response 1 of 53:

Jan 11 22:23 UTC 2000

My MiniDisc recorder has a little remote unit, which is a much more common
accessory in Japan than it is in the States.  My CD player (another portable
Sony) has a jack for a similar remote.  The remotes geneally have a little
backlit dispaly, and the controls (while not being lit themselves) are very
easy to operate by feel.

response 3 of 53:

Jan 12 01:09 UTC 2000

My minidisc (also Sony) has a remote, too. I like it. But, I don't know,
most of the CD players I've seen haven't had illuminated keys, and I've 
never checked into the compression feature.

response 5 of 53:

Jan 12 06:39 UTC 2000

I have thought about an in-dash CD player for the car.  
There are two problems.  The first is that I still dabble in 
cassettes.  The second is that the office parking ramp is the 
Car Stereo Thieves' Shopping Mart, so I don't want to put anything
fancier than a factory stereo in the car.
 
The built-in car stereo CD players don't seem to have the DSP compression
circuit for classical music either, at least not the last time I looked
at a Crutchfield catalog.

I could give Jim my other problem to chuckle over.  At home, our main stereo 
speakers are the old DCM Time Windows, the original model from around 
1980.  They look like cat scratching posts, and our new kitten Tristan
is probably going to finish destroying them.  DCM, originally an Ann 
Arbor company, was bought by another firm in the Southwest in the 
summer of 1999, so I'm skeptical that I'll have any luck in replacing 
these.

And the next other problem: it seems likely the capacitors are shot 
in the 1983-vintage receiver.  I'd talked with Accutronics about 
having the capacitors replaced, but while I was dawdling about it, 
Accutronics -- our favorite electronics repair shop -- went out of 
business.

response 7 of 53:

Jan 12 18:30 UTC 2000

I was reading this and thinking it over a lot-- I used to subscribe to 
_Sound & Vision_, a magazine that emerged from _Stereo Review_ and 
_Audio Magazine_.

Dynamic range of speakers, reverb, and amplifier specifics were things 
I noted as varying factors among those that listen to different kinds 
of music in the home.  Classical and jazz aficionados generally tend to 
shy away from much bass extension in speakers since it's just out of 
range of acoustical instruments.  There was also a lot of debate over 
amplifiers-- there used to be a lot of vacuum tube purists, especially 
among those listeners.

Now, what I'm curious about is-- how does DSP work?  I wasn't aware 
that the dynamic range of classical music *had* to be compressed to 
work well in the acoustic setting of a car.  Really, most cars have 
superb acoustics compared to the home setting.  The stereotype of the 
car audiophile is of a young male basshead, but really, the arrangement 
is to be appreciated.  Since I don't know DSP, I'm going to guess on 
some things based on typical car acoustics.

I know most factory speakers are mid-range heavy, which I am guessing 
may actually work in *favor* for classical music.  Your implication 
that the dynamic range needs to be compressed rather confuses me, 
unless you're driving in a car that doesn't have high-end speakers, 
which I kinda doubt.  I remember a few Grexers who prefer to lower the 
dynamic high range for most music in the car, but I had always assumed 
that the car was otherwise an ideal acoustical environment.

Forgive me if I sound like a know-it-all-- I don't mean to.  I don't 
know the acoustical setup in your car, and I was curious, because there 
might be alternate ways around it.

My car is an '87 Chevy Nova with a factory radio deck.  That means no 
CD unless I install an FM device to transmit CD output over an FM 
channel, or install a CD player.  I remember void saying that since the 
high end of FM is limited, that effectively makes a natural cutoff as 
well on CD output.  I have treble and bass controls, which I generally 
use pretty liberally since mid-range *is* heavy.  Sometimes I boost the 
treble a little more and lower the bass for the classical stations.  I 
would have even finer control over this if I had a car equalizer, but 
it's not worth it.  I have great deck speakers, but the front ones are 
terrible and poorly acoustically placed (they're in a spot pointing 
down).

I'm guessing DSP is nice because it maximizes what you do have in your 
car for classical music.  I also understand from previous posts that 
theft has been a problem, so any other tweaking might be rather 
expensive.

They got rid of the backup lights?  That's too bad..

response 9 of 53:

Jan 13 00:24 UTC 2000

if it's music-to-road noise, then I might understand.

I know some car audiophiles will put material on the inside hood of a 
car to reduce noise coming from the engine.  This might be a pad, or a 
spray on material that can also be put in other car areas to reduce 
other noises.  Often, they get electrical filters to reduce noise coming 
from more powerful alternators (helping to drive a more powerful 
system).  Radio enthusiasts will use them too for certain types of 
antennas and antenna boosters.

really, though, I want to know *what* exactly a DSP compressor is, and 
where it is needed in comparison to these other things.  There are so 
many factors in working with car acoustics, really-- the design and 
modeling of the car (because good luxury cars will close out external 
noises); placement of speakers (kick panel, deck, door, rear-view mirror 
clamp.. yes, the thing that meets the ceiling.., trunk or alternative 
area-- under seat, spare tire area); and specs of the receiver (tape 
deck, CD player, etc.)