Category Archives: Audio

Burning In

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Brian Dunning’s usually excellent Skeptoid podcast this week contains a blooper on the subject of burning in equipment. This podcast was a collection of short answers to student questions, one of which was: Hello Brian, my name is Julian and … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, How Things Work, Imperfect perception, Mysticism | 9 Comments

Yamaha HP-1 Orthodynamic Headphones

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Last week I went down to Melbourne for Yamaha’s launch of its new Aventage home theatre receiver range. They also mentioned that they were finding their earphone range quite popular and had introduced a new high-end model, plus a set … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Equipment | 1 Comment

Dithering again

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Years ago I put up a piece I had published in Australian HI-FI on ‘dither’, the technique which, theoretically at least, can reduce objectionable distortion in digital audio recordings. Long since forgotten, I imagine, but just in case anyone is … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, How Things Work | Leave a comment

And we have a mechanism!

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

I have been asked whether Mr Hughes, author of the loopy pamphlet ‘A Decade of Tuning Tips (Part 2)’, has given any explanation as to why putting a piece of paper under one leg of a couch, or snipping the … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Imperfect perception, Mysticism | 1 Comment

A Decade of Tuning Tips (Part Two) – 3

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Oh, I’ve been so terrible. I was chatting to someone today and whinging about the British hifi media of the 1980s, only to remember that I had failed to follow up on a series of posts started a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Imperfect perception, Mysticism, Rant | 13 Comments

All Hail … Analog?

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

My brother kindly pointed me an article in the Wall Street Journal by Francis Fukuyama, entitled ‘All Hail Analog?’. Fukuyama is best known as a kind of historical analyst, generally of a conservative bent. In the late 80s and early … Continue reading →

Posted in Analogue, Audio, Video | 8 Comments

Cabasse La Sphere

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

Okay, this is a little belated, but I doubt that I will ever get an opportunity to review them in my office, so I wanted to mention them here. I’m talking about the Cabasse La Sphere speaker system. Last Thursday … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Equipment, Giveaway | 7 Comments

Why most subwoofers disappoint me

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

I’m reviewing an Anthem MRX700 home theatre receiver. This has a very elaborate EQ system called ‘Anthem Room Correction’. It comes with a USB microphone and a long cable to reach to a computer. A disc with the software that … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Equipment | 1 Comment

Apples and Oranges

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

I must say, as soon as I saw ‘The Biology of Home Entertainment‘ tweeted, I thought I’d be reading something interesting. It promised to explain ‘How your senses influence your level of enjoyment!’ That makes a great deal of sense. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Rant, Video | 2 Comments

Australian Audio Show set for October 2011

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

On behalf of the Chester Group, organisers of the renowned National Audio Show in Britain, Sound+Image, Australian Hi-Fi and nextmedia are proud to announce The Australian Audio & AV Show 2011. The first such show for many years! Melbourne, Friday … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Equipment, Misc | 1 Comment