Miscellaneous

I've decided that I need something that offers a little more functionality than my ~10 year old Motorola Razer. I'm going to head down to Cable & Wireless (the local phone company) store and buy something today. Hopefully, it will have a lot of buttons on it, a fancy screen, and the ability to BBM. Until today, I didn't know what the hell BBM was, or even that there was such a thing. But someone texted me and asked me if I can BBM her, so I Googled it, and have now come to the conclusion that I need to get with the program. She told me that I couldn't do this with an iPhone, so now I'm sold. Don't know on what, or why, precisely. But I'm sold. Will repor…

News Release VIA and ArcSoft Bring Full HD Audio to Home Theatre PCs - VIA Technologies, Inc.

I'm looking to replace my wired iPhone headset with a Bluetooth headset......I work remotely so I'm on calls a couple hours a day on average so comfort and call quality (including sufficient volume) are my top priorities. Not really going to use this much outside so looks aren't too important but I don't want it to look ridiculously geeky either. Trying to keep it under $60 but willing to go over if need be. I've looked online at several models and it seems like there is always someone who has a complaint about comfort or audio quality and I'm not sure which ones are just comments from nagging, never-happy consumers

I ordered the Boltz CD-600 a couple of weeks ago. A part was back ordered, so it didn't ship until this week, but when it finally did ship, it was only in transit for two days. Assembly was a breeze, just lots of repetition, but I always feel great after I put something like this together. I also have a box with an adjustable incline writing desk sitting in another room ready to be assembled. I'm puttin' shit together, cos I'm on vacation this week, y'all. Respect. Sorry, no step by step building shots. Just know that there is a lot of screwing hex nuts and acorn nuts on long skinny poles. Assembled: Alphabetizing albums: All done: I got the a…

MIT gets a present. http://ow.ly/1sLw73

This is priceless...... Three billion, you say? http://www.cnet.com/news/bose-accuses-beats-of-infringing-noise-canceling-headphone-patents/

I'll bet this is yet another thing a lot of us obsess about. The iPad thread has me considering several different murses. But now I also think I need a new briefcase. I have an old school leather Coach briefcase, which is nice, but heavy and somewhat impractical for my gadget-y self. I'm thinking about this: Zephyr: TOM BIHN Thoughts? Criticisms? Useless drivel?

Saw this on hf and thought some of you might be interested... http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f42/tubes-boxes-boxes-silicon-valley-313585/ no connection/interest with this (other than if you find some Amperex 6922 PQ white label for cheap, I'll take them off your hands )

Anyone here used one in their rig before? Seems to be a budget favorite at Steve Hoffman forums.

Hey guys! I dont know anything about video recording so hopefully I can get some help from you guys. My parents have been looking for a good video camera that can record for more than 2 hours of high quality HD video on a single charge. They've been using the 5d mkii as a video camera but its limited by the 10-12 min limit per recording (for HD video). The video camera doesnt need to have any pro features like xlr inputs or anything but a 3.5mm mic input would be pretty nice. Budget is up to $1.5k (for something thats high quality and built well) Thanks!

I am think of getting a small handheld camcorder but don't know what to look for. I assume a bigger sensor is better for low light and you want a decent mic, optical zoom, and decent battery life. That's about all I know. I have read that midrange ($300-$600) is the sweet spot for someone like me. I'm just going to use it for the usual recording friends, family, etc. I was thinking of something like http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00AW54Z4K/thewire06-20 or http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00AWZFJ22/thewire06-20 or http://www.amazon.com/Sony-HDR-CX380-Definition-Handycam-Camcorder/dp/B00AR95FRM/ref=dp_ob_title_ce or maybe something even cheaper http…

Not for the newborn to take pictures:D, but for us to take pictures and video. My wife was thinking that we might want to get a dedicated video camera and I am on the fence. I have a Sony HX5V that does decent 1080p with okay image stabilization. The plus is that it's pocket-able and takes pictures. The minus is that it doesn't do video as well as a dedicated video cam. Oh what to do? I also want to get a new DSLR, hopefully the D400 it it ever comes out. How do you with DSLRs that do video feel about the video quality?

My "new" old car has a cassette player/AM/FM radio and I have no cassette recorder. Does anybody have recommendations for in-car CD players? A multi-CD unit is probably unnecessary for my needs, and the same with video. I don't think I'll need a new amplifier or speakers, but I'm also completely new to car audio in an audiophile sense. I've always stuck with the stock car setup to save money for my home listening. Should I just get a cassette adapter to connect my iPod shuffle/PCDP instead?

Any one else here into car audio? This is a little install I did about two years ago. I plan to change it up a bit when I get back and maybe compete a little more. 2007 Tahoe install - MP3Car.com

I got my wife the Canon digital Rebel XTi and a Quantaray 70/300 lens for her birthday about a month ago. She needs a case and nothing at Wolfs is cutting it. Any leads to where I can find a nice one?

I want to find a cd burner program that will burn full 16 bit audio/ data discs. The programs on my last two computers will only do up to 192kbps. Anyone know of a good basic cd burner program that will make both 16 bit music compilation discs or burn exact copies of 16 bit cd's I already have? Any input is greatly appreciated!

Just looking for some recommendations for good CD-R that I could use for burning music, since most of CD-R's I buy are crappy generic ones I use for data-related purposes.

I thought about upgrading my iphone 5s to the 6s and then I thought that maybe I should consider switching cell phone carriers. I've been with Sprint since around 2000 and for the last 10 years I've been on a family plan with Tim, Tim's daughter, Tim's dad and now I am off contract (and Tim's dad just passed away so I should be able to cancel his phone without penalty). I was thinking about switching to Verizon for better/faster LTE coverage. My phone plan at Sprint is an unlimited plan and I'm a little worried about getting rid of an unlimited plan... this is my one fear about switching. I would probably get the 12GB option at Verizon which would be around $100+ tax …

I know recently we have had discussions here regarding censorship on Head-FI particularly around criticism of sponsors products. Well it seems any mention of this forum now results in instant removal of any reference! I was involved in a conversation regarding the Metrum MK1 DAC and happened to mention the work Craig Sawyers had outlined on this forum to upgrade the output transformer. He also noted the need for correct cable matching etc.......... All very useful stuff. Well within a hour or so of posting I received the following PM below telling me that the link had been removed. They must be very touchy over there because people might find there are more i…

Because some companies just don't get it, this thread is dedicated to the weird, the "you missed the concept" and the WTF. For starters: "...with a retro-vacuum tube look"

Thought I'd start a thread for any interesting CES gear (audio or otherwise). First is a DAC. Anyone know BMC gear? http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2013/01/06/pre-ces-b-m-c-audio-announces-puredac/ Seems the XLR comment is off.

I've got a Studer amp to keep my Stax menagerie under control via the SRD-7 Spritzer. It has always had quite marked mechanical hum when run at 240V (Australia's mains voltage). I have a 240 -> 110V transformer and the Studer is able to be configured to almost any possible mains voltage via a rotary switch and with a change of fuse. Did that. NO FREAKIN' HUM! $2.50 for 2 new fuses! Love it.

Can I do better than this for this price and height? Wood Technology 8 inch Furniture-Grade Hardwood Speaker Stands FGH-8

This thick cable has got all the strange looks, and is really very stiff, almost tipping my gear over. A bit of the (normal) lamp cable deep inside can be seen through the blue semi-transparent connector (Patrick does not apparently believe so much in effects of the actual conductor). It works, as the image shows.

So I am in need of a decent component video cable. It has to be somewhere between 15 and 20 feet long. The closer to 20' the better. Unfortunately, MonoPrice has 15 foot and 20 foot. I'd really rather avoid a 25' cable if I can help it. I checked on Amazon and found a few results: Amazon.com: 6M PRO SERIES COMPONENT (87206): Electronics ($22) Amazon.com: Icarus Black Carbon Component Video Cable (19.6 Feet/6 Meters): Electronics ($26) Amazon.com: Monster THX Ultra 800 16ft Ultra-High Performance Component Video Cables: Electronics ($20) Yes, Monster FTMFL, as a company, but that price is excellent. In my experience, Monster video cables are not horrid, just…