Brennan advice please
 

Background:

I'm looking to clean up my audio/media/CD collection setup. I also need to
make it more wife friendly. Currently I use a Pioneer amp (recent monolithic
module based, not original) into IPL transmission line speakers and I route
various inputs through it via the built-in input selector. As a 'mature'
person my hearing is OK 'for my age' but if I'm honest with myself I find
that I can't really distinguish between uncompressed and MP3 compressed
material...with a few exceptions. That is why I'm looking at a MP3 based
storage solution. I'm after opinions before I go ahead and make some
changes.

Questions:

The built in Brennan amp uses Monolithic Power MP7782 units. In the interest
of reducing clutter I'm looking to use this as my main amplifier. It seems
to that these days all amplifiers are 'created equal' and audio quality it
will be at least as 'good' as my existing Pioneer amp. Right ? If not then
why not ?

The Brennan amp only has one external input. I plan to common up source line
level outputs via a passive summing network and switch the sources as
required instead (PVR, TV etc.) In the interest of clutter reduction and
ease of use I would prefer this to a switch box. There will be 2 (maybe 3)
sources and so a simple Y-network will suffice. Yes ? Resistor values ?
Around 470R in each arm ?

Comments please ?

Brennan advice please
 

In article , TonyL
wrote:
Background:

As a 'mature' person my hearing is OK 'for my age' but if I'm honest
with myself I find that I can't really distinguish between uncompressed
and MP3 compressed material...with a few exceptions. That is why I'm
looking at a MP3 based storage solution. I'm after opinions before I go
ahead and make some changes.

Questions:

The built in Brennan amp uses Monolithic Power MP7782 units. In the
interest of reducing clutter I'm looking to use this as my main
amplifier. It seems to that these days all amplifiers are 'created
equal' and audio quality it will be at least as 'good' as my existing
Pioneer amp. Right ? If not then why not ?

That depends on your hearing and requirements.

If what you say about MP3 is as true as you say, then I doubt you will be
too concerned about amp 'quality' - although I have no idea how well the
amps in the 'Brennan' are implimented. Alas, simply quoting a part number
doesn't tell us anything about, say, it being driven using a PSU with
adequate headroom in voltage and current terms for a specific use. That
will depend on your speakers (impedance and sensitivity), room size, and
listening preferences. e.g. if you need higher levels now (or in future) if
your hearing deteriorates, you may want more power - or just to use
headphones.

BTW IIUC the 'Brennan' can also save as LPCM. So I'd recommend using that
if the HD has enough space. Otherwise you may regret the reduction to MP3
later on.

The Brennan amp only has one external input. I plan to common up source
line level outputs via a passive summing network and switch the sources
as required instead (PVR, TV etc.) In the interest of clutter reduction
and ease of use I would prefer this to a switch box. There will be 2
(maybe 3) sources and so a simple Y-network will suffice. Yes ?
Resistor values ? Around 470R in each arm ?

Again that depends on the sources. In past decades the standard was that a
source should happily drive a 10k load. And you need a lower impedance than
that presented to an amp input to avoid problems like high noise or
bandwidth rolloff. So I would not personally choose to let any source see
less than 10k - unless it is specced for something lower. And I'd keep the
source presented to the amp to below 1k - preferrably more like 470R max.

Using 10k series resistors for each source and a 470k shunt means a
noticable drop in level. If that is OK with you, fair enough. But CPC and
others flog simple switch-boxes that work fine if you and your other half
can cope with a single selector switch, and avoid this problem. Your
choice.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Brennan advice please
 

Jim Lesurf wrote:

Using 10k series resistors for each source and a 470k shunt means a
noticable drop in level. If that is OK with you, fair enough. But CPC
and others flog simple switch-boxes that work fine if you and your
other half can cope with a single selector switch, and avoid this
problem. Your choice.


Thanks Jim. Your comments noted, particularly regarding the summing
insertion loss and impedance issues.

We can both 'cope' with a selector switch and that is what we do now. We
also have to select video source via an HDMI selector switch since our TV
only has 1 HDMI input and our so-called 'intellegent video router' turned
out to be rather dumb. This, plus 4 different remote control units, is less
convenient than I would like and certainly not what my wife wants. Progress,
huh ?

I just went back to the Bremmer site and see that most units are 400+
pounds. I recalled them as being around 300 pounds ( faulty memory also
comes with aging ? ) so I'm going to stick with the present clutter for a
while.

Cheers
TonyL

Brennan advice please
 

"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...

Using 10k series resistors for each source and a 470k shunt means a
noticable drop in level.

Only about 0.2 dB, which very few if any can reliably hear in a direct,
close comparison. Nobody notices such things in casual use. A 47k series
resistor would be required for a ca. 1 dB drop, which is actually be just
noticable to many.

Brennan advice please
 

In article , Arny
Krueger
wrote:
"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...

Using 10k series resistors for each source and a 470k shunt means a
noticable drop in level.

Only about 0.2 dB, which very few if any can reliably hear in a direct,
close comparison.

Apologies. The above was a typo on my part. The OP asked about a 470R not a
470k. I thought I'd typed 470R.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Brennan advice please
 

Jim Lesurf wrote:

Apologies. The above was a typo on my part. The OP asked about a 470R
not a 470k. I thought I'd typed 470R.


Jim,

I mentally corrected the typo and read it as 470R without even noticing
until Arny pointed it out.

KR

TonyL

Brennan advice please
 

There was a long discussion thread on the Gramophone forum about the
Brennan, but this has been 'temporarily' removed.
It was generally critical of the machine, the sound quality was not
judged to be satisfactory by some but another gripe was the way that the
machine files music, especially classical music.
The thread may come back- it's worth a look.

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/forum/au...ideo-equipment
--
Roger Thorpe

Standing on a golf course, dressed in PVC.....

CD Walkman wanted
 

I realise this is not up to the high level of intellectual debate normally
found in this group, but taking the name of the NG literally....

It's going to take me for ever to set up the main system in my new-ish
abode, but in the meantime I would like to listen to some of my CDs. The
obvious route would seem to be a portable walkman-type CD player. A Google
search is bewildering - I really don't think I want Digital Bass Enhancement
and all the rest of the techno-babble which the marketing chaps or chapesses
think will appeal to the kids. I assume all the transports will be the
same - probably by the same manufacturer?

So - the requirements (for a single, elderly boke living alone) a must
have a mains adaptor; I really don't want to mess around changing
batteries. Not interested in shock resistance - I don't do jogging. The
ability to change earphones - not sure I can cope with in-ear ones normally
supplied; when I've tried them they keep falling out. So - supplementary
question - any suggestions for outside-ear phones?

These devices all seem to be as cheap as chips, about £30 median, but it's
very difficult to find out the basics. Which one does what I want, and I
really don't care what goodies come with?

Thanks, all.

Geoff

Brennan advice please
 

test

"TonyL" wrote in message ...

Background:

I'm looking to clean up my audio/media/CD collection setup. I also need to
make it more wife friendly. Currently I use a Pioneer amp (recent monolithic
module based, not original) into IPL transmission line speakers and I route
various inputs through it via the built-in input selector. As a 'mature'
person my hearing is OK 'for my age' but if I'm honest with myself I find
that I can't really distinguish between uncompressed and MP3 compressed
material...with a few exceptions. That is why I'm looking at a MP3 based
storage solution. I'm after opinions before I go ahead and make some
changes.

Questions:

The built in Brennan amp uses Monolithic Power MP7782 units. In the interest
of reducing clutter I'm looking to use this as my main amplifier. It seems
to that these days all amplifiers are 'created equal' and audio quality it
will be at least as 'good' as my existing Pioneer amp. Right ? If not then
why not ?

The Brennan amp only has one external input. I plan to common up source line
level outputs via a passive summing network and switch the sources as
required instead (PVR, TV etc.) In the interest of clutter reduction and
ease of use I would prefer this to a switch box. There will be 2 (maybe 3)
sources and so a simple Y-network will suffice. Yes ? Resistor values ?
Around 470R in each arm ?

Comments please ?

Brennan advice please
 

Geoff Mackenzie wrote:
test

"TonyL" wrote in message
...
Background:

I'm looking to clean up my audio/media/CD collection setup. I also
need to make it more wife friendly. Currently I use a Pioneer amp
(recent monolithic module based, not original) into IPL transmission
line speakers and I route various inputs through it via the built-in
input selector. As a 'mature' person my hearing is OK 'for my age'
but if I'm honest with myself I find that I can't really distinguish
between uncompressed and MP3 compressed material...with a few
exceptions. That is why I'm looking at a MP3 based storage solution.
I'm after opinions before I go ahead and make some changes.

Questions:

The built in Brennan amp uses Monolithic Power MP7782 units. In the
interest of reducing clutter I'm looking to use this as my main
amplifier. It seems to that these days all amplifiers are 'created
equal' and audio quality it will be at least as 'good' as my existing
Pioneer amp. Right ? If not then why not ?

The Brennan amp only has one external input. I plan to common up
source line level outputs via a passive summing network and switch
the sources as required instead (PVR, TV etc.) In the interest of
clutter reduction and ease of use I would prefer this to a switch
box. There will be 2 (maybe 3) sources and so a simple Y-network will
suffice. Yes ? Resistor values ? Around 470R in each arm ?

Comments please ?

Geoff,

Your test using an old post from me seemed OK lol!

To reply to my own comments, I ended up with a zero (extra) cost system
using existing boxes. I send output from a blu-ray player to one of my
Pioneer amp inputs and then into my IPL TL speakers.

My blu-ray player happened to have WLAN streaming so for input I stream over
this from Windows Media Player. This program is also a DNLA network server
and has many, many useful features...much more than a Brennan. It obviously
supports auto rip from CD to MP3 and several other un/compressed formats.
Each CD typically takes a few minutes to rip. Music storage is on one of my
terabyte drives which is fully backed up elsewhere on the LAN.

So, I didn't end up with simpler hardware but I used existing hardware at
zero cost to achieve rather more than is possible with a Brennan box costing
significant £££

Cheers,

TonyL

Brennan advice please
 

"TonyL" wrote in message ...

Geoff Mackenzie wrote:
test

"TonyL" wrote in message
...
Background:

I'm looking to clean up my audio/media/CD collection setup. I also
need to make it more wife friendly. Currently I use a Pioneer amp
(recent monolithic module based, not original) into IPL transmission
line speakers and I route various inputs through it via the built-in
input selector. As a 'mature' person my hearing is OK 'for my age'
but if I'm honest with myself I find that I can't really distinguish
between uncompressed and MP3 compressed material...with a few
exceptions. That is why I'm looking at a MP3 based storage solution.
I'm after opinions before I go ahead and make some changes.

Questions:

The built in Brennan amp uses Monolithic Power MP7782 units. In the
interest of reducing clutter I'm looking to use this as my main
amplifier. It seems to that these days all amplifiers are 'created
equal' and audio quality it will be at least as 'good' as my existing
Pioneer amp. Right ? If not then why not ?

The Brennan amp only has one external input. I plan to common up
source line level outputs via a passive summing network and switch
the sources as required instead (PVR, TV etc.) In the interest of
clutter reduction and ease of use I would prefer this to a switch
box. There will be 2 (maybe 3) sources and so a simple Y-network will
suffice. Yes ? Resistor values ? Around 470R in each arm ?

Comments please ?

Geoff,

Your test using an old post from me seemed OK lol!

To reply to my own comments, I ended up with a zero (extra) cost system
using existing boxes. I send output from a blu-ray player to one of my
Pioneer amp inputs and then into my IPL TL speakers.

My blu-ray player happened to have WLAN streaming so for input I stream over
this from Windows Media Player. This program is also a DNLA network server
and has many, many useful features...much more than a Brennan. It obviously
supports auto rip from CD to MP3 and several other un/compressed formats.
Each CD typically takes a few minutes to rip. Music storage is on one of my
terabyte drives which is fully backed up elsewhere on the LAN.

So, I didn't end up with simpler hardware but I used existing hardware at
zero cost to achieve rather more than is possible with a Brennan box costing
significant £££

Cheers,

TonyL

Thanks for that! I was having problems responding to articles on the NG -
they (my replies, that is) appeared in my "sent" box but didn't show on the
NG itself. My tame computer expert came round to advise - didn't understand
a word he said, but seems like I can post now.

FWIW the reason I decided against a Brennan or any of the other solutions is
that they all require an encyclopaedic knowledge of your collection, i.e.
you have to know exactly what you are looking for. I have a fairly modest
collection of perhaps 200 LPs and the same number of CDs, and part of the
fun is lust looking through the covers and thinking "I haven't heard that
for a while" and remembering odd tracks I haven't heard for donkeys years.
I suppose my dream machine would be a Brennan (or similar) which would have
a camera attached so that you could look at the artwork as part of the
search procedure!

Yours aye,

Geoff MacK

Brennan advice please
 

Geoff Mackenzie wrote:

Thanks for that! I was having problems responding to articles on the
NG - they (my replies, that is) appeared in my "sent" box but didn't
show on the NG itself. My tame computer expert came round to advise
- didn't understand a word he said, but seems like I can post now.

FWIW the reason I decided against a Brennan or any of the other
solutions is that they all require an encyclopaedic knowledge of your
collection, i.e. you have to know exactly what you are looking for. I have
a fairly modest collection of perhaps 200 LPs and the same
number of CDs, and part of the fun is lust looking through the covers
and thinking "I haven't heard that for a while" and remembering odd
tracks I haven't heard for donkeys years. I suppose my dream machine
would be a Brennan (or similar) which would have a camera attached so
that you could look at the artwork as part of the search procedure!


Geoff,

Agreed. Looking through album covers is something I miss with CDs and their
little fiddly cases with hinges that fall apart. But
Windows Media Player helps. Haven't tried with vinyl but for the majority of
ripped CDs it will (optionally) search a database and attach an image which
displays thumbnails of covers along with album titles/tracks/artists. I
don't know how it works but gets it right almost every time, even with
ancient/obscure albums.

Cheers,

TonyL

Brennan advice please
 

Whether you like it or not the iTunes management software - for
which you don't need an iPod - does the job very effectively and
is a doddle to use.

Whilst mp3 is also effective especially at higher sampling rates
it is worth looking at AAC or Ogg both of which are less lossy
and produce better results at lower sampling rates.



--
Woody

harrogate three at ntlworld dot com

Brennan advice please
 

In article , Bob Latham
wrote:
In article , Woody
wrote:
Whether you like it or not the iTunes management software - for which
you don't need an iPod - does the job very effectively and is a
doddle to use.

Whilst mp3 is also effective especially at higher sampling rates it
is worth looking at AAC or Ogg both of which are less lossy and
produce better results at lower sampling rates.

Or Flac, please don't forget flac.

I've spent a couple of years looking at ways to have all my music in one
place and no discs cluttering the place up. After a lot of checking of
costs and facilities this is what I did.

Hardware Synology DS111 NAS box Sonos connect (90) Ipad

Software dBpoweramp Cd ripper and format conversion Spin It Again

FWIW I have based my approach on flac. But I've also adopted a more
cautious and old-fashioned storeage and paying approach. I keep copies of
the files on three different (USB) hard discs. Then have one disc connected
to each of the in-use machines I employ to play audio with the third USB
disc normally sitting as a 'spare copy'. I then just play using Audacious
on ROX/Xubuntu machines, via decent USB DACs.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Brennan advice please
 

On 20/12/2012 14:07, Jim Lesurf wrote:
In article , Bob Latham
wrote:
In article , Woody
wrote:
Whether you like it or not the iTunes management software - for which
you don't need an iPod - does the job very effectively and is a
doddle to use.

Whilst mp3 is also effective especially at higher sampling rates it
is worth looking at AAC or Ogg both of which are less lossy and
produce better results at lower sampling rates.

Or Flac, please don't forget flac.

I've spent a couple of years looking at ways to have all my music in one
place and no discs cluttering the place up. After a lot of checking of
costs and facilities this is what I did.

Hardware Synology DS111 NAS box Sonos connect (90) Ipad

Software dBpoweramp Cd ripper and format conversion Spin It Again

FWIW I have based my approach on flac. But I've also adopted a more
cautious and old-fashioned storeage and paying approach. I keep copies of
the files on three different (USB) hard discs. Then have one disc connected
to each of the in-use machines I employ to play audio with the third USB
disc normally sitting as a 'spare copy'. I then just play using Audacious
on ROX/Xubuntu machines, via decent USB DACs.


How do you keep the 3 disks synchronised?

Rob

Brennan advice please
 

In article om, RJH
wrote:
On 20/12/2012 14:07, Jim Lesurf wrote:


FWIW I have based my approach on flac. But I've also adopted a more
cautious and old-fashioned storeage and paying approach. I keep copies
of the files on three different (USB) hard discs. Then have one disc
connected to each of the in-use machines I employ to play audio with
the third USB disc normally sitting as a 'spare copy'. I then just
play using Audacious on ROX/Xubuntu machines, via decent USB DACs.


How do you keep the 3 disks synchronised?

Mainly by trying to be organised in the way I copy files to them. :-)

I tend to generate files in batches. e.g.With the transfers from Reel tape
I've been doing I have made enough recordings to near-fill a 4GB CF card.
Then edit/process these into flac files with suitable names and side
metadata files. Then copy them to each of the 3 storage discs in turn.

Every now and then I compare the contents in various ways to see what I may
have missed and fix any differences.

Yes, I know there are many programs for synching disc contents etc. But I
tend to do things in simpler ways that I can check as I go. No hurry. Not
as if anyone is paying me to go faster. And I do enjoy assembling the
recordings as it gives me a good excuse... erm reason to listen to the
music along the way. :-)

If I were handling data for a living I'd do it differently.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Brennan advice please
 

On 21/12/2012 09:26, Jim Lesurf wrote:
In article om, RJH
wrote:
On 20/12/2012 14:07, Jim Lesurf wrote:


FWIW I have based my approach on flac. But I've also adopted a more
cautious and old-fashioned storeage and paying approach. I keep copies
of the files on three different (USB) hard discs. Then have one disc
connected to each of the in-use machines I employ to play audio with
the third USB disc normally sitting as a 'spare copy'. I then just
play using Audacious on ROX/Xubuntu machines, via decent USB DACs.


How do you keep the 3 disks synchronised?

Mainly by trying to be organised in the way I copy files to them. :-)

I tend to generate files in batches. e.g.With the transfers from Reel tape
I've been doing I have made enough recordings to near-fill a 4GB CF card.
Then edit/process these into flac files with suitable names and side
metadata files. Then copy them to each of the 3 storage discs in turn.

Every now and then I compare the contents in various ways to see what I may
have missed and fix any differences.

Yes, I know there are many programs for synching disc contents etc. But I
tend to do things in simpler ways that I can check as I go. No hurry. Not
as if anyone is paying me to go faster. And I do enjoy assembling the
recordings as it gives me a good excuse... erm reason to listen to the
music along the way. :-)


Very laid back!

I'm not quite so organised and get in a muddle with the 3 source disks I
have, adding occasional bits and pieces as I listen. It's not the end of
the world - every month or so I'll consolidate with a simple enough sort
by date.

Then there's the cost, I'm up to about 500GB of music. Obviously, backup
is not an issue with three disks.

So I'm experimenting with a cheapish (£30) NAS I got from ebuyer. It's
sort of working - some latency/connection lag, and slow transfer speeds
over homeplug wotsits (15 mebabytes/sec, fine for music really). And
beholden to iTunes, it seems up to this type of arrangement but early days.

Rob

Brennan advice please
 

In article om, RJH
wrote:
On 21/12/2012 09:26, Jim Lesurf wrote:
[snip]

I'm not quite so organised and get in a muddle with the 3 source disks I
have, adding occasional bits and pieces as I listen. It's not the end
of the world - every month or so I'll consolidate with a simple enough
sort by date.

I have things divided in a way that suits me, but may seem odd to many.

e.g. at the top level I divide files into sections like 'BBC' and 'HighRes'
and (now) 'Reel2Reel'. Then have subdirectories like 'Radio3' subdivided by
year, or by format. e.g. 'HDCD'.

I keep the 'metadata' in a mix of the filename/directory name and in text
files. Makes it easier to have my own search routines.

Then there's the cost, I'm up to about 500GB of music. Obviously, backup
is not an issue with three disks.

I'm using 3 x 1TB discs for audio. Have a seperate set of 2TB ones for
Video. FWIW The 1TB audio ones are FAT. The 2TB video, ext4.

One of the reasons for the approach is that a lot of the items are *not* CD
rips, and *not* 'popular' music. So the common/standard/CDDB approachs to
cataloging music files, etc, don't work well.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html