In the past couple of weeks I ’ve dealt with topics that could use a blot of freshen up . No time like the present tense .
Speaking up for speakers
A couple of readers offer their two - cent in regard to myrecent limited review of the Audioengine 5powered verbaliser — a set of speakers price the same as Apple ’s iPod Hi - Fi that , to my ears , sound far more balanced than Apple ’s offer . The specific two - cents plow with the fact that the iPod Hi - Fi admit digital audio stimulant , a feature missing from the Audioengine speakers . sure the iPod Hi - Fi held some vantage in this regard ?
Well , yes , to the extent that if you have a gadget that outputs a digital audio signaling , the Apple speakers can handle it and the Audioengine 5s ca n’t , but let ’s endeavor to keep the wonder of digital audio in perspective . Given corresponding audio scheme , a digital connection should provide in force audio quality , but it ca n’t change the law of physical science — it wo n’t provide the iPod Hi - Fi with a broad soundstage nor will it all of a sudden equilibrise the iPod Hi - Fi ’s sound . The Hi - Fi will still go mid - heavy and lack item on the high-pitched oddment disregarding of whether you ’re using digital or analog input signal ; it ’s just the nature of the Hi - Fi ’s auditory sensation .
Similarly — and this may or may not apply to the iPod Hi - Fi , as we have n’t tested it in this way — a digital connexion requires that the speaker unit organization include its own digital - to - analog converter [ DAC ] . If that DAC is n’t as respectable as the DAC in the source , you may find that an analogue connection sound intimately .
That said , we ’re cocking a couple of keen auricle at the Hi - Fi ’s digital stimulant to compare it to the kind of sound we get from the Audioengine 5s . We ’ll report back .
Tune into SXSW redux
Last time we met I note that you could stream a mess of music from bands sport at the recent South by Southwest euphony group discussion . Reader Jim got in touch to tell me that the folks at SXSW offer those tracks as afree BitTorrent download . Offered in two batches , this collection includes 941 tracks ( weigh in at a little over 3 GB ) . They ’re MP3 data file encoded at 128kbps , so we ’re not talking pristine audio , but you ca n’t debate with the price .
If you lack a BitTorrent guest , download a written matter of the Java - base , unfastened sourceAzureus .
The French thing
Okay , so the French National Assembly approved a digital copyright bill on Tuesday that would “ require DRM ( digital rights direction ) developers to let on details of their engineering science to rivals that care to build interoperable system of rules . ” Should the Senate okay the circular , it becomes law of nature .
Oh , please .
As Ihinted last workweek , while invoke the specter of piracy is a good means to grab headlines , this is going to have just about zero effect on piracy . Music is already offered through peer - to - peer web and newsgroups — often before the prescribed release hits the street . That music is often encoded at a higher quality than what you ’d get from tracks buy from the iTunes Music Store . Were I in the piracy business concern , I ’d await for germ other than iTunes caterpillar tread stripped of their DRM .
As should be obvious , it ’s about Apple ’s desire to maintain its marketplace . buy a clean amount of music ( or picture ) in a format that can play only on an iPod and your next digital euphony purchase is likely to be an iPod . Make medicine purchased from iTunes transportable to other participant ( including next - multiplication phones ) , and you ’ve lost that advantage ( though the iPod surely offer many others ) .
And , of class , “ reveal details of their technology to contender ” is perfect anathema to Apple . partake in the details of its business concern and technology is not in the fellowship ’s desoxyribonucleic acid .
From a business organization perspective I translate Apple ’s wish to oppose this lawmaking but the outfit that need to be worry Right Now are the music subscription services . Their model devolve asunder completely if you necessitate that their merchandise be playable on devices that do n’t stomach Microsoft ’s DRM scheme .
If the legislating becomes law , I expect Apple to take its testicle and go home , but this is n’t likely to be the end of it . consumer ( and , finally , the law ) favor interoperability . It ’s only a matter of time before Apple ’s hand is force on this issuing .
