dblue

Try to get one reserved at a local gaming store....they'll probably start taking reserves around E3. I'm going to try to reserve one to re-sell on ebay...if I had gotten my 360 on launch day, you can bet it would have been on ebay as well...they were going for 500% of cost. Anyway, the PS3 is looking good. Confirmed that a 60 gig HD will be included, and Blue-Ray...hopefully they can release it for less than $650.

Although I completely agree with most of his points, I disagree slightly on the MP3 front. Yes, compression at low bitrates makes drastic changes in the sound (192 or below sound noticibly worse). Also the codec is very important. But...compress music using the Exact Audio Copy/LAME compressor combo at top 320Kb or even Top Quality VBR, and I'll challenge anyone to hear the difference. Using the LAME codec, music retains all it's dynamic range, stereo imaging, and crispness. I've done many A/B tests on this material and have not been able to tell the diff between these MP3 files and the audio on the source CD.

Remind me of how he's an SVS salesman if he's touting the Sub 12 (a Klipsch sub).

I just picked up Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter...man what a game. Best visuals I've ever seen in a game (PC or console, this includes newer PC titles such as FEAR). Great gameplay too. Ubisoft has really outdone themselves.

The Mars Volta, Tool, Pinback, Minus the Bear, Death Cab for Cutie. All Favorites lately

Just a quick aside here guys... Just because the RF-7's are rated to 32Hz does not mean they go down flat to 32Hz. If you get a sub with a strong flat response down to about 25 Hz, your are going to be gaining a significant increase in the spl from 25Hz to 40Hz. I'd be willing to bet that the RF-7's play 32Hz at at least a 6 Db rolloff (depending on the room of course). For example, my RF3's are rated to 40Hz, but I can tell you that they don't play 40Hz nearly as strongly as they play 80Hz. Just my 2 cents, I believe that any system can benefit from a sub, especially if you enjoy high quality recordings.

I haven't really tried the card out too much yet. I got it mostly because it's a cheaper model, but highly overclockable (got a better cooler for it), and because it has DVI and Component out for HDTVs. I'll let you know about it's performance after I try some games out. Oh yeah, the Maxtors are 7200 RPM. The 10,000 RPM drives don't come in big sizes yet, and are expensive. For a data drive, that kind of speed is not as needed as it is for windows. This thing boots into XP Media Center Edition in like 10 seconds.

Just had to share my excitement over a new computer. I usually build a computer to last, don't upgrade too often (I'm kind of a bang for the buck guy, which is why I like Klipsch). Anyway, I love it. It's so nice to have some real horsepower after such a long time. AMD Athlon 64 3800+ dual core overclocked to 2.4 Ghz. GeForce 6600 GT 2 Gig ram 40 gig 10,000 rpm raptor 2 250 gig maxtors Nice quiet antec case. epox board (great for overclocking) Yippee! BTW these dual core chips are awesome. Thing never breaks a sweat. Yes Ear, I'm sure this is far inferior to one of your rigs...but like I said, I'm BFTB vs. SOTA. []

I've fought with this for a long time, I sometimes also get it on CD's. AT first I thought it was the mastering on the CD's, but then I realized it's the receiver's crossovers clipping. Try setting all speakers to 'large (no crossovers) and you'll see what I mean. For some reason, the signal coming in is clipping the crossovers. I have often wondered if this was a result of cheaper digital crossovers (it happened on both my Denon and my HK). I wonder if upgrading to separates would correct this issue? Anyway, this is what I've found. Let me know if you concur.

If you have a CRT set, there is absolutley no advantage to using HDMI, besides possibly interference you may get with poorly shielded component cables. What a CRT set does with an HDMI signal, is as soon as it enters the set, it converts it to analog and RGB (component). So, if you already have a good set of components, it's not worth it to go HDMI. If you have a digital set (CRT, LCD, Plasma, DLP), then HDMI will definitely benefit you.

Robert Fripp. No contest. I'm going to see him Live at Blueberry Hill here in STL...oh baby.

No doubt Tim was a moron, but I agree with the awards nominations. I think that Werner Herzog has done an amazing job with this documentary, showing the life of this crazy man (stating several times that he disagreed with Tim's complete outlook). Just because the subject was an idiot, doesn't mean his story wasn't interesting, and that the documentary wasn't well done.

I was expecting it and it still scared the crap out of me. Sound effects help is a giveaway though.

"there is no reason to keep the public waiting like this... " There is when you do a simultaneous worldwide launch....not the brightest move in my opinion.

It used to have more truth to it, but 'burning out' is a bit of an exaggeration. After a certain amount of hours, Plasma TV's have a 'half-brightness' Which basically means they're half as bright as they were when you bought them. The newer plasmas boast that this half-life is right around 50-60K hours, (even more with the new panasonics). Panasonic claims that their new Plasmas will last as long as a direct-view CRT, and have the same potential for burn-in (which is very low). Also, these claims are assuming the Plasma is calibrated properly and not kept in 'torch' mode that so many manufactures and sales locations put them in.

Love them. Dirt is one of the all-time greats. All their albums are good though, just listened to 'Sunshine' off of Facelift yesterday...man that song rocks.

If you're into details, Superbits have better video quality. It's a higher bitrate of MPEG2 compression (sometimes by a factor of 30%). This results in less artifacting, and less smeary edge enhancement. I find that they always look noticeably better, but I have a big screen...you'd be hard pressed to see it on anything smaller than 40".

Yeah, the drive is LOUD. I was pretty annoyed by that too. I usually just crank up the Klipsch! hehe

Where did you find this? I'd love an upgrade for my AVR 525...a great receiver, but since it was the first model with triple crossover, the firmware is a MESS.

Hmmm...I don't agree on the ROTK criticism, but to each his own....There were a few things regarding Frodo and Sam in the extended edition that almost made me wretch (how many times can Sam describe the shire, with the shire theme playing and lava all around them?) But yes, Kong had waay too much going on for what it was. Also, have you seen Pete lately? He's lost at least 80 or 90 lbs, doens't even look the same.

I agree, the brontosaurus scene should have been cut (kicking raptors in the head? What is this Jurrasic Park 2?) It should also have been much shorter...kinda seemed like King Long. And the ice scene toward the end...I think that took it down about 3 or 4 notches for me....how cheesey. Not a horrible film, but not a very good one.

Great flick. Hard to believe that hair waxing scene is real, but that makes it all the more funny!

BTW, damon, are you still homebrewing? I've been doing it for a few years, but recently got into all grain brews. Been cranking out some tasty stuff. Most recently kegged a California Commons style (like anchor steam).

I agree that PC is usually the place to go for performance, but with the architecture of the new consoles, the consoles will be besting even High End PC's for a few years to come. The architecture is so much more tuned toward games, and you don't have to worry about an OS getting in your way. I used to PC game quite a bit, but got tired of it becoming a money pit. Console titles improve with leaps and bounds over the life of the console, because developers can actually learn the hardware and optimize for it, unlike PC which is constantly changing..hence the ridiculous system requirements for games like Half Life 2 and Doom 3. The developers have to develop for the least common denominator with PC, so those $600 graphics cards never even come close to being truly utilized. It is true though, that toward the end of a console's lifespan, PC's are ahead in terms of graphics. This is the advantage PC's have, of being upgradable. And yes, Sony does have some good franchises. I'll be forced to buy one when they release the God of War sequel...what a great game. And the GT games are great if you have a wheel. Lots of fun. Hopefully they get the online thing right this time around.

Must agree, Resident Evil 4 is a top notch title. I've played 3 games that totally blew my mind this year: Resident Evil 4 God of War Shadow of the Colossus. A good year for games.