The Joys of Flying!

I'll warn you now this post is likely to turn into a rant!
I've recently started a new job and as a result I'm doing a bit more travelling. On the weekend I flew up to Townsville, a fairly short 2 hour flight from Brisbane. Normally I don't find flying an unpleasant experience... I've managed to develop the ability to fall asleep pretty much as the cabin crew start their safety demonstration and manage to wake up once we're taxing back to the aero-bridge.

This flight however I had the pleasure of sitting in a middle seat (not normally too much of an issue, usually the result of bad luck) next to a guy who had no apreciation of personal space. Aircraft cabins are small enough as it is.. we're all squished in, none of us particularly like sitting in sardine like seating for 2 hours or more. This individual had decided that the space under the seat in front of him wasn't large enough for him to fit his legs under so he decided the one infront of mine was a much better idea. If that wasn't bad enough he also decided to open his paper over my tray table... Despite all hints to give me back my personal space he ignored me... Stronger suggestions were shrugged off with "I've got long legs mate". If you have the aisle seat... USE THE AISLE!

Big vs. Small - A question answered?

In my wanderings around hifi stores yesterday I may inadvertently stumbled across the answer to my question of size. Most of concerns are with the sound that is ultimately delivered by the setup. Looking at setups of the key areas where the satellites/sub combinations can fall down is the small cones. 

Tannoy Arena

Kef KHT2005.2

 

All these systems have cone sizes of 4" or less. Obviously with that size driver they tend to excel in the mid-range or vocal band, but all bass information is basically handled by the sub.

When I stumbled across the Wharfedale Diamond 9.3   bookshelf speakers, yesterday, they removed all concern over small cone size. Admittedly though these aren't small speakers by any stretch of the imagination. The speaker is about 45cm high and about 33cm deep (most of this size is purely to accommodate the 8" main driver). The system I was considering would mimic the theory behind the sub/satellite systems and incorporate 6 (3 pairs for a  6.1 system) of the 9.3 Speakers. With the ability to produce bass down to 40Hz the speakers could be configured as Large (or full range) on the amplifier configuration allow the use of a sub purely for the LFE (or .1) channel. The use of 6 identical speakers would result in great steering and the bass capacity would reduce the need for integration with the sub at higher frequencies. The only real concern with the system is the ability of the Large driver coupled only with a tweeter to produce accurate mid-range. However, as there are barely any reviews of the speaker around (plenty of extremely favourable reviews of their smaller brothers) it will have to rely on plenty of auditioning to ensure it was a good surround solution.

New Guides for the PVR

As reported in Smarthouse there are new versions of the Electronic Program guide being released. IceTV offers iceguide an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for all free-to-air channels* up to 7 days in advance. Their service for just $3 per week (which seems a bit steep for an EPG) your PVR can be updated daily with full program listings, including episode descriptions and movie synopses.

IceTV offers a specific service for the Topfield TF5000PVRt.

Improvements to version 2.0 of the iceguide for Topfield software include automatic padding to recording times, Easier selection of the appropriate guide channels, automatic scheduling of iceguide fetches and uploads and increased guide loading speed.

The IceTV iceguide lists programming a week in advance and can be updated over the Internet on a daily or weekly basis. Free to air TV programs can then be scheduled for recording using a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) and remote control.

To access iceguide, you will need a PC running MS Windows 2000 or XP, with Internet access. The Topfield connects to the PC using a USB cable.

Big vs. Small - A digression

After my musings about the Big vs. Small home theatre speaker question, I have stumbled across a solution that would be the best of both worlds...(well kinda anyway)

My favourite brand/series of speakers the Wharfedale Diamond 9 has now been release in Silver!

This would allow you to construct your own style system from a series of 9.2 and CM Centre Speakers

If you were looking for a little more kick from your front stage you could always upgrade your front set to a 9.3 with the 8" cone. I had a very quick listen to one of these giant book shelfs (which should really be called stand mounts because they are too big to even think about putting on a book shelf) and they had a truly impressive bass response.

With a pair of 9.3s sitting on your front stage it would hardly be compact cinema, but it would be a significant size reduction from floor standers. With the 9.1 speakers retailing for about $499 a pair it would be a fairly inexpensive surround system, that may have less style than a Tannoy Arena setup but may end up delivering you just that little bit more sound.

Big vs. Small - The home theatre Question (Part 1)

I've been thinking about changing my home theatre speaker setup for a little while based on the idea of splitting off a separate stereo kit.
The first real stumbling block I've come up against is 'do you choose a large floor standing setup or a compact satellites/sub combination'?

Obviously the main concern is going to be the sound that is ultimately delivered by the setup. For this Sort Of setup the only source is movies as a separate set of speakers would be pumping out the music.

One key area where the satellites/sub combinations tend to perform is imaging, integration and steering. This is usually because the satellites are identical in their driver configuration if not their entire design. This leads to seamless transition as a specific sound (for example an actor's voice) moves from the centre speaker to one of the front speakers. Obviously this leads to a more realistic movie experience as the tone of the actors voice doesn’t ‘magically’ change as they move around the room. The downfall here is that with their smaller size they are not able to produce the same low level bass information of a floor standing speaker. This information is basically left entirely to the subwoofer and the system relies on entirely on the integration between the subwoofer and satellite to give the impression of the bass information coming from the small enclosure. The first question is here... If you can produce perfect integration between the subwoofer and satellite can produce a comparable sound to that of a similar quality floor standing system?

Not all of us have the space (or the funds) to support a system of 6 B&W Nautilus 801 speakers (or any complete floor standing system) encircling the lounge room. Many manufacturers offer high end satellites but can you ever achieve the fullness of sound compared to a floor stander. If not, is the advantage of imaging and steering worth the sacrifice?

Using your X-box as a Network Music Solution?

A friend and I were talking about network music solutions to try and get easy access from your Hifi to any music you might have on the network. We'd been looking at a few of the network media options from Netgear and D-Link but they often seemed to be more trouble (and cost) than they're worth.
In a sudden wave of inspiration it dawned on me that we already have a network enabled deviced hooked up to our Hifi's... The X-Box.

Obviously one option is to rip all your CDs from your current collection to the X-box Hard drive. Hopefully though you have some patience though because this isn't exactly a speedy process.
Another options is to rip music on to your PC, burn it to a CD-R(W) and copy the music off that onto the X-Box.

Finally though I stumbed across Music Mixer for X-box. This nifty little app allows you to transfer audio files (WMA, MP3) and digital photos (JPG) from your PC to your Xbox video game system.

Here’s what you need to get the system to work.
Xbox Video Game System
Xbox Music Mixer
Xbox Music Mixer PC Transfer Tool
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows Media Player 9
Xbox-to-PC Ethernet Connection, via LAN or Xbox System Link Cable (Crossover Cable) Most of you with live will already have your Xbox on your LAN.

The Xbox Music Mixer PC Transfer Tool is a fairly straight forward install and then you're up and running.

Happy Listening!

Roaming Control!

I've had a Logitech® Cordless Precision™ Controller for my Xbox® pretty much since I've had the X-Box. The console come with an S-Controller but I'd been so used to wireless gaming with my Gamecube and the wavebirds I had to upgrade to the wireless controller pretty much straight away.

The controller is great, much easier to hold and more accurate than the standard controller. The only problem was that when I use live I have to swap back to the wired controller because the cable for the headset wouldn't reach from the console (and there's no way to plug the headset into the controller).

I'd looked around at the wireless headsets a few times but they always seemed so expensive. Fortunately with the mid year sales I managed to pick up one of the Logitech® Cordless Headsets.

It's basically their blue tooth headset with a module to plug into the X-Box. It works everybit as well as the wired one I got with my live kit (well at least at my end and hey that's all that matters!). The store did warn me about some problems with volume level but I've found it to be louder than orignal and much more comfortable to wear.

If you have the funds I definately recommend the upgrade to wireless.

The ultimate home theatre addition?

I saw these while I was shopping... it was a very strange looking store with the slogan "it's not a damn bean bag" plastered across the entrance. Obviously curious to see what wasn't a damn bean bag but close enough to be mistaken for one, I ventured into the store.

The store was filled with these huge round pillow type objects (not to dissimilar to a bean bag as it turns out) however it is apparently different to a bean bag as I was informed by one of the funky staff members. LoveSac is all about hangin’ out. Come together with your friends and family. LoveSac is always the centre of good times and provides the ultimate in home theatre relaxation. Still not sure how (or why) this was different to a bean bag I tried out one of the biggest ones in the store.

To my amazement it was actually really comfortable. The reason is the filling, the Sac is a DuraFoam filled canvas insert. All the inserts are reduced to 1/8th the original size, which is lucky because I'm not sure how you're going to fit an 8 ft one into your car.

The store is LOVESAC supplying Lovesacs (beanbag like coach alternatives). LoveSac is the most versatile furniture on the planet. It can be sleek and elegant for your living room or loud and colorful for parties. It can be as unique as your personality. LoveSac is furniture to fit your lifestyle (apparently).

I must admit it was pretty cool... my favourite part was the detachable drink holder that you could add to your creation.
One thing that did surprise me was the cost, the insert (for the biggest size) is $579 and then a matching cover (in the cheapest fabric) is $280, which really prices them in the couch end of the market.

One thing you can't deny is they are different and kind of cool (in a geeky sort of way). Who knows.. it may be the next generation of my floor cushion :)

Great Stuff you find when randomly surfing

Jamiroquai is set to release a new album (and I didn't even know) !!!!

Dynamite is the sixth studio album by Jamiroquai, and was produced by Mike Spencer.
This looks to be the track listing (at least for the UK version)
Feels Just Like It Should
Dynamite
Seven Days
Electric Mistress
Starchild
Love Blind
Talulah
Give Hate A Chance
World That He Wants
Black Devil Car
Hot Tequila Brown
Beatbox
Time Won't Wait

It's set to be in Australian stores on 20th June!

You can stream the first single Feels Just Like It Should from the Jamiroquai site or Watch the film clip here.