Home Audio in the 21st Century

The evolution of portable music has been pretty much straightforward. Sony introduced the Walkman cassette players in the 70's, and soon followed it up with portable CD players. Then came ipod, and the rest is history.

For home audio, it really has not been as clearcut.

As I am writing this, I am sitting at my desk, listening to some music. I mean amazing sounding music, with sound quality (SQ) that a decade ago you'd need to spend some serious money to get. And as I look at my desk top, there's not much here that resembles anything hi-fi, in the traditional sense of the word.

Over the past few months, I have ripped my entire music library of CD's. Not compressed MP3's, but all in a lossless format. That means, the files are pretty much identical to the CD's, with no loss of sound quality. There are different lossless formats available, with FLAC being one of the most popular. I just use Apple Lossless, for compatibility with my ipods. It is built into iTunes.

Under the advanced preferences tab of your iTunes, it allows you to select the compression for ripping music. I thing the default setting is 192kbps. Deselect that and choose the lossless option (no compression).

Of course the downside is that the files become much larger. If you are the type who needs to have 3000 songs on hand in your 30GB ipod, then this may not be for you. But for home audio use, your PC or laptop has much more memory available. Not to mention that the price for memory has now decreased significantly. I recently got a one-terrabyte external hard drive for less than $100 from Amazon. I use it to store my large digital pictures (mostly in RAW format), but it also houses my music library.

Now about iTunes. Well, I always thought it to be quirky, but I can live with it. Compared to listening to music in the traditional way - by CD, LP or tape, playing it through your computer gives you instant access to any part of your music library at the touch of a button. No flipping through to find the CD you want. No cleaning LP's. Don't want to listen to the entire album? Use playlists. No scratches. Did you know that the groove on an LP deteriorates everytime you play it? Well, digital media suffers from some data loss over time as well, but to a much, much less extent. Then again, you can burn a CD or create some other form of backup.

A lot of times, I find myself preferring computer playback over playing the CD (which you can also do through your computer's CD/DVD drive, btw) because the nifty (do people actually still say "nifty?") little iTunes equalizer lets me tweak the music to my liking.

Okay, that covers the storage and media player. Depending on how good the soundcard is on your computer, it may be perfectly acceptable to plug in a small pair of headphones and you are all set. But what I would consider the "hub" of any serious computer based audio set up is what is called the DAC. This stands for digital to analog converter. Huh?!?

DAC's are not new. At it's most basic form, it is a chip that converts the digital file which, in this instance, is your music, into an analog signal. The analog signal is, in the end, what goes to your headphones or speakers and come out as the music you hear. Your ipod has a DAC. Your PC soundcard does the same. Your CD player, your blu-ray player, etc. The difference is in sound quality between your ipod and, say, a cheap MP3 player from Wally World, in a large part, has to do with the quality of this conversion.

What a DAC does is act as an external soundcard for your laptop, in the simplest sense. The digital files bypass the built-in soundcard, and goes directly to the DAC, through a digital connection, either a USB cable, a coaxial S/PDIF cable, or an optical Toslink (after the Toshiba proprietary cable). The conversion is then accomplished by the DAC unit. In almost all cases, the DAC will do it better than your built in chip.

Aside from your laptop, you can also connect a "CD transport" to the DAC. This means, anything that will read your CD. It can be an expensive audiophile grade CD player, in which case the improvement in SQ may not be as noticeable, since most of these already employ pretty advanced built in conversion circuitry. After I upgraded to a blu-ray DVD player, my old DVD player has been gathering dust. Now I use it as a transport. As long as there is a connector in the back of the unit for "digital audio out" (mine has optical and coaxial), you are in business.

What leaves the DAC is now an analog signal. Most desktop DAC's have the usual RCA line out jacks in the back. You connect these to an amplifier to power your speakers, or if you choose, to a dedicated headphone amplifier to power your headphones. For my purposes, I listen with headphones on my desktop.

That's it. Of course, the equipment quality varies. You can spend quite a bit of money on the headphones, DAC, amp etc. The important thing to remember is to get good equipment, so you enjoy what you are hearing. Note I did not say "the best." There will always be something better, and more expensive (although they don't always go hand in hand). At some point, the principle of diminishing returns sets in. Some people will spend hundreds for a miniscule amount of improvement. Well, whatever floats their boat.

That being said, there is a lot of fun to be had for DIYers with some basic electronics skills. Modifying amps, rolling tubes and opamps, recabling headphones, making cable interconnects (with better material than the RCA interconnects that came with your CD player, for instance). I am a little handy with a soldering iron, so I have been having fun with this, but it is by no means a necessity.

So, what am I listening to right now? Well, I have Keith Jarrett's Vienna concert playing through my laptop's iTunes, out the USB, into an inexpensive (but very good) Chinese DAC/Headphone amp combo, powering a pair of Denon D2000 headphones which I modded. I can say I would be happy with this setup for all-around listening. As tends to happen, however, I right now also have a couple of other headphones and a dedicated headphone tube amplifier. They each have their own sound signature, which works well with different types of music, but I am not going to get into that right now.

What would be a good, inexpensive setup to try this out? This is what I recommend:

DAC/Headphone amp combo - read the UK review on Rock Grotto linked on the auction page. For the quality of materials and craftsmanship, this is a bargain at this price considering how much DACs and amps cost.

Headphone - this headphone is unbeatable in terms of "value for money" right now. The prices have already gone up significantly with the number of favorable reviews on the audiophile forums, but this store still has them at the old price. It also has low impedance and works well unamped, direct from your ipod or portable CD player. With a decent amp like the one listed above, it will give a lot of headphones priced 5x as much a run for their money. Here's a review on the same UK forum.

For <200 dollars, hook those two up to your laptop, play lossless files or a good quality CD, lean back and enjoy music in the 21st century!

Grado SR60i

In my last blog post, I told you about my Sennheiser buds. I have been enjoying the heck out of them, especially on the go. With extended listening at home, though, I began to notice some things. Sounds are easily transmitted when the wire rubs on something, like clothes, when I move, or by the earpiece when I chew, the latter often leading to the buds getting dislodged from my ear canal. Lastly, after a few hours of continuous listening, I start to feel some pressure in my ears. Don't get me wrong, I still really love these buds, and I my ipod never leaves home without them.

Without the need for the utmost in portability, I started looking around for larger, over-the-ear headphones (or "cans," as they are referred to) to use at home. Last time I used those was back in the early 80's, and I really was not impressed. In fact, when the sony walkman came along, the bundled thin plastic headphones (and later, buds) were comparatively astounding.

In my search, I came across quite a number of favorable reviews of the Grado line of headphones in the audiophile sites and web publications. In particular, the entry level SR-60i is popularly touted as the best buy in sub-$100 headphones, and is most often recommended as an introduction to audiophile headphones. Even this kid likes 'em.

It is currently retailing for $79 shipped in many places including Amazon. I found the best deal at Headphones.com, for the old price of $69 including 2-day shipping, and with a 30-day, no questions asked return policy! What the heck, I said. Not much to lose if I didn't like it except the cost of shipping.

When it arrived, I hooked the Grado up to my ipod, and my jaw dropped. And that was just with an MP3. I pulled my 15 year-old Sony portable CD player out of the drawer, popped in a CD, and it was pure bliss. Before long, I was digging up old CD's and hearing things in the tracks that I never new were there!

The sound from the SR-60i is fast and engaging. The highs are crisp and detailed. The mids are clear. The bass is a little laid back, but it is there and is tight. It has a nice soundstage and is quite 3d, unlike the usual buds. Build quality is very good, especially at this price point. The cable is thick, hefty, and long (7ft). It comes with a gold mini jack for ipods, and a gold 1/4" adapter to plug in to your stereo. It is also made in the USA.

If you scour the reviews on the net, there are typically two complaints about the SR-60 (the "i" stands for "improved," I think in terms of the headband and foam pads, but acoustically the same):

First, many complain that it clamps down tightly on the head and the ears begin to hurt after some time. BS. I have a big head and it is just fine. I have even fallen asleep wearing these.

Second, some say it does not have enough bass. Well, it depends. On what you type of music you listen to, and on your personal preference.

When there is bass in the recording, you hear it, and it is tight. It just seems laid back a bit, probably because the mids and highs are more forward. Plugged into an amp, it is even less of an issue. An into a receiver, one "+" notch on the bass knob takes care of that.

The latter is even more important. The folks that comment on a lack of bass are mostly headphone fanatic audiophiles and they are comparing it to other headphones, many costing much more than this Grado. Off an ipod, well let's just say that if you are happy with the bass from the apple buds, this is not even an issue.

If it is a concern, you can step up one level to the $99 SR-80. Problem is, from there, there will be yet another reason to justify the $150 SR-125's or the $200 SR-225's or the $295 SR-325's. Of course, at that price point, the playing field gets larger, with offerings from Sennheiser, AKG, Denon, etc. Yes, you can go over the $1k mark for the top-end headphones. It becomes a matter of minimal incremental gain for a LOT of additional cost.

One thing the lower end Grado has going for it is that, compared to its larger brothers, and to most of the higher end audiophile phones, it was designed to have enough sensitivity to be easily driven by portable music players like ipods and personal CD players, and even laptops, without the need for headphone amplifiers. Sure an amp will improve the sound, but not by too much. Most of the higher end headphones won't even sound right without one.

Bottom line is, for $69, you will be taking the pleasure you derive from your music to a whole new level. Not a bad deal at all.

My New Best Bud

My ipod buds finally started to crackle and die. After some research, I picked up a pair of Sennheiser CX-300's from Amazon. At $19 shipped, it cost 25% less than getting replacement buds from Apple. For once, the reviews were spot on - the CX-300 plain blew the stock ipod buds out of the water!

The silicone ear adapters are soft and snug, comfortable even after several hours of continuous use. They also block ambient noise effectively. I haven't tried it in a really noisy environment yet, though. Maybe at next weekend's swim meet.

The sound quality is excellent, especially in this price range. The highs are crisp, the midrange is clear. Not tinny like the JLabs J2's that I tried (and returned). And the booming bass - that is what the CX-300 is best known for.

If you prefer over-the-ear portable headphones, the PX-100, also by Sennheiser, is supposed to be really good and is currently less than $40. But as far as earbuds go, I think this is the best ipod upgrade for the money. Had I known, I would not have waited for the stock buds to go.

Fall Colors... and True Colors

Puddle Colors
(Leica M6, Hexanon 90/2, Fuji Velvia)

The weather has been quite fickle lately, but it seems the foliage has finally caught up, and figured out that it was time to explode in color.

These days, too, there is a second scare wave in Connecticut surrounding the swine flu pandemic. For what it is worth, I got the vaccine close to two weeks ago. These past three days, however, I have been feeling a bit under the weather.

Believe me, there is nowhere I would rather be than curled up in my bed. But that is not a luxury I can take. Not with sick folks who had to be seen, and patients already prepped for their procedures.

Long story short, I took some Tylenol and showed up for work in the office two days ago, and this morning at the hospital, to attend to matters that could not be rescheduled. I wore a mask and did all I could in terms of infectious disease precautions.

The experience, for me, was an eye opener. There were co-workers who were concerned... "how are you feeling?" "You really should go home and rest as soon as you can."

Then there were the majority that shunned me like I was carrying the plague. Not jokingly... dead serious.

Interesting, at the very least, to see the two polar opposite attitudes among a group of people I have been working with collectively for about 10 years. A lot of people that were part of my "work family" turned up to be actually no more than just people who happened to be working in the same place as me.

Human nature... adversity really brings out a oerson's true colors. Now I guess I know who will kill me for bottled water the day after a nuclear holocaust.



One anecdote from today was so ridiculous that it was quite funny. The nurses had brought in some pot luck for someone leaving the department. Despite the mask, I was emphatically told to stay out of the break room. I was chuckling a little as I left the hospital, thinking to myself, "Too much aggravation for what, a plate of free potluck deli food?" On the way to my car, I thought, "What is the most expensive restaurant in New Haven?" and drove there for lunch. Really now...

"Death in the Afternoon"

Ernest Hemingway, in his book of the same title, talks about the tradition of bullfighting in Spain. We were fortunate enough to have been able to attend a bullfight, or corrida de toros, at the bullring Hemingway was referring to in his book, the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, in Madrid, a few days ago. Our longstanding plans were foiled when the day's bullfight was cancelled due to some local city event, but we were able to secure some tickets for the corrida the next day, October 3rd. These were scalper tickets, and were not great seats, though.

I know that there is a lot of controversy around bullfighting, even among Spaniards. Barcelona is now formally an "anti-taurine" city. Far from me to judge other cultures, as a traveler, I think it is important to see with unbiased eyes, to fully appreciate what is out there, rather than try to judge other races with my, and my country's standards. Even worse is the person who already has strong opinions about something he has not seen or experienced firsthand. Within the realm of common sense, of course. The world is just too small a place for that. These little differences make the world an interesting place. While there are these differences, in the end, there are more things that unify us. Well, that is just my opinion and this is, my blog.

Bullfighting is dangerous. Sebastian Castella, the matador pictured above, and who, as you will see, was honored for his performance that day, was gored during last year's San Fermin festival, and also back in 2004. His bravery was even more impressive for this reason, as most matadors, once injured, tend to take less chance in the ring, if they ever fight again.

The bull is quite the opposite, however. Once the bull has been in the ring, it becomes too dangerous to use again. It will, almost always, attack and likely kill the matador. As Hemingway tells the story, this was true a few hundred years ago in a small town too poor to afford a new bull for each bullfight. The used the same bull repeatedly, and over a course of two years, it had wounded or killed more than 50 people. This led to bullfighting being banned altogether in Spain, until it was resolved to let the bull fight only once. Thus, the bullfight is meant to be "the first meeting between man and beast."

Well, enoough of that. Here is an excellent, concise wiki article on the subject. Isn't there anything that has not been wikified?


Here are some photos from that day, on my flickr. You may want to click on the "show info" tab on the upper right hand of the slideshow to see the comments.

Lastly, this is not meant to be a social commentary on bullfighting. So please refrain from making any political or activist comments as there are more appropriate forums for that. They will be deleted. Thanks.

DIY Lightbox Project

I had been meaning to do this for sometime, but this morning, I finally got off my duff, gathered the stuff I needed and built my lightbox.

Time spent: 30 minutes
Cost of materials: zero (for me, and likely for most)

1. I used a 14" x 14" cardboard box
2. Cut two of the top flaps, leaving only the right and left flaps (when lying on it's side)
3. Cut out three of the four sides, leaving about 1" borders
4. Taped thin white translucent paper over the holes. I used table paper from the exam tables at my office. Be sure the paper is taught, to minimize funky reflections.
5. Got two discarded lamps from the basement with 75 w bulbs
6. Raided my son's school art supplies and cut up some white poster board, just enough to snug in the box with a nice smooth bend (not crease) in the bottom back side. Again, make sure you keep this clean.

Here's the temporary set up (in my kitchen, where I did this):

Here are some test shots:

I just used a 50mm F/1.8 Nikon lens. Really, any camera will work, including point and shoots.

Here are a couple of macro shots of Mikey's toys:



You can move the lights around to your desired effect, and maybe try a colored (or black) poster board, too.

The one thing I would invest in, if you don't have one, is an inexpensive tripod, especially if you will do this a lot (for selling razors or selling on ebay).

One thing I will probably change is add a third light on top of the box, and switch out the bulbs for 100w ones.

Looking Back

Two thousand and eight was an interesting year.

For myself, last year began with major changes and challenges at work. The practice decided to close the doors of our Middletown satellite, where I had spent most of my time during the previous three years. While I missed the slower small town practice, I did relish the intellectual stimulation of going back to the larger teaching hospitals. My return to New Haven was also accompanied by a promotion to the level of Assistant Clinical Professor of the Yale University School of Medicine.

My photography took somewhat of a backseat to a new hobby, that of restoring, honing, and of course, using straight razors. I remember coming across an old straight (labaha) with Daddy when I was maybe 18, at the Manilabank Arcade. Little did I know that the razor was useless for shaving, with a large chip in the blade. I did give it one try, after lathering some palmolive hand soap using Daddy's boar hair brush (which saw more use cleaning LP's). Luckily, more than twenty years later, information is widely available on the web, and I was able to take up this shelved pursuit successfully.

Talking about hobbies, Luisa had been fully immered in her sewing, and this year had quite a few home improvement projects. With her busy schedule shuttling the kids around, it is amazing how she has found the time to make our home so much more enjoyable to live in.

In April we all took a weeklong break in Punta Cana. This was our first trip to the Dominican Republic, and I think we unanimous in voting this as the best Carribean vacation we have taken. One highlight was the traditional lechon at the Dominican restaurant at the all-inclusive resort. When we return, we will make sure to pack the Mang Tomas sauce!

Our second major trip this year was our Alaskan cruise on the MS Amsterdam last August. Luisa and I were taken aback when the kids chose this trip in leiu of a Disney vacation. Truly beautiful country that everyone should see, at least once in this lifetime.

This year was Rica's first full year with CAT (Cougar Aquatic Team), having transferred from the Valley Shore YMCA. She has taken to the water so naturally, and with her new team, has continued to realize her potential. She has garnered a total of 28 medals, ribbons and trophies from her events this year, including an award from CT Swimming for being in the Top 16 swimmers in the state for her age group.

Mikey has remained enthusiastic with his Tae Kwon Do, and has advance 5 ranks now to blue belt. More importantly, it has instilled discipline and self-control in him. This whole year, we are proud to say, we have not received any letters from his 4th grade teacher, nor a single summons to the principal's office!

And as we enter the last year of this decade, we wish you all a joyous, blessed and properous New Year!

Baby Alice

Monday morning. The inevitable question - "What did you do for Halloween?"

"Ummm. I won a Halloween photo contest." :)







Baby Alice

So here's the story: Halloween was a close second to Christmas as my favorite holiday when I was a kid. Halloween IS for children - costumes, candy, trick or treating.

It's a fun holiday, but I guess it can also be quite sad, if you have lost a child.

I was walking around taking photos in New Haven's oldest cemetery (what can I say?) and came upon this striking, and very sad, image. I don't know who had placed that scruffy, muddy teddy bear on that grave, since that child died more than a hundred years ago.






Thanks to TSD and the contest sponsor, Connaught Shaving.

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.

- Jerome Klapka Jerome

My Little Bozo

Gearing up for Halloween. The costume's homemade!!



Hamming it up for the camera




Happy Halloween!!!