On a very similar note, for portable music I think that all this
discussion of "which version of ATRAC sounds better" should be secondary
to making sure you buy the best headphones you can afford. The headphones
that come with *any* (and I have yet to find an exception) portable music
device are simply horrible. If you can get a portable with an older
version of ATRAC for $100 less than a newer unit, you'd be better served
to buy it instead of the newer unit and spend the $100 on some really
good headphones...
Don't forget I'm the schmuck that still thinks ATRAC version one isn't all
that bad.
Headphones provide a totally different experience then speaker of course.
Speakers surround you with sound. You are in the sound. You feel it, as
much as hear it. But headphones are just the opposite. The music is inside
you. Headphones totally isolate you from the rest of the world. You totally
lose track of the yours surroundings.
If anyone saw and remembers it (the movie "48 Hours" with Eddie Murphy) Nick
Nolte needs Murphy's help and goes to get Murphy out of jail for 48 hours.
Murphy is in his cell with a Walkman singing "Roxanne" (The Police) out
loud. He can't hear himself. He has no idea what is happening around him or
who hears him.
That's the way it is with headphones. There have been so many debates about
which headphones are the best here over and over again. This is not my
area. I don't have an opinion. I bought a pair of Optimus Pro 35s from
Radio Shack a few weeks ago. They're not worth $40. But they were selling
for half price. OK for $20.00
I love the in line volume control. I put on the History Channel and go to
sleep.
Speakers are so hard to choose even if money is no object. All speakers (as
do headphones) alter the sound. So all of the debates we have had here about
which media sounds best, all boil down to the speakers you listen to them on
(or headphones).
There is a guy (there is a link on the MD community page to it somewhere) who
has devoted an entire website to comparing ear buds. Some people may think
that he is crazy, but I don't put him down. It is a matter what sounds
pleasing to you.
Twenty one years ago I finally fulfilled my childhood dream and bought a pair
of Bose 901's. They suck!!! I don't care about all of the raves that they
received in the 60's. They just were a big disappointment. If a speaker has
to depend upon an equalizer to sound good, then it does not sound good
period. (I still have them, but the foam has dry rotted-God knows what Bose
charges to fix them. They actually sell generic kits to fix them yourself,
but I'll bet that they don't turn out so hot.
I don't know why the company went out of business, but if anyone has ever
heard a set of Design Acoustic speakers, I really think they are amazing. I
only have the 10s. I think that they made larger ones. They are these
fairly small cubes that are 3 way speakers. The trick is that there is a
spacer between the base and the separate cube. They have down firing
woofers.
If anyone is aware of these speakers I would love to hear their opinion.
Maybe other people think that they suck.
One of the ways that I used to test speakers in the show room was to have
them turn the bass up all the way and them start cranking up the volume.
It's hard to say whether the distortion starts because of distortion in the
amp or if the speakers just can't handle the bass.
If they don't buzz, they past the first test.
It's 3:30 AM (don't start on Mondays until 1 so I'll be fine for work) and
I'm starting to ramble again. Just press delete.
Larry
PS I really don't understand why there is a need for a subwoofer if a
speaker is properly designed. If the speaker has to be designed so that in
addition to the crossover networks, power was properly distributed to the
drives, you wouldn't need subwoofers (may have to isolate the woofer in the
overall box).
I'll bet that if you can get hold of a bunch are really good drivers and good
crossovers, many people on this list could design a speaker that is better
then the $700 each brand A's they sell. Anyone who can hear the difference
between a CD, MD and MP3 must have sensitive enough ears to eventually get it
just right.
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