Islander

It is pretty odd. Canada is not a dirty word.

Some fire pictures from Greece: http://www.ctv.ca/gallery/html/greece_fire_20070827/photo_0.html

The Governor called himself a "foodaholic". A pseudo-technical term like that makes it sound like it's not his fault that he's fat. What happened to the original word, "glutton"? Maybe people wouldn't like to see a headline that says "Popularity of Gluttony Threatens Health of Nation!" People have to stop thinking it's necessary to stuff themselves at every meal. There's no famine here; they'll be eating again in a few hours...

I bought a '71 Sting Ray back in 1977 and I was never done fixing it, until I sold it in 1979. It's good to hear that the new ones are so much better. Between the reliability issues and the snaky handling (I prefer to be the one choosing when the ride gets exciting, not the car), I came to prefer the Impala and then Caprice police cruisers that I drove from '85 until '96. They were nearly as fast as that old 'Vette and the handling was way more predictable. They attracted a lot less attention from the police, too... The 2008 C6 does sound like a really nice car.

That's one of those very rare stories that's sad and cute at the same time. Thanks for sharing, pauln!

Here in BC, provincial governments usually get voted out, not in, meaning it's rare for any political party to get into power for two terms in a row. Luckily, we have three mainstream parties, plus a few hopefuls, so we have some choice.

I'm having good results with Karma Kable from KnuKonceptz.com. It comes in various sizes, sounds good and isn't expensive. See: http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?Category=Speaker%20Wire

Have you thought of calling the station? Maybe other listeners are having the same problem.

I'm happy with the OEM Chrysler "Infinity 10" system in my vehicle. It's no rolling Heritage system, but it sounds pretty good, with its 200 watt amp and 8 speakers. The thing about OEM car systems, at least the better ones, is that they're engineered for that specific "room", so they may work better than the quality or specs of the components would suggest. Sure, the engine is good to listen to, but sometimes the trip is boring and it's good to have something pleasant coming out of the speakers.

Ah, so he's listened to his "bargain"...

You may have unnecessarily spoiled your friend's day. If he thinks he got a great deal and it sounds good to him, he'll probably be happy. Well, until he comes over to your place and hears a real stereo. But then, isn't that the best way to introduce someone to hi-fi?

It's not just the uninformed mainstream press. In the April 2007 issue of Hi-Fi World, a British magazine, Noel Keywood, the publisher, seems to feel that multi-channel is an unpopular waste of time because of all the speakers required: "With insufficient room on DVD for video, cramming on audio as well has demanded the use of Dolby and DTS compression (data reduction) and, no matter how good a compression scheme may be, it doesn't advance audio quality. Few are willing to populate their lounge with speakers, so all those extra channels simply go unused, folded down into two channels. DVD is no way ahead for audio, where it is just an adjunct to video." Apparently the English parlour is now called a lounge, but we've called it a living room all along. It's surprising to see the head of an apparently reputable audio magazine be so out of touch.

"Rob a bank for this babe!" Well, that sure beats "you complete me" or "you make me want to be a better man". However, take a listen to Lee Aaron and see if you don't lose it. = and one from 1989, when she was the Metal Queen: = Lee played a date here in Victoria with her jazz band in 2004 and she was really good. I'm hoping she comes back soon.

Man, if that was giving rides to the public, it would be booked for years to come! Photoshop, bringing dreams to "reality".

Did anyone notice how many of those speakers were horn designs? Lots of mains plus sub setups, too. Interestingly, the Cessaro Horn Acoustics Gamma 1 bass bin looks sort of like a pair of Klipsch MCM bass bins turned on their sides.

It's a nice idea, but I don't think the economics would work out. Klipsch speakers aren't cheap, but they're not in the price range of a new Harley, plus engines wear out over time and the need for rebuilds is a given. With Klipsch speakers, it would be mostly caps and cosmetics and the shipping for the big speakers is costly. Completely refurbishing speaker cabinets and components at the factory to new (original or latest) spec would cost a significant fraction of the new speaker cost with big Heritage speakers and possibly as much as the price of smaller, less expensive, speakers. It would be more practical to do it at home or buy the new and improved speakers, which nearly everyone seems to agree are better than the old ones. It's also been pointed out that it would cut into the sales of new speakers.

Hope he's not camping in the forest...

Thanks, Mark. I guess I've been reading actual tests of Class D amps and spec sheets of linear amps. Incidentally, in one test of a Class D amp (the Yamaha MX-D1), it was described, due to its very low distortion harmonics, as "obviously a very linear design". No wonder people get confused.

Interconnects, speaker cables and power cables should all be kept separate from each other. In particular, don't run interconnects along beside power cables. If they cross at right angles, that will minimize their interactions. For wire loom, you can get "split wire loom" at auto parts jobber shops or commercial electronics shops in various lengths, sizes and colours. In my setup, I'm running some of the surround speaker cables in white loom since it looks less cluttered with several surround speakers cables gathered into a single tube that is the same colour as the baseboards, which helps it blend in. The much larger main speaker cables have a length of loom slipped over them individually to make them look less noticeable. It's available in many sizes and if colour-matched to the wall, carpet, or baseboards, lengths of loom will look tidier than a bunch of spagheti. I just Googled split wire loom and this was one of the first hits: http://cableorganizer.com/wire-loom/ They carry 2-inch white in 10-foot lengths. prices and colours: http://cableorganizer.com/wire-loom/colored.html

That's a generalization that does not apply in all cases, especially if the sub is set to roll off at a relatively high frequency, as is required with speakers like La Scalas, for instance. Setting all the speakers as 'small' cuts off their low end, which may make little difference with a 60 Hz sub cut-off, but will not sound ideal with a 100 Hz cut-off, for example. The sub roll-off needs to match the needs of the speakers and the room to integrate the sub properly. It amazes me when people who should know better, like reviewers in magazines, will sometimes set the sub cut-off at 80 Hz "because that's the THX spec", regardless of what kind of speakers the sub is working with. In certain cases, setting all the speakers as 'large' will give a fuller and better sound. Let your ears be the judges.

Here's a photo of a U-2 from this year's Oshkosh air show, showing the "pogo wheels".

And then there are Class D amps. While most "ideal" Class A or AB amps double their wattage as impedance is halved (500W into 8 ohms, 1000W into 4 ohms, etc.), even high-end Class D amps don't. 500W into 8 ohms, 650W into 4 ohms is more typical. Could this be caused by an inadequate power supply, or is it just the nature of that amplifier type?

That's a spoof of Hinterland Who's Who, a series of brief "nature moments" on CBC-TV. It is really hilarious!

Maybe it should be promoted to the opera crowd. Pavarotti is shaped like a Heritage speaker...

There were actually 55 of those turbine cars and they were used by a group of selected members of the public for what we would call "beta testing" today. Four of the cars are still functional. More info at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Turbine_Car http://www.allpar.com/mopar/turbine.html http://www.allpar.com/mopar/turbine-photos.html