thrice

Just as the title says. I'm starting up a Single-ended three channel (active ground) Beta22 group buy. Visit www.rockhopperaudio.com for details. Cheers, Stephen (thrice)

Yep..doesn't matter if the signal goes in the "In" pin or the "out" pin....it's just resistors. If you wire it backward the stepper will get louder as you turn it to the left and softer to the right.

Or you could just wire the stepper backwards.

Yeah I gotta say...I wish Stereophile integrated their measurements into their article more often. It's easy to gloss over them. It's certainly something that's lacking in the current popular Hi-Fi mags.

I just hope they don't fuck it up.

I often wonder about this when I read comments like, "Well, I don't listen to graphs." Fuck me, graphs are a tool, nothing more, nothing less. If you're well informed about how to read the graph (measurements) then they will tell you something, not everything, but something. You can't build a house with just a hammer, you need a couple of different types of tools to accomplish that task... reasonably. A frequency response graph, or an impedance curve graph is helpful in that it gives you some information. We need to move past that shit and start looking at what we think sounds good and then look at the measurements and start to puzzle out why certain measurements are synonymous with gear we think sounds good. I'm sure there are folks out there that do that. I'm sure some of the more experienced members will say, "thrice, you didn't see this!" Good, I want to see it. We need to read that shit. Then we need to be "cool" about exposing people to that instead of being pretentious pricks to those who are not in the know. On the other hand, measurements don't tell us the whole story (I'm sure this can be true to some degree with the automobile example used above as well.) But beyond that little diatribe, I think the larger issue deals with what audio equipment is used for: playing music. Music is very personal to people...sure driving might be personal as well, I'm not going to argue against that. How a well engineered car makes you feel as you drive it can equal the same satisfaction that one gets from listening to their favorite album or piece on their Hi-Fi. But when we deal with mechanical things it can be easier to deal with why something is better or worse. But what makes Beethoven sound good? Why are the Beatles so revered? We can talk about form, sound, scales, chord progressions, lyrics and all the mechanics of music, but there's always that extra little something that defies explanation. It's that little something that mucks up the works, that and the fact that using live music, un-processed and electrified as a benchmark for comparison is getting rare. For the most part, most people experience music via recordings. Or perhaps it would be better to say that more people spend more time experiencing music via recordings than via live concerts. I know this crowd isn't quite the same as the non-audiophile crowd, but we do have a hobby focused around music re-production and not around live concerts. Sure we might love to go see live music and find that far more enjoyable, but we also gain a certain satisfaction with the fetish of collecting music recordings and buying music playback equipment. So since we have that element we are not only looking for gear that conveys "the music" but we're looking for gear that also conveys the emotion that music typically brings up when we listen to it. So here's where it gets hairy. Try telling someone that their type of amp, or their tubes aren't as good as another type. People get defensive. Why? Because not only did you insult their toy (gear envy), but you also insulted their emotional experience. I think this is part of the reason why people say, "trust your ears" or "you need to listen to something first." Opinions matter more than specs and measurements and technology, because an aesthetic quality comes into play. Is it a stretch to suggest that audio gear can elicit a wider range of emotions in the user than an automobile? a boat? a motorcycle? i don't think so. (of course that depends on whether or not you believe music can convey or elicit emotions, but let's not go there right now) So then we bring that music to technology and that's were things collide. Some people swear by tubes. They swear you can get to the music better. I've had some pretty amazing moments listening with tube gear. I've also had some amazing moments listening with solid state gear too. Which is better? Which conveys the emotion and meaning behind the notes better? or at least conveys them as they happened or as the composer/performers intended them too? Oh yeah, what are the emotions and meaning being conveyed? Can we even begin to agree on that? While I don't feel that terms like "chocolate midrange" or "silky highs" is helpful, how else do we explain it? If you're listening to a setup that's 1/2 the price and a better measuring setup and it sounds better to you...why is that? and vice versa? We can come up with newer and better tools to make physical measurements and deal with a machine, but how do we measure emotional response? How do we measure if the emotion and meaning are truly captured by the mics? or other recording equipment? That's like asking someone to determine scientifically if Furtwangler captured the essence of a Beethoven symphony better than Ormandy or Levine...etc. Of course that doesn't mean we should stop trying. By all means, no we shouldn't. But it incorporates a lot more than the author suggests. Aesthetics, theory, psychoacoustics, technology, physiology...etc. So I think the initial author is not thinking fully about the topic at hand. Music is complex and difficult to qualify and quantify. It's not surprising that it's difficult to deal with the playback gear as well. That's my take just off the cuff.

Man you have no idea

Your mom touches me at night.

Mike Gravel for me as well ....Hmmm, who is paying for that website?

We haven't had cable in years man...Netflix is a godsend.

that sucks...can't get into torrentspy with a US IP anymore....man, it's getting so hard to steal these days....oh interwebs, why have you forsaken us. Or if you prefer: KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN

Did you send it to MD? Because I live in NC now...that might be the package my friends were talking about. Fortunately some friends of ours live in our old house...they told me I had a package. I was confused since all the parts I'm ordering now are coming to NC, I didn't think there was an address I haven't changed yet. I bet that's it.

When did you send it?

Well, I'm getting ready to offer the Sigma 11 as a squeezebox PS. I should have something up on my site within a week. But that particular PS does have a barrel connector if I'm not mistaken

http://www.alliedelec.com/Search/ProductDetail.asp?SKU=879-0090&SEARCH=&MPN=WM075%2D1950%2DD5&DESC=WM075%2D1950%2DD5&R=879%2D0090&sid=46EC72007DE2E17F I think that's what you're looking for?

Having a little trouble getting hooked up to Squeeze Network. There's some discussion out there about this, but nothing seems to help. Anyone else have trouble hooking up to Squeezenetwork? I'm using the Airport card in my iMac as a software basestation. I had to assign the IP and subnet mask, but left the gateway and DNS at zeros. Any help is appreciated. Cheers, Stephen

Coolness Nate..neat little player.

You could put the DAC inside and have an external PS though.

I can help you with that....take about 2 weeks:

Yeah that little tiny wall-wart looks like, well a wart on the wall..it's so tiny. I've got parts for a sigma 11 coming so I'll use that. Now to find the dac on this thing and route the I2S signal out for the Opus DAC on its way

Just in case you wanted to see the insides. It was tough to get in...there were TORX screws...fortunately only two of them to get the front panel off and 4 to get the PCB off its mounts. Any more than that and I would have given up.

Well I didn't get that squeezebox, but I did pick one up. I'm surprised at how good the analog out is. I mean I wasn't expecting it to be terrible, but I must say I'm plesantly surprised. Not the greatest source in the world, but it's no slouch either...now for a DAC.

I know a "possible" place to get a pair. I need to wait and see if there are even any left to be purchased.

I wouldn't say deep fried...they go into an oven like device and rise/cook...then they are floated in hot oil for about 30 seconds each side...then glaxed. They actually have some Krispy Kreme stores down here where you can watch hundreds of glaved doughnuts being born....then you can eat them hot off the conveyor belt.

I'll admit that I'm a northerner and I love the D&D, but going to a K&K to get "Hot Doughnuts Now" (glazed) down here in NC is like a religious experience man. And yes, D&D's BC is OMGWTFBBQ goodness as is their French Vanilla coffee.