|
Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 6:25 AM EST Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Good morning gang....hope everyone has a good day... BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 11:04 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 BC: Thanks mucho !! BC ( 76.248.45.18 ) at 10:22 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 BIG AL: Just tested it and put 2 ends on a cable, works perfect. BC ( 76.248.45.18 ) at 10:13 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 BIG AL: Actually, the ex6xl is probably the one connector I haven't used the orange handled one on. Hang on a minute, let me go see if I can find it and I'll test it out. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 8:34 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 BC; "I've never had an issue using them with any of the connectors I've gotten" Duh! I guess that answered my question. <:o) BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 7:14 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 BC; Since the cable pro is too expensive for me right now, will the EX6XL connector work with the cablestogo tool? I have about a dozen connectors on his job, and probably years before I do my HT, so I hate to spend $100 on a tool.  BYork ( 151.151.109.14 ) at 6:29 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010Gar - Mea Culpa....totally forgot about those images you sent me. They're (FINALLY!) up now. BC ( 76.248.45.18 ) at 6:04 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 BIG AL: I have that tool and it works fine. I also have one from liberty, a Paladin, one from Milestek and this one (which is the one I use all the time): http://www.techtoolsupply.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=LCCT-SLM I've never had an issue using them with any of the connectors I've gotten, either F or RCA. Sometimes you have to swap an adapter but it usually works one way or the other. This is the best F connector I've used and is also the only one approved for use with Directv. It seems to work the best with every type of rg-6 I've come across. Some connectors fit on regular rg-6 with ease but are a pain to get on quad shield, the PPC's haven't been an issue for me. You can order them on ebay too for pretty cheap. http://www.techtoolsupply.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=EX6XL_50 BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 5:44 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Gar; yep, cablestogo. Thanks. It can't handle the f-conn connectors, but can handle about every other company. I can't find any other decent tools in that price range that have a good selection of connectors. Unless one of the local installers here have a suggestion. Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 2:46 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 BIG AL: Very odd as if you look it up online anywhere it really doesn't list the name of the brand. Maybe: Cables to Go? http://www.provantage.com/cables-go-38011~7CBTT016.htm Compression Tool 3-in-1 For F RCA & BNC BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 12:56 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 I'm re-wiring a guys satellite system, and I plan to make custom cables for my HT eventually. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 12:53 PM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 shopping for a compression tool / connectors. Which brand is the best in terms of quality connectors? Which tool covers the most/best brand connectors? (in case I need a connector fast) I'd like to keep the tool under $50 if possible. I was looking at a tool from parts express, but it doesn't list a brand. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=360-046&ctab=1#Tabs AVB ( 67.142.130.46 ) at 8:23 AM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 OLD DUDES! Tony C: I heard a few cuts from it the other day. Certainly on my list now. Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 7:58 AM EST Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Tony C: On the VoIP front one thing to be concerned about is your house alarm system...with a VoIP line one needs a converter box to convert the digital signal to an analog signal and those damn boxes are unreliable and useless...worked so poorly that I had to part with $400 to buy another card fro my alarm so that it could sit directly on the internet and, even at that, it drops the link once a week or so... That said, all in all the value of VoIP is real but the reliability is less than perfect and, in the event of a power failure, you are screwed as well... BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 10:36 PM EST Monday, March 8, 2010 Tony C; It's a landline package. I got $250 in rebates when I signed up for it. They wouldn't go cheaper, and since my old package was $75 I couldn't complain too much. My cellphone is prepay since I use about 5 min. a month. Ooma sounds interesting, but I'd have to have a basic landline for backup so I wouldn't be saving much. Tony C ( 12.233.96.228 ) at 5:37 PM EST Monday, March 8, 2010 OLD DUDES! I'm listening to the "new" Jimi Hendrix album. Out-takes that were put together for the package. I have to say that if you're a fan, you will certainly enjoy this album. It's raw, it has some great guitar and Jimi is just Jimi. The songs are all kind of familiar sounding which is probably why they didn't make the cut in the 60's. But it sounds just great today. Tony C ( 12.233.96.228 ) at 5:34 PM EST Monday, March 8, 2010 BIG AL: That AT&T package is land-line or cell service? I have the same land-line deal from Comcast, just a few buck cheaper because I bitched. But going with the Ooma, I can recoup the costs in six months. Hook it up and say hang up on the phone company. Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 6:09 AM EST Monday, March 8, 2010 AVB, Scott: Not a regular basis but there are some days when I am on the telephone for as much as 7 or 8 hours... Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 6:08 AM EST Monday, March 8, 2010 God morning gang...hope that everyone had a great weekend... BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 12:01 AM EST Monday, March 8, 2010 AVB; Her working day is 24 hrs. She has to be available by phone 24/7, and gets calls at any time. This morning her cell rang at 6:30, and by 9 am she'd made 6 calls and answered 3 more. She's worn out 3 bluetooth headsets in less than a year. Scott "popcorn" ( 70.137.28.57 ) at 8:29 PM EST Sunday, March 7, 2010 AVB: I could see Joel doing that.... AVB ( 72.171.0.143 ) at 10:08 AM EST Sunday, March 7, 2010 BIG AL: 30% of every working day on the phone long distance? BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 1:22 AM EST Sunday, March 7, 2010 My AT&T package is $35 / month unlimited local, toll, and long distance. That's including call waiting, ID, and forwarding. For how much my wife uses the phone, that's dirt cheap. As an example, one month she had almost 10,000 min between her 2 cells and the home phone. All long distance! In that same month I had almost 5 min. between my cell and home phone. 
Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 7:52 PM EST Saturday, March 6, 2010 Tony C: Congrats on making the cut again...as far as VOIP is concerned I have been using VOIP for the last 5 or six months and am very satisfied with it once it is properly setup...as far as cost goes I am not saving money but am getting better value in terms of more functionality / services for the same money...the service I am using is call Easy Office Phone and their url is http://www.easyofficephone.com/ That said, the one big saver is long distance..north american long distance is included for free while international long distances avergae about $0.02 / minute...any questions, let me know... Tony C ( 67.175.70.68 ) at 4:27 PM EST Saturday, March 6, 2010 BC: You have mail Tony C ( 67.175.70.68 ) at 4:26 PM EST Saturday, March 6, 2010 VoIP Since I made this last cut, I decided that I would start living like I didn't. So one of the things I want to cut out is our land-line phone. And not to use too many minutes on the cell, I want to use VOIP. In doing some research, the one I have my eye on is the Ooma Tele. It's expensive but looks like it will do what I need it to do. I've read reviews and it's hit and miss on all of them. But most reveiews on the Ooma say that they are happy they switched from whatever it was they had. Anyone have any experience out there with Voip? Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 5:52 PM EST Friday, March 5, 2010 AVB and Gar: Patience is a virtue... :) Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 11:25 AM EST Friday, March 5, 2010 AVB: You bring up a good point as that is one of the reasons I gave up on loading all that music into my hard drives that I was using with my iMac. In fact I bought a external DVD/CD drive just for loading because I didn't want to wear out the one in my computer. I eventually gave up and sold the computer, but I might try it again and slowly do it over time, with my most current collection first etc.. I can't imagine on how long it would take some one like you that has a ton of CDs and records.. AVB ( 67.142.130.46 ) at 11:05 AM EST Friday, March 5, 2010 Joelc: "I think the best approach is to rip all your music to AppleLossless to a NAS drive...." I think that depends on how much music you have. Even ripping a few hundred CDs can take hundreds of hours. Once you get up past 1,000 then music servers don't seem to be such a great idea unless you can afford to hire someone to load it for you. I personally don't have the time to do it and I know I have more time than you. Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 7:48 AM EST Friday, March 5, 2010 Morning gang, have a great day and a great weekend... Scott "popcorn" ( 99.23.89.232 ) at 8:38 PM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 Gar: A rumor is going around that the mac mini is going to get an HDMI port... in place of the Mini DVI. That might be pretty cool. Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 5:28 PM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 Looks like I wasn't "THINKING" thing.... doh! Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 4:36 PM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 Joelc: I am also agreeing with you as I do not thing a iPod is the way to go for a music library, I basically thanked you for reminded me of the other choices "Sonos" and I thought of the Mac Mini as well as I did this before with a iMac. So I am confused on what our disagreements about? :) As I really like both... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 4:29 PM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 Joelc: My music system right now is on my iMac in my office and is accessible to my network via my iPhone very similar to how the Sonos system works. I am not bashing that system at all, I actually really like it. I might poke fun at Windows and PCs once in awhile, but I do not make fun or bashing anyone systems on here nor will I. Basically to each there own, use what works and what you like, I am just glad we have a ton of choices now. I had a Sonos with a Peachtree audio device and almost went that route, but since I had the iPhone it was easy to go the other route for me. Scott "popcorn" ( 70.137.28.57 ) at 3:46 PM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 Joelc: Macs are usually always on... They don't have to be shut down all the time like windows machines :) Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 3:37 PM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 Gar: I hate to disagree with you but I do...the advantage of a NAS drive coupled with a SONOS/SlimDevice/etc. is that the music is readily available 100% of the time (i.e. no need to make sure that the iMac is power up) and, more importantly, your music is accessible anywhere you are as you can always "dial in" to the NAS and change what is on you iPod...there is NO doubt in my mind that this is best option... And, do not even get me going that the SONOS/SlimDevice also provide scalability for whole house audio...especially the now SONOS S5 which is incredible in terms of sound and convenience for those that do not want to install speakers...and, yes, I speak from experience as I do own one... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 12:23 PM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 Well I did it before with a iMac, but it was overkill. The Mini or the Sonos would be better because of the size. Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 12:22 PM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 Joelc: That is what a Mac Mini is for... Works great as a server especially with a 1 Terabyte drive, done this before and I might do it again. Although you still can get a lot of music on a 160gig iPod, no where near as a larger drive of course but at least your top 50-100 CDs. http://www.macworld.com/article/140088/2009/04/macmini_mediacenter_frontrow.html Now you can pick these up used cheap, $300 bucks or less. Joelc: Thanks for pointing this out as I had a iMac doing this but it was overkill, I think the Wadia might be underkill. The Sonos or Mac Mini route might be the ticket, and since I am already using a iPhone I might as well try the Mini route. Gasser  ( 161.209.206.1 ) at 12:01 PM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010Joelc: You are correct sir. Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 7:04 AM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 Gar, Gasser: The problem is that no iPod is large enough to hold an entire music library (at least one of a decent size) in AppleLossless which limits its use as a music server...for this reason I think the best approach is to rip all your music to AppleLossless to a NAS drive and then stream it into your pre/pro using a SONOS, SlimDevice, etc. as this way CAN/DO have your entire library at your finger tips... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 12:56 AM EST Thursday, March 4, 2010 DacMagic Gasser: What would be nice if the Wadia had a decent size display to show what is coming across on your iPod on the display in front. This would be very nice feature and most likely easy to do, I most likely might buy a silver version in the next coming months. The DacMagic is another one I was also looking at. AVB ( 67.142.130.31 ) at 11:08 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Mark Schifter of AV123 Indicted by a ColoradoGrand Jury. Trav: I've bought a few odds and ends from there. Didn't play in the forums so missed the raffle stuff. Gasser ( 71.106.237.3 ) at 11:03 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010DacMagic I hit the enter a little prematurely. I think the upsampling and filters made the DacMagic a little more open than the Arcam. Slight differences, but enough to make me think that it would be a good combo for both CD using the OPPO BD-83 and the Wadia 170i. I borrowed the store demo today, so will order a black one tomorrow. I haven't tried a lot of other outboard DACs, but I'm impressed with the for the money. There's a lot of good DACs out there like the Benchmark and others, but this one sounds really open and detailed to me. Especially for the money. Gasser ( 71.106.237.3 ) at 10:59 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010DacMagic I'm really impressed with the DacMagic so far. For the money, it's a really nice DAC. Has two coax/toslink inputs, and a USB input. It has two outputs. One set of balanced and one set of single ended RCA's. Both are live. I was ABing against the Arcam DV27A analog outs and using the digital coax out of the Arcam into the Cambridge Audio DacMagic. Both use the same Wolfson DACs, so the sound was very similar. Very slight differences. Both sounded great. I then took the digital out to the Arcam, and used the balanced and the RCA outs and AB'd them. Again, only slight differences. Gasser ( 71.106.237.3 ) at 10:52 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010Thanks for the link. I get the mailers from Music Direct, and was aware of the demo prices. My buddy doesn't have Wadia, but deals with people who do, so he will see what they will do. Gasser ( 71.106.237.3 ) at 10:51 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010EAD PowerMaster 500, Cambridge Audio DacMagic, and Wadia 170i Gar:If you record in Apple lossless, you definitely need the Wadia. They are one of the few companies, if not the only company currently licensed by Apple to go in and get the lossless files before it goes through the cheap DAC in the iPod. The Wadia does not have a DAC, so you need to have an outboard DAC, or use one in your receiver or pre/pro. The whole idea is to get the pure digital signal and then use a high end DAC to give you the best sound possible. Using Apple Lossless with the Wadia turns the iPod into a true high end server. That's why the Wadia was named product of the year by a lot of publications when it came out. Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 10:44 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010 http://www.musicdirect.com/product/83201 Let me know if you find them cheaper than this place, as they go really fast on Audiogon. Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 10:43 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010 EAD PowerMaster 500, Cambridge Audio DacMagic, and Wadia 170i Gasser: Very familiar with Wadia as I have owned there products in the past. Tempted to get the iPod doc, but am curious if I record in Apple Lossless what advantage am I getting using the Wadia iPod doc? I gear good things about the DacMagic, what are your thoughts so far? Gasser ( 71.106.237.3 ) at 9:31 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010EAD PowerMaster 500, Cambridge Audio DacMagic, and Wadia 170i Well, I've had the EAD PowerMaster 500 in my system since Saturday. Since only four channels work, I am using it to bi-amp my Tannoy Eyris DC3's. I'm very happy. Now using my Aragon 8002 to biamp the Tannoy Eyris DCC center channel. Using the Aragon 8008BB to power the Tannoy Eyris DC1 surrounds. So far, so good. I also borrowed a Cambridge Audio DacMagic to see if it would be an improvement over my Arcam DV27A for playing CD's. Same DACs in the CA and the Arcam, but the CA is upsamples, and has three filters. Maybe a slight edge to the CA. Couple this with the fact that I can use it not only for CD playback, but will also use it for iPod playback. I'm going to get a Wadia 170i iPod docking station, and will use it with the DacMagic,too. I will then replace my Arcam DV27A and Oppo DV-980H, and my Panasonic BD-35 BluRay player with the Oppo BD-83. One DVD player instead of three. I was thinking about getting the BD83SE just for the two channel CD playback, but I think I can live with the DacMagic, and it will word with the Wadia iPod dock too. I can then move the Pannie BD-35 to the bedroom and the 37" Samsung. For anyone that isn't familiar with the Wadia, it pulls the digital files off of the iPod before the cheesy DAC in the iPod. With a good DAC, it turns the iPod into a great music player. Geo. ( 209.180.126.10 ) at 2:51 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Mark Schifter of AV123 Indicted by a ColoradoGrandJury. BC: I've been following it because I recently bought an AV123 MFW-15 sub. It's a great sub and I got it on sale at a great price, but I sure hope it doesn't crap out on me. Interesting story. BC ( 166.50.66.65 ) at 2:04 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Mark Schifter of AV123 Indicted by a ColoradoGrand Jury. Trav: I had heard about it. Been seeing little bits and pieces over the last year about him and his business dealings. Trav ( 144.70.2.130 ) at 1:39 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Mark Schifter of AV123 Indicted by a Colorado Grand Jury. I hadn't heard about this: http://www.timescall.com/assets/pdf/022610Schifter_indictment.pdf Trav ( 144.70.2.130 ) at 1:35 PM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Mark Schifter of AV123 Indicted by a Colorado Grand Jury. I hadn't heard about this: http://www.timescall.com/assets/pdf/022610Schifter_indictment.pdf Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 5:43 AM EST Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Good morning gang...hope that everyone has a great day... Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 5:21 PM EST Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Afternoon gang, hope that everyone has had a good day or two...have been crazy busy -- not complaining -- and have not had the time to drop in... Gar, etc. Great winter Olympics...congrats to my US friends for winning more medals than has ever been won... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 11:34 PM EST Monday, March 1, 2010 Joelc: Hey half of my blood that pours through these veins is Canadian! Dad was born in Port Arthur , now Thunder Bay. Mom side is all Italian and she moved to Chicago when she was 6.. Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 2:20 PM EST Monday, March 1, 2010 Gar: That is a better bet than we made... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 12:37 PM EST Monday, March 1, 2010 Joelc: Congrats again, on Canada winning the most Gold medals in a winter Olympics and for the US breaking the record as well with the most medals. Ironically I lost another bet and I have to wear my Canadian Hockey Jersey all day today. I already got shit about it filling up for gas this morning. LOL Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 7:37 AM EST Monday, March 1, 2010 Good morning guys... BC, Gar, Rich, Scott, etc.: Fantastic hockey game...great action, fast paced...one of the best I have seen in a long time...too bad that someone had to loose because it was that close...very lucky to have won as we wer outplayed from the third period onwards... Gar: You ARE no doubt a man of your words but the bet itself was funs so I release you from your obligation... :) Rich ( 173.76.86.162 ) at 1:07 AM EST Monday, March 1, 2010 Congrats to Canada!!! And of course the USA!!! Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 7:10 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Joelc: Hey I just e-mailed you where to send the Blu-Ray too... Maybe Canada's Olympic moments on Blu-Ray? :) Either way good game, and I am a man of my word. You make the call and I will pay for it or send you one of your choice. Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 6:56 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Great game...too bad someone had to loose...very exciting... Gar: I am letting you off the hook...the rivalry and barbs were well worth the fun...very much appreciate your willingness to make good... Scott "popcorn" ( 70.137.12.250 ) at 6:10 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Great game... it could certainly have gone either way.... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 5:55 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 LOL Puke!!!! ah I meant puck! :) Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 5:55 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Joelc: Like I said our defense has been coughing the puke up in our end and not any great goalie is going to stop that! Good Win!!! Also I hate Sudden death in a game like that! Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 5:31 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Joelc: WEEEEEEEE GOT A HOCKEY GAME!!!!!!!!! :) Regardless of the out come a great game today! BC ( 76.255.53.216 ) at 5:28 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 HOLLYYYYY CRAPPPPPP!!! Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 4:34 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Gar: Great action..still a long way to go...will be interesting to see how the USA does now that you are down 2 goals.. Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 4:20 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Joelc: Send me your address as USA defense is giving this game away! :) Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 4:05 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 BIG AL: I will make sure we send some 1080p porn your way!  Jolec: Deal...... Nice turn over we had... Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 2:55 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Gar: Great, we have a bet...the winner chooses the Blu-Ray (single disks only, no compilations, multi-sets, etc.) and purchases it locally to save shipping, duties, etc...the looser pays up via PayPal or bank draft... BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 2:37 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Gar; depends on the channels you want. Dish typically puts the more desirable channels in the upper packages. Not an issue if you like to go to the top anyway. It seems like there's always a channel I want just one package higher. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 2:30 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 AVB; joelc probably has a blue-ray of "Ishtar" he's willing to part with. Gar just found his "Ernest goes to Africa" blue-ray. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 2:24 PM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Geo; My dad is a tough old bird. 10 years ago I saw him carry 2 bales on his shoulders and 2 5gal buckets of water for a half mile. For a guy 75 yrs old, 5'10" 165lbs, that amazed me. I've learned never to underestimate him, in any department.
Geo. ( 72.201.5.10 ) at 11:11 AM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 BIG AL: Good for him! I'm much younger and the only thing they could get me for is assault with a dead weapon. 
Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 11:06 AM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 AVB: I didn't see that, sure I will bet. I think this game Canada might have a slight advantage with home ice and being pumped for a gold medal game. Nothing is for sure when it comes to the Olympics, but I will stick my neck out and bet him. Joelc: A blu-ray disc is on the line now. :) I just hope it isn't a blow out on either side. Frankly I think the guys filming it are going to have a hard time keeping up with who has the puck! Also, you know I am a Canadian fan as well, Grandfathers if from Thunderbay/Port Arthur way back when and over half of my cousins are from Canada, I also have a cousin that plays for the Soo Greyhounds. Sure I want the USA to win as 3 players are from WI and there are also a couple on Canada that played for WI. Heatly being one of them, so if I loose a Blu-Ray over this no biggie. T-Man ( 71.253.52.87 ) at 11:04 AM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 BIG AL: Agreed, more speed AVB ( 67.142.130.17 ) at 9:06 AM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Joelc: Doen't look like Gar is that sure, he checked in and ignored you Joel. Speaking of Blu-ray, have you noticed that there wasn't the price war like there was at the beginning of DVD. List prices were about the same but you could get a new release DVD for $10-12 back then. Try finding that in a Blu-ray nowadays. $18 plus tax on a very few around here. Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 8:37 AM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 Good morning gang... Gar: This is for you...GO CANADA Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 8:27 AM EST Sunday, February 28, 2010 AL AL: It changes, they only treat you better if you are a new customer. The Dish Network right now has the better equipment. The programing is on par with each other, depends if the switch is worth the pain. BC ( 76.251.148.83 ) at 7:15 PM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 Directv and Dish both treat their current customers about the same, no deals, no promo's. At least Directv's equipment is cheap enough to just "lease" another one whereas Dish charges out the a** for their stuff. I agree with Big Al that the speed is getting pretty pathetic. I wouldn't touch AT&T Uverse. The picture is compressed and looks very bad to my eyes. And most of the issues I get calls about now are due to the POS hardware and boxes. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 7:03 PM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 My dad is 85, and my mom turns 80 tomorrow. BAGMAN ( 99.196.32.58 ) at 6:08 PM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 scenery BIG AL: Awsome !!! Geo. ( 72.201.5.10 ) at 5:59 PM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 BIG AL: Jeez, Al, how old is your father?! Good for him that he still enjoys the scenery. 
BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 3:36 PM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 Tony C; My parents are in Miami visiting my brother. My dad is very disapointed. The beach "scenery" is very sparse. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 3:31 PM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 Gar; Gar; Dish packages suck, and their customer service is no better. All that's left is AT&T Uverse. Their customer service is like dealing with the IRS. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 3:30 PM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 T-Man; T-Man; Everytime DirecTV uploads a software update, response time increases 10%. Now they changed the search function and it's useless. It can't find shows more than a few days in the future. They need to stop with the useless features and give us some speed! BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 3:30 PM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 AVB; good to see you check in. Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 11:27 AM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 Gar: The men's game should be fine as they are using NHL referees...it should be a face paced, hard hitting and very entertaining game... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 9:18 AM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 Joelc: Either way no matter the out come for me it will be a winning day. I also read the reason for the poor calling during the women's game is the Norwegian ref was not use to the fast pass of the USA and Canada combined, she said she had a very hard time keeping up. :) I think the mens game will be the same and then some!! Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 6:57 AM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 Gar: Sunday afternoon, Canada vs USA for men's hockey gold...want to bet a Blu-ray disk? Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 3:44 AM EST Saturday, February 27, 2010 Tony C: Sorry to hear about that, I am heading down there for a National Sales meeting. I mean what clown has a National Sales meeting during College Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale. Yeah sounds really tough right? Well when your inside for 8+ hours a day, why have a fricking meeting in Florida, why so the big wigs can go play golf.. Again sorry to hear about your vacation. T-Man, I been a DirecTV fan for the last 6 years, I was a huge Dish fan before I am about ready to switch back because DTV treats there current customers like shit. I asked for a better receiver in my HT room because for some reason very blurry texted. Olympics: Ok, vent now I just re-watched the race with Ohno and that was a horse shit call. Barely touched the guy and I have seen much more pushing and shoving during races and the guy gets DQed. Yes Joelc,even the women's hockey game calls were awful, not to take away from your win because you guys played much better, but there was at least 5 off sides they didn't call, and that is pathetic. Tony C ( 184.49.65.147 ) at 10:59 PM EST Friday, February 26, 2010 Checking in Hey guys, been busy. I'm currently in a unseasonably cold Orlando FL on a vacation with family. I left last Sunday knowing that Tuesday I would have to stay in and let four people go - over the phone, I had HR on the phone with me. then the rest of this week has been hell because customers are pissed, and NY has lots of issues too. Worse vacation of my life. It's been so cold here that instead of enjoying a frozen concoction by the pool, I'm drinking coffee an Bailey's. People around the pool are wearing sweat suits, not bathing suits and the only thing IN the pool are ducks. Nothing chaning on the HT front except I'm moving acoustic panels around and making a couple more myself. I'm also thinking it may be time for a new bulb in the PJ. T-Man ( 71.253.52.87 ) at 3:16 PM EST Friday, February 26, 2010 Is it getting worse?? I swear that the lack of responsiveness between my Directv remotes and my HD/DVR/receivers is getting worse. All three of my units suck. Are they downloading glue over the phone lines? It's outrageous. I did find the perfect solution though. I put an extra flat panel and receiver in each of my TV rooms. That way when I go to change the channel on the first receiver, I automatically switch over and watch something on the second TV. By the time the first receiver switches the channel I am done watching a thirty minute show the the second TV and can now go back to the first one. Problem solved. Although it does still take a good ten minutes to punch in the new channel everytime because the receiver and remote can't handle processing a three number channel unless you try it ten times! T-Man: switch to channel 206 Receiver: channel 2? T-Man: 206 Receiver: 26? T-Man: 206! Receiver: 0? T-Man: 206!! Receiver: 20? T-Man: 206!!! Receiver: 2066? T-Man: Mother fer! Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 3:15 PM EST Friday, February 26, 2010 Update on my HT gear. Gasser : I have tried the Emotiva stuff, not bad for the money and if your on a budget which a lot of people are right now. I don't think it is made all that well since it is designed here and made in China. I know everything is now! ;) But their Amps don't sound bad, just the 2 that I tried, one channel didn't work so I sent it back, then I bought one on Audiogon and that one didn't sound right to me. Sounds like you have great equipment, hell you would be better off looking for some good used Marantz Amps over Emotiva. Gasser ( 161.209.206.1 ) at 2:36 PM EST Friday, February 26, 2010Update on my HT gear. After helping set up all the high end gear for the mostly two channel LA/OC Audiophile society meeting that I mentioned last month, I kind of got busy playing with my system, and moving things around. I love my Air Tight ATM-1 tube amp, but decided I wanted a little more punch in the bottom end. I started moving my amps around, and started with moving my old warhorse Aragon 8008BB back to the Tannoy Eyric DC3 mains and using my Air Tight ATM-1 for the DC1 surrounds. (The Air Tight now lists for $7200, and I'm using it for surrounds  ) I was still using my Aragon 8002 bi-amped for the DCC center. I re-ran the Audyssey on my Marantz AV8003, and have been digging the crap out of it.Yesterday, I switched the 8002 to the mains, and put the 8008BB on the center. A little more detail and delicacy, but still with some good slam. I have had my EAD TheaterMaster 8000PRO pre/pro in the closet, and kind of was thinking about it like it was money in the bank. I decided to sell it, so pulled it out, cleaned it up, took pictures, and decided to put it back in the system, so that I could honestly say it was working fine when I sold it. Guess what???? It ain't workin' fine. First it took about ten minutes to "Warm Up" in stand-by before I could turn it on. Then it started making all kinds of noise through the center channel, and I never could get it to send a signal to the amps. Oh Well! There goes that idea. I was going to sell it, my Aragons, etc., and was hoping to get a Cary Cinema 7.125. (7x125wpc) Bi-amp the mains, and just have one amp that could be triggered by the pre. That's out the window. I then thought about an Emotiva, and have been looking at that. My buddy has an EAD PowerMaster 500 which is 5 channel x 100wpc, that has a dead channel, so for almost nothing, I will be using the 4 remaining channels to biamp my Tannoy Eyris DC3 mains. Could be fun. Joelc: Wish I could buy your Meridian 2 channel, but I can't really swing it. Saw you have it at a great price on Audiogon. Gonna pack up the Air Tight, and use it in the future in a nice two channel system with a turntable, etc. Gasser ( 161.209.206.1 ) at 2:20 PM EST Friday, February 26, 2010Wow, HT talk, Amazing! AVB, good to see you on here. I don't think there's been this much activity, and especially about HT in a long time. Joelc: Sorry about the Meridian crap. Unbelievable. I'm done with high end, boutique stuff, too. Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 10:59 AM EST Friday, February 26, 2010 AVB: I do not know about that...I would bet that your bass is much fancier than mine...the difference is that you are using two very big units for tons of punch whereas I am using four small/medium size units for balance... AVB ( 72.171.0.140 ) at 8:53 AM EST Friday, February 26, 2010 GMAS Gar: Yes, I still have it in the system but it is used only for "effects" out of a sub-harmonic synthesizer for my non digital sources. When you have 5,000+ albums that is a lot of non digital sources :). My main sub for HT is an IB that I built under the stairs that will do serious amounts of noise at 10hz, it literally will shake the block foundation of the house. Not as fancy as Joel's .4 system but effective. I have a 1200 watt amp hooked up to it which is more than enough. Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 6:59 AM EST Friday, February 26, 2010 Good morning gang...hope that everyone has a great day... Gar: Yes, it was a good game and yes, our goalie was amazing...more good hockey tonight, looking forward to it...by the way, you have e-mail and thanks.. Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 12:28 AM EST Friday, February 26, 2010 Joelc: Good win for Canada in Hockey tonight. Now your goaltender was on fire! Let me know how much you want for the Meridian Amps as I might have a buyer. garman1@mac.com AVB/Cai: hope all is well and glad to see you guys. AVB you still using the GMAS? Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 11:28 PM EST Thursday, February 25, 2010 cai: I had a very long response written out fro you but my damn computer hung and I do not have the enerygy to retyp eit...suffice it to say that i) Lexicon burnt me in the MC-1 to MC-12 upgrade ii) Tag Mclaren went bust and iii) Meridian is crazy at USD 16,000 for the upgrade... I have learnt my lesson in that the amps will be commercial, nosiy (do not care as they will be in an equipment room), powerful and ugly...but they will be reasonably priced... As far as the processor goes it will be Canadian and reasonably prices as I will be using one of the Anthem offerings...the cost of the best is not fro me anymore... PS. Good to see you around... Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 11:08 PM EST Thursday, February 25, 2010 AVB: I am sorry as well...wonderful sound but the pricing and the broken promises are not worth meaning the 5% or so better than "the pack" is not worth the price...would also point out that the difference between 861V4 (what I had) and 861V6 (new model) is mostly notable on all DSP system which I would never have because that pricing is insane as well not to mention one would then be stuck with Meridian regardless of what their pricing turned out to be...there are many on the Meridian forum who are very upset about this... Regarding the QSC amps this is the honest truth...I am using 2 CX404 ( http://www.qscaudio.com/products/amps/cx/cx4/cx4.htm )for the 7 channels part and 2 RM5050 ( http://www.qscaudio.com/products/amps/rmx/rmx5050.htm ) for the 4 the subwoofers in my 7.4 system...I will even send a picture when they are all installed... This approach means that I am done with the high end crazy priced bullshit.. What do you think... AVB ( 67.142.130.34 ) at 4:09 PM EST Thursday, February 25, 2010 Meridian I really thought you had found your audio nirvana with the Meridian Joel. Sorry it didn't work out. So what are you using now for a front end? I'm not believing for a minute the QSC amps part. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 3:13 PM EST Thursday, February 25, 2010 cai; chrome doesn't play well with IE either as I posted here before. Trying to move some favorites over really messed things up. Use it with caution. cai ( 205.254.147.8 ) at 2:42 PM EST Thursday, February 25, 2010 Browsers and Ampliifers Joelc:If you want a lightning fast browser try Chrome. However, Firefox 3.6 is better because you can use silverlight to watch the Olympics live or video of the events. Also, Chrome seems to hang up Firefox at some point and you wind up with a mess; it does not have a siverlight add-on so you cannot watch NBC videos. I watched the USA/Canada game that way as well as USA/Switzerland. As for amplifiers and such equipment, I would say that you should be much wiser by now. You were also burnt by the McLearen upgrading fiasco some time ago. Like you, I sometimes go for esoteric brands and wind up with door stoppers that I cannot unload. Hope you have better luck with your QVCs, or whatevers. I am still waiting for YBA Design to come out with their new amps and AV units; they are only three years behind schedule. Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 9:32 AM EST Thursday, February 25, 2010 http://dvice.com/archives/2010/02/bloom-box-could.php#more One can only hope consumers see these soon, as I would love to give the finger to Madison Gas & Electric! ;) Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 7:31 AM EST Thursday, February 25, 2010 Good morning gang... All, re: browsers I just downloaded and installed FireFox 3.6 and wow, it is lightning fast...for those not using it I suggest giving it a go! Gar: Yup, good to see Canada finally show up for a game...now, things will start to get a little more serious with sudden death elimination... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 10:57 PM EST Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Go Canada and USA!! Joelc: Good wins today! Looking forward to more Hockey! :) Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 3:26 PM EST Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Meridian 557 and 558 Amplifiers BC; I might find it funny in a year or two but at present I am not laughing...the amount of money wasted due to false promises made by Meridian is, in my mind, criminal... Anyways, I have two great amplifier at very good prices for anyone who wants them... As far as the vintage is concerned I have no idea about the CX's vintage...it was recommended to me by a local CI and I decided to go for it because i) I can return them should I not like them and ii) I have the room in my rack for them...also, the price seemed reasonable... Anyways, will let you know once everything is up and running... BC ( 166.50.66.65 ) at 2:58 PM EST Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Meridian 557 and 558 Amplifiers Joelc: LOL, good choice. I've been keeping an eye out for a used QSC for some time. Been looking for the DCA 4 channel's but they are rare. Is the CX a new model? I don't recall seeing that one before. Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 12:41 PM EST Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Meridian 557 and 558 Amplifiers BC: I am replacing them with QSC CX-404 amplifiers...the URL is http://www.qscaudio.com/products/amps/cx/cx4/cx4.htm The reason for the change is entirely emotional as they are great amplifiers, perhaps the best that I have ever owned...I have sold off all my Meridian gear other than these two amplifiers because I am so pissed off at Meridian's bull...I purchased four years ago both a Meridian 800 and a Meridian 861 with the promise of upgradability well the 800 is a door stop (which I sold) and the 861 is upgradable at a cost of -- get this -- USD 13,000....would be nice to have customers like Meridian who are willing to fork over that kind of cash but I got so mad that I decided to sell everything Meridian and, it has all been sold other than these two amplifiers... BC ( 166.50.66.65 ) at 11:07 AM EST Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Meridian 557 and 558 Amplifiers... Joelc: What are you replacing them with? Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 6:34 AM EST Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Meridian 557 and 558 Amplifiers... For anyone interested in some very good amplifiers I am selling my Meridian 557 (2 x 200) and my Meridian 558 (5 x 200) amplifiers. I doubt that anyone could / would be dissatisfied with these amplifiers are they are excellent. Will provide a special discount to HTOC members. Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 6:31 AM EST Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Good morning gang, sure is quiet around here, wish everyone a god day... Joelc ( 216.223.143.92 ) at 7:04 AM EST Tuesday, February 23, 2010 Good morning gang, hope that everyone has a great day... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 12:49 PM EST Monday, February 22, 2010 Joelc: Ditto to that, very great game to watch as I am sure Canada will make it to the medal rounds. What was nice to see is 5 ex-Wisconsin players were playing on both sides. One of the better hockey games that I have seen in a long time. Ironically I have a team Canada jersey as well. :) Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 7:45 AM EST Monday, February 22, 2010 Good morning gang.... Gar: Yikes, the US Team beat the Canadian Team. Although I am very disappointed I do have to say i) Ryan Miller was the differenc ein the game as without him you guys would have been toast and ii) it WAS a tremendous hockey game... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 11:13 AM EST Sunday, February 21, 2010 Joelc: Having a Grandfather from Canada and having him play there, I am torn. Also Heatly played at WI as well, but I will root for US when playing Canada. The US womens and Canada teams will br fun to watch as well, especially having Mark Johnson as the coach. Joelc ( 99.226.200.168 ) at 9:26 AM EST Sunday, February 21, 2010 Good morning gang, sure is nice to be home for a weekend...with apologies to all my American friends but I do hope that Canada's Mens Hockey Team put the hurt on you guys tonight... BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 1:30 PM EST Saturday, February 20, 2010 Gar; You want some forum action, you got it. I'm not seriously debating with you, just having some fun. Giving you a hard time. You put up the mac target every so often, and I've passed the last couple, so I decided to toss some rocks. I didn't know the Mac machine was so delicate. People have been throwing rocks at PCs for decades, and not even a dent. The best part is I can say anything I want and you won't reply. Of course I still have to worry about Scott's pitching arm. My biggest problem with macs is the lack of games programmed for it. I also don't think it's wise not to allow their OS to be used on PCs. I know why, they could never make it compatible with all the hardware combinations of PCs. It would be worse than anything MS ever produced. Imagine Apple trying to support all the PCs out there. They'd collapse in a month.
Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 11:43 AM EST Saturday, February 20, 2010 BIG AL: I made my self a target, don't you get that yet? :) I am being sarcastic! 1.) I don't expect everyone to jump in and buy a Mac, I just like them better period, my choice. 2.) I didn't answer your Acer question correctly as I thought it was a desktop, but you can scroll on any mac using the right mouse. Logitech works good on both ends. So I understand now why it wouldn't make sense, laptop not desktop. 4.) Dell support sucks because they guy on the other end talks in Hindi. Oh and they can't figure out why it is locking up after logging onto the computer remotely. Reboot reboot, reinstall the software do you have your machine plugged in are some of the responses I get. 5.) I was a huge user or PC and did PC gaming for years, I made a choice and so have you, I can leave it at that. Now no matter what your next post is I won't reply as I want to get past the dead horse now. ;) As we have the Gar and Big Al show going now... LOL BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 12:47 AM EST Saturday, February 20, 2010 Gar; You started the thread with "PC-MAC Debate", and "Now this is why I got out of using PC's 7 years ago.". Some debate. 3 posts and you wanted to end it because you're beating a dead horse. So why is it when you get your debate you head for the bar? Did you expect a debate between Mac lovers? Did you expect everyone to jump in and buy a Mac? Sorry, I don't agree with you. Replacing a brand new Acer laptop with a used mac mini because he can't figuring out how to scroll, makes no sense. What did Dell support say when you called them about the problem? Rich isn't here to save you.
Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 11:55 PM EST Friday, February 19, 2010 BIG AL: Sounds like your in a crowd standing on a soapbox Al! ;) JK! Also I didn't bash all PCs just the Dell brick sitting in my living room. And I also have a crackberry for work. LOL Also I was bashing a product "I" own not yours come on man.... I purposely made my self a target, as it was "My" computer I was bashing.. I also am the lead Tech for our region so I get to take all the calls from 8 people that have IBM ThinkPad, but don't get me started on that as well. I mean I started this thread purposely because this place has been a ghost town! :) Were is Rich, we need him to lock up for the evening. I need another drink... Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 11:53 PM EST Friday, February 19, 2010 BIG AL: Sounds like your in a crowd standing on a soapbox Al! ;) JK! Also I didn't bash all PCs just the Dell brick sitting in my living room. And I also have a crackberry for work. LOL Also I was bashing a product "I" own not yours come on man.... I purposely made my self a target, as it was "My" computer I was bashing.. I also am the lead Tech for our region for so I get to take all the calls from 8 people that have IBM ThinkPad, but don't get me started on that as well. I mean I started this thread purposely because this place has been a ghost town! :) Were is Rich, we need him to lock up for the evening. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 6:19 PM EST Friday, February 19, 2010 Gar; "I was the same as everyone else who never tried them, bashing them and making fun of them" I was just pointing out that I HAD tried them, and I have used Macs. I bash them out of my experiences. I really don't care what computers you choose to use, or electronics, if you want to use Bose, go for it. Just pointing out that you we're doing the same thing. The difference is that there are dozens of PC brand options, but only one Apple. So if you have a bad PC experience, buy a different brand, don't bash brands you haven't tried by condemming all PCs. If you choose a Mac brand, that's fine too. If you don't want to defend your choice, then don't jump on the soap box and start bashing indescriminately. We've been friends here long enough to know that when you give the "I love Mac / I hate PC" speech, you WILL get a response. When you're above the crowd standing on a soapbox, you make yourself an easy target. By the way, I also had an iPhone for almost a year.
Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 4:29 PM EST Friday, February 19, 2010 There are 3 Nano video, 2 kids one mine. I have the iPhone a 160gig and a couple of older ones all still running. All still holding decent charges, easy to use, easy to charge that is why they hold a huge market share. Again, I am not saying everyone should have one as they are not for everyone nor should anyone have to defend themselves for what ever they like, all I did was report my frustrations on my Dell and software. So I am done defending what I like as I shouldn't have to, nor should any of you. :) I am going to listen to my Bose speakers now. BIG AL ( 99.73.105.48 ) at 1:04 PM EST Friday, February 19, 2010 Gar; 1st iPod the hard drive quit, 2nd one the touch wheel stopped working, 3rd one locks up with less than 3/4 charge (about 30 min.). Luckily I didn't pay for any of them and never would. I hardly ever used them except for mowing the lawn. The $15 MyMusix player I bought almost 10 years ago still works perfectly. Sounds like crap, but still works. Oh, and I'm glad to keep them using PCs as that's about my only income.
Gar ( 69.131.201.90 ) at 9:59 AM EST Friday, February 19, 2010 Sweet Deals Anyone looking for a sweet deal on a 32" good name brand TV this doesn't seem to bad for a 1080P set. http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/Feb-0-2010/BargainBlitz/index-landing.html?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL021910&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL021910-_-email-_-E0-_-HOME |