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I have a 45 year old GE portable AM radio, and a 40+ year old Marantz stereo receiver that still works fine. Gameboys are very robust and can possibly take more physical abuse (my son's still works fine), but they have many years to go to catch up with some of these other things.

Why doesn anyone make an iPOD type device that will record in STEREO with manual level adjustment and both line in and mic in?

Well, there is the Edirol R-1, although it uses flash rather than a tiny hard drive. (Although I think it can use type II CompactFlash and thus 2GB CF microdrives, but I'm not sure about that.)

Or, if you want to get a little more serious, there is the Edirol R-4 (with 40 GB hard drive) or the Marantz PMD670. Neither of these last two is nearly as tiny as the iPod. In fact, they're pretty bulky, but they definitely do the job. And they both have XLR microphone inputs (with phantom power) so you can plug in a good microphone. (Warning: good microphones cost a lot of money.)

Now, you may complain that these devices are too big or too expensive, but you did say you want manual input levels and other things that imply you want to make a quality recording, so that's how you do it. :-)

• Shedding Some Coherent Light on CD-R
• CD-R Media Longevity
• The New Dyes Cast: Mapping the CD-R Media Market
• Which disks to use [Marantz]
• CD Factories

The reason is explained on the above-mentioned page:
"This output is not currently activated from the factory - We are awaiting approval from the DVD working group (Legal issues regarding copyrights, etc). When approval is granted, we will post the code to activate this feature on our website. Please feel free to call us with any questions."
It seems that Marantz, not wanting to endanger their DVD license, are awaiting approval for this. I wonder if someone has leaked this code out into the public yet.

Aside of this it is rather hard to even find this player currently, just like the Bravo, since it is rather new. The price is not too bad considering that someone that wants a HDCP DVI output on their DVD player likely already has an expensive HDTV or similar tv or projector that is solidly in the 'expensive' budget class. The cheaper TVs simply do not have an appropriate DVI input anyway.

Marantz has been offerring devices similar to this for quite some time. Check out the RC9200 and RC5200. They offer a serial port connection for easy connection to a PC to get more codes installed.

They are also available in the United States.

Yes, I could program a "universal remote", but it would lack the necesary buttons.

Not if you get a good one. Get thee hence to Marantz's home page and check out their RC5000i programmable remote. It does a lot more than a $20 generic you pick up at Best Buy.

• Loads of real physical buttons that you can navigate by feel.
• 32, custom named buttons for each of 10 components.
• Optional RF adapter so you can use it through walls.
• "Clone" feature if you happen to own two of them.

It has a few disadvantages, all minor, IMO:

1. It only has 4 Macro keys available, luckily I only need one for my use
2. It's a "learning only" remote so it takes a while to program (you can't just enter in codes)
3. It's a little bit unbalanced with the batteries at the front end.

-alanh

• Loads of real physical buttons that you can navigate by feel.
• 32, custom named buttons for each of 10 components.
• Optional RF adapter so you can use it through walls.
• "Clone" feature if you happen to own two of them.

It has a few disadvantages, all minor, IMO:

1. It only has 4 Macro keys available, luckily I only need one for my use
2. It's a "learning only" remote so it takes a while to program (you can't just enter in codes)
3. It's a little bit unbalanced with the batteries at the front end.

-alanh

Old Skool Marantz makes some impressive programmable remotes, I use one myself and control everything from the Receiver to the Digital Cable Terminal. In particular the RC5000i. Here are some of the Features...

- Illuminated LCD touch-screen display with ''virtual'' buttons that re-name themselves according to the component selected
- Large memory capacity to accommodate hundreds of control screens and programming of A/V systems of any size
- Preprogrammed IR code library and exclusive MDL (Marantz Digital Learning) quickly clones your existing remote controls
- Windows® PC programming software enables easy programming customization including adding photos and artwork to display screens
- Rechargeable battery and companion docking station keeps RC5000i charged at all times
Convenient Macro keys store commands that can be sent automatically in sequence
- One-touch access to all controls of any component, via unique Marantz tab-style navigation
- Built-in screen layouts for dozens of component types
- Animated help files demonstrate how to program from your existing remote controls
Programmable Instant Surf buttons jump from one channel to any other channel at the touch of a single button
- Home panel can be personalized with a custom greeting

other names are less recognizable like Arcam , Marantz, Rega , Rotel , NAD, and Nakamichi . But all make superlative gear for less than you'd think.

my habit has recently been Krell and Vandersteen

above all, any audiophile will tell you to listen, make adjustments, and buy and enjoy what sounds the best. all it takes is love of music

I would highly recommend this changer for anyone concerned about playback of CD-Rs and CD-RWs.

Marantz also makes this beauty:

http://www.marantz.com/db/?MIval=h_product_full&pr od_id=496

No, I don't work for Marantz, but I have owned some of their products for quite a while. Great stuff!

I would highly recommend this changer for anyone concerned about playback of CD-Rs and CD-RWs.

Marantz also makes this beauty:

http://www.marantz.com/db/?MIval=h_product_full&pr od_id=496

No, I don't work for Marantz, but I have owned some of their products for quite a while. Great stuff!

First and formost, remember that all audio/video enthusiasts have their own likes and dislikes that won't match yours, so take all advice and opinions with a grain of salt. Your ears are the only ones that matter. If you do your homework, you'll end up okay. That being said, here's my $0.02.

I'm a big Marantz fan. In my opinion, Marantz moves towards or equals high end products like Acurus, Adcom, Mark Levinson and others. But they also have a wide range of receivers in your price range. Check out the SR4000, for example.I've got the SR7000 (@$750) and absolutely love it.

I agree with other posters that speakers are the most important. Spend the most you can on speakers. In your price range, I'd check out the smaller Paradigm, Tannoy, or B&W speakers. If you're looking for a sub/sat system on a tight budget, check out Energy Take-5($500 for the set, if I remember correctly). Then get what you can for your receiver.

It's also important to note that speakers and receivers don't necessarily "match", i.e. they might sound crappy together but with different equipment might sound fantastic. So if you buy the receiver and speakers at the same time, make sure to listen to them together and not on the equipment that the dealer has set up. If you buy one before the other, bring it with you when you go to audition.

Last word of advice: audition, audition, audition. A good dealer will give you the remote control and let you test to your heart's content. Bring your favorite CDs. A wide range of material is good. Also bring a couple DVD's to check out the DD/DTS sound as well. Don't let anyone bully you into making a purchase or offer a "one time sale"...if they do, do you really want to buy your equipment from them?

Good luck!

--
Americans are bred for stupidity.

If you're serious about your home theatre and you prefer to have top quality system, then shelling out around $300 for a remote is a drop in the hat. I can easily pay that much for speaker wires. Trying to play around with the Palm just doesn't seem worth it, and buying an "all-in-one" for $30 will definetly not work no matter what the pretty box says.

I came across a remote that has it all about a year ago:
Marantz RC2000
It's programmable, has a large LCD screen that you can change, and it can control almost anything including your Craftmatic Adjustable Bed. It was ~$250 when I checked it out, it's probably cheaper now.

I just noticed that they have made a newer, sleaker model. It looks great, and it comes with software to program the device. It even has a rechargeable battery pack. I don't know the price on this one, but I'd say in the $300-400 range.

So if you want a quality product to go along with your high quality system, go with the Marantz, or the Harman Kardon. If you just want a cheap fix, go with the other solutions. You will get what you pay for.

--cr

If you're serious about your home theatre and you prefer to have top quality system, then shelling out around $300 for a remote is a drop in the hat. I can easily pay that much for speaker wires. Trying to play around with the Palm just doesn't seem worth it, and buying an "all-in-one" for $30 will definetly not work no matter what the pretty box says.

I came across a remote that has it all about a year ago:
Marantz RC2000
It's programmable, has a large LCD screen that you can change, and it can control almost anything including your Craftmatic Adjustable Bed. It was ~$250 when I checked it out, it's probably cheaper now.

I just noticed that they have made a newer, sleaker model. It looks great, and it comes with software to program the device. It even has a rechargeable battery pack. I don't know the price on this one, but I'd say in the $300-400 range.

So if you want a quality product to go along with your high quality system, go with the Marantz, or the Harman Kardon. If you just want a cheap fix, go with the other solutions. You will get what you pay for.

--cr

Too the best of my knowledge (I've looked around a bit) there are no consumer level products that support true Dolby Digital format (preferably with a digital output). Creative labs Live cards support 4 speakers, but not a true 5.1 dolby digital, though they sometimes make it seem like it does by advertising their speakers (cambridge soundworks) as Dolby Digital or whatever. They are not. But the card does have an SPDIF output, which will allow you to connect it to a high quality stereo with a good D/A converter.

I recommend what a previous poster had said, get a high quality Dolby Digital reciever (or seperate components if you can afford them). Regular Sony models and most other basic brands Marantz, Harmon-Kardon and others for good quality sound which can be had for around $1000 (US), or less. I have a Proceed system, but expect to pay $10k+ for something of that caliber (along with Krell and others).

If you get such a reciever, make sure it has at least 2 (preferably more) RCA SPDIF inputs. That way you can use the SPDIF (Dobly Digital) output from your MPEG decoder that the DVD is attached to and the SPDIF of a soundcard to the reciever using a RCA cable. This will move the digital to analog processing OUT of the computer, into the reciever, which has much higher quality components and a much reduced noise floor.

Combine the reciever will a high quality set of speakers and a subwoofer and you have an incredible home theater system. Important: Don't skimp on speakers any more then the reciever. DO NOT BUY BOSE SPEAKERS!!! There are far better quality and better sounding brands that cost less money. Bose, like Microsoft, is based on marketing, the quality of their products is inferior to many others. Go for a traditional bookshelf or floor standing speaker as opposed to Bose type mini cubes (if you get floor standers you may be able to forgo getting a subwoofer initially, though it is recommended). B&W offers some of the finest loudspeakers available, from $250 to $40,000. I highly recommend the 300 and 600 series for an affordable home theater. Match it with a Velodyne subwoofer, and you have a system to die for.

Sorry if I rambled a little off topic here, but Audio is hobby of mine :-) I have a similar situation in my dorm room. Next I want to get a video projecter with a d-sub or RGB input so I can connect my computer to it and project my DVD's on a huge screen!

Spyky