Crave

Matt's turntable, amp, and speakers.

(Credit: Matt Calderone)

What's the definition of a great hi-fi? It's the one you're listening to. Not just for background "listening," but actual, focused listening.

Investing a lot of money on a hi-fi isn't the only way to get there. In fact, spending as little as possible on decent gear is the best way to get acquainted with good sound. Who knows, you might become an audiophile.

My friend Matt Calderone might be on his way. He was given a used Denon DP-7F turntable, and recently bought a Kenwood KA-701 integrated stereo amplifier on eBay and a pair of Klipsch speakers through Craigslist. All told, he spent less than $200.

Calderone is 26 years old so I was curious about how and why he wound up with a hi-fi. He says he's always been interested in LPs, and he likes listening to them over a decent stereo, not computer speakers. Calderone thinks good speakers make a big difference.

It's not just that the sound is better, music engages on a different level when heard over a hi-fi. Calderone frequently winds up just sitting on the couch and get this, he listens to entire records! The music is the main focus; vinyl has that effect on some people. Calderone is going to add a CD player soon, but for now his system is analog only.

The hardest part of buying a used hi-fi is picking the right gear. If you're new to hi-fi ask an older relative who knows audio about which brands are worthy, but for starters I'd recommend steering clear of Sony and Bose products. I like Creek, Denon, NAD, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Yamaha amplifiers and receivers; look for used Advent, AR, Boston Acoustics, DCM, Epos, Infinity, Klipsch, Magnepan, Mirage, Monitor Audio, NHT, Polk, Snell, or Vandersteen speakers. For a few hundred bucks you can put together a very listenable used system.

You'd think that in a world of 24Mbps Internet, where color printers cost less than $65 and you can get free laptops with broadband subscriptions, fax machines would be as dead as jokes about the dodo. But no.

(Credit: Crave UK)

If you were born, it's highly likely you'll die. Sorry about that. For consumer tech, it's not quite so cut-and-dried. There are some gadgets that just refuse to kick the shiny bucket, in the manner of Daniella Westbrook--the chick whose nose fell off.

Dearest reader, we're about to explore the technologies that defy the wishes of Silicon Heaven's Grim Reaper, and delve into the more pressing matter of why they refuse his cold embrace. Why do real people--not IT departments or tech professionals, but the chap in the street, who's paid taxes on his money--keep buying this obsolete junk? We'll start with something you'd be forgiven for thinking was a bizarre first choice.

Read more of "Why won't they die? The tech we won't forget" at Crave UK.

(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)

Vinyl is back, big time, but the fact is most folks, probably close to 99 percent of the under 40-set, haven't heard records.

For them, music is about portability and vinyl is a stay-at-home deal. Vinyl has more of a hands-on work ethic: you've got to cue the tonearm, lower the "needle," and when the side's over, turn it over or play another LP. Digital requires almost nothing from you; no wonder it's dominated the music scene for the last couple of decades.

Me, I'm having something of a vinyl fling right now. I've always owned a turntable, but there were times I played only CDs for months on end. I guess I didn't want to deal with the extra work of playing vinyl. Sad, but true.

As for LP vs. CD comparisons, I didn't do any. Trust me, you don't have to be a golden-eared audiophile to notice the two formats sound very different. Records are "warmer" and sound more like the sound of real instruments and voices; CDs almost always make them more detailed and brighter-sounding than they are in real life.

What, you don't have a turntable? What's wrong with you?

When the CD was unveiled to the world in 1982 with the "Perfect Sound Forever" motto, everyone assumed the LP's days were numbered. Well, nearly three decades later, vinyl's hanging in there and the CD's future looks uncertain.

Vinyl appeals to oldsters who still covet their LP collections, and kids who are just now getting into the groove. To some vinyl sounds better, more musical than digital, and some just dig the more physical connection to the music vinyl provides.

(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)

Best Buy may be known for selling the latest in technology, but it seems the retailer hasn't forgotten about people who still love the old-school way of getting their music.

Recently I remembered that big-box retailer Best Buy had an exclusive on last year's long-awaited Guns 'n' Roses release, "Chinese Democracy," and that the release included vinyl. And I read last month that the chain is running a pilot program to stock vinyl in 100 stores. (Eight whole square feet!)

(Credit: Best Buy)

But until a friend pointed me to the site today, I had no idea that you could order more than 5,000 titles on vinyl from Best Buy's online store. Amazon's been offering vinyl for some time now, but its 190,000-plus results include a lot of used records and stock from third-party affiliates. Best Buy is actually selling these titles new and sealed in cellophane. Even though about half of them appear to be on back order, it's still great news for the small but growing minority of music fans who prefer listening to music the old-fashioned way.

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On this week's episode, Donald and Jasmine discuss at length whether brick-and-mortar record shops are worth saving...or at least, Donald does, while Jasmine wonders whether he will ever get sick of talking about it. Also, Jasmine expounds upon the virtues of subscription music, or more specifically, Rhapsody. Plus, find out the deets on an excellent audiobook player for the visual impaired and the latest blah MP3 player to come out of Philips' warehouse.

Today we find out why Jeff is walking around with his head down all day, and why Justin's new canine glows in the dark. It seems some genetic engineering has turned man's best friend into a flashlight.

(Credit: 6-ft-under.com)

Next we pick apart Best Buy's decision to roll out a closet-sized vinyl section in all of its stores, and why we think this might be a step backwards in terms of progress. We're not trying to put record players down; we just think our blue-and-yellow friends are jumping on that bandwagon a little too late and probably for all of the wrong reasons.

We mentioned the App Store's one-billionth app yesterday, but failed to talk about it. Today we'll reveal the useless piece of software and why we'd be happier with that baby-shaking app taking its place.

Then it's off to Firefoxland, where we discuss the highly anticipated version 3.5. We go around the room geeking out by sharing browser fantasies, thus permanently ensuring Wilson and Justin will never date again.

Finally, we dive into the world of 4chan, quite possibly the most influential crew on the Internet. So influential, in fact, that the community has voted its fearless leader to the top of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people list. That's kind of a paradox, isn't it?

All this plus Calls From the Public on today's show!

EPISODE 331

TE makes first DIY Styrofoam turntable.

(Credit: Teenage Engineering)

Swedish product design studio Teenage Engineering's credo is to create products built with "functional design, superior quality, and top-class engineering," but they should probably add "environmentally irresponsible" to that list. A low-cost DIY turntable kit is a clever idea, and I'd probably buy one, but it's made out of Styrofoam. Styrofoam? Really? Does it come with a case made out of batteries and aerosol cans too, guys?

All environmental issues aside, this turntable deserves serious design respect: the base of the player as well as the arm are made out of CNCd Styrofoam to accept the belt underneath. The turntable also works as a standalone player with a built-in amplifier and speaker, and it even sports a USB connection for converting vinyl into digital audio.

Unfortunately, Teenage Engineering currently has zero plans to put the Styrofoam turntable into production, but you're welcome to check a box on the Web site and submit your e-mail address for possible updates in the future. More pictures after the break.

The Ion LP2CD is just itching to turn one antique format into another.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CBS Interactive)

Ripping vinyl to your computer is a huge hassle. First, you have to drag a turntable over to your computer (or vice-versa). Next, you have to make sure you have all the right cables for connecting everything together. Then you need to make sure your computer is up to the task (audio card, software, etc.). In the end, you'll be tied to your computer, spending the weekend watching dusty records rip to your computer in real time, and laboring with edits, song titles, and iTunes conversion.

To ease the unpleasantness, the Ion LP2CD ($399) offers a simpler, faster solution, by recording your vinyl directly to blank CDs. The system doesn't offer the same fine-grain control as recording to your computer, but it makes the whole vinyl archiving process much more streamlined.

If the LP2CD seems like it might solve your record-ripping dilemma, check out our full report and video over at CNET Reviews.