Children's Corner

Ah Massimo, a great new thread.

A personal favourite is the BitPerfect app which interferes with iTunes (or whatever it’s called these days) on the Mac, making streamed music sound better.  Worthwhile, despite the considerable investment of £5.

Best value that I have found so far was to take a NAC32.5 off the top of a NAP250 and place it to the left of the power amp. Cost: nil, benefit: lots!

Best regards, FT

Hi FT,

glad you caught the spirit of my thread. Small things are sometimes great epiphanies. BTW, I have BitPerfect, bought when it cost €3. Now that I think of it, it's still available for download and, if I'm lucky, I'll download an updated version!

Best

M.

Unfortunately I have found that these 3rd party apps that claim to improve the SQ of Apple Music do no such thing and after my 3 month free trial of Apple Music I cancelled the subscription.  For slightly better SQ on the move with an iPhone 6, 7 or my own little SE then I would advise a trial of Quboz or Tidal,  Quboz being the better one for Jazz and Classical music.  A £20 per month subscription allows you to download music to be played offline within the app therefore not eating up any of your data.  This is a bit steep if you are not also using either Tidal or Quboz at home but if you listen to a lot of music on your phone 1-2 hours per day it isn't so excessive.

p.s.

Thanks Max for the Debussy link not my usual cup of tea but very welcome all the same.

Hi Bob,

I started this because I have around 60+ musical 'lossy' files on my iPhone 6s, mainly Amazon auto–rips or spare things I bought sometimes on iTunes for just the love of a song or to have a given piece of music immediately available for a lesson. I do not like the latest, proprietary Music app in the iPhone but I like the Amazon one a lot more, so I only addressed those who have a decent number of lossy files on their phones and want to hear them acceptably well and at the same time watch a watchable GUI on the display. As for the rest, I'm with you. Anyway, 20 per month is 240 per year, and yes, perhaps it would be wise to have a trial period first....

I could never get on with the sound of these lossy files, but as I rip my CDs and stream them at home, I have a ready source of lossless music to transfer to my portable player. A much better sensory experience, but then, I also like my tea strong, with milk, not lemon. 

Dear Children's Corner,

I have a modest system with a big problem. It keeps getting dusty. What should I do?

Wear sunglasses when the sun is out????

nigelb posted:

Dear Children's Corner,

I have a modest system with a big problem. It keeps getting dusty. What should I do?

Buy some music other than Ms Springfield?  

nigelb posted:

Dear Children's Corner,

I have a modest system with a big problem. It keeps getting dusty. What should I do?

Read Philip Pullman.

Yes, I have mentioned the dust to the wife but she just shouts at me with several words I have not heard before (I don't think they are nice word) and she makes a strange gesture involving one finger. Please, Children's Corner, what is the meaning of this gesture?

I downloaded the amazon app, It’s listing a lot of music I’ve bought from amazon but I’ve never used itunes so nothing there and it can’t see the music on the Core, probably just as well. I’ll have to give offline mode a go in my wife’s car. I could try it on the bike (Indian Roadmaster)’s speakers but I find even the radio too distracting when I’m riding though I did manage to use Waze through them last weekend from the iphone.

nigelb posted:

Yes, I have mentioned the dust to the wife but she just shouts at me with several words I have not heard before (I don't think they are nice word) and she makes a strange gesture involving one finger. Please, Children's Corner, what is the meaning of this gesture?

I expect she is pointing at the Hoover, which is no doubt one of the words you do not understand 

ChrisSU posted:

nigelb posted:

Yes, I have mentioned the dust to the wife but she just shouts at me with several words I have not heard before (I don't think they are nice word) and she makes a strange gesture involving one finger. Please, Children's Corner, what is the meaning of this gesture?

I expect she is pointing at the Hoover, which is no doubt one of the words you do not understand 

I'm confused. The finger she uses is her middle finger and it points to the ceiling. If she is pointing to the dust sucky thingy, why is she so angry?

nigelb posted:

ChrisSU posted:

nigelb posted:

Yes, I have mentioned the dust to the wife but she just shouts at me with several words I have not heard before (I don't think they are nice word) and she makes a strange gesture involving one finger. Please, Children's Corner, what is the meaning of this gesture?

I expect she is pointing at the Hoover, which is no doubt one of the words you do not understand 

I'm confused. The finger she uses is her middle finger and it points to the ceiling. If she is pointing to the dust sucky thingy, why is she so angry?

I could be wrong but I think this is some kind of female love ritual, which requires you to head up stairs to the bedroom  immediately, hence the pointing to the ceiling, regarding the unpleasant words they are designed to encourage you to go with haste........ I will just talk this theory through with my wife to see if I’m right.....

wenger2015 posted:

nigelb posted:

ChrisSU posted:

nigelb posted:

Yes, I have mentioned the dust to the wife but she just shouts at me with several words I have not heard before (I don't think they are nice word) and she makes a strange gesture involving one finger. Please, Children's Corner, what is the meaning of this gesture?

I expect she is pointing at the Hoover, which is no doubt one of the words you do not understand 

I'm confused. The finger she uses is her middle finger and it points to the ceiling. If she is pointing to the dust sucky thingy, why is she so angry?

I could be wrong but I think this is some kind of female love ritual, which requires you to head up stairs to the bedroom  immediately, hence the pointing to the ceiling, regarding the unpleasant words they are designed to encourage you to go with haste........ I will just talk this theory through with my wife to see if I’m right.....

You could be right, what is your wife's opinion? I need to be sure before I venture upstairs as I could be there for a while if I have misjudged the situation...

nigelb posted:

wenger2015 posted:

nigelb posted:

ChrisSU posted:

nigelb posted:

Yes, I have mentioned the dust to the wife but she just shouts at me with several words I have not heard before (I don't think they are nice word) and she makes a strange gesture involving one finger. Please, Children's Corner, what is the meaning of this gesture?

I expect she is pointing at the Hoover, which is no doubt one of the words you do not understand 

I'm confused. The finger she uses is her middle finger and it points to the ceiling. If she is pointing to the dust sucky thingy, why is she so angry?

I could be wrong but I think this is some kind of female love ritual, which requires you to head up stairs to the bedroom  immediately, hence the pointing to the ceiling, regarding the unpleasant words they are designed to encourage you to go with haste........ I will just talk this theory through with my wife to see if I’m right.....

You could be right, what is your wife's opinion? I need to be sure before I venture upstairs as I could be there for a while if I have misjudged the situation...

She seems lost for words, I can only think I could be right...

wenger2015 posted:

nigelb posted:

wenger2015 posted:

nigelb posted:

ChrisSU posted:

nigelb posted:

Yes, I have mentioned the dust to the wife but she just shouts at me with several words I have not heard before (I don't think they are nice word) and she makes a strange gesture involving one finger. Please, Children's Corner, what is the meaning of this gesture?

I expect she is pointing at the Hoover, which is no doubt one of the words you do not understand 

I'm confused. The finger she uses is her middle finger and it points to the ceiling. If she is pointing to the dust sucky thingy, why is she so angry?

I could be wrong but I think this is some kind of female love ritual, which requires you to head up stairs to the bedroom  immediately, hence the pointing to the ceiling, regarding the unpleasant words they are designed to encourage you to go with haste........ I will just talk this theory through with my wife to see if I’m right.....

You could be right, what is your wife's opinion? I need to be sure before I venture upstairs as I could be there for a while if I have misjudged the situation...

She seems lost for words, I can only think I could be right...

OK, next time I get that gesture I will go with it and let you know how I get on…..

Wow, this Children's Corner thread is really helpful!

nigelb posted:

wenger2015 posted:

nigelb posted:

wenger2015 posted:

nigelb posted:

ChrisSU posted:

nigelb posted:

Yes, I have mentioned the dust to the wife but she just shouts at me with several words I have not heard before (I don't think they are nice word) and she makes a strange gesture involving one finger. Please, Children's Corner, what is the meaning of this gesture?

I expect she is pointing at the Hoover, which is no doubt one of the words you do not understand 

I'm confused. The finger she uses is her middle finger and it points to the ceiling. If she is pointing to the dust sucky thingy, why is she so angry?

I could be wrong but I think this is some kind of female love ritual, which requires you to head up stairs to the bedroom  immediately, hence the pointing to the ceiling, regarding the unpleasant words they are designed to encourage you to go with haste........ I will just talk this theory through with my wife to see if I’m right.....

You could be right, what is your wife's opinion? I need to be sure before I venture upstairs as I could be there for a while if I have misjudged the situation...

She seems lost for words, I can only think I could be right...

OK, next time I get that gesture I will go with it and let you know how I get on…..

Wow, this Children's Corner thread is really helpful!

I will await your findings with eager anticipation....

My wife asked why I had closed the patio doors after BGT came on, was it because she had turned up the volume? No I said, it's because I don't want the neighbours to know I am watching BGT!!

nigelb posted:

Dear Children's Corner,

I have a modest system with a big problem. It keeps getting dusty. What should I do?

Several option:

1. Employ a professional to clean the system. Ok, and totally affordable as long as you recognise as a routine operating cost like stylus replacement - but don’t forget proper training to be sure switches won’t be touched and cables will remain properly clothed.
2. Get a feather duster.  Personally I’m not sure birds Use them to dust their feathers at all, but apparently they can be used to twitch the dust off dusty items. I assume they work by redistributing said dust onto other surfaces, but your system would gleam.
3. Get a cloth and dampen it, then wipe across system. Leaves nice decorative smears in the dust.
4. Get a microfibre cloth, then wipe across system. Less decorative than the damp cloth it can sometimes actually clear the dust from the surfaces. But boring.
5. Vacuum cleaner like one of the latest Dyson cordless ones, with a soft brush attachment. That can do the job as long as enough space between boxes and shelves above - but dangerous, these gadgets have been known to get men vaccuming things without the intervention of SWMBO because they are gadgets and so make vacuuming fun.

Innocent Bystander posted:

nigelb posted:

Dear Children's Corner,

I have a modest system with a big problem. It keeps getting dusty. What should I do?

Several option:

1. Employ a professional to clean the system. Ok, and totally affordable as long as you recognise as a routine operating cost like stylus replacement - but don’t forget proper training to be sure switches won’t be touched and cables will remain properly clothed.
2. Get a feather duster.  Personally I’m not sure birds Use them to dust their feathers at all, but apparently they can be used to twitch the dust off dusty items. I assume they work by redistributing said dust onto other surfaces, but your system would gleam.
3. Get a cloth and dampen it, then wipe across system. Leaves nice decorative smears in the dust.
4. Get a microfibre cloth, then wipe across system. Less decorative than the damp cloth it can sometimes actually clear the dust from the surfaces. But boring.
5. Vacuum cleaner like one of the latest Dyson cordless ones, with a soft brush attachment. That can do the job as long as enough space between boxes and shelves above - but dangerous, these gadgets have been known to get men vaccuming things without the intervention of SWMBO because they are gadgets and so make vacuuming fun.

Dear Innocent Bystander,

Thank you for the time you have taken to respond to my query in such a thorough manner.

Having read through the various options, my initial concern is that they all sound like they take quite a bit of effort on the part of the duster (the person dusting that is, not the cloth). I was hoping for a solution that would allow me to remove dust from my HiFi while sitting listening to music.

With a couple of options there appears to be no guarantee of success either, particularly option 4 which appears the turn dust into smears.

Option 1 sounds costly and 2 appears to move dust from one part of the room (my system) to another, although I am no expert.

Now option 5 sounds more interesting, involving technology and gadgets - right up my street. One possible downside is that if I prove to be proficient using the suggested funky new Dyson to dust my system, the job of dusting the rest of the house might get delegated to me!

Do you have any less arduous suggestions?

Nigel, how good are you at DIY?  There's lots of gadgets involved, and you can even make your own gadgets.
If you're OK at it I can recommend an approach that may work...

Take a water bottle (one of the large ones for water coolers) fit a Schrader Valve into the cap and also fit a hose, a push valve and a nozzle.  You can then use an electric tyre car type pump to pressurise it.  Pressing the valve to open it and using the nozzle to direct the airflow will allow you to displace the dust.

No real advantage over option 2, but a LOT more gadgets involved!

Nigel, Unfortunately the best solution, with wonderful gadgetry, requires expertise in miniature robotics to design, and I suspect will be a while before available: dustbots.

However, prevention, as they say, is better than cure, so convert your listening room into a clean room: no soft furnishings other than leather or PVC, seal all gaps around the room and install a ventilation system providing filtered air and keeping the room under positive pressure (this can be pay for itself in time if combined with a heat recovery unit), seal all umstable surfaces with paint or varnish, ensure you, and anyone else entering, is covered head to toe with a dustproof overall (one of those thin all-in-one things with a hood made of polyolefin, also known as a ‘onesie’), changing into it in an ‘airlock’ porch-like entrance, ditto pets, and prohibit anything made of paper (sorry, no LP sleeves).

I've ripped one of those anti static, anti dust, cable optimiser cd thingies.   I just play the album once a month and all the dust just disappears, and not just on the hifi but throughout the house.

I'm awaiting delivery of the deluxe al fresco version.  Replayed on a suitable device it is said to work wonders for the garden.

Here is a section of our Childrens Corner:

Lego Minifigs are acting nicely as a Rack Shelve, but if it gets silent in the late evening, I swear that I hear the ones holding the side of the Toroidal Transformer shouting something like 'strike!'. What do they mean?

Furthermore, despite the age of many on this topic, I consider it a very fertile and fruitful thread.