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Re:The next phase of the war should start soon. by EastCoastSurfer · 2001-07-12 05:06 · Score: 1 · on 99% Blockage Isn't Good Enough, Says Napster Judge

You can already play mp3 cd's with these.

quiet power supply by suraklin · 2001-06-04 01:35 · Score: 1 · on Building Quieter Computers

Enermax makes a high quality quiet power supply that you can get at Bigfoot Computers.

I also use Dynamat sound and vibration matting from Crutchfield to block noise.

Re:Vapour is not necessarily bad... by Greenisus · 2001-05-23 00:13 · Score: 1 · on Linux Based MP3 Stereo

Actually, there is a portable cd player that plays cds full of mp3 (and costs very little), which could easily be hooked up to a home stereo system (that's how I did it when I got my first cd player as a kid), and there is also a great line of in-dash receivers for your car that play standard cds as well as mp3 cds.

Re:Vapour is not necessarily bad... by Greenisus · 2001-05-23 00:13 · Score: 1 · on Linux Based MP3 Stereo

Actually, there is a portable cd player that plays cds full of mp3 (and costs very little), which could easily be hooked up to a home stereo system (that's how I did it when I got my first cd player as a kid), and there is also a great line of in-dash receivers for your car that play standard cds as well as mp3 cds.

Re:Quiet cases with water cooling by BlueJay465 · 2001-05-12 02:10 · Score: 2 · on Commercial Water Cooling, And Quiet

Wouldn't those noise dampening sheets that you can find for cars (ala Crutchfield) work in this scenario? They would be good since they are only 0.075" thick. And to line the inside of your PC wouldn't cost more than $50US

famous last words by phr1 · 2001-03-27 23:25 · Score: 1 · on Coming Soon: Burn-Proof CDs

From the Salon article:

"It is always possible that somebody somewhere will break the protection," concedes William H. Whitmore Jr., SunComm's vice president of marketing... "But it will be far too difficult for the average user."

Gee, how many times have we heard that one before? Didn't the cellphone and cable TV companies who are now whining about cloning, say something like that when they put weak encryption into their systems?

I'm baffled how this scheme will slow down ripping more than slightly. It sounds like it won't stop programs like CloneCD and Exact Copy. So people will just have to use different ripping software.

Sony (owner of several major record labels) has finally thrown in the towel and started selling an in-dash MP3 CD player. If copy protection takes off, I wonder what Sony will tell people who buy these MP3 players and then find they can't rip Sony copy-protected CD's to play in them.

do it right... by EuroBryce · 2001-01-12 22:35 · Score: 2 · on Playing MP3s, CDs And The Radio In Your Car?

Reading the AnandTech review of the Aiwa that was linked to elsewhere, it sounds like the unit has the overall quality of the Nomad Jukebox. Which is to say, it'll play MP3s, but overall the device is crap. I have a Nomad because it solved my immediate desire to transport MP3s from home to the car and office, but as soon as something better comes along it'll become a hand-me-down for my kid brother or go on eBay.

I rejected the Aiwa and Kenwood MP3 head units because I have better things to do than burn my MP3 collection back to CD. I also worry about the longevity of CDRs subjected to the abuse of being in the car (heat, scratching, etc). Another MP3 option that hasn't been mentioned is the "PhatNoise", a modular 2.5" hard-drive unit that emulates an OEM CD changer. The plus side to it is that it provides "Stealth MP3", but their site has been around for quite a while and they still aren't shipping.

I'd have bought an empeg for my car, but unfortunately it will not be coming back to America with me (some stupid law about airbags) and I don't want to go through the hassle of re-installing the factory system when I sell it. The drawbacks to the empeg are:

Price
AM/FM tuner isn't shipping yet
No CD option

#1: Nothing can be done about that. If you aren't geek enough to spend whatever it takes to building the baddest MoFo vehicle that plays MP3s and runs Linux, Slashdot can't help you. Sorry. Perhaps you need to find a better job or re-locate somewhere with a lower cost-of-living.

The empeg also does not provide an amplified signal, which is an additional cost if your car doesn't already have an amplifier. You can get around that by slaving the empeg to a head-unit that does have an amplifier (see #2).

#2: I personally don't care about the tuner, but for true NPR die-hards the empeg does have RCA line outputs AND inputs, which means that you can plug the empeg into a standard head unit (or vice-versa). If your dash doesn't have a double-DIN stereo slot, you'll need to do some hacking. GM and Chrysler "DIN-and-a-half" designs usually have enough space around them to build a double-DIN space. Don't risk screwing up your own dash with a dremel tool, pay a professional installer to do it (if it's a friend's dash, and they're offering beer, go for it ;-)

On other single-DIN cars, like my present BMW E36 and my former Mustang, there is often a storage area in the dash that happens to be single-DIN sized. In the case of the Mustang, that space was actually designed to hold a factory single CD player. Again, don't mess up your own dash, seek the help of a professional installer. And the fools at Best Buy do not qualify as professionals. Get a recommendation from that friend of yours who ripped out his back seat to install three 18" subwoofers. If you don't have such a friend, you need to get out more.

If your car doesn't have an available opening, it gets tricky. The glove box, armrest, and under-dash mounting (CB-style) are the primary possibilities. There is some possibility that you could hack a "detachable face" unit to put the display and controls somewhere convenient, but I would strongly recommend that you just replace the car (see #1).

#3: You have three choices for CD playback. You can go the route mentioned in #2, using a full head-unit to provide CD playback. Or you can buy a stand-alone in-dash CD unit, similar to what Ford offers for the Mustang. Sony's CDX-1000RF is one example that provides RCA outputs. Or you can buy a CD changer that has it's own controls, just make sure that it provides RCA outputs. Many use a single RCA-style jack to run to an external FM modulator, this is not the same thing. Be sure to check the manual before buying, never trust the sales guy (especially if it's at Best Buy or any other chain).

For "once in a blue moon" CD use, you could also rig up a Discman to the empeg's RCA inputs. It's a crappy way to do it, but if the desire to play CDs will be very infrequent, it's good enough...

-Bryce

my two cents by xjesus · 2001-01-10 11:29 · Score: 2 · on What Audio System Powers Your Home Theater?

I agree with the people that suggest buying used. I bought a decent pair of speakers, a receiver, sub and sub amp for $500 that would have retailed for over $2000 brand new. I would suggest putting more money into the speakers than into the reciever. Be sure that the reciever can do the popular digital DVD formats, at least Dolby digital and DTS (you will probably have to buy the reciever new). As for the speakers i would go used here, and try to get a decent pair of speakers for L and R, and go a little smaller for center and surrounds (but don't get the tiny little things). And go for a decent sub and let the dealer know the size of your room (larger sub for larger volumes of room space). I have a 12" and it is probably to big for my space, but i got a deal on it.

It's a shame that they got a TV that's capable of 480progressive inputs and they didn't get a DVD player that can ouput it. I would have suggested spending the extra few hundred bucks to get a DVD player that supports progressive scan output and also could handle the new DVD-Audio discs (just incase they make it big). The JVC XVD723GD can handle both of these and can be had under $600 here and also at Crutchfield. If you don't know what progressive scan is, think the difference between the oldschool computer monitors that were interlaced, and the newer mutlisync ones (progressive scan). You can definitely see a difference.

I was at CES this past weekend and there were some really great home theater demo setups. Almost all of them either had projecters (with 100+" screens) or one of those plasma TV's. I'm personaly holding out to get a decent projector that i could also run my computer through (nothing like a 100" monitor that can do 1920 by 1080 ;) On those setups you really start to see the limitations of DVD 480i compared to HDTV 1080i (even when the DVD was line quadrupled to HDTV resolution). I'll be spoiled forever after seeing those demos (the equipment at the DTS home theater demo added up to over 1M$)... oh well, i can dream can't I.

have fun shopping...

Here's what you need by llzackll · 2001-01-10 02:48 · Score: 1 · on What Audio System Powers Your Home Theater?

Get one of These!

They sound better...

Speakers should take up more than 50%---think 70% by rsw · 2001-01-10 01:31 · Score: 1 · on What Audio System Powers Your Home Theater?

Since you're only planning on spending $1500, it's important to make sure that you don't overspend on your receiver and end up with bad speakers. If you're spending any more than $500 on your receiver, you're spending too much.

For receivers, I'd recommend you look at the following (you can compare their relevant features at Crutchfield.com, even if you plan on buying from somewhere else):

Onkyo TX-DS484
Onkyo TX-DS575X
Sony STR-DE845
Sony STR-DB840
Yamaha HTR-5240

As to speakers, spend as much as you possibly can on them. I'm very serious when I say this---the more you spend, the better they'll sound. Some people recommend Bose, but with only about $1000-$1200 to spend after getting your receiver, you'll get more for your money with other speaker manufacturers, such as Cambridge Soundworks.

Make sure that you buy speakers whose sonic quailties compliment each other. You'll also want to consider whether to get dipole or bipole radiator rear speakers (although Cambridge Soundworks makes at least one set of rears that switches between them---I have them and they're great). I'd recommend the Cambridge Soundworks MovieWorks 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System (or the less expensive MovieWorks II if your budget is constrained).

I'm spending all of your money, but when you watch a movie like The Matrix you'll know where it went. Remember, no matter what you choose, choose a receiver that meets your requirements and then spend everything you can on speakers. If you only spend 50% of your money on speakers you'll be disappointed. 70% is much more appropriate.

Re:There is only one choice by CryoSpec · 2001-01-10 00:45 · Score: 1 · on What Audio System Powers Your Home Theater?

Good call on the speakers, but I would go with Onkio for the receiver. Of course, he wants to keep it cheap. I was able to build a nice system for about $1500 (mostly stuff from uBid) using Infinity speakers. Of course I would have gotten a different TV. Bad thing is though, right now I have an InFocus LCD projector and da-lite screen. Nothing compares to 120 inches! (no, I am not a rich bastard with nothing better to do, I got the 6k projector for under 3k and it's still on my damn credit card) a pretty good system would be:
Reciever
left and right speakers + subs
rear speakers
center
Of course, you need to be sure and use Monster cable.

Cambridge Soundworks by CybSirius · 2001-01-10 00:43 · Score: 1 · on What Audio System Powers Your Home Theater?

This Christmas, I gave my parents a DeskTop Theater 5.1 DTT2500 Digital from Cambridge Soundworks. Although it is intended as a sound system for a computer, it works very well as a home theater system.

What impresses me the most about this system is the number of inputs that are available and the fact that everything you need to set it up is included in the box.

The sound quality for such an inexpensive system is very good. I am building my own home theater setup in the very near future and I plan to buy one of these systems for myself. For those that are interested, I already have a Sony DVP-S360 DVD Player and I am planning to add the Sony KV-32FV26 32" Direct View television and the JVC HR-S3800 Super VHS HiFi VCR.