Scott Dolan

What's the difference between a CD player in a standalone casing, and a CD player in a PC? And EAC has absolutely nothing to do with error correction. Error correction is done by the optical drive hardware. CD drives don't have the option of saying, "gimme a sec". Lastly, unless the disc is dirty and/or scratched, there will no significant data errors.

My wife and I have it on our to do list, Steve. I haven't been there since I went to Viz back in '07. That's too long. This year we're going back to Phoenix to visit Kelly's grandmother, who isn't doing well these days. But we've got a NYC/Boston trip simmering. Hopefully next year. I'll let you know when it happens, though. Would love to see Mary up close. Not only is she a mean ass guitarists, but I think she's an absolute doll.

OH! And how could I have forgotten to mention Mary Halvorson in my post above?! She may be the most exciting modern artist currently. A Lark, I don't get the "must have every possible reissue/remaster available" thing either. There are a few cases where it pays off. A Love Supreme Deluxe Edition comes to mind because they finally had the first gen master, and the sound quality was a vast improvement over any of the previous issues. But, in most cases it's just a fetish. And more of a case of listening to their equipment more than the music itself.

Old folks stuck in a rut? Seriously, it's like I said before, the new stuff is just variations on the old stuff. Which we all cut our teeth on. So it's no longer exciting and new. Either way, I started a thread about J.D. Allen some time back which caught little traction. I've also talked about Fredrik Kronkvist. The William Parker circle of friends still creates interesting music. There's all kinds of great new stuff out there. But, many on this board seem more concerned with the latest reissue/remaster of stuff from the 40's/50's/60's. No big deal, that's just the way most on this board roll. Doesn't mean there isn't plenty of great new music, it's just not their focus. Steve also mentioned some great modern artists above. Cats like Vijay Iyer and Brad Meldau have also been putting out some really interesting music. Taborn, etc... It may not be the golden age, but there is still a lot of great new material out there. Don't let those who choose to chase after the 12th reissue of a 50's Blue Note title make you think otherwise.

There is plenty of good new music. The problem is that it's simply variations on old music. I feel like the possibilities, especially in Jazz, have been exhausted. How far can you take it before it's no longer Jazz? Seems as though 60's era Free Jazz was the ceiling. European Improv certainly doesn't sound like Jazz, so where to go from here? A Lark, Blu-ray actually is higher resolution than DVD. The difference is especially noticeable on HD televisions. That said, audibly I find no difference between the two formats.

Nice. My son wanted headphones for Christmas, so I went straight to Headroom since in my experience they never peddle crap. I knew I'd pay, but wanted his first set of cans to at least be acceptable. Saw these Superlux HD681s for $40, and almost lost faith in the website. But, I did quite a bit of research on them and they were getting glowing "bang for the buck" reviews. I fear $40 cans, but those suckers are mind boggling for the price! They don't compete with the big boys, but absolutely bury any of the Beats I've auditioned while bored at Best Buy. There are hidden gems out there. That's why I'm interested in your thoughts. Please give your impressions once you've broken them in!

As far as I know, if there is an error then that's that. The zeroes and ones are either read, or no sound is produced where they should have been. The SHM scam says if you have a clearer coating the laser will be able to read the information better. It's like saying if I used distilled water rather than tap water, I'll quench my thirst more efficiently.

Guess the jig if finally up on the "super high material" scam. At least they'll still offer the remastered material for purchase.

Hmmm, I had never even heard of those cans before. How do you like them?

I wonder how many folks who swear LPs are superior to digital would enjoy listening to digital at 12/44.1?

BTW, where did you get this: "The bit depth of vinyl is essentially about 12bits if one were to convert vinyl specs into the digital world." I know that a record's "bit rate" decreases as it plays, but wondered where that number comes from. Is it an average from outer to inner groove?

Holy fuck, Jim! Can you copy that post and make it a sticky?! Hence my comparison between allegedly hearing this big difference in "hi-res" music to having x-ray vision. But, at least I've found my new signature!

I suppose, but as I've stated many times before, 256 is my threshold. I can hear differences below that, but hear no difference between that/320/lossless/whatever. Perhaps you could "teach" me what to listen for, but why would I want to, you know?

Ah, that makes sense. I guess your usage of the term preamp added to the confusion. You're actually talking about an amp. In your chain, the iPod is essentially the preamp, the Powerwave is the amp. I'd say the Fiio is definitely worth checking out if you're not happy with the sound quality of the iPod. My iPod lives in my car's glove compartment, and since car stereos aren't exactly the highest quality, the sound quality doesn't bother me. And I usually only listen to podcasts on my iPhone at work, so sound quality is of no consequence there either. But, when I listen to music at home through my PSBs, they're always running through my Headroom Micro amp. Unless I'm moving about doing housework. I'm not sure I'd ever be content driving them with any portable device for serious listening, but Stefan seems pretty damned pleased with his Fiio, so perhaps I'd be pleasantly surprised. If you take the plunge, make sure you pop back in and give us your impressions! BTW, you said: "I use a Griffin Powerwave or a Nuforce DAC to get better sound". How do you use a DAC with an iPod?

? The Grados are 32 ohm headphones, as are my PSB Speakers M4U1's. My iPod Touch (4th Gen) powers them just fine (not to the same level as my Headroom Micro Amp, nor should it…). Makes me wonder if he doesn't have a separate issue going on. An amp should always provide improvements, but the cheapest Walmart special MP3 player should have no problem driving 32 ohm headphones. Let alone an iPod. I'd hate to see him spend hundreds of dollars on a new portable player only to find he's experiencing the same problems with his cans.

Huh? You can't connect your Grados to your iPod without a preamp?! Sure you can. You can connect any headphones to an iPod. If they have a 1/4" plug, you just need a 1/8" adapter. You don't need preamps for any portable devices.

And what scientific proof did they back their claims with? You don't let what the author said sway you, yet you willingly accept what "people thought" about 16 bit inform your opinion?

Sounds about right. There was some kind of festival they'd have down in Branson every year, and she'd be there more often than not. That's where my co-worker ran into her. Said many of the artists there would be sitting at tables and signing autographs, but she'd mingle and just strike up random conversations. Random gal. Random folk. Match made in heaven, I suppose. Good for her, and good for her fans.

Now THAT I would find hard to believe. He gave them way too much as a player for them to turn on him at this point.

*dingdingdingdingding* Not sure about the "near psychopath" part, but I wouldn't be hard to convince. Elway has an out-sized ego, and has always been a prima donna, and I think Woody is right on the money when it comes to Fox because that's always been his m.o. And Woody knows his shit. Pretty volatile situation when you really contemplate it. Perfectionist QB (whose ego actually seems to be perfectly in check), egotistical ex-QB who likely still thinks he walks on water, and a player-friendly head coach, with a record that could easily be rubbed in the nose of any power mad GM, trying to bridge the gap. Thanks for posting all of that info. None of it surprising, but seeing it all consolidated and easily digestible really connects almost all of the dots. Bottom line: IMO, the Broncos window has just been slammed shut... Fox may be the new Tony Dungy. Just what you need to get them there, just not the right personality to get them over the top. *edit* BTW, Larry. If you haven't seen the 30 For 30 titled From Elway To Marino, I'd highly encourage you to check it out. It's currently available on Netflix. It really underscores Elway's personality and ego, and backs your source in many ways.

She used to show up in Branson quite a bit later in life. Guy I work with met her once and said she was just as nice as could be. That she really spent time talking with fans and simply getting into "normal" conversations with them. That actually says a lot about the kind of person she was.

Bewitched. Samantha. Mmmmmmmmmmm...

Things obviously went pretty well there last year since they made a Superbowl appearance. The problem is Peyton Manning is 38 y.o., and his career is essentially over. Now that Fox has been jettisoned, that will perhaps seal the deal for Manning. Unless Gace stays and takes over the reins. The last thing Peyton would have any patience for at this point in his career is learning a new playbook. And I believe Thomas and Thomas are both FAs this offseason. Losing either would be a pretty huge blow to that offense.

BTW, if I didn't make it clear before, here is the theoretical order of "worst to best": MP3 AAC ALAC/WAV/AIFF

This is the sorry state the NFL (R.I.P.) finds itself in today. Can you imagine coaches like Don Shula or Chuck Knoll being fired with the record Fox has rolled up in Denver? The game, and all its trappings has changed so dramatically over the decades that it's almost unrecognizable at times.