Comments on: HN 088 – Big bonus spectacular!

By: Farris Thorne

Farris Thorne — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:18:37 +0000

Many, many years ago I was one of the website managers for a large, extremely well-known Minnesota-based electronics retailer. As such, I was entitled to the good ol’ employee discount: “company cost plus 5 percent.”

So, not much happened when we bought TVs or computers; believe it or not, they sell those things pretty well at cost. But when it came to accessories — things like noise-free audio cables and connectors — the employee-discount deal always worked out amazingly well.

Those $20 audio cables? Try $1.70. $80 headphones? $16. Accessories, indeed, are where they make their profit.

So not that I would recommend such a thing, but if you have a friend with a similar discount, you could score some new cables on the cheap. Who knows, you could re-cable your whole setup and still save enough money to help the less fortunate, like someone with those little flapjack titties… ft

By: Andy Melton

Andy Melton — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 17:37:45 +0000

I don’t want to be nasty but I have to say it. If they’re putting fat into breasts, could you pump grease out of them? “HONEY, we’re out of vegetable shortening!”

By: Rowley

Rowley — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:31:16 +0000

Dave,
Gold plugs – not not really – I was a bit of a muso geek then. now I really dont think it matters with music compression and all that now.

By: Shawno

Shawno — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:47:05 +0000

Thanks for checking out the show, geoff. This business with Skype is our first attempt at integrating phone/voip into our podcast, so we’ve no idea what to expect. It’ll be an adventure for sure.

By: geoff

geoff — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 00:07:01 +0000

I heard about you guys on Twitter. You really should get some Lysol for those mics, so Jen’s plague doesn’t spread. We let one of our show hosts sit in sick and it damn near destroyed our whole show. I agree, she is probably faking it, but at least she is out there “blowing tubes”, or whatever you guys call it on the west coast. Gotta keep the school kids awake somehow, right?

I cannot STAND the Skype… It’s 7 to 8 hundred for the hybrid real phone/phone card for the pc, and we are totally going with that. I have used all kinds of voip, and between the echoes, the cropouts, and the pausing, I just can’t go back to it. Easier to fake calls. Oh well, if it was simple, we would all be doing it, or something. I wish you guys luck with the new setup.

Production sounds good. I’m enjoying the show, and appreciate you turning me on to it! I’ll be back again.

By: Dave Calderbank

Dave Calderbank — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:51:44 +0000

I’ll look forward to that story but please, don’t include a review of “The Cable Guy”.

By: Shawno

Shawno — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:44:59 +0000

I have so much stuff from Radio Shack at this point, that it doesn’t even matter to me what the brand or alleged “quality” levels are for cables, adapters, etc. Just give me something that works. And that’s why I wound up with that $25.00 cable. I needed it, and it’s what they had at that particular shop. I had another ordeal today in tracking down audio adapters. Look forward to that story on the next show.

By: Dave Calderbank

Dave Calderbank — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:30:08 +0000

Do you think that gold connectors really make a difference, Rowley? I play guitar and have a Fender strat and old Pearl amp hooked up to an ever older Elk bass speaker cabinet (the whole thing is huge) and needed a new cable. But all they had was one with gold connectors. Who needs gold connectors on a guitar cable, doesn’t make it sound any louder or does it? FYI My my hearing is shot also

By: Rowley

Rowley — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 18:55:01 +0000

When I used to do my BIG AUDIO days – I mentioned this on my show the other week – I had Solid Core Electrical Cable (you know the grey stuff you would run in walls?) for speaker cable. I used to have Monster OED leads (at around $20/metre) with gold connectors – but found that the solid electric stuff DID make a difference.
Now of course my hearing is shot and so it makes no odds what the quality is.
AND
with this day and age of compressed audio – mp3s and mini discs it makes no odds because of the quality.
Oh, gone are the Audiophile days

By: Dave Calderbank

Dave Calderbank — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 18:40:14 +0000

Why are those friggin’ “quality” cables so damn expensive? There’s always this sticker on the package that says “you will hear the difference!” so you won’t buy the cheaper ones. Maybe the cheaper ones are just as good, but if they’re not you’re down $4 and for some reason that’s not a risk i’m willing to take. “$39.50? Yes i think i’ll take those, sir. Oh, and a traditional Japanese Hori Hori weeder knife to open the package.” I get fooled every time…