Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stereo and resolved

My stubby amplifier...

rleamon — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:12:01 -0800

Home amp filter: Shallow cabinet, 5.1-channel, three-input-HDMI, two-zone, good-quality amplifier-receiver -- does it exist? The missus and I just moved into our remodeled house -- the custom bookshelves are only 12" deep, so my 16" deep Denon amp that does most of what I want juts out unacceptably.

Is there such thing as a 13" (or less) deep, 5.1 or better surround, three-input-HDMI amp/receiver, that can play to two or more zones (i.e., 5.1 in the living room and 2 only in the kitchen?).

bluetooth headset options

boo_radley — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:53:00 -0800

Is there a bluetooth receiver that will function as a mic but allow me to use my own earbuds? I'm pretty tough on headphones. While I'd like to get a nice a2dp headset for my G1 phone, I worry about having a cord fray, or having a headband snap in two.

Wiring up an old radiogram

carter — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:25:59 -0800

I found a radiogram on the street. There are two short wires out the back, both stripped about 1/4" bare, and no plug. With regard to polarity, does it matter how I attach a new lead and plug? I'm in the US and will be plugging it in to 110V. I did search through previous AskMe posts, but such is the parlous state of my electrical knowledge, I could not come to any firm conclusion.

It's probably a Magnavox Astrosonic, and it's solid state. Here's a couple of photos: 1 2

How do I stop my surround sound system cutting out?

Beep — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:26:46 -0800

My surround sound system keeps cutting out at higher volumes. Please help me find a way to stop it happening. I'm using a Panasonic SC-AK600 receiver; it has 5 speakers and is programmed to receive digital signals. It's plugged into both my DVD player and Xbox 360 through a coaxial cable and optical cable, respectively. When the volume is at higher levels, all but the center speaker cuts out. And it cuts out at a single instance of sound (such as a sudden explosion or noise in the movie/game). I know that this may be some kind of safety feature to keep the speakers from becoming ruined, but I feel that the volume should be able to be higher.

Important point: the volume only cuts out when it is receiving a signal in 5.1 surround sound. If I'm not watching something in that configuration (ie, noise is still coming from all speakers; it's just not in 5.1) I can turn the volume up as high as I want, and nothing happens. So, I know that the fact the volume can't be higher is something to do with it receiving a 5.1 surround signal. The receiver is meant to be able to play this, so I don't know why this keeps happening.

Also, my left surround speaker has some additional speaker wire I had to hook up to it to extend the length, and has a lower volume than the right surround speaker. I don't know if that's a result of the additional speaker wire or not. I know it has nothing to do with settings on the receiver because I've checked that. Anyway, does this lower volume or additional speaker wire on the left surround speaker have anything to do with the speakers cutting out in 5.1 surround sound? I'm no sound expert, but thought I'd throw that out there for anyone who may know.

While I'm at it, there seems to be a slight difference between the audio coming from the TV and from the receiver's speakers (again, only in 5.1) when using the DVD player. I usually just turn down the TV's volume to 0, but feel as I shouldn't have to. There's an HDMI cable running from the DVD player to the TV. And again, the receiver is hooked up directly to the DVD player.

Thanks for reading this whole thing. Please help me with any knowledge/experience you may have.

Help me find an album from the 70s that was never released

phunniemee — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:12:38 -0800

Once upon a time (the seventies), there existed a Lincoln Majorca live album that stores used to sell stereo equipment. Help me figure out what it was and where it can be found (on CD or mp3). Here are the details as my parents remember them:

It was a single live cut by Lincoln Majorca, and was entirely instrumental save for one piece by Thelma Huston. Songs on it were America, Blackbird, and something from Porgy and Bess.

Apparently it was never commercially released, and this high-quality recording was given to stores to use when selling stereos. In the (possibly) mid-seventies. My dad bought the stereo and the clerk at the store took the record and copied it onto a tape; the cassette is squirreled away in the attic somewhere, so unfortunately that's all the info I have.

Does a quality version of this album exist digitally anywhere? And where could I get my hands on it?

Thanks!

Where can I find a specific stereo speaker to replace my old one?

Beep — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:25:55 -0800

Where can I find the correct speaker for my Panasonic CD Stereo System, model number SC-AK600? It still works quite well except for the left surround speaker. I need to find a replacement speaker. Any websites out there that sell these?

iPhone car charger?

olinerd — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:13:46 -0800

What's a good iPhone car charger that won't make my music noisy? I have a 3G iPhone. I have a car with an aux input. I enjoy playing iPhone music over my car stereo via this input. It's all spiffy.

Until next week, when I have to drive for twelve hours (instead of the usual max seven) to a relative's house for Thanksgiving. I also need to use the phone for navigation, occasional phone calls to update worried parents on progress, and so forth. When I switch off with my co-driver, I may also want to play games on the phone. We may also use the Pandora app to stream some music when we're in 3G areas. All this points to serious battery draw.

So: I want a car charger for the phone. The problem is, I had one of the Monster combination FM transmitter/charger things for an older iPod that I plugged into my old first gen iPhone, and it charged, but any music played over the aux input to the stereo while the charger was plugged in was horribly static-y. I'm not sure if this was a problem with putting something designed for an old iPod into an iPhone, or if the charging itself interferes with the music playback, or what, but it was pretty craptacular. It wasn't GSM noise -- it was serious static.

I don't have any friends with car chargers I can try out to see if iPhone-specific chargers work better, and I'd rather not drop the money on one that isn't going to work. Has anyone had experience with an iPhone car charger that doesn't interfere with the output to a car stereo (via a cable, not over FM transmission)? What do you recommend? (I've found reviews of chargers, and I've found reviews of connections to aux inputs, but nothing really combining the two to see if there are noise issues)

Again, this is a 3G iPhone, and I've got a built-in aux input to my car stereo.

Assembling a budget stereo.

Marquis — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:05:37 -0800

I am confused about assembling a relatively budget, quality home stereo system. (long) Some thirteen years ago, I received a Panasonic stereo minisystem (radio/CD/tape) as a gift. It served me well over the years. More recently I added a powered (AudioTechnica) turntable, which I play through the stereo on the AUX setting.

A couple of weeks ago, the Panasonic CD player died. Although the amp is still okay (ie, vinyl works fine), the CD's the thing I use most often.

I have decided I want to buy a new system. I am an adult now, after all. I also work as a music critic, so this seems to make sense. Unfortunately my budget's not very large - for this reason I've mostly invested in quality headphones (Grado HF-1s, Senns) over the past several years. Now, though, I'd like to make a few careful purchases and hopefully have the stereo problem "solved" for a decade or two.

What I am looking for is a system with good sound, that will fill my living-room well. Should include CD player and allow me to bring in my turntable (which has a pre-amp) and plug in my iPod/computer if I like (preferably without swapping out the turntable). Do not need cassettes, radio, home-theatre set-up, fancy iPod dock, etc.

I'm inclined to buy separate components, not one big set at Futureshop or Best Buy. Vintage is also presumably good. I'm a bit confused about what exactly I need, though.

I am particularly confused by all the mixed-up talk of "tuners", "amplifiers" and "receivers". Aren't tuners radios? Can I just forego a tuner? If my receive has two "phono" slots, can I use one of those for a CD player?

I would really appreciate it if someone could suggest what type of components I need to find, and then what kinds (brands, styles, price-ranges, and also tech specs I need) I should try to obtain.

I have found a good price for lovely PSB Model 40 mk II speakers (freq range-39Hz-21KHz, impedence 6 ohm, sensitivity 1 watt-90db, power-100 watts program), but I have no idea what else I need to fill this system out. Presumably some kind of amp? With what specs? Can I then just use a dirt-cheap CD player? I'm sorta lost.

I'm looking to spend $400-$700, all-in, which I realise is not very much but I think should be able to take me somewhere if I'm able to make patient, prudent purchases.

Thanks for your time!

Help improve my sound!

aladfar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:44:19 -0800

Help improve my sound! After listening to some pristine, rich & dynamic music at a friend's studio, I've decided to improve my own setup. The catch? I don't want to spend thousands and have no interest in audiophile snake oil. Recommendations? Details on my existing gear inside. Note: I should point out that I was listening to uncompressed AIFF audio at the studio. While I've no plans to get rid of my MP3 files, I want to get the most out of my vinyl and lossless digital.

My current setup:
Mac w/iTunes
Small Mackie Mixer (A glorified switcher, sometimes used for podcasting)
Pro-Ject Phono Preamp
Pro-Ject Debut III Turntable
M-Audio Stereophile Monitors

What I heard at the studio:
Mac w/iTunes
Apogee Ensemble D/A Converter
Mackie HR824 Monitors

Is there a nice spot in the middle? Should I ditch the powered monitors and pursue an amplified solution? Recommendations would be much appreciated. I'm open to anything, but would like to keep things at or below (preferably below) $1k. Thanks!

How can I record speech in stereo?

featherboa — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 04:53:32 -0800

Oh, how I wish I could record in stereo, but as things stand, it's looking like it's going to have to be a mono-podcast. Help me get into both channels. So, I'd like to start podcasting, and I've been experimenting this week, but at the moment I can only seem to record in mono (coming through the left channel).

I'm using an old Peavey dynamic mic from my days as a singer, which has an XLR cable to 6.3mm jack, which in turn is plugged into a 6.3mm to 3.5mm converter, that goes into an iMic which is stuck in the USB port of my iBook G4 (OS 10.3.9). I've tried Garageband and Audacity, but nothing gets recorded in the right channel. Even though I've told it to record in stereo.

Is it something in my set-up that's causing the problem, and are there any get-arounds? Is there some way I could copy what's in the left to the right to give the impression of stereo sound? Would it work better if I went through my amp and then to the imic's phono input?

I'm not that technically skilled and I've only ever used Audacity to trim recordings down, so this is a bit beyond my capabilities, but I want to learn!