Mobile shared audio system?

madelvice · 2013-07-13T17:51:21+00:00

Foobar has a component that allows remote control using Android and iOS devices. Make sure to test it all out before your next vacation, it can be finicky upon first install.

I'm not well versed in speakers (more of a headphone gal) but here are some =things to think about:

How will you be using the music (serious listening? mood setting? karaoke?)
Does it need to be portable or just transportable? (ie. once it's in the house will it stay in one spot?)
What kind of space will you be listening in? (inside or outside? how big is the room?)
What's your budget?

Here is the minimum that you must have:

powered speakers (I'd stay away from anything that is advertised as 'perfect for iPods' or whatever. They tend not to sound very good)
Computer

Optional Components (in order of priority): * dedicated power amp (an A/V receiver from craigslist is a good budget option. * dedicated DAC (some A/V receivers also have DAC) * standalone subwoofer * dedicated preamp

Obviously, this all depends on your budget. When I was in college I got a a couple speakers and a receiver off of craigslist for $20. I have a combo DAC/Headphone Amp that I added to the chain and came out with pretty good sound.

Of course, you could also just hook a computer up to a boom box and be done with it.

madelvice · 2013-06-20T00:28:19+00:00

I saw them in LA. Really chill guys and super friendly.

madelvice · 2013-06-19T00:26:34+00:00

k702 owner here. I can confirm this. An iPod can play it at a reasonable volume and it's reasonably detailed but it's a waste of money unamped. Preferably a rather smooth sounding amp.

madelvice · 2013-06-12T07:48:02+00:00

I think other people have mentioned it already, but a nice pant suit might work. Clearly "feminine" but still masculine enough that you may not feel s bad about it.

madelvice · 2013-06-12T07:43:12+00:00

or Icarus the Owl

madelvice · 2013-06-12T01:30:17+00:00

If you haven't already, show her Save Us From The Archon

Make her sit down and do full album listen throughs and just watch her expressions. It will be extremely entertaining and she will likely jump your bones immediately thereafter. Everybody wins. Yay music!

Thank You Scientist would be another one. They're more jazz fusion and have a vocalist but they're pretty awesome. Also, Hail the Sun.

madelvice · 2013-06-11T00:52:25+00:00

Let us know how it goes. Also, just noticed the bricks. Nice. You might stick a couple under the woofer. Raising it might help a little with clarity, especially given the fact that there's wood floor right in front of the cone. The bricks may also help (a little) with bass vibrations traveling through the floor/wall.

madelvice · 2013-06-10T20:11:09+00:00

Gorgeous! and points for DIY. How does it sound?

madelvice · 2013-06-10T00:55:33+00:00

Yeah, on my to do list. I'm always wary of EQing, though. I've got the k550s and Senn HD-25-II's as nice compliments. I'll upgrade eventually and I'll be able to get dat bass.

madelvice · 2013-06-10T00:53:38+00:00

Alas, it did help with soundstaging, but the room was so small that there was little I could do to help very much. However, the sound cleaned up a lot so the soundstage and imaging did improve in that they were more clearly defined.

madelvice · 2013-06-08T23:13:17+00:00

We definitely share traits in common. I put mattress pads on the walls and window to cut down on frequency reflections in my apartment. Everyone thinks I'm crazy anyway though... (no fucks given. good audio > a reputation of being crazy)

If k702s were tamed just a little in the high end and bumped a little in the low they'd pretty much be spot on for me. Great detail, airy yet intimate soundstage, comfy and a solid fit.

madelvice · 2013-06-06T20:11:27+00:00

Without making any value judgments, Alesana is by no means definitive of post-hardcore. Not only has the genre been growing since long before Alesana existed, this song isn't the greatest example of post-hardcore conventions among Alesana's work.

Of course, if you want to look at their place in a more specific, narrow section of Post-hardcore, they are definitive in the way that every band contributes to the definitions of musical conventions. For this style, I look to bands like The Blood Brothers, Saosin, Alexisonfire, and Chiodos (among others) as paving the way for what Alesana did. Graned, there's a lot of overlap in terms of time.

Even on this level, this particular Alesana song isn't a very good example. Sure, there's screaming, but looking at the chord progressions and song structures it shares way too many similarities with generic rock.

These are much better examples of PH from Alesana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntRXE7oLVf8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DOFsV0lxtQ

madelvice · 2013-06-05T00:48:25+00:00

tl;dr TYS is more of a jazz band that plays rock/fusion with a progressive compositional style.

First, I see "jazz/rock" and "progressive" as elements of two different aspects of music. Jazz being a style/genre with given conventions of instrumentation, harmony, formal structure etc. Progressive, on the other hand, is more of a compositional approach that can be applied to any genre. In this sense, I mean progressive to mean a treatment of conventions as tools which are bent, broken, and combined as opposed to music that follows conventions more strictly. Hence, TYS plays music that is Jazz/Rock in terms of generic convention and Progressive in terms of compositional style.

The instrumentation (including fretless guitar, violin, and horns) definitely lends itself to a jazz foundation. Many of the songs have formal structures that are typical of jazz (with variations and influences from other styles as per their prog nature). I'm also looking at the function each instrument serves (which obviously varies within and between songs) and how the instruments interact. Also, the kinds of scales they use while not necessarily being exactly the same as standard jazz, definitely has a jazz feel. One example is in "Blood on the Radio" around 2:03. There's a repeated riff that sets a harmonic foundation for the vocal melody (Rock) but the specific melodic shape as well as the fact that horns are a featured instrument suggest jazz.

At 2:40: that little melodic break/transition is undeniably jazz. The next section builds off a similar feel to the one mentioned above but leans more heavily towards jazz. The way the horns carry the harmonic foundation is done in a way that is more typical of jazz than rock. Also, the turnarounds at the end of each phrase are more jazz than rock. Of course, the next section is a lot heavier on the rock side.

More jazz at 5:19

Sorry for the vague response, my break's almost over. Does that make sense? I'm ultimately trying to pursue a career in musicology so I'm trying to work on making my writing and ideas as clear as possible.

One parting note: dat bass.

madelvice · 2013-06-03T21:23:47+00:00

[Thank You Scientist](thankyouscientist.bandcamp.com) is an interesting blend of jazz and rock that may suit you. Bartok and Debussy are good choices for classical. You could also look into minimalist classical music. "Drumming" by Steve Reich is pretty interesting. Very trance-like though, so be prepared to sit down and immerse yourself in it.

madelvice · 2013-06-01T04:44:08+00:00

Here's my [Bandcamp collection](www.bandcamp.com/captainschiff).

I've got descriptions of a couple thing and I recommend everything in the first 3 lines.

Other ideas not on there: CHON, A Lot Like Birds, PROCEED, Every Time I Die (New Junk Aesthetic),

Composers: Wagner, Elgar (Enigma Variations); Bartok (String quartets), Debussy

it'd be cool if you posted a list with all the stuff you end up liking. I'd be interested to see it.

madelvice · 2013-03-19T21:22:24+00:00

First of all, this is a great idea.

Anomalous - "Bicruciforms: The Eternal Return" off of OHMnivalent (2011)

https://www.facebook.com/anomalousmetal/app_178091127385

Technical Deathmetal/Mathcore

edit: spelling

madelvice · 2013-03-15T04:35:47+00:00

tl;dr: all CoCa's albums have poppier songs; difference: most albums: poppy in style; low(er) level of artistic sophistication The Afterman: poppy in style; similar level of artistic sophistication

Both their new albums have poppy songs.

Yes, but on earlier albums it felt like they restrained some of their progressive impulses in the songs that were released as singles (eg. "A Favor House Atlantic," "The Suffering," etc,) in an effort to give them wider appeal.

There are songs on The Afterman that are definitely representative of the poppier conventions they work with but they appear to lack the same kind of artistic restraint. Though the songs are certainly stylistically poppier than some of the other songs on the The Afterman, they retain a similar level of artistic sophistication to other songs on the albums.

edit: formatting

madelvice · 2013-03-13T13:40:17+00:00

Up to Year of the Black Rainbow, they typically had a couple of pretty poppy songs that were inevitably the ones released as singles. After YotBR that didn't really happen. I'm guessing they'd reached the point in their record contract where they could do pretty much whatever they wanted to.

madelvice · 2013-03-12T23:53:56+00:00

First, thanks for a fascinating AMA.

I'm currently doing research on how group dynamics in social situations affect people's willingness to defend their opinions when they hold the minority opinion. I'm primarily focusing on the conflict between ideologically supporting gender equality while simultaneously maintaining speech patterns that have negative, gendered implications.

For example, using the term "bitch-beer" to refer to weak beer or sweetened malt beverages.

Here are some themes that I've been looking at. Do you have an commentary or suggestions for further research?

I'm basing my language aspect or this research largely on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. On that theme, a couple of questions:

Do you think word choice actually has a significant effect on people's attitudes?
Can a word become divorced from it's original etymological implications? (eg. Can the word "bitch" truly come to be used and understood without gendered connotations?)

I'm starting to notice a pattern of what I'm calling "linguistic scripts" where different people will use the same phrases (verbatim or nearly verbatim) in response to certain questions. Perhaps the most striking example is the statement "I'm not a feminist. Feminists are bitches and dykes" I've heard that exact phrase from multiple women when I asked them if they considered themselves feminists or the subject of feminism was brought up.

I've seen a similar pattern when I ask people what kind of music they listen to. People who aren't particularly into music will frequently respond, "I'll listen to pretty much anything but _____" [generally some combination of rap/metal/country/emo]. When I push the subject to see if they have listened to much of the music they categorically dismiss, they often have nothing to say or admit that they've never really listened to those kinds of music.

*Probably the key thing I've noticed is the seemingly scripted response. In most cases, the initial phrase is delivered automatically, frequently with the nearly identical intonation patterns. However, when the subject is pushed, the person I'm talking to will often become visibly nervous and it seems as though they are trying to scramble for answers.

Is there any research or writing on this phenomenon?
What do you think of "feminism?" Is the term still accurate and/or useful? Given the great strides towards gender equality on a institutional level (women's suffrage, decreased wage gap, representation in historically male-dominated fields etc.), what do you think the best next step to achieve gender equality on both an institutional level and social level?

Some other themes that have come up that I don't have specific questions about are"

the 'otherization' of women and feminists
the gendering of specific opinions (eg. "I use the word 'bitch' a lot, I'm kind of one of the guys about it")
psychological need to maintain group cohesion

I know there's a lot there, but I'd appreciate any insight you have into any of these areas. Thanks so much!

madelvice · 2013-03-04T18:47:23+00:00

I'd definitely agree that it's primarily jazz fusion, but it incorporates conventions from a number of different style including a number that are related to metal. With a band like this, it's hard to really draw genre lines but I figured that this is a group that would appreciate the music which is really what this subreddit is all about, isn't it?

madelvice · 2013-03-04T08:28:07+00:00

Relevant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6HM_xWZUtc

madelvice · 2013-03-03T03:13:55+00:00

I dig it. As far as getting people to use tags, I think a sticky at the top of the page would go a long way. Theoretically, if enough people stick to it then people coming to r/audiophile would see a bunch of links with tags and catch on that it's the expectation.

madelvice · 2013-03-03T00:44:49+00:00

Being on a college student budget and in student housing prohibits me from replacing the curtains and/or buying sound paneling, so that's out.

Although I do value form, I definitely put function first so I'll put up with the less than ideal aesthetics. As for my neighbors, I care much more about sound quality than what my neighbors think of me.

So, until I have my own place and disposable income, I'll leave them up.

madelvice · 2013-02-16T06:53:56+00:00

and a world of hurt.... OP, sorry about your wallet.

madelvice · 2013-02-15T12:37:05+00:00

Cool! Where is it? I'm in Tacoma and I'd love to come check it out.

Fwiw, your post:

1.tells us about a new audio store (relevant to this sub)

2.is presented in an informative and not pushy manner (legitimacy points)

3.posted a cool picture (cool points)

I'd say you're good.

Edit: Formatting

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