Audio
Fix Found for Weird Noise from Mac OSX Audio
As I was just researching unrelated stuff pertaining to Android, I came across this post from a guy who was having an issue on his Mac that sounded exactly the same as one that’s been bugging me for months now! He never followed up on his post, but it was from about 7 months ago, so I thought it was worth shooting him a line to see if he ever solved it. He had!
For him, it was the Android emulator, but for me, I believe it was caused by VirtualBox. The internal speakers were fine, but when I used a USB DAC or even the in-built headphone output, I would get a subtle fuzz noise in the background when the music was playing. (The noise was missing when all audio was silent.) This forced me to rely on the optical output to get sound from the MacBook Pro to my headphones.
The fix is to open up OSX’s “Audio MIDI Setup” tool in the Utilities folder. Select your output device under the “Properties For” drop-down and make sure that it is selected to be “2ch-16bit” on the right. For some reason, these apps seem to want to switch to “2ch-8bit” and that is what causes the problem. It does appear the fix will need to be performed again after each use of these applications.
Don’t really know who to blame for that one… But thank you, Duncan, for the tip!
I hope this helps someone else. I had no luck searching for a fix, myself.
Shure Announces New DJ Headphones
In the way of headphones, Shure have historically only built in-ear monitors. But they have since launched a line of full-sized studio headphones, too. Well, they’ve just announced a DJ headphone to add to the mix, with planned availability sometime in November. And I certainly approve of the look.
CanJam at RMAF 2009!
Just last weekend, the annual Rocky Mountain Audio Fest happened in Denver, Colorado. RMAF is a massive audio show. Several floors of rooms in a huge hotel are cleaned out and turned into listening areas for vendors of all kinds. They set up their gear and show it off to audiophiles.
This is the first RMAF that CanJam has participated in. CanJam, of course, is an official (read: huge) Head-Fi.org meet. Up until now it was an annual event, but CanJam@RMAF is set to become the CanJam.5 each year.
Wish I could have been there, but I do have my sights on CanJam 2010 in Chicago!
Check out the RMAF thread, Jude’s pics, or Dave & Carol’s pics.
Microphone Made of Frickin’ Lasers
Just imagine the types of recordings that could become possible once this technology is fully realized! I bet this is where microphone technology will be heading.
The press release on this one is full of superlatives, but somehow most of them seem justified. Schwartz Engineering & Design just announced its Laser-Accurate microphone technology, which promises to provide “pure sound” from a microphone for the “first time ever.” It works by detecting the impact of sound on the motion of particles in a stream of air by running a laser across them, and was created by David Schwartz, who holds several digital audio patents, including one that is foundational to the MP3 format (which is, ironically, not a traditional friend to the audiophile). The idea is to avoid the inherent “coloring” of sound due to a regular microphone’s physical diaphragm, since the moving particles are virtually weightless. Of course, it seems that a Laser-Accurate mic would have plenty of variables of its own to deal with in regards to the stream of air, but we suppose we’ll find out just how tight Schwartz has this thing when it’s shown off for the first time in NY next month. PR is after the break.
Laser-Accurate microphone proves once and for all that everything is better with lasers via Engadget
Ultrasone Edition 9 vs Edition 8 Headphones
I’ve owned Ultrasone’s Edition 9 headphones for nearly two years now. While I do like their sound, the insides of the cups are not quite deep enough for my ears. The sensation of them resting on the tops of my ears starts out annoying and becomes downright irritating before very long at all. Well, I finally decided to give them up. They’re now sold and gone. During the transaction, though, I happened upon an opportunity to pick up the new Edition 8’s second hand for a reasonable price. So, since I’ve been wanting to try them for some time now, I decided to jump in and give them a go. I even had a few days with both headphones as I waited for the buyer’s payment to clear.
The Edition 9’s make no attempt to “disappear” due to their clamping force and weight. They have a long cable, terminated with a 1/4″ plug. They are obviously designed for stationary listening, though many have found use for them as a portable headphone. To me, I hear a bit of a bass exaggeration all through the low frequencies. I feel that the Edition 9’s are better suited to a rocker who wants their basslines slamming. Genres like pop, metal, or hip hop seem like they do well since bass is so important there, and detail is not the most important aspect. I always felt the Edition 9’s were really great headphones for me until I tried the JH13 and Edition 8.
The Edition 8’s are quite a different animal. They are much lighter on my head and the enclosures almost don’t touch my ears at all. This time, it’s the bottoms of my ears that touch the insides of the cups a little. It’s far less annoying, though, and I seem to be able to wear these for much longer without issue. They are terminated with a 1/8″ plug after only 1.2 meters. This, and their weight, make them a much better choice for a portable rig. They also come with a 4 meter extension cable that I have found useful since all my headphones now have short cables.
I have the impression that the sound from the Edition 8 is more polite and balanced. While there is no doubt the sub bass has a somewhat generous boost, everything else seems quite balanced. I find this low bass occasionally annoying, but I think that it is helped with a good amp; my RPX-33 seems to take better control of the bass than my RSA portables. They also have great transients. The speed increase of these drivers mean noticeably improved detail retrieval! Ultrasone’s “S-Logic Plus” on the Edition 8 does seem to increase upon the effect of the “S-Logic” in the Edition 9. The drivers are aimed at the listener’s pinna (the outer ear) so the sound must bounce around the ear before finding the eardrum. This leads to a more “3-D” sound that seems more like a projection. I think the Edition 8 would be better suited to instrumental music like classical or jazz, where neutrality and detail are more important.
It’s interesting to note, though, that I still greatly prefer my JH13 for just about everything. They have much better detail than even the Edition 8. They are more intimate and definite in their view into the recording. The bass, while not lacking at all, is very well integrated and doesn’t stick out as much as the Ultrasones. I’d even go as far as to say that they’re more comfortable. Why do I bother then? Well, I like different perspectives on my music. Sometimes I don’t want to stick my IEMs in my ears, but would prefer to have big, warm pads enclosing my ears and have big bass and a different soundstage.
Thankfully, given that I was already in the process of letting go of the Edition 9, I found that I overall prefer the Edition 8. I really appreciate the increased clarity and more neutral presentation. And the better comfort is icing on the cake.
New Headphones from Sennheiser
Oh nice, Sennheiser has just released the PX 100-II and the PX 200-II headphones. The original (PX 100) is said to be a VERY good value right up there with the Koss KSC75 in the price/performance ratio.
My Thoughts on JHAudio’s JH13 Pro IEM
Jerry Harvey is a pioneer in custom-molded, in-ear monitors. In 1995, he founded Ultimate Ears and was responsible for engineering their line-up of custom products. After enjoying wild success, capturing 75%+ of the touring musician market, he left to start Jerry Harvey Audio 2-3 years ago. Since Jerry is a pilot, they initially specialized only in aviation headsets — a custom earpiece with an attached boom mic. At the (May) 2009 CanJam event in Los Angeles, though, he proved that he was about to make big waves in the custom IEM market once again.
Now that I have about 2 months of use on my JH13 Pro’s (and a refreshed blog featuring them top and center) I will hopefully be able to share some thoughts on these unique IEMs. › Continue reading
Shure E500 vs UE Triple.fi 10 Pro
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about my audio equipment (or about much of anything) … So allow me to give a short comparison between two of the best universal fit IEMs available. It goes on and on, so allow me to place it below the fold.
RSA Tomahawk Reflection (Pics!)
I’ve had Ray Samuels’s The Tomahawk headphone amp for about a full month now, so I felt it was about time to report back my experiences. This month gave me time to run it through the first set of batteries and some of a second set. This should have been long enough to fully burn the Tomahawk in. The electronics take 300-500 hours or so to really settle in and emit their final sound signature.
Aside: I can’t bring myself to call this a review because I don’t consider myself much of an genuine audiophile, and I don’t feel I’m really qualified to seriously critique this product. Also, this is the first headphone amp I’ve ever experienced, so I can’t really compare it to anything.
The Tomahawk is a very highly acclaimed headphone amplifier. I’ve read numerous reviews and comparisons – mostly on head-fi.org – about this amp, and everyone seems to think very highly of it. My experience has been just excellent. The amplifier adds smoothness/shininess to the sound that is just a joy to listen to through the E500. In the interest of preserving my hearing, when in a quiet room, I like listening at low volumes. This combo retains thick & juicy dynamics while emphasizing the fact that this little box eliminates ALL hiss/buzz produced by my mp3 player and presents nothing but pure music over a deep, black background.
As for size & build, there is absolutely nothing to complain about here. The Tomahawk is built like a tank… and a very, very tiny one at that. Ray’s amps are built with plenty of TLC, and he doesn’t just throw together these things with whatever chips happen to be cheapest. Each amp is built with the same, high-quality components.
What’s most amazing is the punch that this thing produces. One should not come under the impression that this amp will drive only IEMs. In fact, it will drive all but the most exotic and demanding of headphones with juice to spare. If that wasn’t amazing enough, it will actually perform its duty for over 400 hours solid, about 17 days, or as Ray says, 6 weeks at 10 hours per day. (Apparently, more demanding headphones will start to clip towards the end of the battery life.)
I must also comment on Ray’s customer service. Ray is a really great guy and a pleasure to do business with. He likes to talk to his customers on the phone, so if you’re interested in his products, call him up!
Pics over the jump!
Shure E500 Review
So I am a crazy man.
I decided I wanted to amp my phones, but my UE Super.fi 5 Pros have been said not to change much with an amp. Plus, from all the discussion on head-fi.org (WARNING: stay clear of that site if you are susceptible to upgradeitus!) I found that it was common opinion that the Super.fi’s, while they are a fine earphone, suffer from some amount of “veil” or lack of balance. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing even, depending on your objective, but I wanted something that was well balanced and “audiophile grade” that I could enjoy wherever I am (such as work for 8 hrs/day).
I wanted something that would fit snugly in my ear and not stick out like the 5 Pros. That ruled out the Triple.fi 10 Pros as they have a similar form factor. And since the best IEM amp that I could find, Ray Samuels Audio’s “Tomahawk,” was designed with the Shure E500’s in mind (along with a few other earphones), I knew I would not be making a bad decision in going with these earphones.
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