Solid Monitor Redux

Music

Added some manuals to the Solid Monitor page.

(These oldies still work great!)

Under an Open Sky (Chase the Dream) - Men & Machine

Column

I would never let an AI write any of my stories. And - had I been a musician - I would never use AI to compose or sing or perform.

Still, even I have to admit AI is getting impressive, though it isn't perfect.

I wrote the lyrics to this song myself, then build a prompt and had an AI generate it. (Frankly, I cannot even remember which one I used, sorry.)

Quick check on Lyrion Music Server status (LMS) - Issues with .APE files and APE tags

Lyrion + Music

I managed to crash Lyrion v9.0.2 (former SqueezeBox LMS) without any reason. I suspect a reboot of the home server caused it to re-index, and it crashed and exited on some .mp3 files. So, here's a quick check to see if it is running, and what caused it to crash.

Countdown to 2025 - #1 - My forever Music Top 3

Countdown + Music

I should write a long and extensive post about the purpose of life, love, the state of the universe and everything. Instead I'm just going to give you my Top 3 in music. And damn, it turns out that that's actually hard!

Countdown to 2025 - #6 - Exploding Kittens (and my Top 3 Christmas Songs)

Gaming + Music

I like board and card games, though I don't play them much. It's one of those things you always plan to indulge in, but rarely do.

But... this year I bought Exploding Kittens. It's (too) expensive but a lot of fun. I just found the rules a little confusing (at first).

Tips voor Jango (Dutch)

Music + Dutch

Ik gebruik af en toe Jango om nieuwe muziek te vinden.

En voor de echte Nederlanders onder ons: Jango is gratis 😇

Lees meer...

(Frontier gebaseerde) goedkope DAB & Internet radio's - Prijzen en varianten (Dutch)

Review (kinda) + Dutch

Een nieuwe golf van DAB+ / Internet component radio's?

Stiekum ben ik best onder de indruk, dus ben ik eens gaan kijken wat er zoal te koop is in hetzelfde formaat met soortgelijke mogelijkheden...

Zoektocht naar de juiste muziek... (Dutch)

Music + Spotify + Dutch

Ik heb mijn favoriete artiesten en muziek, maar soms zoek ik iets nieuws. Er zijn zelfs momenten dat ik iets vind 😂

Lees meer...

The Typewriter

Music + YouTube

The 1950 Typewriter by Leroy Anderson is by itself unique and crazy.

In 1963 Jerry Lewis used it in the movie Who's Minding the Store.

Over the years there have been multiple performances by real orchestras and other... enthusiasts.

And some of those are great. Try this one.

JBL Live 670NC Headset - Broken & Dead

Review + DIY

If this was a review my advice would be: don't buy. Sorry, JBL, but you screwed up. The headphone itself is nice, *mostly* well made, with unfortunately one essential flaw: it broke down, most likely due to a design or manufacturing mistake.

Thanks JBL... 100 euro down the drain.

Boston - Boston

Music

I suffer from an old time music revival, and now I'm stuck in the 70's. So let’s throw a classic at you: Boston’s debut album Boston. I’ve been playing it whilst working on my latest Dapper contribution, and damn, every track (except perhaps the last one) is fantastic. Ah, more than a feeling… and that organ!

Verdict? After all these years it's still fantastic!

Lena Horne - One for my Baby (1957?)

Music

Yeah, that’s a song, not a book 🤔 Although the original was performed by Fred Astaire in the musical The Sky’s the Limit, and the best known version is perhaps Sinatra’s, this one’s my to go to. It’s night, and nobody knows if it’s the end of a love affair, or the end of the world.

Shivers... I think I'll have to read a Chandler / Marlowe next...

Here she is on YouTube...

Logitech Music Server / SqueezeBox / LMS - invisible entries on random lists and skipping songs

Datatalk + Music + Squeezebox

Yes. Old technology, but it's still working.

I have some issues lately, so I'm now trying to troubleshoot my ages-old installation. The problems that I've seen:

1. Random play doesn't list the right tracks

2. Sometimes the last bit of a song is skipped

Countdown to 2023... Solid Sound Models / Broken Amplifier / Broken Tape Deck

Countdown + Column

The most popular page on this blog is the Rock Solid page. I've updated the information on other related models, as I think I've finally figured out all variants.

As for 2023... I hope to enjoy my Home Theater setup for a long, long time to come. I feel no need to visit the cinema, and am considering even larger screen options... Though I'd probably have to win the lottery first. And get some stuff repaired...

B&W Solid Sound Monitor... Transmission Line / Horn?!?

Music

Look what I found on a Japanese (?) website... someone is selling his home-build transmission line / horn version of the B&W 'Rock Solid Sound' Monitor.

Hard to tell how it sounds, but the lack of dampening material, and the fact the seller wants to sell it... Oh well.

If it's still for sale (I think it's for sale, but my Japanese ain't what it has (n)ever been 😇) you'll find it here.

SqueezeBox - Adding radio stations to SqueezeBox LMS

Music / Datatalk

I haven't been able to find a good explanation (and there might be a better way to do it) so here's what I do...

It seems the current radio function is connected to TuneIn, so that's what I'll use. It should be possible to use other services but I'm still struggling there. In the SqueezeBox client you can enter URLs directly.

Wallpaper - Welcome to the Neighbourhood

Music + Wallpaper

There's nothing like a decent bawl, by the un-imitable Meat Loaf. 

Perhaps his voice falters in his later works, but man, did Jim Steinman come up with some good songs, and did Meat Loaf pour his heart into them like nobody else could.

But... this is about wallpapers 😁 Now and again I like a shot of 'detective noir' and the cover of one of Meat Loaf's albums fits that mood nicely. 

Idiotic DRM

Datatalk + Music

Buy a CD in Germany on Amazon.de, and you can immediately download the DRM free MP3 rip of it. You can even buy it digital only. Buy that same CD in the Netherlands on Amazon.de, and you only get the physical carrier, so you have to rip it yourself.

Of course, the music company will add copy protection. Seriously? How will that stop anyone?

SqueezeBox - Update SqueezeBox Touch - Firmware to 7.8.x

Datatalk + Squeezebox

I recently picked up another SqueezeBox touch, to replace my older, misbehaving unit. This stuff is getting old, with the last SB Touch units being manufactured in 2012. When I tried to connect my new second-hand unit to my server, it kept asking me to update the server.

SR7011 - small / large / LFE / Smart Select / Pure Audio (Dutch)

Dutch

De Marantz SR6011 / SR7011 (en waarschijnlijk ook de andere modellen als de SR5011, SR7010, SR7012, SR7013 enzovoorts) hebben een 'Pure' en 'Pure Direct' stand. Maar die werkt net even anders als de soortgelijke functie op de Sony ES serie.

Hier wat algemene informatie over LFE en specifieke informatie over de Marantz apparaten, waaronder Smart Select.