Re: MD: what is an SACD?
On Mon, Jan 29, 2001 at 09:35:01AM -0600, Francisco J. Huerta wrote: Uhm... don't think so. HDCD CDs are pseudo 20-bit encoded recordings, which, at least to my ears, don't sound any better than a standard CD (and the DCC and MoFi remastered CDs sound a lot better to me than HDCDs, too!). SACDs are a totally different animal, they don't use PCM, but rather a technique known as Direct Stream Digital. The frequency they work at is 1MHz. I believe the sampling frequency of DSD is 2.88224 MHz (64 * 44.1KHz). Bob -- Bob Willcox The reason we come up with new versions is not to [EMAIL PROTECTED]fix bugs. It's absolutely not. Austin, TX -- Bill Gates - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: what is an SACD?
On Sun, Jan 28, 2001 at 01:35:00PM -0800, Don Capps wrote: From: "Matthew Bullis" [EMAIL PROTECTED] I noticed this as a format that you can buy on CDNow.com for some albums. What is this format? Thanks a lot. SACD = Super Audio Compact Disc. It's a new high bitrate (24 bit word lengths) CD format developed by Sony. No, DSD does not use PCM encoded. Its a single bit encoding at 2.8224 MHz. Consequently it doesn't have a "word" length. It can, though, be easily converted into any of the common PCM formats. Bob -- Bob Willcox The reason we come up with new versions is not to [EMAIL PROTECTED]fix bugs. It's absolutely not. Austin, TX -- Bill Gates - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: what is an SACD?
Weird. I sent this message more than two weeks ago... But you are right about the sampling frequency. Francisco. - Original Message - From: "Bob Willcox" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2001 8:49 AM Subject: Re: MD: what is an SACD? I believe the sampling frequency of DSD is 2.88224 MHz (64 * 44.1KHz). Bob - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: iMac to MD - an answer
That latest blurb we all received from Minidisco got me to thinking. Is there anyone here in the newsgroup that is in involved with recording MDs from MP3s downloaded to their Mac computer ? I am presently achieving this process with my Sony Vaio via the superb Sony software; however, despite Apple's iTunes, etc., it seems nigh on impossible to achieve with an iMac. TIA. It's really possible!!! You can get a DG1 adapter from Xitel http://www.xitel.com This adapter make the sound goes from any player via USB digital transfer. There is also the AN1 adapter but it transfers via USB with analog conversion ( what for me makes no sense at all ) In their site they have a list of compatible players. Actually this adapters are bundles with the "PC" models of Sony's portables players, as I know: MZR-37PC - Comes with AN1 MZR-70PC - Comes with DG1 Both comes with a CD for the PC - MusicMatch Jukebox, which exists for the mac too, but they say the product is compatible only with a certain Mac's configuration. Here is the answer I got from them lately about this issue: Hi Dionizio, We do not currently have a Mac retail bundle because the USB audio on Mac has yet to be completely standardized. Both the AN1 and DG1 will work on Mac systems running OS 9.0.4 with Apple Audio Extension 1.0.5. The AN1 will operate as described on our website. The DG1 auto track marking feature is defeated on Macs, because Mac media players spool all the audio tracks and play them as one continuous stream, with priming clock data during idle. This ensures that the audio quality through a Mac USB port is great, but defeats the track marking feature. In order for MD recorders to auto track mark, we will need to ensure that there is three seconds of silence between each track through the media player program. We're looking into this at the moment, but it's taking longer than anticipated because no vendors of software for the Mac are not willing to include this feature for us. When we find someone that will, we will make a hybrid CD and fully promote Mac compatibility. We just want to make sure everything is ready to go before releasing this package into the market. Thanks for your enthusiasm and feedback. We haven't forgotten about the Mac community, it's just taking a little longer to get the right software to suit the Mac operating system. Best Regards, Ben Davis Manager - Audio Products It's something... You can get more info about iMac - MD in the following links: ( hope they still works ;) http://MacOSPage.MadBee.com/archives/mp3toMD/mp3toMD.html http://home.sprintmail.com/~dalegreer/MacMD.html Best regards, DJIO . . . X) - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Recording from SACD
Bob Willcox wrote: You can record from a SACD in analog only. The current crop of SACD players don't have digital output (when playing SACDs). (May never, given the recording industries copyright fears.) They would require a converter to convert the DSD data stream into PCM in order to record on a PCM device (such as MD). Or if DSD is really so superior to PCM, the recorders would have to be capable of "reading" DSD. Assuming for the moment that DSD (which I have never heard, so I can't give an opinion about it's relative audio quality) is noticeably superior to PCM, it would not make sense to convert "down" to PCM. Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: More on CD vs. MD Sound Quality
Paying extra for an HDCD decoder, with limited title availability seems not very wise when you can just listen to xrCD (granted, with limited title availabitlity, too) and not pay a dime more. Well, life is not perfect. Bring on the flames. I am wearing Nomex underwear today. Francisco. NO FLAMES but there are several HDCD's on the market. Most new CW (not my favorite) are in fact being released this way. They do seem to have a better sound in my opinion. Have not heard much about the other formats you mentioned, much less heard any. Quite a few decks are now equipped with HDCD so paying extra isn't much of an issue AND the Cd's are priced the same whether they are hdcd or not Have a GREAT Musical Day! Les Music Mixers www.musicmixers.com/mall - Original Message - From: "las" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, February 16, 2001 1:15 PM Subject: Re: MD: More on CD vs. MD Sound Quality - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: More on CD vs. MD Sound Quality
"Les@musicmixers" wrote: NO FLAMES but there are several HDCD's on the market. Most new CW (not my favorite) are in fact being released this way. They do seem to have a better sound in my opinion. Have not heard much about the other formats you mentioned, much less heard any. Quite a few decks are now equipped with HDCD so paying extra isn't much of an issue AND the Cd's are priced the same whether they are hdcd or not Well I'll probably be the one flamed for this, but in my opinion wasting the time and money making HDCD CDs of Country (they kind of dropped the term western) "music" is like putting leather upholstery in a Yugo G or having a T3 line going into a a 286 computer. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: MD: Best Buy Possibly Phasing Out MD Component Decks
Daryl, is it not possible the MX-D40 will be one replacement deck? And that whatever new designation that add LP capability to the 440 be the other? (John Small) I did an extensive search on our computer network for "minidisc," "minidisk," "mini disc," "mini disk," "mini-disc," "mini-disk", as well as "MD", and I found no new component decks listed. (I forgot to check on "M.D." or "M. D.", but I doubt that there would be any listings for those, but I could check again tomorrow.) In any case, there was a new planogram for digital recorders issued this past week, and there were *no* replacement SKU's designated for our current models. I have observed that (at the Cooper Street/I20 location in Arlington, TX) the portable MD units are displayed apart for the MD decks, and that the portable showcase looks looted and in significant disarray. This seems a disservice to MD, BB and the customers.(John) I agree. That is still my store, by the way. I merchandise the computer department, however, so I do not have the time the fix that section up. I've already displayed the MZR70PCS three times already, incidentally, and it disappears each time. I can only suspect internal theft. I sent off an email to our corporate offices this morning, suggesting that they move the minidisc section to the PC/Home Office department, but I'm afraid that my pleas will fall on deaf ears I've done my part. I can only hope that Best Buy does theirs Daryl - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Imac to MD
jgvp [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: That latest blurb we all received from Minidisco got me to thinking. Is there anyone here in the newsgroup that is in involved with recording MDs from MP3s downloaded to their Mac computer ? I am presently achieving this process with my Sony Vaio via the superb Sony software; however, despite Apple's iTunes, etc., it seems nigh on impossible to achieve with an iMac. TIA. You can record via analog from the iMac just fine. If you want digital, you can use pretty much any USB-digital converter, such as the one Sony includes with their newer "PC" models, or the Xitel DG1. If you have Mac with PCI slots, you can get the new SoundBlast Live Platinum and use a direct digital connection. Dale Greer has a lot of Mac-MD info on his web site: http://home.sprintmail.com/~dalegreer/MacMD.html - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Best buy, phasing out MD equip ??
It is not, nor will it ever be, a replacement (or even serious competition) for CD portables. To be honest, what amazes me is that CD was *ever* a popular portable medium. It would be difficult to design a medium *worse* for portable use LOL - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: External battery packs and portable electronics
"Simon Mackay" [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Has anyone ever had experience designing their own "long-distance" battery pack for their personal high-demand electronic devices? How did they go about designing the battery pack, what battery did they use as the basis of the pack and how did they connect it to the electronic device? Also, how did the device react to the external battery pack and was the device's battery meter able to indicate true battery strength of the external batteries? Headroom sells an external battery pack for many CD players, and they even include a note that "We can 4D holders for certain portable CD players. Call us for details." I am assuming that they could do the same for MD players. http://www.headphone.com/ProductsOther/AccessoryList.asp As a side note, the device's battery meter will not indicate the battery strength. External battery packs plug into the AC adapter jack, so the device actually thinks it is connected to an AC adapter. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Best buy, phasing out MD equip ??
Dan Frakes wrote: To be honest, what amazes me is that CD was *ever* a popular portable medium. It would be difficult to design a medium *worse* for portable use LOL The very first CD player that I ever owned was a portable. It was the (probably original) Sony portable. It was not called a DiscMan at that time. I paid $300 for it. It was a piece of sh!t. The buttons were chrome plated and if you had any carpet in your house or had a sweater on it was a magnet for static electricity (the kind that gave you a shock that knocked you on your ass. This immediately blew the player! Another piece of Sony dreck. But it came with a nice carrying case and a decent set of headphones. Compared to the cassette it was a big improvement. But to get to your point, actually portable CD players were not very popular when they were introduced. As us said, surprisingly they caught on (and they didn't even have a buffer in them back then!-the very first MD portables had a 10 second buffer). - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: External battery packs and portable electronics
Dan Frakes wrote: Headroom sells an external battery pack for many CD players, and they even include a note that "We can 4D holders for certain portable CD players. Call us for details." I am assuming that they could do the same for MD players. Don't mean to hog the site, but you keep mentioning things that bring back memories. When I bought my portable CD player, the external (you didn't actually put batteries into the player back then, they used too much power and would take up too much space) battery pack was not available yet. We were going to Hawaii and I wanted to take along my CD player. So I went to Radio Shack and bought a C Cell battery holder and made my own "portable". power supply. Primitive by today's standards, but it helped make the time on the long flight pass. l I remember lying on the beach listening to Air Supply (don't make fun-this was a long time ago G) and the Little River Band (I actually still like TLRB some what. Admittedly they do not have the staying power of the Eagles or Moody Blues. But I used to listen to ABBA [is that how they spelled it?] once too and have no burning desire to download any of their MP3s). That was about 15 years ago. Maybe a little more. But there was already a magazine out called Digital something or other. The editor was a guy whose last name was Green. He was not that young even then, but was ahead of his time. He also published a magazine devoted to laptop computers. They had to change there name because one of the other audio magazines said it was too similar to theirs even though it had the word Digital in it. BTW that's where the assh0le Ken Pohmann (or whatever the jerks name is) get his start. I didn't like him them (he reviewed new CDs and was just as clueless about music as he is about audio. I think that he went to the University of Florida for his degree in audio. No I have not followed present history of that college, but years ago you could take the diploma they issued and use it for a paper airplane. All of the brainless athletes used to graduate from there. Again, that was along time ago. It may be a fine college today so don't start sending in the flames. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD and Circuit City
Larry wrote: BTW, I was just at my local Circuit City and didn't see one portable MD recorder or player! Circuit City seems to be really going down the tubes. The stores around here are always quiet and nothing much going on. Every time I go in they have fewer and fewer items. How much longer do you think they will last? All from the people who brought us DIVX (maybe the good Lord didn't like DIVX either!!!). Glenn - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD and Best Buy
Daryl O wrote: Hi, guys ... I'm a merchandiser at Best Buy Daryl, just how bad is MD doing at Best Buy? Does it sell at all or not enough to meet a stocking requirement? Some sales people act like they didn't even know the store carried MD or what it is. I was asking some questions to a sales girl at Circuit City about six months ago when I was looking at a Sony deck and she had no idea what I was talking about. And I mean NO idea. Glenn - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD and Best Buy
anyone who works at best buy, no offense to anyone but i dont believe anything any of them say any more since recently purchasing a DVD audio player and when going to best buy asking a kid if they carried DVD-audio was told they will never carry it. then i asked to talk to a manager, the regional manager was in the store at the time and he informed me that they aren't going to carry dvd audio and will never carry it, even though they have a player in stock. so imo all best buy employees are about as stupid as you can get. just my 2 cents. - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, February 17, 2001 7:29 PM Subject: Re: MD: MD and Best Buy Daryl O wrote: Hi, guys ... I'm a merchandiser at Best Buy Daryl, just how bad is MD doing at Best Buy? Does it sell at all or not enough to meet a stocking requirement? Some sales people act like they didn't even know the store carried MD or what it is. I was asking some questions to a sales girl at Circuit City about six months ago when I was looking at a Sony deck and she had no idea what I was talking about. And I mean NO idea. Glenn - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD and Circuit City
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Circuit City seems to be really going down the tubes. The stores around here are always quiet and nothing much going on. Every time I go in they have fewer and fewer items. How much longer do you think they will last? All from the people who brought us DIVX (maybe the good Lord didn't like DIVX either!!!). My further son in law worked for them while he was in college and until he got a "real" job. He watched them go down the tubes more and more. The big thing that used to keep the one near him going was their willingness to make deals (especially on opened box stuff) Then they got tighter and tighter. When they cut the sales people's commission down so low that there was no incentive to sell anything, I think that was the last blow. I bought a higher end Onkyo DTS receiver on the net ($999 retail-but mine was much less because it was reconditioned). I was too lazy to read the entire manual when I couldn't get a feature to work so I called up Onkyo support. They are located in NJ where people will tell you exactly what's on their mind. Keep in mind that Circuit City must be a decent sized customer of Onkyo, yet when the topic somehow turned to them the girl on the phone said and I quote "Their [Circuit City] service sucks". She certainly had nothing to gain by dissing them unless it was coming straight from the heart. It's funny because she didn't sound like some common jerk. I was actually surprised when she made that statement. Well if that's what manufacture's tech support has to say about them, it is not a good sign. But CC has a lot of stores and a lot of money (because there are a lot of really simple people out there who will believe anything. If you ever have a little while to kill (maybe your waiting to pick up a pizza from Pizza Hut-which usually takes them about an hour to make-and there is a CC close by) go in and hang around while someone get suckered into buying their ESP (extended Service Plan). Since the store is basically selling air and have very little intention of making good on it if you have a problem the salespeople's commission used to be very large on ESP. They charge like $300+ for a notebook computer! Better off buying a computer directly from a large company that offers a 3 year warranty. I'm getting way off the topic, but I was surprised to see that if you want a stripped down computer so that you can add your own stuff to it, but still want a decent brand, somehow Dell seems to have the best prices right now (they are offering free shipping until the 21st). Sales are down I guess. $789 for a Pentium III 866! - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: what is an SACD?
From: "Bob Willcox" [EMAIL PROTECTED] No, DSD does not use PCM encoded. Its a single bit encoding at 2.8224 MHz. Consequently it doesn't have a "word" length. It can, though, be easily converted into any of the common PCM formats. Bob, my faux pas in that regard has been loong ago corrected. In fact, this post is at least a couple of weeks old. It's just Yahoo Groups actin' screwy (so what else it new). Don C. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: External battery packs and portable electronics
From: "las" [EMAIL PROTECTED] BTW that's where the assh0le [sic] Ken Pohmann (or whatever the jerks name is) get his start. I didn't like him them (he reviewed new CDs and was just as clueless about music as he is about audio. Aside from being an objectivist (bound to offend the golden eared) what is it exactly that makes Ken Pohlman an asshole and "clueless" about audio? Don C. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD and Best Buy
Matt Wall wrote: anyone who works at best buy, no offense to anyone but i dont believe anything any of them say any more since recently purchasing a DVD audio player and when going to best buy asking a kid if they carried DVD-audio was told they will never carry it. then i asked to talk to a manager, the regional manager was in the store at the time and he informed me that they aren't going to carry dvd audio and will never carry it, even though they have a player in stock. so imo all best buy employees are about as stupid as you can get. just my 2 cents. At least they were both consistent. They both said that they will never carry it. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: External battery packs and portable electronics
Don Capps wrote: From: "las" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Aside from being an objectivist (bound to offend the golden eared) what is it exactly that makes Ken Pohlman an asshole and "clueless" about audio? Don C. You are fairly new to the list so you probably didn't see the article that was posted here a few years ago where he totally trashed MDs claiming they were inferior to Dolby C cassettes. All you have to do is read some of his articles and if you know anything, you start to say to yourself, "how'd this guy ever get a job as an "expert" - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: External battery packs and portable electronics
From: "las" [EMAIL PROTECTED] You are fairly new to the list so you probably didn't see the article that was posted here a few years ago where he totally trashed MDs claiming they were inferior to Dolby C cassettes. All you have to do is read some of his articles and if you know anything, you start to say to yourself, "how'd this guy ever get a job as an "expert" True, I am new to the list. However, I am a LONG time reader of a number of audio mags, both pro and home oriented. I have been reading Stereo Review (now Sound Vision) since the 70's and am VERY familiar with Ken Pohlman's work. And I fail to see how Ken's having an opinion that differs from yours, however radically, makes him an asshole. Don C. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: External battery packs and portable electronics
Don Capps wrote: True, I am new to the list. However, I am a LONG time reader of a number of audio mags, both pro and home oriented. I have been reading Stereo Review (now Sound Vision) since the 70's and am VERY familiar with Ken Pohlman's work. And I fail to see how Ken's having an opinion that differs from yours, however radically, makes him an asshole. There are many people who have opinions that differ from mine yet I still highly respect them. Take yourself as an example. We often have different opinions. That doesn't stop me from respecting you. But when a person substitutes their own ignorant opinion for hard fact, in my book that makes them an asshole. I didn't like him when he wrote for Digital Audio and really started to hate him when he began his one man campaign to trash Mini Discs. Come on. Dolby better than the audio quality of a mini disc?? It just ain't so. Also, the magazine was originally called Hi Fi Review, then Hi Fi Stereo Review and finally they dropped the Hi Fi altogether. But If you have been reading that magazine since the early 70's (you did not specify how early you started) you would see that the quality of the reviewers and writers that they had back then make you feel that Kenny must have known someone to get the job. Anyone his/her states opinions as facts is an asshole in my book. "Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining". I think that what it comes down to is that there is a lack of people who have the technical understanding, insight, love of music and writing skills today in the field of Hi Fi. I was born the same year as broadcast TV and slightly before stereo. I was about eleven when stereo was introduced. Back then even though the sound may have actually been poor by today's standards, people were really into Hi Fi itself. It was more than just a hobby. It was almost a way of life. There was a passion that people had that is gone now. When I got into 8mm movies and then video, I got away from Hi Fi for a while. I started reading magazines like "Super Eight" and then "Video" and stopped reading Hi Fidelity and Stereo Review (I was never too crazy about Audio magazine). It was the advent of Hi Fi VCRs and home theater that started to bring me back into Hi Fi. But by that time the scene had changed. Fisher no longer made systems that a poor kid from Brooklyn like me could only drool over in catalogs. They were making crap. Suddenly there was Pioneer. Fisher was started by Fisher and his love for music. Marantz was started by Marantz and his love for music. H/K, Scott etc. These were not just the names of companies they were the names of music lovers. Do you think that there is a guy named Pioneer out there who is a music lover? I'm not claiming that there is anything wrong with solid state from a specs point of view. But there is something about those warm glowing tubes. Even the smell! That's why so many bands still insist on using tube amps. Again, I do not feel that tube amps are superior to solid state as some people do. I believe that if properly designed and using quality materials, solid state offers many advantages over tubes. Also, my mother warned me to never trust anyone whose name ended with a totally unnecessary duplicate extra letter G. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: More on CD vs. MD Sound Quality
On Fri, 16 Feb 2001, las wrote: I also saw some strange brand (Classic??) of portable CD player that also played MP3 CDs and had 105 second buffer for $99.00! The "Classic" brand is Circuit City's own brand (i.e. the store brand). Josh - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Best Buy Possibly Phasing Out MD Component Decks
On Fri, 16 Feb 2001, John Small wrote: Daryl, is it not possible the MX-D40 will be one replacement deck? And that whatever new designation that add LP capability to the 440 be the other? The 440 has MDLP capability. :) Josh - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
