mas

While Jackson's background as a musician is indeed exemplary (having begun in Billy Cobham's band), what he is doing on American Idol IS an prime example of what is wrong with the music market. American Idol is nothing but a talent contest designed to generate their own hype over artists whom they 'can' and market. None of the artists they have produced would have otherwise made it on their own. "Believing the music business to be in a creative slump, Jackson had strong feelings about the increased emphasis on looks over talent, as well as concerns about the longevity of many new artists. But watching tapes of the original British version of the show persuaded Jackson to change his mind, joining Simon Cowell and singer Paula Abdul on the American Idol judging panel. "I'm doing the same thing I do as an A&R person," Jackson was quoted as saying in an interview with the Miami Herald. "You know what you're looking for, what makes a star." American Idol's star search attracted tens of thousands of aspiring singers in seven cities. In Los Angeles alone, an estimated 11,000 people registered for the second season's auditions, only two of whom made it through to the show's final 12, according to a special American Idol edition of People magazine. Although the judges were not asked to hear all the contestants, Jackson found the grueling audition process exhausting and at times dispiriting, despairing of the delusions of many of the hopefuls. "This is a hard, tough, tough business," he told Newsweek, "I think karaoke has done the record industry a huge disservice." American Idol proved a massive hit for the Fox network, swiftly graduating, said US magazine, "from guilty pleasure to outright pop culture obsession." The first season attracted an average of 12.7 million viewers, while the second season averaged 21.7 million, with more than 38 million viewers tuning in for the finale, according to The New York Times. Because of the public appetite for the show, it was expanded from 25 to 38 episodes in its second season. The series spawned a movie, concert tours, compilation albums, an interactive video game, associated merchandise and a spin-off series called American Juniors, while Newsweek reported on foreign versions of the show in more than a dozen countries. The album by first season winner Kelly Clarkson, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts in April of 2003. By the end of the second season, Jackson felt confident enough about the integrity of the judging process and public vote to laud the show's contribution. "This gives me hope for music," he told Newsweek. "It could be the start of a music business where it's based on talent, like it was in the '60s and '70s." http://www.answers.com/topic/randy-jackson?cat=entertainment Mediocre is a term to which American Idol and the entire genre aspires. Despite the music business being in a "creative slump", the notion that American Idol " gives (Jackson) hope for music," he told Newsweek. "It could be the start of a music business where it's based on talent, like it was in the '60s and '70s" should tell you how desparate the industry is to find and market product. One would hope that there was more substance to the industry than the likes of Clay Aiken.

Central Park would make a great Nascar track. And they could bring the back the squeegee people as pti members.

First of ll, the tracks are located in the rural areas outside major metropolitan areas for reasons that real estate is cheaper! Not to mention the logistics of moving so many people in and out. And stock car racing and Nascar had its origins in the south with the bootleggers who ran hot cars. And the South has definitely won this war, as NASCAR is second only to the NFL in revenue generated. And all of the references to minorities, etc., along with the stereotypical cliches are complete and utter bull dookie. And they not only get a bit old after the first time being used, but they are becoming a bit insulting. And the comment that they will take the money of minorities (or anyone else!) who FREELY DESIRES to attend...really? So no one forces them to go? So what would the asinine comment be if they refused to take it? This rant is as become as stupid as the rocker scientist blaming the seller for bidders freely bidding up the price on EBay! Sorry, but this notion that anything that costs money is corrupt is nonsense. And the notion that because Nascar is organized as a business that it is corrupt is equally so. Buck, that rant is taking on the distinct aroma of that is normally represented by another tired old left POV. You are capable of better.

You are right! In the size room he is talking about, he will have plenty of room to adjust the seating relative to the screen so as to effectively optimize the screen size.- larger or smaller. Orienting the speakers along the shorter 21 foot wall will provide the most latitude in this regard while providing plenty of width for proper imaging and sufficient depth to orient surround speakers for maximum effectiveness for all seats while minimizing the destructive results associated by sitting to one side or the other of the center sweet spot where the proximity effects of the source destroys proper imaging, resulting in significant image shift and the masking of other channels.. Splayed walls will also help significantly woith distributing and minimizing the min/max of the room's resonant modes. This is a nice space to work with.

Coytee is clueless! Richard, how's that? That should restore your reputation! []

First, have you even verified that the receiver is equipped with a phono pre? Have you contacted the manufacturer &/or an autorized service center to ask their opinion? You might also inquire with the TT manufacturer to find out if any signal is sent to the receiver from the TT that might contribute to the event. I know it would take some of the fun out of running about guessing, but you might start by finding out if the receiver is even equipped to properly handle the input. If the TT plays on another system that is set up to handle a phono input, and you didn't have the problem with other equipment - albeit without the input being used, it probably has nothing to do with the TT or the other inputs!

You mention several times that you are worried about the "screen seeming small". It doesn't matter how large or small it seems relative to the size of the room. The screen is the same size, and you watch the screen - well, that has always been the approach that I have taken...[] The effective size of the screen is determined by your distance relative to it when you view it - NOT the room dimensions. I'm not really sure what the crisis is. Use the KHorms for LR front mains and a LaScala for the center. With the size of the room it won't matter significantly which way you orient the room. I would consider where the doors, closets, etc. are located as a determinant factor (I assume the ceiling is flat.). Interior wall treatment and symmetry will determine the imaging and soundstage - and I would tend to place the speakers on the wall where you have the greatest LR symmetry. With the available space i would also splay the side walls by buidling interior walls (which will also help minimize transmission to the rest of the house). They will also help break up the room modes that will be a problem as the room is an even multiple of 7. But I would not waste 3 foot of a wall to simply enclose a LaScala. That would be a waste of space. Either wall is PLENTY for KHorns. And the notion that either would be better simply based upon their length is not correct - as both are adequately long. And again, to repeat what I stated above, the imaging and sound stage is created by the symmetry and tuning of the reflected sound within the room - in other words, by the room treatment...not by the spacing of the speakers (assuming they have adequate spacing to allow listening outside of the speakers' near field - which you have) Placement on the 21' foot wall would also allow for greater surround sound configuration for an extra row of seating while keeping the seating toward the sweet spot of the room rather than the seating being offset to the side where the greater proximity to a L/R source and the resulting precedence of the source will diminish the image. If you can post a detailed diagram of the room, we may be able to make more suggestions per any room anomalies that may exist..

No.

"At just after 3:00 am Eastern Time, Toshiba officially pulled the plug on its efforts to promote and manufacture HD DVD home theater consoles and disc drives, announcing its intention to cease all manufacturing and promotional operations by the end of March." However, the company has left open one very small door: the possibility that HD DVD may have a future in notebook PC drives. Here is the complete Toshiba statement: Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products. HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress. "We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality." Toshiba will continue to lead innovation, in a wide range of technologies that will drive mass market access to high definition content. These include high capacity NAND flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption technologies. The company expects to make forthcoming announcements around strategic progress in these convergence technologies. Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC business relative to future market demand. This decision will not impact on Toshiba's commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an international organization with some 200 member companies, committed to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries. Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP. Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD.

A couple of ideas. First,not knowing about the speakers themselves, my guess is that most are made of MDF. They will not hold screws securely (especially over time with applied vibration) and yes, it will damage the value of the speaker. Home made speaker mounts can be rather easily made with a table saw, a drill, screws and glue. These should be securely attached to the wall with lag screws. If you are careful, speaker shelves/mounts can be made that will angle the speaker downward; provided that you adequately allow for a base lip to prevent the speaker from slipping off the base and a tensioning strap that securely fits around and over the speaker to securely attach it to the shelf.

Here is something a bit more useful that will keep you busy for a little while. HowMuchAmplifierPowerDoINeed.pdf

Perhaps this is what you need... BF-6000SUXbelchfire_datasheet.pdf

It may come to that, but all of the rumors are simply that... http://www.betanews.com/article/Toshiba_denies_rumors_HD_DVD_not_dead_yet/1203352277 Toshiba denies rumors; HD DVD not dead yet By Nate Mook, BetaNews February 18, 2008, 11:31 AM Despite reports to the contrary spreading like wildfire around blogs and mainstream news sources Monday, Toshiba said it has not made any decision to halt production of HD DVD players, while acknowledging it is evaluating its strategy moving forward. The hubbub over HD DVD's demise began on Friday, when a brief article published in Hollywood Reporter cited an anonymous source claiming that Toshiba was making plans to exit the HD DVD business, spelling an end to the format that has been locked in a bitter war with Sony's Blu-ray format. Reuters spread the story around the world due to its syndication agreement with the Hollywood paper. The initial report was authored by Thomas K. Arnold from HomeMediaMagazine.com, an unabashedly pro-Blu-ray outlet that has published editorials from Arnold entitled, "A Plea for a Unified Blu Future" and "HD DVD Backers Should Call It a Day." Japanese public broadcaster NHK repeated the speculation over the weekend, further fueling the fire. But Toshiba refused to comment on the reports when they cropped up Friday, telling BetaNews it "does not comment on rumor and speculation." The company then issued a statement over the weekend saying it "has not made any announcement or decision" to abandon HD DVD. Such speculation is nothing new for the format. In early January, the Financial Times reported that Paramount would leave the HD DVD camp to join Blu-ray. Hollywood paper Variety then claimed Universal Studios would do the same. Both reports were proven to be false. A Toshiba spokesperson did acknowledge, however, that "We are currently assessing our business strategies, but nothing has been decided at the moment." Toshiba says it has been evaluating the situation ever since Warner Bros. announced on the eve of CES 2008 that it would stop producing movies in the HD DVD format by June. Still, nothing has been decided thus far, the company asserts. Sources inside the HD DVD Promotional Group tell BetaNews that Toshiba has been looking closely at sales figures and examining the format's future from a business perspective for the past month. That situation was impacted last week when Wal-Mart announced it would remove HD DVD products from store shelves by June. The lack of strong public support for HD DVD by Toshiba could be a bad sign for the millions of consumers who have taken advantage of low price points to upgrade to the high-definition format. Although it continues to support HD DVD for the time being, the result of its business assessment could lead Toshiba to call it quits. Whatever it decides, Toshiba is unlikely to cut and run without some sort of transitional plan. With over one million customers and two Hollywood studios still exclusively backing HD DVD, the company would face numerous lawsuits from individuals and companies alike. Toshiba will also have to deal with how to deplete existing stock, which could mean great deals for those who don't mind having both HD DVD and Blu-ray players in their living room.

Gee, Buck. So if it's not amatuer, its just greed and not a sport. And lots of regular people working to make a living as well. OK. But folks have CHOOSEN to watch the pros - in whatever venue. No one forces them to go. They go BY CHOICE. And they DO have choices. LOTS of them. And NHRA (I like it too...), but tell me they don't do it for the money...unless they are already independently wealthy! It's no less a business than NASCAR. Doesn't bother me. It just doesn't attract as many people per event and as such it has not grown as large. Success is not automatically bad. But then we like to aspire to success, but then its so much fun to tear down the dastardly folks who manage to achieve it. Next you will be telling us that all of those decals on the cars aren't just for decoration. [] It could be worse. It could be like pro tennis or golf where the guy who stands to make millions for a day or three of playing a game has his composure ruffled if anyone so much as coughs.[*-)] Careful, you're starting to sound like the bedroom slipper that barks with your 'conspiracy' notions run by the rich oppressors of the little people....[][]

Yup.

Just a comment. While I do not have big issues with the article, I am a bit surprised by the comments regarding wire corrosion. Throughout the article they (correctly) stress that the resistance is the primary focus of concern with wire. Yet when they encounter wire that corrodes (supposedly due to the chemical nature of the insulation) the issue that takes center stage is the color! A simple measurement of the resistance would have quantified their fear of the green color and one might have a real result of any degradation. But since the fundamental issue of concern was suddenly forgotten amidst the panic over seeing something green, we are left with an emotional reaction and only our assumptions. And everyone knows that green wire conducts electrical signals worse than gold colored wire. [*-)] But then we have a forum dominated by the thought that current flows due to the movement of electrons (it does NOT!) rather than via charge and a magnetic field! Oh well! At least we don't let physics confuse us. What would have been nice is for some form of quantification (a measurement!) to have occurred! Wouldn't it be nice if science was actually included in 'things audio'? One can dream...

It looks fine.

Its simply OFHC copper wire sourced from one of the major wire companies.

Absolutely! Look at the migration of drivers from other styles to Nascar. Personally i would quite enjoy the other formats more if they didn't mix classes that simply create hazards and if they opened up the courses allowing for more turns and opportunities to actually run side by side and to pass than the single file chicanes and tight turns. On the other hand, I would like Nascar better if they had an irregular track with left and right hand turns - but not like they do sticking them on a traditional road course that simply turns them into poor handling F1 or CanAm cars on a far too tight track necessitating that they simply go around the track in single file.

Buck, you can go to a regional dirt or paved track any week just about anywhere. And while I understand the notion that the cars bear little resemblance to anything the brand name seems to imply, its not the small tracks that have grown. People aren't packing the stands to see stock cars go 60 mph (although I enjoy the bumping MUCH more on the small tracks!) Its like sports at any level. If you want to see real baseball go watch a college game. If you want to see real football that is not simply a function of statistical analysis, go watch a sandlot game. The opportunity to see what everyone seems to enjoy lamenting is all around us, yet how many folks actually walk their talk instead of watching events like college or pro football on the weekend or Nascar on TV? And racing was not about selling what you drive in the beginning! Unless you mean bootleg whiskey! There's no need to complain. Its all around. Just get off your posterior and go.

I was tempted to try to write a longish piece explaining the notion of rigidly coupling objects versus decoupling them, in order to examine the affects of the transmission of vibrational and acoustical energy transmitted by both conductive and radiative means. But rather than to spend all of that time and energy, its fascinating to read of how the forum moderator cited first found great benefit to tightly coupling objects with tiptoes, only to become even more enamored with decoupling objects through the focused contact points afforded by a round objects rather than by pointy objects. And it reflects ideas that routinely surface here on this forum, where there is just enough information for an idea to seem so plausible, but where little sense of context and a closer examination often fail to tread... But let's cut to the chase and put all of this into context. Minute vibrational movements of the speaker enclosure which result in extraordinarily small group delay errors are seen to a bane. But significantly offset acoustic origins (and if we are using Heritage speakers) that can be measured in feet, are not considered of greater significance. To ignore elephants in the room only to chase the equivalent of 'sub-atomic particles' is a fascinating hobby, but I would suggest a wasted effort if real demonstrable gains are the objective. One can certainly spend money on whatever magic cure they may desire, but may I suggest taking a step back to examine and establish a hierarchy of real problems that would benefit from modification. Then examine the various options addressing the major issues first. Basic best practices in triage would suggest dealing with severe bleeding before addressing a hang nail. Besides, Marshall has a real issue on is hands.... Switch to priority address interleaving as we redirect all power from non-critical systems to the hypertransport as we modify the latency of the buffer management system!

How right you are... and more...and more...and more...and more...and more...like a little bird who never let's one forget it's there...[] Instead you have a reliable amp that will operate efficiently for most likely as long as you chose to own it. And the idea that specs are meaningluess is redundant. Meaningfull specs reliably generated do indeed have value. But they are not sufficient unto themselves without listening and observing the behavior of the unit within the context of the duty cycle of the amp. If you like it, enjoy. That's all that matters. And treat the rest of the subjective opinions that attempt to tell you what your subjective opinion should be for what they are worth. Enjoy.

It's the crossovers... You definitely need new crossovers! And interconnects... Oh, and I almost forgot, don't forget roller blocks... []

We have a winner! Word...