Blogging…. From a jet!

So my buddy Dave just asked the stewardess and we are currently between 35,000 and 40,000 feet of altitude. Right now! It’s pretty crazy the I can pick up my iPod and log onto the Internet on a seat in the sky. I’m pretty impressed:) that’s it .. Just figured if I could .. then I had to blog from a Boeing:)

A Very Exciting Weekend

Considering the way news travels, if you know me I’m guessing you’ve already heard. If not I’m very excited to be the one to tell you! Tracey and I got engaged on the weekend! And get this.. I actually surprised her! If you know Tracey very well, you know she isn’t the type who can be surprised if she knows a surprise is coming. She just doesn’t handle it well, and gets very upset. Not angry upset, just generally frustrated and upset. I’ve come to learn this. Nevertheless I managed to surprise her.

We had talked about it before, where we were heading in life and we both knew that we wanted to be engaged and then married. She knew a proposal was coming down the pipes. I had her ring custom made, and I had told her it wouldn’t be back from the jewelers until Monday the 20th, on which date I was going to propose in a very “not big deal” fashion. The secret was, the ring was actually coming the previous thursday. Earlier in the week before I went to pick it up I suggested that since we both work on manday nights, why not spend a romantic day/evening together on the friday to make the weekend significant to us, and then follow it with the proposal and ring on Monday. She thought it was great, and had no idea I was actually going to propose on our day together. I borrowed this little trick from the pages of the book of my good friend Justin Morton.

My buddy Dave McMurray helped me make all the arrangements for the day. All his suggestions were perfect, more than perfect. After a bit of shopping (and McDonalds) in Barrie we headed up to a little town called Bracebridge. We went and took some photos at the dam/waterfall downtown (we love taking pictures together) checked out some local shops, then we went for dinner. The place we went was called “Wabora Japanese Fusion Steakhouse”. I was a bit hesitant since I had only been there once before in the main dining area. Dave suggested the habachi tables, where they cook the food on a grill that is literally part of your table, right in front of you. I had never eaten or even seen this done before. I was also hesitant since Trace is not a big fan of ethnic food. Despite my concerns the evening was more than perfect, and Tracey loved the food (minus 1 or two things). The server, named Magdalena, was awesome and the chef, named Eddie, was enteretaining and a very good chef. Some of the tricks he did while cooking were unbelievable! Try catching an egg on the side of your flipper! Eddie was also super sensitive about Tracey’s carrot allergy, using separate tools to prepare her dish.

In short, the experience was nothing short of perfect, and the staff had no idea of the importance of the evening. I phoned the manager, Steve, the next day to commend the staff that served us. I was very impressed.

After that we went to Huckleberry Rock Lookout in the hamlet of Milford Bay, another Dave McMurray Suggestion. We had the lookout to ourselves, and the sunset was amazing. Again, I couldn’t have asked for things to have been any more perfect. After a while of taking shots, I got down on one knee and popped the question. This whole time she had remained totally oblivious to the fact that I was actually going to ask her that day. She was so surprised.. it was awesome. It took her a few minutes, but she was finally able to spit out the word “Yes!” which was follewd by much hugging, twirling, jumping and me spinning her around. It was awesome.

Afterwards we went to McDonalds to use the washroom and while we were there picked up some earl grey, which was horrible. We dumped it out and got London Fogs from a Muskoka coffee joint called Olivers, which were amazing!

Everything was perfect, and even though I didn’t mention it, one of my favourite times of the day was the time we spent in the car just talking on the way there and back. I love those times. And I love you Tracey! I am so happy to have started this journey with you:)

Pray

I love my sister. She’s had a very rough go of it lately. She’s had some very serious struggles with God, and feels like…well.. read on. I just can never seem to have the right answers, or even often any answers to questions like “Why doesn’t God give me SOME kind of help?” or “I pray to him from the bottom of my soul, and nothing.” . The typical christian brochure answers just don’t cut it, and I’m not sure what else I have to offer aside from prayer. The following is a note posted publicly on her facebook profile:

“Why? Why is this happening? What did I ever do to deserve this? Why do I get punished when all I do is try to put other people first? Why do I try to help and then just get shit on? I don’t understand.
I can’t be happy, its like I don’t deserve it. Its like I deserve being upset. I can be happy for a night, an hour, a minute, then its taken away. Why can’t You just let me live, be happy, be me? Is there something wrong with me? Am I not good enough for You? Have I done something wrong to make You upset with me, are You looking down on me and shaking your head? Why wont You help me.. You are supposed to be there, it is You who is supposed to carry me when I can’t carry myself.. and Your not there.. All my life I have been told to believe in You and trust that You will guide me and provide me with guardians that will help me along the way. Well You are failing. Your are letting me slip, and it seems You don’t care. I pray to You all the time, to help me, to guide me. Are you even listening? Why can’t You help me, some way.. any way? Do You like punishing me every day? Its just one thing after another. It just doesn’t seem fair. What have I done to deserve this, please tell me so I can just fix this..

I don’t understand why I am always the one to get hurt. I try to be there for everyone, I try to think about other people’s feelings. I don’t like anyone to be upset with me. I hate it when I hurt people, why do they seem so intent on hurting me? Why whenever I let someone in, they end up screwing me over in the end. Everyone. One day, everyone will hurt me one way or another. No, we may not fight, we may not argue, we may stay in touch till we are playing shuffle board at the old age home. But one day you will leave me too. One day, you will be gone and that will hurt more than anything. Its all hurt, neverending and always painful.

I’m broken.. I’m so broken. I feel like a toy that repeatedly gets thrown in the trash, that gets rips and tears, and that eventually becomes useless and a nuisance. I don’t want to feel anymore. I’m sick of feeling anything, especially hurt. I’m sick of it. I’m so broken that I don’t know if I can be fixed. I don’t know if I have the strength to fix me. And I don’t want anyone else to fix me. I don’t trust anyone to do it right. No one can put me back together so I won’t hurt again. And You are probably the only one who can, but I feel like You have abandoned me.

I want to be able to care, I want to be able to love. My family, my friends. My pets, they all need me, but I just don’t know if I can do it. I love you all, or at least I want to. My girls, I love you, but I feel like I’m just going to let you down if I haven’t already. My family, you have seen me at my worst, helped me through the toughest times. I appreciate it more than you know but I just don’t know if you can help me with this one. I feel like I’m disappointing you too. If I just put the walls back up, put the armor back on, no one can hurt me and I can’t hurt them. If I don’t let feelings in, I won’t hurt, I won’t cry, and I wont have to worry why You don’t care about me anymore.

What have I done? Can’t you see I need You, now more than ever. I need You to help me, its all I’m praying for. And I will pray until I crumble completely, just please start listening.”

 

 I would appreciate any prayer you could offer. I want so bad for things to get better for her, for God to feel there and real for her. I just don’t know what to do.

Times, They Are a Changin’

Sorry about the last teaser post, but I wanted to firm things up and have a few more phone calls before I posted anything.

I had some very exciting new’s last week. I got a text from a friend who I attended college with. After we graduated he managed to land a job with one of our instructors, Darius Szczepaniak. Before I say anything else let me say that Darius or “D” is one of the nicest and most honest dudes I’ve met anywhere, let alone working in the audio industry. From day one I identified with him and we came to be as close to friends as is possible in a professor/student role. D really is a stellar guy, a man of character and honesty who has never steered me wrong. I’ve often gotten his advice when purchasing new gear, and his input has largely helped to shape the construction of Feedback Audio, my own recording studio and audiuo production company. I’ve also frequently picked his brain while working on various projects and he’s never hesitated to take time out of his busy day to help answer my questions and help me deliver a great audio product. He is an all around down to earth nice dude.

Now that I’ve painted a picture let me tell you some other things about D, he’s no lightweight in the Canadian music scene. He’s produced and engineered among many, many others Big Sugar, Sum 41, and Edwin. But I would encourage you to think about his credits last, he is very accomplished, but it’s easy to get blinded by that. Above all that he’s a really cool guy.

My buddy that found work with him (Alex) has been very, very fortunate. There’s a few others who work at the same studio that I also admire, one being Steve Bedford, another great friend and very accomplished mastering engineer. We are all in touch with each other periodically so when I heard they were wondering how I was doing I couldn’t wait to give them a call. After a few turns of telephone tag I ended up grabbing D on the phone. After a few minutes of chatting he said something that I totally wasn’t expecting. He offered me some work in his studio down in Toronto! The studio is called “Rouge Valley” and they sport a full on SSL recording console. I was very excited, of course! 

Because I already have a full time employer who has been very good to me and who has invested a lot in me I need to be loyal to him first, but between everyone we were able to work out that I can make myself available for sessions with Darius whenever I need to! I’m of course very excited (and a little nervous) to start and I see it as an amazing opportunity, but more than that I’m just looking forward to seeing everyone again. I miss those dudes, and I miss being around like minded professionals all the time. Barrie is a pretty isolated professional community for the audio engineer. Despite my nervousness I know that I’ll give 110%, I love what I do and I’m confident that things will happen just fine. Darius still teaches at the college, and I was touched to find out that despite all the students that have rolled through there since I graduated I was the person he called. I definitely had a big smile. Things are still unfolding at this point, but I’ll keep you updated as they do! Can’t wait to chill with D, Steve and Alex again!

Big News…..

And I mean very big… check back over the next day or two, just waiting for some final details to firm up.

Smile!

In Love With A View – Trailer (HD!) and Update

Hey Everyone! Check out this sweet trailer!

If that doesn’t work for you or if you want to watch the trailer in HD then click this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbCTYRF_3k0&feature=hd

For those of you who have been with me a while, you may remember that I went on a film shoot last summer. This is the first teaser of the end product. The film edit is done, and post production sound can begin. Stay tuned! It’s going to be great!

Tiny Terror

I’ve been having one of the largest internal struggles I’ve faced in a while. I’m going to be honest. I’m a gear addict. I love shiny new audio gear. I can’t help it, I just do. Sometimes I wonder if it’s an actual addiction. My time at college for audio engineering took the addiction to a new level. I became a sound and tone freak! It became that if I could hear a difference, I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had the best sound out of my gear. As a result, I ended up with a very nice, and expensive, recording rig. I don’t regret it, I wouldn’t be satisfied with anything else. I don’t have a weak spot anywhere in my signal flow, from microphone to computer. The only thing thats left is the source, or what is creating the sound that’s being recorded. I got a really nice bass, since bass is my primary instrument, a 1977 Fender Jazz Bass. Then I got a sweet guitar, a swiss- made “Blade”  Telecaster, which is in my opinion a bit nicer than an american standard telecaster (Keith Urban played a Blade telecaster on his latest album).

Next comes a guitar amp, which I have held off on until now. Electric guitar is one thing where tone really matters, and the amplifier has a HUGE effect on a guitar’s tone. I already have a great guitar, so all thats left is the amp. Now, my schooling helped me to develop a discerning ear, and I’m not satisfied with any amp’s tone unless it’s all out tube, and a nice one at that. I like Vox AC15 and AC30’s, some Marshall offerings, but I really like ORANGE amps guitar tone. They just sound really good, and they have exactly the tone that I would describe as my “ideal” guitar tone.  The problem, their whole line of heads is insanely expensive, generally running 1500$ and up! Except for one head, the Orange “Tiny Terror”, a 15 watt mini head that sells for about 800-900 bucks since the Canadian dollar took a nosedive. Still expensive for a small head, but I’ve compared it directly with many other amps, and the tone amazing compared to other amps of similar range. And the portability is great for my back too!

I was doing ok, I was holding off. Then something bad happened. My boss decided to carry the Orange line at the store, and what is the first model he orders? The Tiny Terror. It came in on Tuesday this week and after really experimenting I’ve found it almost impossible to resist. I’ve already got a great cabinet awaiting re wiring (see a few posts back), and to top it off I get a SMOKING discount if I were to buy it becasue I’m an employee. I’ve been writing a lot of material lately, and have some recording I want to do with my lovely lady. I know I won’t be ready to record until I’ve got a killer amp to record with.

The problem is this: That same beautiful woman and I are planning to buy a house at some point down the road and I’ve been saving lots for a down payment. When I think of that amount of money going towards a house I know it would be better spent there. It just ….is so difficult. When am I going to get to record my material? I know I won’t be happy until I have something stellar at my disposal. Plus, I have to look at the thing every day at work! My employee discount is like a slap in the face! I’m doing my best to stand strong, but it is so hard! I think I can make it though… I just ask myself, “House…. or…. Guitar amp?” Ouch… sooo not rockstar.

I’m just glad I love Tracey so much… somehow it makes the decision a bit easier. It may seem silly, but for me this really is a big deal! Thanks Trace, know it or not your really helping me battle my gear addiction!

Finally! A Guitar Amp!

When I started my day job in October, it wasn’t long before I was thrust headlong into teching beginner guitar lessons. I couldn’t really play guitar very well at the time, and I definitely couldn’t use a pick to play more than a few months before I started teaching(I have been playing bass for about 10 years though). I could play well enough to to tach some beginner students, so I was started slow to help cope with an overflow of students. Since then I’ve actually gotten to be pretty good with my guitar technique, and my theoretical knowledge has always been a firm backup. Anyway, more on that later. Since I started playing (guitar, not bass) I’ve picked up a pretty nice electric guitar, but have been without any sort of real guitar amp! It’s been driving me crazy!! Bass amps just won’t cut it for guitar, and a good amp is essential for any serious guitar player.

The problem has been compounded by the fact that, because of my recording and audio engineering background, I have become a tone FREAKAZOID! I love great guitar tone, and I can’t stand crappy guitar tone. Playing through 10 watt solid state amps at my work during lessons has been slowly driving me crazy! Today, I made the first step towards some good tone!

My amazing girlfirend Tracey bequeathed unto me a combo guitar amp that has been lying around her house and used to belong to her older brother!

The amp is a Sonax 750 G. It was made by Yorkville Sound in the late 70’s and early 80’s I believe. It’s solid state, and by tone standards it’s pretty much bottom of the line. “But wait Justin,” you say “How does bad tone get you one step closer to good tone?”. Well, this amp may be bottom of the barrel, but lets take a serious look. If nothing else, I’ve got a sweet 2 x 12 open back guitar cabinet that says “Sonax” on it! I’d would take that even if the amp itself didn’t work! But the amp does work, and it’s got some really sweet features in itself.

It’s got a really unique sounding built in spring reverb as well as a cool tremolo with a really unique characteristic. With the intensity turned all the way up on the tremolo, the signal actually turns itself off and on. Coupled with the spring reverb and a bit of creativity this has yielded some really cool sounds after only about 15 minutes of experimentation. It’s also got 4 inputs! I could see some unique applications for plugging mics on different sources, then using an impedance converter to plug them into the amp and mess with the reverb and tremolo. For example, I could plug an SM58 itno it, record a crazy harmony on top of a vocal line, and have a really cool analog reverb at my disposal. Or a tremolo for that matter. Tremolo on vocal? The first rule of audio engineering, there are no rules! The amp will still sound generally crappy, but that will be part of the effect! I could see some really cool results even keeping the amp as is, but I can’t resist modding it…

First, I plan to swap out the speakers. A 2 x 12 cab from Orange can easily run 600 bucks in Canada, so even if I spend 80 or 100 bucks on good speakers (spread over a few months) I’ll still be ahead of the game. I haven’t decided exactly which model of speaker to go with, but I plan on finding out which models are used in Vox amplifiers as well as Orange amplifiers and choosing between one of the two. Once the speakers are replaced, the amp will sound waayyy better I expect, you should see the ones in there now…. At the end of the day though it will still have the inner workings of a cheap solid state amp. One with cool features that will definitely be useable, but a cheap solid state amp nonetheless. To complete the journey to great tone I’ll wire in a jack so I can unplug or plug in the actual Sonax amplifier to the speakers easily. 

Why? Well for a long time I’ve wanted an Orange amp. The ”Tiny Terror”, a little 15 watt job, suits my needs perfectly. It’s just a head, which means it doesnt come with speakers, it’s basically just a little power box that you need to plug a speakerbox into. I’ll pretty much only be using it for recording and practicing, so with the lesser amount of power I’ll be able to drive the tubes and get the tone I want without blowing my eardrums. The amp will still be loud (I’ve tried it in a store with a 2 x 12 cab) but not face melting loud. With the jack I wire in, I’ll be able to unplug the Sonax amplifier from the speakers and plug in an Orange Tiny Terror head, using the Sonax as a 212 cabinet. I don’t think I’ll be able to afford the Tiny Terror head for a while, but in the meantime I’ll have a really rad amp to play through, and some cool effects to experiment with!

Eager to get the project underway! Any tips or suggestions I’d love to hear them!

Thanks so much for letting me bring it home Trace! I love you!

Valve Amp Round Up

So, after my last post I found myself increasingly attracted to the idea of a tube (or valve) amp home stereo system. The magic of tubes is a treat to the ears, and to bring that quality into day to day listening is very attractive to me (if a bit out of reach financially). I left my last post stating that I would do some research. Well I have, and I’m back…after less than 24 hours. Does that say something about my interest?

So, just for kicks I decided to do a roundup of of the Fatman, the Roth, and a few other related devices. Here they are:

The Fatman iTube Valve Dock

Things I like : It’s a tube amp, and it looks sweet. I like the mirror finish on all the chrome. The price point is among the best for a product like this.  It’s got a built in transformer, so you know there’s nothing extra goin on, you just plug in a regular cord to the wall (The transformer is the big black box on the unit). Also, you can buy it in many permutations. A “Carbon” model comes in a piano black finish, and you can get the dock and the amp as a single unit in both chrome and black finishes. You can get any of the above shipped with or without speakers, and there are much more powerful verions if you want to go crazy that only get sweeter. It’s easily the model with the most variety available. Plus, it’s just got this filthy arrogance about it that screams audiophile, and also “Don’t touch me, I’m expensive”.

Things I don’t like: Well, it’s kinda big, you almost need a dedicated shelf or table for it to sit on, and the tubes look relatively small compared to the overall size of the unit. Also, there is no input switching, which means there isn’t an easy way (I believe) to switch between your iPod and an auxilliary input, like a CD player. I’m pretty sure you have to disconnect your iPod from the dock to engage the auxilliary input. The remote is also reportedly kinda chinsy.

Power: The Vavle Dock has 13 watts per channel (Left or Right). Remember they are tube watts, and just like 15 tube watts is more powerful in a guitar amp than 15 solid state watts, this little system cold crank out some nice juice.

The Roth MC4 Cocoon

 

Things I like: It’s small, so it could sit on a desktop and still look cool. Since I don’t have my own living room this is more my size right now. Also, the smaller size also shows off the tubes a bit more, makes them seem a bit more in your face. Not as subtle as the Fatman, but since when do we live in a culture of subtlety? Speaking of subtlety..it’s also got an extra tube compared to the fatman crammed into a fraction of the space. It’s got source switching which means you can switch easily and quickly between source inputs (iPod and CD). The plexiglass sheild is also cool, and protects you from burning your fingers if someone happens to be silly enough to try sticking them in. It’s also around the same price as the Fatman.

Things I don’t like: Even though I know the metal on the bass is anodized aluminium, it still looks cheap compared to the Fatman. And if an amp costs 400- 500 bucks without speakers or any other player, you want people to know it’s expensive. Where the Fatman is elegant, I can’t helping thinking this thing looks more like a creepy crawlers goo factory your three year old stuck your iPod into. I want someone to KNOW it’s something they shouldn’t be touching, as opposed to something they think they can play with.  I also wonder if the heat of the tubes would slowly fog the plexi sheild over time due to the high heat.  Additionally, the transformer is external, so you’re pretty much stuck with a huge wall wart you have to try and hide somewhere.

Power: Also 13 watts per channel, so this could kick enough but for pretty much any houshold environment.

The Shanling MC30 iPod Music Center

 

 

Things I like: Everything in one unit!! One of the gripes I have with the other units is the necessity of an iPod or other external CD/record player. Let’s be honest, the iPod isn’t a HIFI device. Even if you store totally uncompressed audio in it the interior contacts and audio connections aren’t quite “audiophile” grade. This leaves you to find a separate high quality CD player if you are nuts about your audio quality. This unit has all in one, iPod dock, high quality CD player, and radio, with a built in transformer (silver blocks behind the iPod). Very Handy. The less connections you have to make the better your audio will sound and with this unit you only have to make one; plug it into the wall! Also, it  comes with 4 tubes! The design is very slick. The controls are well hidden, with the tops of the two front legs are actually knobs controlling volume and input source.

Things I don’t like: The price. This at least twice as expensive as the other items on the block. The power, at only 3 watts per channel its substantially less powerful than the other units. The vibe. It kinda looks like a space ship. The blue LED lighting just doesnt scream of that vintage analog vibe that the others do. Plus, the CD seems to be the focus of attention rather than the tubes! Why??? The tubes are so glorious! Also, the styling reminds me a little too much of my dad’s old brushed aluminum reciever trying to be hip. To finish the package, the display on the front looks decidedly 80’s.  Did they steal the design from one of those stereos I saw at Wal Mart? Jokes…. but seriously?

Power: A pathetic 3 watts per channel.

Tarantella V-Dock

 

Things I like: It’s got very nice styling, elegant and yet making an impact. It’s black. Not in your face, just quiet class. I can really appreciate a well though out design, and this looks real easy to use. The V-Dock’s size comes somewhere in between a desktop and a table or shelf unit. This means it’s pretty felxible as to where you put it. It’s compact enough to sit on your bedside table and still leave room, yet beefy enough to let you know something serious is going on. It has some of the nicest looking speakers to ship with these units, and apparently they sound OK too, although not as nice as many speakers out there considered as “reference” speakers. Power… this puppy is the mightiest of them all, sliding in at 25 watts per channel. Very nice! The controls are also very simple and well laid out, with the front having power, input select and volume, all using very expensive looking buttons.

Thing’s I don’t like: Availability. This doesn’t have the availability nor the reputation of Fatman or Roth. I also to seem to be scrambling to find any kind of online review from hi fi magazines and blogs,  leaving me a bit curious as to how good this unit really is.  Another point, if you pay 500 bucks for a dock station, show off those tubes!! These ones are somewhat sunken into the chassis and hidden at the back of the unit. If you got the goods show em off! Overall, although this unit is slick, it still seems to me like it would eventually fade into the woodwork of other “normal” home stereo’s and docking stations. While being simple can often have a big impact, at the end of the day I just don’t think this one stands out enough from the crowd.

Power: 25 watts per channel. The most powerful of the bunch!!

 

And…. the Verdict???

The TL Fatman iTube Valve Dock

This was my first find, and after all is said and done it’s still my favourite. I was initially attracted to the Roth because of it’s compact size and extra flash, however, it’s cheapish and toylike appearance eventually turned me off. I like the idea of the Shanling, yet they just failed to pull it together for me design wise. Also, what kind of air am I going to be able to push with 3 watts? And the Tarantella never really stood out enough to sway me.

For whatever reason, I am always called back to the elegance of the Fatman. It doesn’t try to be anything that it’s not, and presents what it is in a slick package. The mirror finish on the chrome is definitely hands off, and the tubes sticking out on their own make a subtle statement. Serious. It comes from TL Audio, a well established and recognized pro audio company. Think about it, a company has to be confident in order to pull off putting a picture of a fat man in sunglases on the front of one of their HI FI stereo. The Fatman is fun looking and honest, while at the same time being on a higher level than the others visually and to some degree in quality. It scores the highest for sound quality out of the bunch on various high profile review sites online, and isn’t that what it’s all about? If something looks the best, and sounds the best, and isn’t any more expensive than the other options… what decision is there left to make?  While I may not exactly have the space for one, the dock and the amp are separable which is very cool and could accomodate many different placements. 

None of these units could be considered truly audiophile, but they are as close as we will get to saying “audiophile” and “iPod” in the same sentence.

So the Fatman will stay on my “Ultimate Wish List”. For now it will remain a pipe dream, but a boy is allowed to dream right?? That’s just me though.. if you’re an audio person, or even if you’re not and you just think they look cool, I’d love to hear you chime in on your personal fave!

Ultimate Wish List

I found a new product that I haven’t seen before this week. The Fatman iTube ValveDock for iPods by pro audio manufacturer TLA Audio:

                                                         

Now….as soon as I saw this I couldn’t help but fall in love with it. For those of you not so audio inclined as myself, this is a tube amplifier for iPod, and a high quality one at that. Now, what makes a tube amp so great? It’s not quite clear why, but tubes make sound…well… great. Magic things happen when you add tubes to an amplifier. The sound thickens, and becomes way more rich than it would using a normal “transistor” amplifier. When tubes warm up they add flattering harmonics to an audio signal, which results in the awesome change in tone. This is why all of the great guitar amps are, and have always been made using tube technology, going all the way back to their origins in the 50’s!

Part of this handsome litle unit is amazingly ironic; since most people store heavily compressed lower quality MP3’s on their iPod owning an amp such as this could be slightly pointless. However, on mine I use a very high quality compression encoding, and sometimes when I get really anal I don’t compress at all (this takes up about 10X more memory for one song). However, even if you do compress your audio, this will make your iPod sound as good as it possibly can! It also has auxilliary inputs so if you are completely nuts about the iPod and it’s compression not being a true “audiophile” device you can connect a truly hi fi CD or record player. Also, while it ships with “reference monitor” passive speakers, many also upgrade to a higher quality speaker to best showcase the amplifier’s effect on the sound.

Plus….. It’s just so cool!!!!

It’s been offcially put on my “Ultimate Wish List” and while I realize I’ll probably never see one nor be able to justify the purchase at this point in my life, I can’t deny that it definitely calls my name!