[kirch]

Hi Guys - been a while since I've corresponded.  Check in every now and then, just haven't posted anything.  Things are very busy these days.

Question - or a curiosity more than anything.  I've been using the Toshiba version of the iPod, theirs is called the Gigabeat.  20 gig hard drive, 175 delivered.  Nice little unit.  Bought some nice Shure earplug phones - sounds great.  Hear lot's of detail I didn't even know was in a lot of these tunes.

When I run this thing thru my system (either the tube or the solid state) the bass is "late" for lack of a better term.  I can play the same cut directly from CD and it's fine, but listening from the little Toshiba, it's just a little off from a timing standpoint.  It really is just a little late.  

Just curious - but what causes this?  Anyone else ever experienced it?

One more thing - after a long absence from "new" music, I've been spending a lot of time listening to Sirius' Left of Center - College station.  I had forgotten how much fun new Indie music can be.  Be warned, the air-talent (and I use that term VERY loosely) is the absolutely worst, most horrible bunch of crap you can imagine, but the music is really quite good!  90% new stuff, less than 6 months old, but a decent amount of 'old' college stuff gets snuck in every now and then.  Even heard Radio Free Europe for the first time in 15 years the other day.  Turned that one up til my ears were about to bleed.

Thanks guys! - hope everyone's doing fine . . .

Kirch

[Levi]

There could be a lot of things working against you here.  I don't have a Gigabeat but I do have an iPod.  I'll give you a solution rather than an explanation.  Simply adjust your Gigabeat settings to add more bass.

[kirch]

Levi - thanks for the tip, but that's not the problem.  I already get great bass response from this thing.

[Scott F.]

Hiya Kirch,

I'm not sure about the Gigabeat but I've got the iAudio X-5. It's got quite a few EQ and processing adjustments. Two in particular that come to mind are the BBE (bass boost enhansement?) and the 3D effect. Both of them do some really strange things to the music. The 3D effect plays with the phasing.

I wonder if yours has a similar setting. If so, try setting them to zero. That might be why the bass sounds so discinnected.

[kirch]

Hey Scott - yeah, this one has a ton of different settings.  It hadn't occurred to me to set it to flat.  I'll give that a go -

Thanks!

bk

[Levi]

Ok.  I see.  The only explanation I can give you is that your earbuds are closer to your ears compaired to your audio speakers, hence you hear all the details.   In addition, when you put in your earbuds, there is less noise coming in.  Is this a winner?

Levi - thanks for the tip, but that's not the problem.  I already get great bass response from this thing.

[kirch]

Hey Levi -

My description of the bass response being "late" is just that.  Imagine you're listening to a song you know quite well, and when your favorite guitar solo is supposed to happen within the tune, it's actually a little late.  Meaning it doesn't happen exactly when it's supposed to, but maybe a quarter beat off.  This is what I'm experiencing with the the bass guitar.  I didn't specifically mean bass response or "lows".  I meant the instrument itself.   Like the bass player wasn't following the beat as closely as he should during the recording.  The tunes that I notice this phenomenon in are rather bass guitar heavy.

Like I said, it's more of a curiosity than anything else.  I'm going to get around to trying Scott's suggestion of listening to it flat today.  I've been using the "wow ++" setting.  I think all these things have ton of equalizer and booster settings.  Mine has at least 15 or so, maybe more.  

thx -

kirch

[Levi]

Hi Kirch,

I totally understand now.  

This reminds me of a voice synch problem with video and dialog.  Whereas, the dialog coming in late.

Well, I hope the eq settings worked.  

Regards,
Levi