Audiophile, Budgetphile, and Dontgiveaphile thread.

[dsheinem]

Post some follow up on were you land on this if you don't mind. I'm wondering if updating is worth the expense.

I'm leaning towards professional repair instead

This is my (not working) table: http://www.vinylengine.com/library/sony/ps-t1.shtml

[fastbilly1]

PS-T1 is a great table, but if you just want one for casual listening, drop the $100 for the AT-LP60. It is a workhorse that has been around forever. It is belt driven and cant play 78s, but for most people thats not an issue.

[Hobie-wan]

PS-T1 is a great table, but if you just want one for casual listening, drop the $100 for the AT-LP60. It is a workhorse that has been around forever. It is belt driven and cant play 78s, but for most people thats not an issue.

Not that I have room, bu I kind of wish I'd held on to the turntable/radio combo thing that was a hand me down as a kid. It had 78 and 16 speed. Not that I ever used them, but it was cool. Also interesting, it had a 1/4 inch jack so you could use it as a guitar amp.

[samsonlonghair]

What version of Audition do you have?

I was using Cool Edit Pro 2.0 for a while, then I upgraded to (the rebranded) Audition 3.0. IIRC, Adobe made it subscription based now, so I'll probably never update. I mean, I wouldn't mind if it was something I was using every day, or at least a few times a week. But just as a hobby, subscription based stuff sucks (I'll easily go months without using it). Which sucks because I love Audition, it's so easy to use.

Hi Ziggy. I'm using cool edit pro 2.0 here. I've used a couple different versions of Adobe Audition in the past. I see little difference, except that Audition uses more RAM to perform the exact same task. My old laptop isn't exactly the newest, most powerful rig in the world. I see no reason to push the newest software on my old laptop.

It looks like a nice setup Samson. I like the Cake poster too. Do you queu up playlists ahead of airtime or work on the fly? I ask because of the collection of CDs. Anyway, nice, clean, budget setup.

Thanks, JP1 I always que up digital playlists when I go on the air, but modern software allows me to change my playlist on the fly. There's really very little reason to play a CD on the air these days. It's all digital now.

Those CDs are from my personal collection. I keep them there mostly for fun.

[Ziggy]

Hi Ziggy. I'm using cool edit pro 2.0 here. I've used a couple different versions of Adobe Audition in the past. I see little difference, except that Audition uses more RAM to perform the exact same task. My old laptop isn't exactly the newest, most powerful rig in the world. I see no reason to push the newest software on my old laptop.

I definitely miss that demo track for Cool Edit.

♪♫♪ Coooool Edit Proooo Two Point Ooooooooh... Sound beyond cool ♪♫♪

edit:

Yeah, I went with Audition 3.0 because the UI was unchanged from Cool Edit Pro 2.0. It's mostly the same. I never noticed that it uses more RAM though.

But either way, Cool Edit / Audition is the best audio editing software that I've used. I played around with a few of them in the past. Fruity Loops, Cakewalk, Cubase, probably a few others. I went with Cool Edit because it was the easiest to use. It's not hard to figure out how to do most things, you never need a tutorial to figure stuff out. That's what I liked about it the most.

[samsonlonghair]

No doubt about that. Cool Edit Pro a.k.a. Adobe Audition is heads above any other audio editing software. Nothing else even comes close in terms of single-track or multi-track editing.

Dig the system requirements:

Cool Edit Pro 2.0 System Requirements:
Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP
233 MHz processor
64 MB of RAM
55 MB free hard disk space
800x600 resolution.
Stereo sound card

Versus

Adobe Audition 3.0 system requirements:
Intel Pentium III or 4 (1.4GHz processor for DV; 3.4GHz processor for HDV), Intel Centrino, Intel Xeon (dual 2.8GHz processors for HD), or Intel Core Duo (or compatible) processor; SSE2-enabled processor required for AMD systems
Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise (certified for 32-bit editions)
512 MB RAM (1 GB or more recommended)
700 MB of available hard disk space (5.5 GB recommended for installing optional audio clips)
1,024 x 768 display (1280 X 1024 recommended)
Microsoft DirectX or ASIO-compatible sound card (Multitrack ASIO card recommended)
CD-ROM drive (DVD-ROM drive recommended for installing optional audio clips)
CD-RW drive for audio CD creation
Speakers or headphones recommended
Internet or phone connection required for product activation and Internet-related services

So far, I haven't encountered a single advantage to using the newer Audition 3.0 over the older Cool Edit Pro 2.0 software. By the way, CEP2.0 also runs fine under win7 without any special modifications, virtual machines, or other trickery.

[Ziggy]

I feel like I've asked this before, and I keep going back to this question, but...

Does any one know of good desktop speakers that aren't expensive?

A 2.0 system would be great, so long as the bass response is alright. I don't need my neighbors to know that my speakers are on, but I don't want them to sound tinny and thin. These don't seem to exist, so I'll probably be looking for a 2.1 set up.

I can NEVER find good desktop speakers. The main problem I have is that the volume pot always starts crackling and/or having dead spots. Or the cabling and/or input/output jacks are shitty so it crackles and cuts out if you accidentally nudge a speaker or the woofer.

I really don't need audiophile grade speakers for my desktop. If I really wanna listen to music I'll use my stereo, or the PC hooked up to the stereo. If I really wanna watch a TV show or movie, it'll be on my TV and not the desktop. My speakers are there mostly for notification sounds, occasional YouTube videos and whatnot, and very rarely gaming. That being said, if I am gaming or watching a movie trailer or something, I want it to sound at least decent. But never loud, I'm almost always at low volume (10-25%).

Every time I window shop for speakers on NewEgg or Amazon, I'll sort by best reviewed. I'm mostly appalled by what I find. The volume knob is almost always in a very inconvenient space, like down on the sub woofer. Some times the volume control is on this separate dongle thing along with a headphone jack that I'm suppose to keep on the desktop. Fuck that, I don't need something else floating around on my desktop. What ever happen to having the volume knob on the right speaker? Where you can always easily find and get to it? The only speakers that seem to have this are 2.0 speakers that look like they'd have a very light sound.

This is the best reviewed 2.1 system on Amazon...



Volume control on the right speaker is great. By why do they look so stupid? Why does everything on the PC market have to be super cool hip looking. This stuff looks like alien spaceships from 50's SciFi movies to me. Also, you have to spend $100+ to get something decent? I don't need a sub that big, and even if I did, it's too big to keep under my desk.

I'm fine with the way my current speakers sound, I'm just sick of them crackling and cutting out. I could fix them up, replace the volume pot and add new jacks and cables that wont break. But that would be a pain in the ass to do, it'd be easier to just buy new speakers that don't suck... if I could just find them.

[jp1]

I feel like I've asked this before, and I keep going back to this question, but...

Does any one know of good desktop speakers that aren't expensive?

A 2.0 system would be great, so long as the bass response is alright. I don't need my neighbors to know that my speakers are on, but I don't want them to sound tinny and thin. These don't seem to exist, so I'll probably be looking for a 2.1 set up.

I can NEVER find good desktop speakers. The main problem I have is that the volume pot always starts crackling and/or having dead spots. Or the cabling and/or input/output jacks are shitty so it crackles and cuts out if you accidentally nudge a speaker or the woofer.

I really don't need audiophile grade speakers for my desktop. If I really wanna listen to music I'll use my stereo, or the PC hooked up to the stereo. If I really wanna watch a TV show or movie, it'll be on my TV and not the desktop. My speakers are there mostly for notification sounds, occasional YouTube videos and whatnot, and very rarely gaming. That being said, if I am gaming or watching a movie trailer or something, I want it to sound at least decent. But never loud, I'm almost always at low volume (10-25%).

Every time I window shop for speakers on NewEgg or Amazon, I'll sort by best reviewed. I'm mostly appalled by what I find. The volume knob is almost always in a very inconvenient space, like down on the sub woofer. Some times the volume control is on this separate dongle thing along with a headphone jack that I'm suppose to keep on the desktop. Fuck that, I don't need something else floating around on my desktop. What ever happen to having the volume knob on the right speaker? Where you can always easily find and get to it? The only speakers that seem to have this are 2.0 speakers that look like they'd have a very light sound.

This is the best reviewed 2.1 system on Amazon...



Volume control on the right speaker is great. By why do they look so stupid? Why does everything on the PC market have to be super cool hip looking. This stuff looks like alien spaceships from 50's SciFi movies to me. Also, you have to spend $100+ to get something decent? I don't need a sub that big, and even if I did, it's too big to keep under my desk.

I'm fine with the way my current speakers sound, I'm just sick of them crackling and cutting out. I could fix them up, replace the volume pot and add new jacks and cables that wont break. But that would be a pain in the ass to do, it'd be easier to just buy new speakers that don't suck... if I could just find them.

Ziggy, I like the Boston Acoustic 2.1 sets personally. Specifically the BA735, you can usually find them for ~$30 if you watch ebay, I often find them at goodwill for $15 though, and they are a really decent set for this price range.

I've also had a cheap set of Cyber Acoustics 2.1 with a separate dial for volume and a small woofer. $30 or so from Office Depot, and they are more than serviceable for pc speakers. EDIT: This set is called Platinum CA-3602

[dsheinem]

Zigg, I like the Boston Acoustic 2.1 sets personally. Specifically the BA735, you can usually find them for ~$30 if you watch ebay, I often find them at goodwill for $15 though, and they are a really decent set for this price range.

I had that set since like '98 or so and rocked them for more than a decade. I now have this, which is probably as good if not better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6836121014

But it has a separate in-line volume knob...

[jp1]

Zigg, I like the Boston Acoustic 2.1 sets personally. Specifically the BA735, you can usually find them for ~$30 if you watch ebay, I often find them at goodwill for $15 though, and they are a really decent set for this price range.

I had that set since like '98 or so and rocked them for more than a decade. I now have this, which is probably as good if not better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6836121014

But it has a separate in-line volume knob...

I've never heard that set, but my son has some usb Logitech speakers that are very respectable.

In the looks department these are promising, and they are 2 way speakers...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6836110052

I have no idea if they sound good though, never heard of them before.

If you could stretch to $50-60 you would probably do best with the lepai and some Dayton B652 (or B652 air) or Micca MB42(x), I've heard a lot of good stuff about those.