2003 Products Of The Year
With the end of 2003 drawing near, I've wanted to list some of the products I've encountered this year that are worthy of being mentioned here at A&M Corner. While my list isn't all-inclusive, it does capture some of my favorites, products that have a good value for the dollar but offer performance or utility suggesting a higher selling price.
Pioneer DV-563A
If anyone has followed my forum posts this past year, you'll find out that I've discovered high resolution audio, thanks to the SACD and DVD-Audio formats. I still have yet to listen to these discs in surround, but I can safely say that even the two-channel audio portions sound really good, better than CD in most cases. (I've found SACD titles, especially, to be free of the fatigue I get when I listen to CDs for too long.) There has been some confusion as to which player to get--some players only play SACD, along with standard CD and sometimes with video DVD. Others play CD, DVD-Audio and DVD video, but no SACD.
Pioneer was one of the first to make a "universal" player, a unit that you could safely drop any disc into and play it without having to worry about format. On that note, I picked up a Pioneer Elite DV-45A this past spring, and it's been a wonderful player, putting out a nice picture for DVD movie titles, but also has great sound for SACD and DVD-Audio as well. Granted, there are some players out there that will beat the SACD performance by a hair, but they're also more money and you'd still need a separate player for DVD-A. Still, the Elite players cost a bit more than the standard Pioneer product line, so they're not exactly in everyone's budget.
The Pioneer DV-563A is the first universal player in Pioneer's standard product line. As such, the list price is only $249, but you can find this on the street for well under $200. (Best Buy has even been selling these, somewhere in the $170-$180 range.) While I haven't heard it, others have reported that the sound is very good, just about equal to the Elite players, and the video is very nice as well. In addition, you can play standard CDs, VCDs, Kodak Photo-CDs and even your own MP3 discs.
For what you get, it's a steal. It brings high resolution audio and very respectable video performance into your home at a very affordable price. It does all this at such a price that it's almost a no-brainer to purchase if you're already looking into new DVD and/or CD players. And since it will play any disc you throw at it, there's no more need to worry about having the correct player for your disc.
On my wish list: the same player, but in a 300-disc changer. It's not a stretch of the imagination either--Pioneer already has the electronics nailed with the 563A, and they already make a 300-CD changer.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/product/detail/0,,2076_15020669_2046370,00.html
M-Audio Audiophile USB (or Audiophile 2496)
If you are looking for a good way to get clean audio into your computer, you have some choices. Standard computer sound cards are good, but they're not the best. Even the higher priced cards can be a little noisy and lacking detail. To get good clean audio into your computer, you really need a good dedicated card tailored to preserving the best sound possible. A good card will have, more than anything, a good analog-to-digital converter on board. The audio portion will have a wide enough bandwidth to handle any input signal, and be well shielded to prevent any EMI/EFI noise from creeping in from the computer. Ideally, the card will support the higher resolution sampling rates that are becoming the standard in studio recording today.
M-Audio makes a complete line of audiophile and semi-pro audio/MIDI equipment for the computer, and it's affordably priced. The Audiophile 2496 is a PCI-based card that will fit into any Windows-compatible computer. The Audiophile USB is an outboard device that hooks to your USB port. I purchased the latter, mainly because I wanted to be able to move it between computers if needed. The Audiophile USB has both analog, digital and MIDI inputs and outputs, in addition to a headphone output. Theoretically the Audiophile USB will have better sound due to being powered from a wall outlet, vs. being powered by the computer's PCI bus. In the past USB audio devices have been flaky and unreliable, leading to gaps and glitches. With this M-Audio, I have made flawless recordings so far.
Installation was a cinch. And from the few test recordings I've made, it works and sounds excellent. I'm now doing all of my recording at 24 bit/96kHz in anticipation of getting a DVD burner and software to record DVD-Audio discs. Until then, I can get about 20 minutes of 24/96 audio onto a 700MB CD-R (just for storage).
There is one drawback to this type of sound card: there is no input level control. To get around that, I got out my Hafler DH101 preamp and I use the output of that to drive the audio inputs of the M-Audio. For others though, you need some way to at least attenuate the volume...but if the signal is too low, there is no way to boost it. Despite that, this is still a very usable device with high-quality audio that won't break the bank.
http://www.m-audio.com
Sony XM Radio Receiver
Although this is a latecomer, I'm enthused enough to mention it here in my year-end wrap-up. With Sony running a $100 rebate offer on a $129 XM Radio receiver, I felt that $29 wasn't a bad way to try out XM Radio and see what all the fuss was about. I've only had it for a week at the time I'm writing this, but so far the programming has been fantastic! Commercials are few, far between and short. In addition to the Christmas programming , I've been listening to the Chrome channel (dance/disco circa late 70's/early 80's), and have also tuned in the 50's and 60's decade channels. In the five hours I listened to Chrome, they didn't repeat a single artist the entire time, and played some "deep cut" disco tracks I hadn't heard in years! The 50's channel was a neat experience, covering the early beginnings of rock and roll. Others who listen to XM Radio are very pleased to hear the "deep cuts" that corporate AM/FM radio never play anymore. XM has brought good programming talent on board, and it's evident in their diverse musical offerings. XM also features sports, news and talk channels. Visit the XM Radio website for the complete channel line-up, as well as a weekly list of all the special programming.
The Sony receiver isn't spectacular, but it's functional and relatively easy to use once you get used to the scroll/push button. It has presets, and a wireless IR remote control. The set I bought has a cradle the main unit slips into. So, you could easily get a car cradle and antenna and take it on the road with you. The south side of my house has only two windows, both beneath deep overhangs, but the antenna can "see" out the one window good enough to give me a good, strong signal. Sound-wise, I can tell that the music is delivered as compressed digital, extending to maybe 13-15kHz tops. But it rivals FM sound, and it's really not made for critical listening anyway.
Unfortunately the rebate period ends 12/31/2003, but even at the original price, it's a must-have for the music enthusiast who's tired of standard radio prgramming.
Honorable Mentions
Bazooka EL6A subwoofer: since I am now driving the Honda CR-V full-time, the sound inside wasn't the greatest. The Alpine head unit and CD changer were good, but the cheap Pioneer speakers weren't helping the sound. Not to mention a total lack of low bass. Since the CR-V has a carrying area in back, I didn't want a big bulky sub box I'd have to take out each time I wanted to carry a load. The only place I had to put a sub was in the storage space beneath the removable table (which I think was a spare tire well in the Japanese version of the CR-V). The only sub I saw that would fit comfortably was Bazooka's EL6A, which uses a single 6-1/2" woofer and 100 watt amp. Installation was a snap--leads to each speakers, and the power leads. At first it was boomy, but I stuffed some old towels into the storage area and it smoothed out the bass wonderfully. But how good can a 6-1/2" woofer be? Incredibly good for its size! I have mine turned down quite a bit, but that may be due to the Alpine having a higher than average output. Having a low end really fleshes out the sound, giving it some much-needed weight. With most program material, the subwoofer is seamless and doesn't call attention to itself. This type of sub is not something you'll ever hear thumping throughout the neighborhood. But it does give you that solid bottom octave of music back, quite convincingly. (It reaches cleanly to the "D" below the low "E" on a bass guitar.) For its price and easy installation, it's a great deal.
Biostar iDEQ 200N SFF computer: since I needed a smaller computer for "casual" use in another room of the house, the SFF (small form factor) computer was ideal. Biostar's small package, powerful and plentiful options, and good price made it perfect for my needs. This is a "barebones" chassis, so with the addition of hard drive, memory, optical drive (CD and/or DVD) and CPU, it's a full-powered computer. Optional AGP 8X video slot, and a PCI slot (for a sound card) can take it up to an even higher level of performance. Inputs and outputs? Try four USB 2.0, two firewire, headphones, S/PDIF digital audio in/outs, and on-board network port. So far, it performs great, even with its on-board audio and video. It does have limited expandability, but since it is pretty much loaded up with options, there isn't much more you'd need.
Posted on Dec 15, 2003 at 2:39 pm by Rudy.
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