently bought a Pelican case designed specifically...

Quote: O, and I don't do it a lot, I'd say I will randomly change songs every 15-20 minutes or so, maybe 5-10 minutes, but rarely. It's not like it's morally wrong; you just have to realize you're burning battery time every time you change tracks. If you don't mind the reduced battery...

Quote: Also switching from CBR file to VBR (which is a good thing), will reduce your battery life slightly also. Why? I would think 128kbps CBR and VBR that averages 128kbps would use pretty much the same amount of juice.

One more vote for idealsound. I bought from them on ebay with no trouble at all. As others have said, for classical you'll probably be happier with the ER4S, but you'll need a separate amp if you go that way. If you can't afford the amp, go with the ER4P or go $20 over your limit and get the...

Quote: I think the common wisdom part was referring to running outside on the sidewalk/streets. I was trying to point out that the "common wisdom" was making some assumptions that were not, well, "wise". Quote: Personally, I find the canalphones isolating to the point that I...

Quote: Of course it's not suitable to use isolating canalphones for running. Actual common wisdom dictates this. I don't believe common wisdom dictates anything of the kind, at least not without further information. Running on a closed track or on a treadmill or possibly even on an...

A few weeks ago somebody posted a link to a site that had some self-administered hearing tests available over the web. Unfortunately, I don't have the URL handy. Getting the test volume calibrated can be a bit tricky, but if you can manage that then this site will allow you to play test tones at...

I have Etys. I don't run (unless being chased), but I've experienced the same heartbeat effect even when sitting still. I suspect all canal phones will do the same due to pressue on the surrounding tissues and direct transmission of the rushing blood sound. It's possible that custom ear pieces...

Quote: I think the argument about limiting power outputs on portable audio can be easily related to speed limits on roads, it's there for the general protection of the majority. A closer analogy would be if government mandated that fuel can be provided to the engine no faster than...

Quote: Not necessarily, and I for one think the volume limitation is a total waste of time. If it was a VOLUME limitation, it might actually make some sense. The problem is that the player has no idea what SPL is entering your ear canal, so all it can do is limit the signal. Another...

If you're starting from scratch, you might want to have a look at MythTV. It goes beyond what you've asked for, but I'm pretty sure it can meet your basic requirements. With a bit of extra hardware (like an Hauppauge PVR-350) it can also record and play back TV shows without straining the CPU...

Isn't the CC warranty you describe a one-use thing? Once you get the gift card you're on your own, right? You can buy the same item again, but you have to pay for the warranty again too. At least that's what I've read.

When you say the remote is loose, what exactly do you mean? This really sounds like something BestBuy is not going to be able to fix. They're probably going to need to replace the loose part or just give you a new unit. They can rip the guts out of computers and shove in new parts, but fixing...

CDex, if used in the rip-it-right-no-matter-how-long-it-takes mode (I don't recall how CDex refers to it), should be pretty much the equal of EAC as far as ripping goes. EAC was first to the party with the highly accurate ripping modes and tends to get the nod more often if only for that reason...

Gorgeous? Ah, this must be some new use of the term 'gorgeous' with which I'm not familiar.

Quote: Originally Posted by Sweet Spot Actually, I've had Media Center re-read discs/tracks a lot more than 2 times in order to get a good extrapolation... If you read carefully, you'll notice that I said Media Center will assume it has a good read when two reads IN A ROW are the...

Quote: Originally Posted by thewaka How can you possibly call the children "innocent"? The RIAA was forced to go after the guilty? It is protecting the children to let them get away with illegal activity by suing the p2p instead? (I am a parent.) The parents and the children should be...