@OMG! Ponies!: Bollocks I say. Someone bought this, realised they don't need to weigh anything, and put some pseudo-fruit on there out of boredom/curiosity. #rihanna
Actually...this makes a lot of sense. A scale is a device you could use in a kitchen, but not frequently. Why not put it to better use? The placement of the iPod could be a little awkward, depending on the devices placement. If it's in a corner, I don't want to have to maneuver around it to get to my tomatoes. Still...for $100, this doesn't seem that bad at all.
To the folks who designed this, *tips hat*. #rihanna
@KassiaHaoe: Starred commenters are selected by Giz editors. Hang around long enough, make quality comments, don't troll, be funny. Eventually you get noticed and get a star.
Now, as to your question about how I got a star...I have no freaking idea. ;-) #rihanna
Whoa... wait... back up a minute. Is the apocalypse scheduled for today? First a little Blackberry outage around midnight, then the gerbil vest, and now a iPod dock cum produce scale with references to "soulful" Miley Cyrus...
Is it the end times? I feel like I'm living in a Dan Brown novel... there's some strange force at work... #rihanna
@DarkerBlitz: The veryfact that notions of the Jonas Brothers entered your mind, unbidden, only serves to coroborate my concerns, and cause further alarm. There's got to be a damned codex, or list of numbers, or something, somewhere to stop this madness! #rihanna
@OMG! Ponies!: You know, I had a tasteless and politcally incorrect retort for that... but I'm just not gonna fall for this. I won't be tricked into your cunning trap, Ponies! #rihanna
Edited by BergenCountyJC can edit his name? at 11/17/09 10:14 AM
BergenCountyJC can edit his name? was starred
BergenCountyJC can edit his name? was unstarred
It'd be nice to see a iPod dock / clock incorporate the iPod into the design. This looks like a nice retro bedside clock radio that got stabbed in the head with an iPod. Also, monochrome graphics are an interesting choice when showing off an OLED screen. #revoheritageipoddock
@The Lab: I've always found that funny too. Back when the iPod Hi-Fi came out one of the biggest complaints was how it stuck the iPod up there with no integration or design aesthetic. Now it seems to be the norm and I even find myself searching eBay for Hi-Fi's just because I think it ended up doing it best. #revoheritageipoddock
@tande04: some of them have the ipod in front of the speaker, like the bose docks. But what I really want is a slot like a tape deck where I can put my ipod, you know? #revoheritageipoddock
The highest end I've ever seen that way was a sony IIRC. Ironically lots of the low to mid range ones use the tape deck approach.
And yes, my little philips alarm clock I use has the iPod in front of the speakers. That seemed like a much better place then somewhere I'd keep knocking the iPod out of whenever I hit snooze.
What I was really getting at was how badly apple got ripped for the apple hi-fi back in its day but now it seems more and more common. At the time the on the top style wasn't very common, most all were like the boise dock with them in front. Now you see more and more "retro" ones like this that just stick the iPod on top.
@tande04: I also looked on eBay for a HiFi for a while. I even got one but ended up returning it because Apple's remotes always seem anemic and controlling volume is kinda key. Also, that thing is pricey (coming from a guy who sold his 1 yo MacBook Pro to get a unibody when they came out, just because they are amazing).
@The Lab: Thats why I keep looking. I'm amazed that a 3 year old, discontinued, little known iPod dock still goes for that much.
I'm also always amazed at how often you see it in ads. I don't remember where I saw it (might of been the side of a comcast van) but there was a family sitting around the TV watching HD and there in the background is the Apple Hi-Fi.
@tande04: Keep an eye out for Specktone docks. I bought several off eBay for $1 and paid $25 shipping. Cool retro look and shockingly solid sound. Remote still sucks but it isn't $200 and it is smaller than a duffel bag.
@curious-character: Better do some research. That is the Wall of Sound from the Grateful Dead. It was designed with quality in mind. It was so accurate the band didn't need seperate monitors.
26.400W of McIntosh power is nothing to sneeze at. #wallofsound
AmphetamineCrown promoted this comment
Bluecold:Of volcanic temperament but soothed by a custard pie balsam. was starred
Bluecold:Of volcanic temperament but soothed by a custard pie balsam. was unstarred
@Bluecold: Amen. As I recall, they were widely acknowledged as having the best concert rig around.
Er, think that might be 26,400W... Unless you are one of them foreign-types that seems to swaps "," and "." in numbers just to confuse me. #wallofsound
@Bluecold: Do some research and let me know if you find that I made any comment about the quality of the sound system. It is ridiculous. Did you know that cutting the sound system in half would sacrifice a mere 3 dB? And the band didn't need monitors b/c they are in the coverage patter of the system, which probably made feedback control a real problem for vocals. They needed 3 of these monstrosities to tour with due to set-up and tear-down time. Sorry, I come from a world were value matters, and I would never make a client waste such a huge amount of money on a phallus of...oops I mean wall of sound. #wallofsound
@curious-character: "cutting the sound system in half would sacrifice a mere 3 dB"... well... yeah, 3dB is a factor of two, so, well... yeah. And using quarter of the system would be a loss of only 6dB.
C'mon man, value mattered to Dead. Value as in the experience delivered to the fans that toured with them. You don't think it was the client that demanded that set up? #wallofsound
@AmphetamineCrown: I don't know who demanded it, all I know is that it's like building a Wall of Car. Attach increasingly powerful engines to a wall on wheels and you can have one that goes really fast. This of course neglects other important principles of speed such as aerodynamics. But who needs aerodynamics when you can just buy jet engines to make the wall go faster? And even if it is what the client demands, that doesn't mean it is the right solution for them. Some argue that the hassles associated with the Wall of Sound contributed to their first retirement...note that when they came back, it was sans WoS. #wallofsound
@curious-character: Most of what has been written about the WoS is pretty laudatory. Everyone's favorite wiki says it was "the largest portable sound system ever built" and capable of "high quality playback at six hundred feet with acceptable sound projected for a quarter of a mile." They also note that it "was very efficient for its time." It incorporated a number of sophisticated mechanisms and concepts and wasn't just muscle as you seem to imply--remember, this system was built 35 years ago.
But you think it's "the world's dumbest sound system." If I understand right, you would have made it smaller and quieter because you think that is value. But then--correct me if I'm wrong--the Dead wouldn't have had the largest sound system ever built, would they? If I'm recalling correctly that SPLs drop off as d squared, your proposal to halve the power would mean that it would have good audio quality at only 150 feet (instead of 600) and acceptable quality at 330 feet (instead of 1/4 mi.)? That is "smarter" exactly how?
Bottom line, I can criticize a Shelby Cobra and say they could get at least half the speed with a four cylinder engine instead of a V8. But what is the point? It sure as heck doesn't make me better than Carroll Shelby as a car designer. The egotism of believing that your understanding of "value" should be universal is pretty appalling. #wallofsound
@AmphetamineCrown: Really? You find my sound-bite opinion on a 35 year old sound system "appalling"? Perspective…get some.
While you’re at it, you might want to avoid wikimath calcs, they don’t become you. In free-field radiation of energy (sound or otherwise), the inverse square law applies to the pressure, power or intensity in linear units. SPL is in dB so your math is completely wrong. If 600 ft was the cutoff radius for acceptable coverage level (which btw is a misinterpretation of the wiki article…see below) then cutting 3 dB would reduce it to about 426 ft, not 150.
But all of that is rather irrelevant to the idea of "good audio quality". Level is hardly the only aspect of "good audio quality" though you seem to interpret that as being 100% correlated to level. But certainly level is important, which is why no one designs nearly omni-directional sound systems like this one. You can make up for lost level by increasing directivity (and yes, horn-loaded drivers did exist 35 years ago). Yes there are tradeoffs to everything in audio, maybe the near-field fidelity would not have been as pure. But then again, how much do you think the fans cared about the fidelity when the tour was canceled due to the logistical nightmare of the WoS.
Finally, your comparison to cutting speed in half just further demonstrates your ignorance in relation to audio. My point was that cutting the system in half would not even come close to cutting the performance in half…and as I have further indicated, you could make up for the lost level with very common audio design principles. The WoS was indeed application of pure power ignoring other design principles. It is the "more cowbell" approach to audio which results in ridiculously large and overpriced systems which could be engineered to be just as effective at a fraction of the cost. But if you find my opinion too appalling to stomach, you can just go ahead and let this thread die, I doubt anyone else is reading at this point anyway.
@curious-character: I doubt anyone else is reading at this point anyway.
It's always entertaining to see someone make a ridiculous stupid statement ("world's dumbest sound system") and then tie themselves in knots trying to justify it. #wallofsound
@skierpage: I supported my opinion with facts, how about you? You claim my statement is ridiculous and stupid yet contribute nothing to justify it. Is it ridiculous because I don't agree with you and other opinions proffered in wiki articles? Is it stupid because I based my opinion on a decade of experience in audio and acoustics, supported by verifiable facts regarding common sound system design principles? While you're at it, please explain how my point-by-point rebuttals of AmphetamineCrown's misunderstanding of basic audio knowledge in any way justifies the comment that I am confused ("tie themselves in knots"). #wallofsound
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To all:
Stop whining about the risk of splatter from an iPod dock in the kitchen.
This is from Rihanna. Which means it comes with a built-in umbrella. #rihanna
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To the folks who designed this, *tips hat*. #rihanna
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Now, as to your question about how I got a star...I have no freaking idea. ;-) #rihanna
11/17/09
Does anyone know if egg yolks or whites will change the moisture sensor? #rihanna
11/17/09
Is it the end times? I feel like I'm living in a Dan Brown novel... there's some strange force at work... #rihanna
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@Hearthatvoiceagain: Classy you say? #rihanna
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;) #rihanna
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Did Rihanna start making kitchen gadgets before or after Chris Brown started beating her? #rihanna
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The highest end I've ever seen that way was a sony IIRC. Ironically lots of the low to mid range ones use the tape deck approach.
And yes, my little philips alarm clock I use has the iPod in front of the speakers. That seemed like a much better place then somewhere I'd keep knocking the iPod out of whenever I hit snooze.
What I was really getting at was how badly apple got ripped for the apple hi-fi back in its day but now it seems more and more common. At the time the on the top style wasn't very common, most all were like the boise dock with them in front. Now you see more and more "retro" ones like this that just stick the iPod on top.
11/10/09
#revoheritageipoddock
11/10/09
I'm also always amazed at how often you see it in ads. I don't remember where I saw it (might of been the side of a comcast van) but there was a family sitting around the TV watching HD and there in the background is the Apple Hi-Fi.
11/10/09
#revoheritageipoddock
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11/02/09
That's not a wall of sound. Now this, this is a Wall of Sound. #wallofsound
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26.400W of McIntosh power is nothing to sneeze at. #wallofsound
11/02/09
Er, think that might be 26,400W... Unless you are one of them foreign-types that seems to swaps "," and "." in numbers just to confuse me. #wallofsound
11/02/09
11/02/09
C'mon man, value mattered to Dead. Value as in the experience delivered to the fans that toured with them. You don't think it was the client that demanded that set up? #wallofsound
11/02/09
11/03/09
But you think it's "the world's dumbest sound system." If I understand right, you would have made it smaller and quieter because you think that is value. But then--correct me if I'm wrong--the Dead wouldn't have had the largest sound system ever built, would they? If I'm recalling correctly that SPLs drop off as d squared, your proposal to halve the power would mean that it would have good audio quality at only 150 feet (instead of 600) and acceptable quality at 330 feet (instead of 1/4 mi.)? That is "smarter" exactly how?
Bottom line, I can criticize a Shelby Cobra and say they could get at least half the speed with a four cylinder engine instead of a V8. But what is the point? It sure as heck doesn't make me better than Carroll Shelby as a car designer. The egotism of believing that your understanding of "value" should be universal is pretty appalling. #wallofsound
11/03/09
While you’re at it, you might want to avoid wikimath calcs, they don’t become you. In free-field radiation of energy (sound or otherwise), the inverse square law applies to the pressure, power or intensity in linear units. SPL is in dB so your math is completely wrong. If 600 ft was the cutoff radius for acceptable coverage level (which btw is a misinterpretation of the wiki article…see below) then cutting 3 dB would reduce it to about 426 ft, not 150.
But all of that is rather irrelevant to the idea of "good audio quality". Level is hardly the only aspect of "good audio quality" though you seem to interpret that as being 100% correlated to level. But certainly level is important, which is why no one designs nearly omni-directional sound systems like this one. You can make up for lost level by increasing directivity (and yes, horn-loaded drivers did exist 35 years ago). Yes there are tradeoffs to everything in audio, maybe the near-field fidelity would not have been as pure. But then again, how much do you think the fans cared about the fidelity when the tour was canceled due to the logistical nightmare of the WoS.
Finally, your comparison to cutting speed in half just further demonstrates your ignorance in relation to audio. My point was that cutting the system in half would not even come close to cutting the performance in half…and as I have further indicated, you could make up for the lost level with very common audio design principles. The WoS was indeed application of pure power ignoring other design principles. It is the "more cowbell" approach to audio which results in ridiculously large and overpriced systems which could be engineered to be just as effective at a fraction of the cost. But if you find my opinion too appalling to stomach, you can just go ahead and let this thread die, I doubt anyone else is reading at this point anyway.
11/04/09
It's always entertaining to see someone make a ridiculous stupid statement ("world's dumbest sound system") and then tie themselves in knots trying to justify it. #wallofsound
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