[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Pa I've sort of found Jack's place a hostile environment without good prices; I prefer the place a block west of the Firehouse on the other side of the street.

Jack is in his 80s and is a great guy. He and Gun Parts on the east coast are the two prime parts dealers in the country. The environment you encountered was probably due to friction that developed in the retail store. Jack's daughter Nancy and his son-in-law Marty ran things. They recently divorced. Its moot anyhow as the retail operation is now closed.

First Stop is the store you alluded to and yes, they are great folks to deal with.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Pa I was enamored with the 801 Matrixes when they came out in the early 80's and could do nothing until a couple years ago about the B&W itch. I think I'll be set for a while now. Some people put mirrors on the back wall to make the room look bigger; sonex goes on my back wall to make the room "hear" bigger.

Speaker tastes are very personal, perhaps more so than headphones. Finding a brand or model that grabs you and then being able to acquire and enjoy them is one of life's great pleasures. It would seem that we've both been blessed.

Mirrors? I thought they were for ceilings? LOL

--Bob

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenW Nice!! I'd give anything to have my old reel to reel back along with my Yamaha and Nakamichi gear. Alas, everything is gone save a few old pieces. Beautiful setup! btw, I couldn't help but show my wife this shot as well as the other photos in this thread....especially the speakers as I've had that itch to do a nice speaker rig. Well, it didn't take long for our aesthetic differences to be revealed yet again. Heard some mumbling about "divorce"...."dead body"....of course, I'm not sure if the dead body was hers or mine! I'm betting mine. Heck, father's day is upon us. What's wrong with dad getting a nice speaker setup?? He deserves it....doesn't he...er....don't I??

Ken I couldn't agree with you more! But it must be in the nature of things for women to place form over function and men function over form when it comes to anything to be placed inside a house. Therein lies the great rub as many speaker systems dominate the rooms they're placed in. One exception that was recently introduced you might want to explore is from Klaus Bunge of Odyssey Audio (yes I'm a big fan of his products). They're SEAS speakers (if memory serves) in customizable wall mount flat panels.... basically picture frames that with your choice of print can integrate well with a room and a wife's desires yet, from those who have auditioned them, produce excellent sound. Anyhow it's a thought for your consideration.

--Bob

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot BobA, I have no choice about going digital. My personal specialty is 78s. Yes, I am crazy. But I'm having fun.

Steve,

I fully understand and frankly admire you for your enterprise. And no, you're NOT crazy!

--Bob

 

[Ticky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob A (SD) if any of you reading this want to really hear what Redbook CDs are capable of in a good speaker stereo system, try to find someone who has a Kusunoki style filterless DAC in their system and audition the sound You might just come to appreciate why we baby-boomers can't understand why you young folks are so satisfied with the compressed digital formats you download on the net.

Not satisfied.... just unable to afford those B&Ws 800s, Magneplanar, Meridians and Mckintosh'es. Drool....

But seriously, before I got the iPod, I usually went around without listening to music because my "portable" CDP + headroom + Etys + CD wallet is a pain in the b*tt to haul around. Now, I either use the Etys direct from the pod or (if I need my peripheral awareness) the Audio Technica ear sticks and pod.

Lower quality but more time spent listening. Somehow... I think my audiophilic pysche is never happier.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ticky Not satisfied.... just unable to afford those B&Ws 800s, Magneplanar, Meridians and Mckintosh'es. Drool.... But seriously, before I got the iPod, I usually went around without listening to music because my "portable" CDP + headroom + Etys + CD wallet is a pain in the b*tt to haul around. Now, I either use the Etys direct from the pod or (if I need my peripheral awareness) the Audio Technica ear sticks and pod. Lower quality but more time spent listening. Somehow... I think my audiophilic pysche is never happier.

Ah Ticky! Back on point and stated so much better than I have.

Yeah I've succumbed to convenience and like you have sacrificed quality in the process. While I admired the sound from my CDP/HeadRoom/Senns, it was definitely a package that although portable was cumbersome especially when packed out with a good selection of CDs.

My miniscule YP-T6/E2C package is portable in the truest sense of the word and with that comes the freedom to enjoy music where and when I want with narry a thought about inconveniences of carry. For that, again like you, I reluctantly sacrifice audio quality compared to the likes of the systems pictured in this thread

--Bob

 

[mr.karmalicious]

Point out oggenc to EAC, and you're set

.

 

[Old Pa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ticky Lower quality but more time spent listening. Somehow... I think my audiophilic pysche is never happier.

Thanks for bringing us back on topic, although it was a pleasant digression while it lasted . . .

 

[Ticky]

No problem'o folks.

I have many non-audiophile friends that love listening to music. And sometimes I wonder if we audiophiles have it right.

I mean, I used to do the whole "warm up the bi-amps, cable upgrades, tip-toe in the fronts speakers, align the 'sweet spot,' close eyes & concentrate" sphew just to listen to one, ONE, freaking CD.

Back in days before I became this audio lunatic, all I had was a small Kenwood stereo and a Sony Sports Walkman. And I'm beginning to think that I enjoyed music as much back then as I did now.

So, I'm now starting to get back to my "roots" a bit - to use my spare change to explore different types of music.

Still, doesn't hurt that I still have a nice headphone setup to enjoy the music with though.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.karmalicious Point out oggenc to EAC, and you're set .

The oggenc defaulted to "%l--alt-preset 128%l%h--alt-preset standard%h %s %d" instead of your "-q8" with the bit rate shown as "Quality 8(high)." Should I change the string to "-q8"?

Am I correct to think that OGG is a better alternative than LAME? I note that LAME defaults to a 192k bitrate.

--Bob

 

[mr.karmalicious]

I dunno, rip a track and see if that works. If not, I guess that you could use the one I do, but there are probably better ones out there.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.karmalicious I dunno, rip a track and see if that works. If not, I guess that you could use the one I do, but there are probably better ones out there.

I've tried OGG in 196K, and variable 112k and 128k, all with zip problems on the little YP-T6. And I finally determined what the Samsung Music Studio was ripping CDs at... 96k MP3. What I have decided is that 96k is an optimal compromise between quality and file size for this Flash Player. That bit rate allows me to put 15 CDs on the 512Mb YP-T6. Going to 196k would translate to more like 5 or 6 CDs. And while there is a detectable quality improvement, for me the trade off in numbers of CDs available at that bit rate to store on this tiny unit isn't worth that extra quality. So my YP-T6 choices with EAC seem to be LAME MP3@ 96k or OGG @ 112k variable although the later choice results in slightly bigger files and a few less CDs in playable storage.

--Bob

 

[mr.karmalicious]

It doesn't let you change the quality level? Weird. If you're happy with 96k MP3, lower bitrate ogg would sound the same while maybe allowing you to squeeze on another song...

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.karmalicious It doesn't let you change the quality level? Weird. If you're happy with 96k MP3, lower bitrate ogg would sound the same while maybe allowing you to squeeze on another song...

Oh EAC with either LAME or OGG does provide options:

And no, I'm not really happy with 96k at all

 

[Old Pa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob A (SD) And no, I'm not really happy with 96k at all

I got an Intel MP3 kit at the Cost of Co two years ago when the price had come down @$120 and into my curiosity range. Its best use for me was in downloading leader tracks for jazz albums from new artists that I was thinking about acquiring. The kit had a cassette adapter which also allowed me to play stuff in the car. But mostly it gathered dust because the sound quality was not so good and the software interface was pretty kledgey. Sounds like not all of the problems have been taken care of, but thanks for your contribution to the R&D fund.

 

[Bob A (SD)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Pa I got an Intel MP3 kit at the Cost of Co two years ago when the price had come down @$120 and into my curiosity range. Its best use for me was in downloading leader tracks for jazz albums from new artists that I was thinking about acquiring. The kit had a cassette adapter which also allowed me to play stuff in the car. But mostly it gathered dust because the sound quality was not so good and the software interface was pretty kledgey. Sounds like not all of the problems have been taken care of, but thanks for your contribution to the R&D fund.

OP,

I really wouldn't go that far as the issues are as much mine as a newbie to ripping CDs as anything else. Keep in mind too that I have accepted the limitations of a 512Mb flashdrive's storage. What I really need to do is take a couple songs and rip them three ways from Sunday and compare the results. Note above too that the command lines were empty without any quality parameters. I've been looking around the net for helpful hints on settings but have not been all that successful ferreting out the keys from the myriad stuff out there. I'm still confused about what the effects of quality and bit rate combinations provide (e.g. mid quality + high bit rate vs high quality + mid bit rate, etc.). But I'll get there

--Bob

PS I found this chart which is quite interesting. Lots of discussion about the best settings for flash players with folks opting for everything from Q5 down.


q -1 = 45 kbps
q 0 = 64 kbps
q 1 = 80 kbps
q 2 = 96 kbps
q 3 = 112 kbps
q 4 = 128 kbps
q 5 = 160 kbps
q 6 = 192 kbps
q 7 = 224 kbps