56 new of 65 responses total.
That last one is a puzzler; I would have guessed that "Dolby FM" would have been a switch position which would also have turned on the MPX filter in addition to the Dolby B noise reduction. I still tape "A Prairie Home Companion" and "The Thistle and Shamrock" (in stereo) on many weekends.
It is plain Dolby, not Dolby B. We have tape decks with either plain Dolby, or Dolby B and C. If we tape with plain Dolby can we play back with C (or B?) and vice versa? I read somewhere that Dolby (original) was more expensive so was dropped in favor of B and then C is better than B. Then there is DBX (on one machine)- if we tape with that how would we play back on other machines? Tape selector - EX, SX, ZX ??? Normal (I), II, IV? How to set bias and equ for the different tape types? We have one machine that recognizes them automatically, some are labelled I II III IV, some Fe CrO2 Metal, some just bias and equ. We have a couple machines with adjustable bias - what do we do with that, if anything?
I haven't got time to do this justice... I will have to come back
and write more later.
Dolby and dbx Noise Reduction both work by compressing parts of the
signal on recording and expanding them on playback. When the signal is
expanded on playback, the volume of the tape hiss, relative
to the signal, is reduced. The systems differ in their choice
of what to compress.
dbx is a straight 2:1 - 1:2 dynamic range compression
scheme. This system was very effective
at nearly elminating tape hiss, but it was so
aggressive that it sometimes introduced some audible modulation
of the tape hiss, which was called "pumping" or "breathing."
It was pretty much agreed by everyone that dbx tapes were
intolerable to listen to on machines which did not have dbx
decoding. I never worked with dbx equipment.
In the Dolby techniques, the amount of compression done to
the signal varies with the audio frequency. The higher
the frequency -- the more likely the signal is to get lost in tape
hiss -- the more compression is done. This is not as effective
as dbx, but it also means that a Dolby-encoded tape can be played
back without decoding, and most people won't object too much to the
resulting sound -- it's a little "bright" because the high frequencies
have been boosted. This is considerably more complicated than dbx
and to work best, it requires that the tape deck be properly tuned
to the tape being used.
Dolby A is a professional noise reduction system. You will not find
it in home audio equipment.
Dolby B was the first Dolby noise reduction product for home use.
Any cassette deck you find with a switch marked just "Dolby"
is controlling "Dolby B" circuitry. Dolby B was introduced maybe
around 1973, for a guess without looking it up.
Dolby B gets about 10db of tape hiss reduction -- much less
than dbx, but the tapes sound OK if played on equipment without Dolby.
Dolby C was the second home version, introduced maybe around 1979.
In a perfectly working system it got 10dB more tape hiss reduction,
but because it was such an aggressive system it was more audible
when there were small tape/machine equalization problems,
and Dolby C tapes sounded somewhat shrill when played without
decoding.
Dolby S came out after I had stopped paying attention to
cassette technology.
Tape selector switches of EX, SX, and ZX tell me you've got your hands
on a Nakamichi brand tape deck, because those were Nakamichi's
own names for the tape formats. Some Nakamichi models in good
working order are quite collectible, selling for hundreds of
dollars. Nakamichi was usually regarded as the premier manufacturer
of cassette decks from the early 1970s into the CD era.
However, because Nakamichi and the rest of the world disagreed on
how equalization was to be done, tapes recorded on Nakamichi machines
sound "dull" on other manufacturer's machines. I have considerable
experience with this; I lived with or owned three Nakamichi recorders
back in the cassette era.
Tape formulations: roughly equivalent, on each line:
Type I = Normal = Ferric = EX
Type II = Chrome or Chrome-Equivalent = CrO2 = SX
Type III = Ferro-Chrome = FeCrO2 <-- this formulation failed in the market
Type IV = Metal = ZX
Type IV / Metal tapes can be played back correctly with a
switch in the Type II/Chrome position, but they cannot be
so recorded.
Actually *explaining* them will have to wait.
Essentially I'm trying to write a complete tutorial on cassette technology and this may take a while.... :) For a practical summary on dbx and the various flavors of Dolby: my suggestion is that you record with Dolby B switched on (that's marked as "dolby" on some older decks) and play back with either Dolby B or no noise reduction, depending on which your ears like best. That's what I'm doing these days. Tape bias and equalization: hoo boy, that's gonna take a while to explain...
We have a Kenwood with Bias Preset and Auto Bias that apparently detects the tape type as that is not a choice. Yes it was Nakamichi with the EX SX ZX. We have about 20 tape decks, some of which work. CrO2 is sometimes just labelled 'high' - high bias? Some tapes are labelled 120 (I, normal?) and some 70 (II, IV?) - is this bias or equiv? We will skip dbx since only one deck has that and take your advice to use Dolby (B) rather than C. Don't have any S. Jim likes to hear things brighter - perhaps his hearing is shot from too much hammering, but he turns on Dolby during play for tapes not recorded with it. One deck has settings Normal (120 msec), FeCR (70), CrO2 (70) and Metal (70). Is the FeCr same as FeCrO2 that you mentioned as type III? Some decks require you to set both bias and equ and various combinations work for I, II and IV. For instance both buttons out for I, both in for IV, one in and one out for II. A couple of these decks are not understandable. If you are interested, Ken, you are welcome to come over and admire and even play with our tape deck collection. We are still trying to fix one good one to the point where it: plays, records (both channels), and the door works. We are replacing belts, tires, motors, springs and other bits and pieces. Were home tape decks first popular around 1973, or even earlier (without Dolby)? We have encountered a variety of autoreverse mechanisms. Usually the head and tape stay put and the spindles/rollers switch direction, either by some system of gears, or by acctually reversing motor direction (would this be by changing polarity to a DC motor?). One deck swivels the play head, and we ran across one that actually turned the tape over for you, a very early model. MCM electronics sells new autoreverse play heads for $2, or the swivelling type for slightly more (also IEEE printer cables for about $2-3, of the type that our friend paid $25 for recently).
resp:8 I typed in impedance, but wasn't sure if that was right. Ok, I learned something new now. Ok, Rane, if a system calls for 8ohm- 16ohm, will there be a match only with 8 or 16? Or can you have a match with impedance in between, as I did? Ok, Ken-- on the subject of Dolby, where does HX Pro fit in? and just on a separate note, do noise reduction systems exist for TV/VCRs any more that are *separate* units? I've noticed the really huge TVs with surround sound systems often have dbx noise reduction. I also remember Radio Shack carrying a separate audio decoder (I think) that allowed for stereo hookup and noise reduction, but I haven't seen it in years.
Hoo boy. I can't explain Dolby HX Pro without covering "bias." And I'm not even sure I can explain that very well; I may go out and look for a URL to point you to. In brief: Dolby HX Pro is not a noise reduction system at all. "HX" stands for Headroom Extension; it is a circuit to reduce the bias current a bit when there is lots of high frequency energy present in the musical signal, to try and stop too much total high-frequency signal from going into the record heads. Dolby HX Pro is only applied in the recording process; no decoding playback is required. My last high-quality cassette deck had HX Pro, but I eventually concluded it didn't help the sound and I turned it off.
All right then, if HX Pro is only applied in the recording process, why would a deck need that system? I think I'm somewhat familiar with bias-- many cassette types apply most of the bias in the midrange. It seems to emphasize more of that 'warm' sound the cassette medium is known for (as opposed to LPs, which generally tend to be 'bright'.) But I know that's grossly oversimplifying things.
The marketing for HX Pro argued that when too much high-energy signal went into the record heads or tape that there was some "self-erasing" going on, resulting in less-than-optimal high frequency performance. So that's why it was called "HX Pro," for Headroom Extension. Once the system accomplished its goal of getting a hotter high-frequency signal onto the tape, there is no need for any special processing to play it back. You know, the more I write this stuff, the more I remember why I'm recording stuff digitally these days...
well, that's not a bad thing, actually. Me, I just got a better cassette deck because I was patching a little compact stereo to a receiver for the deck. Having Dolby playback is nice. And yes, HX Pro sounds fine on just about any good deck.
I still have an outboard Dolby box. Control knobs on it to control things. Came with a reel to reel tape and as cassette tape for calibrations.
Tim is there any stereo gadget that you don't have and would like to get?
I haven't had an eight track recorder for some time.
Does that mean you want to own one again? I know where to get one, cheap.
Heh. Watch out, Tim.
I think even radio shack has stopped selling blank 8-track tapes.
I know where you can get cheap used ones.
What did I say? 8-{)]
Since this is the "Equipment for Playing [Recorded] Music" item, I thought I might mention my recent purchase of an Apple iPod. I'll write a longer review of it later, but basically the iPod is an amazing device with a couple of annoying omissions and restrictions that keep it from being perfect. Still, I'm quite happy with it, and can recommend it with only minor reservations.
We have discovered that the only tape decks with timer switches (you set them to off, record, or play) are the ones were you cannot press down the regular play or record switch and have it stay down. The newer ones are solenoids (feather-touch) and the timer switch is not needed on the older ones - you can just push down the pertinent lever, plug the deck into a timer, turn on power, and when the timer reaches the right time the deck should go on. This is theory, anyway. We have one (broken) deck with HXPro which is automatically used, and then also a choice of Dolby B or C or neither. It is autoreverse and plays okay in one direction but superfast in the other. Pinch roller not pinching. Jim is fixing small headphones this week. They come in 20,24, and 32 ohms and you have to turn the boombox way up to hear them. Is this to prevent people from making themselves deaf? Ordinary speakers are 4-16 ohms. The larger the headphones, the less you have to turn up the boombox.
I can't find the previous discussion of MP3 portable players, so I'll use this item. I broke down today and got a RioVolt CD/MP3 player. It was stickered at $99.99, scanned for $10 less than that; the sales clerk waved a 10% coupon under the scanner and the price went down some more, and *then* there is a $20 rebate which I darn well better send in this time. So, what, $60-$65 final cost? Yay Best Buy. Thanks to mcnally for encouraging me to keep looking. There were a frustrating ten minutes of trying to figure out the folder navigation, and then it all made sense. Sounds great on these Spanish folk MP3s by a band called Na Lua which I've been playing; certainly those files sound better on the the Rio than they do on Winamp on the computers I've got around.
I've been thinking about getting one of those for my son. I figured we can take it in the car, too. With a couple of MP3 CDs, we'll have enough music for a weekend trip to my brother's place south of Nashville. I saw one in one of the Sunday circulars for $40, with car kit. I hope that means a cigarette lighter plug-in and not a cassette tape adapter, since I don't have a cassette player in my car.
"car kit" generally means a cigarette lighter plug-in for power, and a cassette tape adapter to carry the audio from the portable unit into the car stereo. Most people's cigarette lighters are not connected to the car stereo for output, but you might have a special model. :) As John doesn't have a cassette tape player, he'll most likely have to get a small radio transmitter which can be picked up by your car's FM radio; I have no experience with those. We were discussing these toys in another item somewhere recently, but where?
I have used such a tape/CD FM transmitter. They work quite well. Their only problem is that if you enter an area where there is a regular FM transmitter, you need to pick another frequency. This doesn't happen often.
I've got one of the FM-transmitter doodads that I use with my iPod on car trips. It seemed to work pretty well on my trip from Washington down to Utah and around the national parks of the southwest but it was a complete failure on a later road-trip from western Michigan to southeastern Minnesota via Chicago. From about Benton Harbor, MI, to Madison, WI, the device wasn't worth using -- about every 20 minutes I had to retune to an unused frequency as I came within range of some new low-power FM station.
re #30: For that price I'm presuming you didn't get the black model with the larger display, extra buffer memory, and FM tuner. That's the only Rio/Volt model I'm familiar with, but I liked it. The lower cost models, though much more attractively priced, seemed decidedly not as nice.
When is somebody going to invent the stylusless cartridge for playing vinyl? Maybe not a cartridge, exactly, but some sort of optical device for reading the grooves on an analog vinyl recording. Or has it already been done? The idea of having to run a diamond-tipped needle through the grooves every time you want to listen to an old favorite seems more and more primitive and destructive of the medium, given current technology. How hard could it be to come up with a simple inexpensive device?
I've wondered about this, too. But it will take more than just a cartridge, as the needle controls the inward spiral motion of the cartridge as well as vibrating. You'd need something to make the tone arm pivot at the proper rate to keep the cartridge pointed at the right point on the groove. I also have to wonder whether something couldn't be designed with a *wide* cartridge that would read the entire side in one revolution. Might be simpler.
My recollection is that the laser turntable *was* done; however, it was in the late 1980s, when the market for $10,000 turntables was shrinking fast. I will grub around later today; I saw something on the web about it. Mike in resp:35 :: My RioVolt model is the SP-90, blue case, seems to have the larger display but no FM tuner, and I'm not sure about the buffer size.
re #32: Urp. Thanks for pointing that out, as I'd completely overlooked it.
John, we probably have a car tape deck and if not, Kiwanis has lots of used ones cheap, probably a lot cheaper than buying a new gadget for transmitting FM to your car radio. THe last time he fixed someone's tape deck it was so they could play CD's with it.
Why didn't I think of that? I'd have to ask for help installing it, too. I'm no good at cars. Thanks, Sindi!
I used to have a cheap tape deck boombox in a car with only an am/fm stereo. I hardwired the battery terminals of the (9v) boombox to the ignition of the (12v) car, and the difference didn't seem to have any effect, but I saved a lot on batteries and I could play cassettes in my car... (until some jerk in Jersey City broke in and stole the boombox)
I could use my boombox and a cigarette lighter adapter, I suppose. What I really want, though, is to be able to play MP3 CDs in the car. It'd be a compact way to take a lot of music when we're traveling.
Meijers had a MP3/CD playing boombox from Philips.
A boombox? Do you know how much it was?
About $100, I think.
The Philips MP3/Cd boombox also allows firmware upgrades,
which I think could mean support of .ogg files later.
I have the silver/little blue RioVolt Player, SP-100, IIRC.
I downloaded one firmware update for it, and got better functionality,
like being able to resume where I left off, on up to ten disks it
remembers for me, either in MP3 or CD modes. It and the mostly black
one with FM tuner are the only ones with upgradeable firmware.
The next part of desirabilty is being able to forward thru
an MP3 selection/file. Currently it only supports the Gong! function,
going to the next file.
Sony also makes/made an MP3/CD boombox.
(I guess it was only a matter of time before "boombox" and "firmware upgrade" wound up in the same sentence, but jeez...)
resp:30 and subsequent:: I've decided that I'm not all that happy with the RioVolt unit I got two months ago. The sound is fairly "dead" coming out of it, compared with all the recent Sony CD portables I've used, and also with Leslie's Koss portable. This seems to be something in the audio output stage, because it doesn't matter if I'm playing audio CDs or MP3 discs. Has anyone been able to compare the sound quality of the different CD MP3 players? They aren't usually sold in ways which allow you to audition them any more.
Dunno, but I can loan you a test CD with various tones at various frequencies. It's the reason I didn't buy a Sony this time around.
I got the PSX100 RioVoit portable. The mostly silver with blue accents one that plays CDs and MP3. If this is your model, maybe we can do a side by side comparision to see if it is the unit or the model or maker.
I recently bought a sony cd-mp3 walkman with g-protection and car kit for around $100 and have been quite happy with it. No skips at all. It is my 5th cd player and all the other skipped on gravel roads (first mp3 player). I just leave it on random play, better than radio and no commercials.
My CD player with car kit has a skip-protection feature you can turn on or off. When on, it loads ten seconds ahead into memory. When using the player with batteries, as in sitting and listening when not in a car, one can turn the feature off: you don't really need it, and it eats up the batteries after 2 hours instead of 8.
Wow. I'm trying to figure out what about that feature could possibly cause that much increased battery drain.. On newer hard-drive based music players like my iPod the memory buffer is actually a battery savings feature. Of course it's a lit bigger -- 32MB in the iPod's case, which is usually sufficient to allow it to fill up the buffer and then put the hard drive to sleep for twenty minutes or so.
Keeping an extra 10 seconds continuously loaded in memory, I suppose.
I don't see how 2 hours' worth of memory refresh could consume as much battery power as running the motor, laser, and op-amp for another 6 hours. That's what puzzles me..
I have no idea what activities consume how much power, so I am not bothered by this. I have battery-operated devices that seem to run forever, and others that run out of juice constantly. I have a little voice tape recorder that runs faithfully on 2 AA batteries, and I have flashlights that seem to die regularly on 3 or 4 D cells. I'd have thought that keeping the tape running and recording my voice for hours, together with rewinding, playback, etc., would take as much juice as shining a tiny weak light occasionally, but apparently not.
Today I found myself window shopping for an MP3 player. I say "window
shopping" because it's a luxury item that I shouldn't buy at present
even though they're certainly more affordable than they used to be.
In the past I've thought about Proporta's MP3 player because I could
load up one or more multimedia cards (MMC) with MP3 files and it
should just play them...
http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=1187&t_mode=des
...judging by the description it may even work directly with NetBSD.
Today though I've been looking at Sandisk's m2x0 series. The m250 (2
Gbytes) and m260 (4 Gbytes) both cost around 5 cents per megabyte,
which is about the same as blank MMC cards would cost me for the Pro-
porta. In effect I would be buying USB flash storage and getting a
free MP3 player with a backlit display.
Stay away from Sandisk; they lock up, apparently, and when they do the company is about as much use as chocolate fireguard. Way to resurrect an old item, though ;-)
What is chocolate fireguard?
Theoretically, a barrier put in front of a fireplace to protect children and animals (especially) from a fire, but made of chocolate. Therefore, in practice a metaphor for "a completely useless object made to sound useful."
chocolate face
Re #59: pants. I really quite fancied one of those.
Sorry! But figure a moment's irritation is better than a stung wallet ;-)
Point.
You have several choices: