Equipment-rack spikes
September 28, 2004
Wes,
I'm building an equipment rack, and I'm thinking about
adding spiked feet to it. But I'm not sure how it is supposed to work. What's the theory
behind spikes on equipment racks? Is it to prevent vibrations from the room and the floor
from entering into the rack or to take equipment/rack vibrations and transfer them to the
floor? If the bigger problem is isolation from room vibrations, I would think a rack
sitting on a carpet would better isolate it, but this is never recommended. Can you shed
some light on this?
Denis
The spikes are for stability as much as vibration
control. You can adjust threaded spikes so that the entire rack is solid and not rocking
(and thus introducing additional vibration into the gear).
The problem with carpet under the feet is that the rack
can rock on the carpet itself -- with spikes that penetrate the carpet and stabilize the
rack against the subfloor, you generally have more stability.
Some people maintain that spikes work like a
"mechanical diode" and allow vibrations to pass in only one direction, but I
have a hard time swallowing this. However, as I have observed before, the universe is
under no obligation to operate only in a manner that I can comprehend. It can be as
strange as it wants.
The best-sounding racks I have used have all had
shelves that were not solidly attached to the supporting structure, for whatever that's
worth.
iPod Mini 1
September 23, 2004
Hi Wes,
I read your review of the iPod
Mini and appreciated the comprehensive comments. I've been researching and reviewing
ad nauseum before taking the plunge on the iPod Mini, and while I'm sold on everything
else (functionality, ease of use), there seems to be no consensus on my one sticking point
-- is this device going to crap out on me during an intense jog/run over 20 minutes long?
And does the armband solve this problem? Depending on what I read, it will be no problem
at all or a total waste of money in this regard. I'd appreciate your opinion.
Jeff
Well, I'm a Clydesdale (6'1" and hovering around
195 pounds) and I don't have a problem running with the armband. I have maxed out the
Mini's buffer with the player attached to the waistband of my running shorts, but with the
armband tightly attached to my biceps, I've never had a skip or jump.
I'd put this down to my fantastically hypercorrect running
technique, but my performance coach would roll his eyes in disbelief -- the truth is, I'm
a plodder. One reason I know my good experiences with the Mini aren't attributable to
technique is that my coach has had skipping problems with his iPod and his stride is as
smooth as running water.
So I suspect that different batches have different skipping
thresholds.
There are some things you can do to minimize skips,
however. One is to fasten the armband as high on your arm as possible -- the closer the
iPod is to the larger mass of your thorax, the less jiggle it seems to experience. Also,
cinch the band pretty tight (don't turn it into a tourniquet, though).
Keep your files short -- long tracks (approaching 20
minutes duration) create more problems than the same 20 minutes of music sequenced as
several songs.
Here's one that's more personal: I tend to use more
compression on my exercise playlists, just to keep the file size smaller. Maybe I'm not as
serious an audiophile as I ought to be, but when I'm trying to keep my heart rate above
140bpm, I'm not as critical of sound quality as when I'm concentrating in my comfy chair
in the sweet spot. Go figure.
If you run hard, land hard, and listen exclusively to
Mahler symphonies, the Mini may not be for you, but it has certainly worked for me.
iPod Mini 2
September 23, 2004
Wes,
Reading the archives, I see that you are an iPod user. I
receive extremely poor fidelity when I plug my iPod Mini into the RCA phono jacks of my
Yamaha RX-V392 A/V receiver. It was wishful thinking on my part, but what a great tool it
would be for music lovers if you could get higher fidelity. Is there anything I can do?
Brian
Two things suggest themselves to me. Well, one big one
and one I hope isn't really a consideration. When you say the "phono" jacks, I
assume you mean a line-level input using RCA connectors, not an input labeled
"phono," which would include RIAA equalization for LP records, of course. Nah,
I'm sure that's not it.
So, I would suggest you check under preferences in your
iTunes program and see how you are ripping files. If you are using MP3 at 160kbps (or,
even worse, at 128kbps), there's your answer -- you're throwing away lots of information
when you record your files.
I'm currently using Apple's Lossless Encoding system, which
really seems to be lossless -- and cuts file size by one-half. If you want to guarantee CD
quality, you can rip files as .AIFF or .WAV files, but that will cost you a hefty premium
in storage capacity.
CD treatment
September 21, 2004
Hi Wes,
Thanks for all your great reviews and info.
Can you recommend any CD treatments that improve fidelity
and preferably also address the issue of modest scratches? I thought I read an extensive
"tweaks" article of yours that discussed some treatments, but I can't locate the
articles. The only treatment I know of is made by LAST.
Dogisluv
I can't help you with the whole "improved
sound" thing, although I guess it is possible that a product that improved optical
focus might improve sound, simply by requiring less error correction. I'm a little
dubious, however.
But I have brought a beloved and out-of-print CD back
from the dead with 303 Sonic Blast CD Cleaner and Restorative. There may be other products
out there that do just as good a job, but Sonic Blast won my gratitude by making my Duke
Ellington The Great Paris Concert playable -- so I'll continue to dance with the
one what brung me.
Tube preamp
September 15, 2004
Dear Wes,
My system consists of the Toshiba DX-9200, Creek OBH-12,
Pass Labs Aleph 3, and a pair of B&W 804 Matrix speakers. I'm looking for a decent
used tube preamp in the under-$1000 range. I am considering Audible Illusions M L1 or
Conrad-Johnson PV12. Can you make any suggestions or maybe you can recommend more recent
products that would be a better fit to Aleph?
Alex
Both preamps are good choices, in my opinion. As I
recall, Nelson Pass isn't wild about the use of tube preamps with his amps, due to their
being direct coupled (I could be mis-remembering this, though). However, I have used tube
preamps with the Aleph 0s with no harm done. It does behoove you to be extremely careful,
however.
I've owned Audible Illusions preamps and I like their sound
a great deal, but those dual volume controls drove me bats. I finally traded my Modulus II
in because of the dual-pot design.
I love the Conrad-Johnson
PV-12 unreservedly and have enjoyed many, many hours of listening to it in a wide range of
systems. I also feel confident recommending the C-J because of the company's exceptionally
competent and friendly service department. Nobody wants to think they'll ever need
service, but if you do, you'll be awfully glad if you get service as good as C-J will give
you.
Digital recording rig?
September 9, 2004
Wes,
In addition to a camera, I thought it would be fun
to have a digital recorder while away on business or vacation and record the local sounds.
Can you recommend a portable (fit in a backpack or
briefcase) and affordable (under $1500) digital recording rig?
HSP
I like the Sony TCD-D100 Recording DAT Walkman,
which lists for $899. You'll then need a microphone, which could take you up to (or
beyond) your $1500 budget. I've used a few different inexpensive stereo mikes with great
success -- and if you're doing field recording, an unobtrusive, easily replaced mike makes
a lot of sense.
The TCD-D100 runs off AA batteries for up to four
hours. It also has a wired remote, which I find quite useful -- it allows me to switch the
D100 on when its in my pocket or backpack, since a lot of people get intimidated by a
stranger waving around a tape recorder.
Balanced phono for ML?
September 7, 2004
Wes,
I hope you don't mind helping me with a phono-cable
question.
Would there be any value in connecting my SME 20.2/A
turntable to my Mark Levinson Reference No.32 preamp with balanced cables? I am just about
to purchase the Reference phono modules for the preamp and have two options available --
balanced and RCA. If I went with the balanced modules, could I simply purchase a phono
lead with balanced connections on one end and the standard SME connector on the other? Or
would I need to replace the internal tonearm wire as well? Is there likely to be any sonic
value in having a balanced phono cable compared to RCA?
If it's all too difficult I will simply stay with
the more common RCA option.
Paul
It couldn't be simpler. Almost any cable
manufacturer can supply a lead with an SME connector on one end and balanced connectors on
the other -- and yes, it makes a big difference.
Fortunately, the four internal cables within your
tonearm are already set up ideally for balanced connection. Have fun -- although with the
phono section on a Reference No.32, that's gratuitous advice!
Weight liftin' 'phones
September 2, 2004
Hi Wes,
I read your review on
the Etymotic ER-6 headphones, and I noticed that you mentioned that some people will
never get used to in-ear type headphones. I was wondering if you had any suggestions about
any other headphones that might be useful, that might do just as well as the Etymotic
ER-6. I want to use my headphones while weightlifting, and I would prefer that they block
out most airplane noise.
Eric
What I like about the Etymotics is that there's
no headband to bounce around or slip -- when you're hack-squatting 300 pounds, you don't
want to worry about your headphones slipping off!
But I'm lucky -- I don't mind in-ear phones. If I
absolutely couldn't stand them, I'd probably opt for Sennheiser PX200s, which only cost
about $50, but sound pretty darn good. They're a sealed-enclosure phone, so they're better
for weightlifting or working out in the gym than, say, bike-riding.
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