Scott Dolan

Haven't gotten a chance to check out all the recs just yet, but THIS was fucking awesome!

I'd give this a read before making your final decision. From AVS Forums: [[Let's break this power conditioner thing down a bit into a sort of Reader's Digest version of things. First let's look at the surge protection aspect. The vast majority of surge protection devices that you're likely to come in contact with are based on MOV's (Metal Oxide Varistors) and/or SAD's (Silicon Avalanche Diodes) with the former being more prevalent. They work on the principal of shunting the excess voltage to ground. In other words they work like a dike whereby they divert the excess instead of trying to dam it up. The effectiveness of any surge protector, and that includes the BrickWall type devices, is directly related to the proximity to earth ground. A surge is not simply a large voltage swing or spike. A surge, especially due to lightning is a high voltage, high current, and high frequency (ies) phenomenon. As a result, although the overall resistance of your ground wire may be low, to a surge, it looks like a high impedance device. The shorter the distance to earth ground, the lower the impedance. Surge protectors based on MOV's will typically be rated with a number called joules. The greater the joules, the more hits the MOV can take before it dies. Hence, if that's your only protection, and you're in a quandry between which two devices to pick, go with the higher numbers. Now one might think that a number like 900 joules is a lot. Well if it were located at your breaker, it would be. However for a point-of-use device, that number needs to be broken down. A surge can come in on any of the lines and as a result, one must protect all three scenarios: H-G (hot-ground), H-N (hot-neutral), and N-G (neutral ground). As a result, that 900 joules gets split among the three points of entry. Further, as mentioned above, due to the signficantly high impedance that results from the distance to earth ground, those numbers need to be derated signficantly to arrive at an effective joules. Somewhere around 30-40% less protection is actually available. Now if you're looking to protect your HT system, then all points of ingress need to run through your point of use device. That includes all plugs and the cable. If you haven't addressed them all, then you leave open the possibility that a surge comes in the back door. **** happens you know. So what then is power conditioning? It means different things to different people. If you need voltage stabilization, then a voltage stabilizer becomes a power conditioner. If you've got components that have problems with ground leakage, then a balanced power unit becomes a power conditioner. You can see with just these two examples that it's a loose definition. Most devices always include some sort of emi/rfi filtering. This is achieved by things like inductors, capacitors, and other types of devices. They're intended to remove high frequency junk that might be on your AC line. Regretfully, there is no standard when reporting this quantitatively. Some companies specify it as dB (50 db FWIW is about 99.7% reduction) or as a percentage. Some further tell you over what frequency range they're talking about. Some only tell you at one particular frequency. Monster, as far as I know, doesn't say much about it other than they have it. Panamax is bit better. You'll find devices that are also sold for computer applications to be quite a bit more forthcoming and generally one or two emails gets you some fairly detailed information if that's what you're looking for. Now this emi/rfi filtering can be achieved in a number of ways. It can come right after the power cord or it can exist between pairs of outlets. The reason for the latter configuration is to address the concerns of people who are worried about Electronic Component #1 dumping some rfi back down thepower cord. In the latter scenario, the further away you are from any one component, the greater the emi/rfi filtering is. It's cumulative if you will. Hence if one's got a device with that incorporates some high frequency switching like an SACD player, then you'd put that on the first pair of outlets after the power cord and stick your TV on the furthest one. Make sense? Price is no indicator of effectiveness here. Numbers are. One can spend hundreds for a 1250 joule unit and $30 for a 3000 joule one. Which one do you think has a better chance of protecting your equipment over the long run? On the other hand, which accountant do you think is smiling more? Protected Equipment Warranties are useless in my opinion. If you don't have renter's insurance you ought to get it and make sure it includes provisions for Full Equipment Replacement in the event of surge damage (theft, accident, water, etc. too) instead of this prorated stuff. With a good policy, if a surge trashes your stuff, you'll be back here laughing and talking about how you need to upgrade and be asking for suggestions. The more expensive Monster and Panamax units provide features which you may or may not find useful. Some have been touched upon by other posts in this thread. Appearance, large # of outlets, triggers, switched and unswitched outlets, delay turn ons, etc. may or may not have importance to you. If they are, then be prepared to pay accordingly for your needs...errrr...wants...errrr...you know Now comes the question. Why do some people observe an improvement in their display when using such a device and other don't? First of all, I don't think it has to do with large voltage swings. If that was happening, then you'd notice it with your lights and unless those are dimming and/or running bright, then you can say with reasonable assurance, that your power is fairly constant. So we scratch that. What about RFI/EMI on the lines? That's "possible" but you'd have to have extraordinarily large amounts that simply overwhelmed your power supply. Fairly unlikely but seeing as how virtually any device you buy is going to have such protection then one can reasonably expect that to be dealt with fairly effectively by anything you buy. The most likely reason, in my opinion, is that by running everything through one device, you largely address the problems with ground loops. Sometimes these ground loops are severe enough that even running them through one device still doesn't deal with things like hum coming out of yoursubwoofer or speakers. In those cases, Calrad sells a video isolation transformer that renders that a non issue. As a side benefit it also cleans up the video. I don't have any specific recommendations for products. If you need the additional features then look at the Panamax or Monster units. I happen to lean towards Panamax but that's mostly because I think they're more forthcoming with specs. Monster just confuses everything and trying to get information by email or phone is like trying to score with a girl while her father sits with a shotgun looking at you. It just ain't going to happen. If you don't need those capabilities, then a host of products are out there. For around $20 the Stratitec looks good. Doesn't have the in-between-outlet emi/rfi but the rest of the specs look good. Trip Lites Isobar series is very nice. Priced in the vicinity of $60, you get in-between-outlet emi/rfi, decent joules, and a very nice feature called sine wave tracking. This limits the let through voltage by constantly tracking the AC waveform. For a unit based on SAD's, the DPS series from Transtector is nice. Quicker response time than MOV's and quite excellent at catching little baby transients...call them spikes. That's around $100 straight from the manufacturer which happens to be a sister company to Polyphaser, probably the industry yardstick when it comes to serious protection from lightning. Things you can do if you're renting would be to check your outlets with an outlet tester (around $4 at Home Depot) to make sure you're wired correctly. Also, if you have access to the breakers, kill them in the room where your HT is, remove the outlet, pull the wires out, clean them, and wrap them around the screws instead of stabbing them through those little holes. It's a better, more robust connection. Then also add the Calrad unit which is around $10. That, to me, will give you the greatest bang for the buck and save you some cash at the same time.]]

CRAP! I forgot all about the latest DBT! Thanks for reminding me. I'm a huge Cooley fan, so this one should appeal to me more than most.

I'm a huge Alt. Country fan! I've of that group, just haven't actually heard their music. Thanks for the rec, I'm definitely going to check it out.

Have it... Very good album.

So I've been in somewhat of a new music funk recently. What I mean by that is I'm having a hard time finding a new album to get into. Who's heard a great new Rock/Pop album recently? It can be an older album I suppose, but I've been in a Rock/Pop mood lately, so I would like something from those genres. Recent faves have been The River from Izzy Stradlin, Circuital from My Morning Jacket, Modern Vampires Of The City from Vampire Weekend, and How Was Tomorrow from The Cash Brothers. Any suggestions would be truly appreciated.

They have one hell of a mess there.

I stay inside these days mostly because it's colder than fuck outside. But actually, it's MORE technology-appropriate to get out more than ever! Those portable record players were a bit of a hindrance when hiking and biking.

It takes one hell of a standup person to say as much, Chuck. As a professional asshole, I find your comments admirable. And every last word of that is 100% genuine. You gave me more chances than I earned. I would personally be remiss not to grant you the same. I hope you and your family are well.

Well, perhaps you shoulda!

That one looks like it could easily have been considered for an LT-Series Blue Note cover. (not everybody likes those photos/covers, but I've always really dug them). Nice work! Hahaha... I hadn't even thought of that, but you're right! Is that a Matador?

As far as a CD getting a scratch making it unplayable, out of the +/- 1,000 CDs I own, that happened to exactly one of them (this is a collection dating back to around '91 or '92). And it only made one track unable to play all the way through. So, if that's truly your biggest fear, then you're in pretty darned good shape. As for the hard drive, the simplest fix is to have a redundant copy on an external hard drive. My entire hard drive backs up to an external hard drive every hour. So, if my iMac takes a dump (and as we know as computer owners can happen at any given moment) then I use the backup/external hard drive to load everything back onto my new computer. Also, if you have the money and don't mind spending it, there's always cloud storage/backup. And if you're an iTunes user, everything you buy is yours, and already residing quietly in the cloud. I just started purchasing albums from the iTunes store, and they only make up less than 5% of my overall collection. But, and this is actually pretty cool, let's say I'm away from home and suddenly want to hear an album that I purchased from iTunes, but I don't have it on my iPhone/Pod/Pad. Super simple, just pull up the album on your device and you'll see a little cloud with a downward pointing arrow. Tap that icon and that entire album will download to your device. You don't even need Wi-Fi, though it would be preferable. Even on 4G it will download to your device within a minute or two. You could also stream it if you don't have the free space needed for it. You can also do the same with individual songs, in case you're not looking to listen to the entire album. Now, try sitting in a hotel room and listening to an LP that you left at home.

It's all in the master. Cannot be said enough.

That's awesome!

Never been to Richmond, but am reminded of our first trip to Omaha this past Summer. We were expecting a little cow town, but were completely blown away! The historic district has been transformed into boutique shops and outstanding restaurants. Lots of cultural offerings, highlighted by a world class zoo. And unlike most larger midwest cities, it is bustling with activity, even well into the early morning hours. Lots of buskers about as well. Outstanding parks and greenways, as well. Highly recommended!

And she's cuter'n hell, too! Good for you, brother! Had no idea it had gotten that serious.

I respect that, Chuck. We've all been around here for a long time. We've all "known"each other for a long time. Some folks lay themselves bare, others choose to keep their private lives out of the equation. Both are respectable, and should be respected, IMO.

I actually wish the protestors could have their day without the media, but I understand the importance of the media's involvement. Even though they're in it for different reasons, the coverage will do nothing but help the national conversation. The circus will be a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme, but that doesn't mean I won't be bitching under my breath while finding a creative route out of town. The biggest problem is that the Governor's mansion, as well as my work place, are flanked on one side by the Missouri River. So ways in and out of the area are very limited. It'll be an interesting day.

I can be a cold-hearted motherfucker, but you just took it to a whole new level.

Lon, you have posted many times about your parents and the situation you took on. I am truly sorry to hear of the passing of your mother. But, I'm glad that you were able to be with her and comfort her and your father at the most important time in all of your lives. We should all be so lucky to be with our loved ones in times like that. As far as my hometown news, that will come this Friday when the protest marchers from Ferguson show up at the Governor's mansion, which I work two blocks from. The media circus is going to be a nightmare...

Vinyl will never die, nor should it. It's a thoroughly enjoyable medium. It's kind of akin to American muscle cars from the 60's and 70's. They'll never go away, and many people still thoroughly enjoy owning them. They are beautiful, rare, and make a sound unlike anything else on the road. But, most folks just don't want the hassle and upkeep that comes with them. Same way with LPs. Beautiful to look at, and with a sound all their own (which could be described as muscular, to a certain extent). But, most folks don't want the hassle of maintaining them (dusting them, keeping them scratch free, that kind of thing), flipping from one side to the other, etc... Both have their admirers, and both have a place in this world. Neither will ever challenge the new guard/technology for convenience, nor should they be concerned about it.

And there's nothing wrong with that at all. For me, as I believe I've mentioned before, it's about clutter. Having moved into more of a minimalist bent, I simply no longer care for large physical collections. Hell, I look at my rack of 1,000 CDs with mild contempt at times. That said, I will still buy box sets and special editions of albums I really like, but simply buying CDs is no longer a viable practice for me. The biggest downside being the larger album art isn't in the equation. But, I've learned to live without. Mostly because as Lon perfectly stated, it's all about enjoying the music.

Thing is, there IS no debate. You have a tiny group of collectors and fetishists, but the other 99% of the world caught up with the end of the 20th century a couple of decades ago.

Yet one more reason to ignore pregame shows.

Oh, they might respond down to 20Hz, but probably at -10 dB. I've never heard a full range speaker that could accurately and audibly reproduce 20Hz. Not one. It's the main reason companies started building powered subs for home theater systems because of the wealth of low end dialed into most modern Hollywood fare. Almost no music will get down in that range... But, you do want to have something that will give you a stout kick in the nuts at, say, 40Hz when it comes to music. If it's possible to run a frequency sweep and analyze it, I'd be interested in hearing where the bass roll off starts for your speakers. I'd be willing to bet it's right around the 50Hz mark. When I looked up your TDL's before their listed frequency response started at 35Hz (to 20kHz, IIRC), and roll off on most speakers tends to happen 15-25Hz from the lowest listed response. My Dynaudio X12's are listed as 50-23000Hz, and they start rolling off right around 70Hz. Also keep in mind that placement can be crucial in some rooms. Most subwoofer cables are a mile long so that you can experiment with location if you're not sold on where it currently sits. So if you have the time and the room flexibility, don't be afraid to try a variety of positions for it.