Brickhouse Acoustics

Guitar Pedalboards Under $300

2008-11-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Line 6 Floor POD
Website: http://line6.com/floorpod/
Reviews: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/guitar_effects/line_6/floor_pod/index.html

Boss ME50
Reviews: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/guitar_effects/boss/me-50/

DigiTech RP500
Reviews: http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/DigiTech/RP500/10/1

Korg AX3000G
Website: http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?A_PROD_NO=AX3000G
Reviews: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/guitar_effects/korg/ax3000g/index.html

Line 6 is a very reputable brand, like Boss. I noticed that the Korg product got some very good reviews though and seems very easy to use, which is nice. However, Korg is more of a keyboard company than a guitar company, so I think you're better off with Boss, Digitech, or Line 6. Given what we talked about at the store the other day, I think that leaves you with either the Boss or the Line 6 as the final two options to choose from. The Boss or Line 6 is a good way to go, with the Boss having many knobs you can use to manually tweak your sound.

Basic Headphone Mixer

2008-05-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

Need a basic headphone mixer? A number of options are available, including the following:

Samson S-Amp, $50
Art HeadAMP4, $50
PreSonus HP4, $100
Mackie HMX-56, $150

I think the Art HeadAMP4 is a good choice: four channels, separate volume control for each channel, supports both 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch jacks, portable, all interconnects are on the back keeping your worksurface less cluttered. And the price is right at $50. Note, if you need headphones, there's an Art HeadAMP4 Pak that adds four basic headphones for a total price of $90.

Paul Ford The Moon CD Released!

2008-02-12T18:51:00.000-08:00

Paul Ford has been a fixture on the music scene for many years having performed with bands such as Archive, Dodge the Dog, Hazardous Waste, X-Chanj, Edgy Moon and Voyage, among others. He's a talented composer, writer and performer, and also works as a radio disc jockey and traffic reporter for several of the area's best and most popular radio stations. He's been writing music for more than 20 years and has collaborated with many talented artists to produce great material. His latest project, The Moon, contains a collection of work covering a variety of topics and experiences. In addition, more than a dozen guest artists appear on this record reflecting the talent and diversity of his musical styles and his collaborative abilities. Yet another album is already in the works, so this prolific writer continues to demonstrate his capacity for creating great music.

Paul Ford The Moon - A collection of great songs, spanning the genre's of rock, pop, and country, a.k.a. retro-eclectic.

Stereo Amplifiers: NAD C315BEE vs. Yamaha RX-497

2008-01-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

The Yamaha product is both an amplifier and a tuner, while the NAD is just an amplifier. Since the prices are similar, this suggests that you're getting a better amplifier for the money with NAD than you are with Yamaha, since some of the costs of the Yamaha goes toward its tuner capabilities.

The NAD has a THD of 0.02% compared to the Yamaha's THD of 0.04%. THD is a measure of the amount of noise an amplifier produces. The Yamaha produces twice as much noise as the NAD. Note that you may not be able to hear much difference, but it does suggest the NAD is better quality than the Yamaha.

The NAD has a "tone defeat" feature, which is a feature I like to have in an amplifier but may not matter to some. Ideally, a good amp and speaker combination should sound good without having to use tone controls (though in reality this isn't always the case). Also, enabling the tone defeat feature may likely reduce the noise produced by the amplifier since tone controls tend to introduce more noise.

The Yamaha may be a louder amplifier than the NAD, according to the wattage specification. However, you can't always tell by the wattage. My guess is the NAD will be loud enough.

Yamaha is a popular and consumer-oriented brand with a wide variety of products, while NAD is focused mostly on audio products. Companies with a specialty focus like NAD often produce better quality products.

The main concern with the Yamaha is the quality of the amplifier, and the main concern with the NAD is whether or not it's loud enough. Of course you can always try the NAD to see if it's loud enough.

In short, the NAD amplifier is better than the Yamaha amplifier. So if you don't need a tuner, then NAD is the preferred choice.

Bookshelf Speakers: Klipsch RB-61 vs. Focal Chorus 705

2008-01-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

Both the Klipsch and the Focal are good speakers. However, the Focal has a tweeter and the Klipsch has a horn, so the Focal will likely have a warmer high-frequency sound and the Klipsch may sound harsh at times.

Both can handle the same amount of power, at 100 watts. And both are rated at the more common 8 ohm impedence. So you're good there.

The Klipsch is rated for lower frequencies, so it may produce more bass sound than the Focal. It also has a larger woofer (6.5") compared to the Focal's woofer (5").

Both have what are called "front-firing ports", which helps to throw the bass sound into the room where you're listening to them.

My main concern with the Klipsch would be the use of the horn compared to the tweeter that's used in the Focal, and my main concern with the Focal would be how well it produces bass sounds compared to the Klipsch.

Brickhouse Solutions: Laptop / Desktop Digital Interface

2008-01-13T06:56:00.000-08:00

Brickhouse Solutions: Laptop / Desktop Digital Interface