Marvel

You could find a local library that carries VideoMaker magazine. Every few months they will do a camera roundup, and compare different brands and break them down into amateur, semi-pro and pro. The pro not being the $50k kind, but still what many folks can get. You will find the less expensive cameras don't allow the use of an external microphone (a mic input jack is absolutely needed i IMO). Zoom ranges are shorter. All of those things. The pricier models sometimes have more features built in, but I would tend to use the editing software to accomplish what I want and not the camera. The pricier cameras should be more rugged, but are not necessarily so. None will be as rugged as a 16mm film camera was/is (still being made but the film costs alone are through the roof). A year subscription isn't a bad thing either. If you already know something about video shooting and editing, you may find it too fluffy, but it's still a pretty decent mag. They also hold seminars, in different cities, held over a couple of days, that you may find useful. You can check out their website at: http://www.videomaker.com/ They also review software (editing, music, sound effects) and other hardware (small mixers, microphones, lights). Or hang out here at DigitalMediaNet. I like their forums better than Creative Cow. http://forums.digitalmedianet.com/ Bruce

Uh... those are all digital. Some of the cameras that store the data on mini disks or CD/DVDs often write in an mpg format, which, even today is harder to go back and edit. You have already lost data as it is a lossy format. Picky still does a lot of this. Perhaps he can chime in. The hard drive storage would indeed make it easier to get data to the pc for editing, but tapes are still a cheap and good way to go. You just have to know the limitations and not expect them to last forever. They will wear out.

That kinda hurts! Especially since I have been spending 2-4 hours a day talking with someone new in my life.

hey meagain - Where you been? The weather today is beautiful. At least it was when I drove through town. Michael, she's a beautiful cat. Reminds me of one we lost to old age a few years ago. Bruce

Didn't take your medicine today, huh? Starting at the bottom, it would be a ripoff to pay thousands for an 8B or MC275. Because the design is simple means they should cost way less? Perhaps, but the tubes used are usually not sold by the thousands, so the price of 'the' tube will be higher. The output irons may cost more for the same reason. Of course, they also actually have more than ONE tube. There is usually a driver stage in there too. I also don't think the tube prices are that high for my amps. Besides, I don't need four (or more) output tubes, only two. Might be a tradeoff there. Class A is just fine. My 2A3 amps generate very little heat, but the tubes just don't dissapate that much. The Dynaco ST-70, on the other hand, genrates a lot more heat. Of course, it operates on Class A past 10 watts, before switching to Class A-B, and those EL34 output tubes generate a lot of heat. Not a valid argument here. Just what is -"Turn them up a bit" supposed to mean? That is pretty unscientific isn't it? I can get far more than adequate levels fro my amps, and gosh, they still sound great. Not scientific either, but I am enjoying the music and not worrying about the technical side of things. The headroom issue for me is a non issue. I love mine, and that, for the most part is the whole point. I would have to study some amp topology a bit more, but you might want to explain why not having negative feedback causes a high output impedance. Again, my 2A3 amps drive my LaScalas just fine, with great bass too. Far louder than I care to listen to.

I think the HIIs are sleepers, way under rated. I really want to redo the crossovers in mine, but I still love how they sound. Bruce

My brother in law does one in a smoker every year. I can never remember what he does to the bird, but there is usually none left. []

The box doesn't care, but the amps might when there is no load. Yes, an incredibly small period of time, and as you say, it may not matter at all. I have had amplifiers, where the documentation said don't provide an input signal with no load (no speaker attached to the output terminals), or damage to the device may result. I have often had SS amps with no load and no input signal present, with no damage. I haven't wanted to try the other way. I've also put a 10k dummy load on an amps output terminals, just so there would be a load if I screwed up. It can be a low wattage device (you can do the math). A SS amp with no load, though, means no current will flow through the output transistors. On a tube amp, the current flows through the primary. The load present to the output tubes is due to the turns ratio of the secondary related to the speaker load. The design is so totally different compared to SS amps.

Mike, I think that what Eric is asking about is whether or not the amp with no load, still has a preamp signal feeding it. If there is no input, the 20ms won't be as critical, because the amp would pretty much be at idle and therefore no output. Do you understand? There owuld be no voltage swing across the output tranny. Bruce

Wind noise can also be a problem. Like riding with the windows down in a car/truck. You will sustain more damage on the left side if you are a driver (or passenger on the left side in a rear seat). My youngest uses earbuds all the time, but he always has them at an incredibly low level. He can be sitting around the corner in his room listening to music, and tell when I open the bedroom door (which is very quiet). I am more concerned about his playing trumpet in an orchestra.

While I agree with Gil some, I think that building a tube amplfier won't make you appear as another headbanger. Especially if a part of what you write on how it works gets into the reasons some people like tube amps. In other areas, you could learn about three phase moter controllers, steppers for CNC machines, and similar projects. It would fit into more of a career path if so inclined.

Besides the possibilty of noise, you can lose, roll off, the high end due to the capacitance in the cable. You won't really know until you try it. It is amazing sometimes how long those cables can be with no apparent loss of signal integrity. Bruce

Gil, That's great! We have a Gobbler Walk here in Chattanooga, that funds our food bank (I think). It is a great time and forces you to get up early on Thanksgiving Day, for a good cause. Bruce

Something is going on with your system that isn't right. The computer I use at home the most is a dual Celeron, 466 Mhz, with only 384 meg of ram. Word is up ready to go in 8 seconds. I have had this computer for six years, and it has never been redone. It is still running Win2K though. The Intel Dual Cores are great, and far more efficient than the regular PIV CPUs. They certainly aren't marketing hype. Expect even greater things fro Intel in the coming year, as they come on strong to whup up on AMD. The competition is always good for the consumer. A friend of mine works there and can only tell me that they have some great products in the pipeline. Dr. WHo is correct about the FSB needing to be higher. Memory is cheap and 2 Gig of ram can always be used. Drive I/O is a bottleneck. You could go with the 10k/15k rpm scsi drives. They will get your data to and from the drive about as quickly as anything out there. Our sys admin has his desktop set up this way now and it is a screamer. The main box is still a Dell Dimension 4500, with a 2.4 Ghz CPU.

Scotch and Soda - The Kinston Trio sheesh, shows my age, but a timeless song

Prayers for you for sure. It's the least I can do after all the support I received last year. Bruce

OB, Yes, but a bit of a paraphrase. I love the Stones. I thought you would comment on the picture. Bruce

Say Michael - I had this babe from India send me a pic this morning. She's too young for me. Her mother was frm the U.S. and her father from India. Nice eyes... Oh, she is finishing her Phd...

Thanks... that's my lot in life- always a playground instructor, never a killer. M Depends on what you are instructing... You can't always get what you want... you know, but you just might find...

Christy keeps you honest, doesn't she?

Ditto from me Phil. I really understand.

The CT-125 was an obvious and immediate improvement to my LS. And Invidiosulus thought the same with his Heresies (original, not HII). It didn't take ten minutes to swap them out. Probably the easiest thing I have done. If you are going to build a base, make it ten inches, put in ports and leave it open into the bottom of the cab. You can get a lower bass extension that way. I can send details. Bruce

I must be on a roll tonight. I made a comment on Dana's thread about alternative speaker designs, but you'll have to look it up yourself. [] Bruce

Coytee, The easiest solution would be to just send your wife to me. I don't play music very loud here, and have many great titles for her to listen to. Bruce

Dana. You can at least tell me this. Will this jub relative on crack require a CNC router or can it be cut by table saw? Will I need a permit from Carroll County Georgia to possess this beast? If you move to Dade County, they won't care.