sound

Sounds and Ringtones

One disappointment for me with my Pre is the lack of customization in ringtones. I doubt that I'm the only person who's boundaries between work and personal life have become increasingly blurred... especially when it comes to communication.

The Sounds and Ringtones options allows you to select a ringtone, set it's volume, whether it vibrates when it rings and whether you want it to make a noise with system sounds.

The 'ringer' is fairly standard in terms of functionality. You can select one of a few predefined ringers, or add your own ringer. You can also set … Read more

Do you use all seven channels on your home theater receiver?

An industry insider recently admitted to me that only 30 percent of AV receiver buyers ever bother to hook up all seven channels to their receivers. That guesstimate seems a little high to me; the standard 5.1 channel setup: Left, center, right speakers upfront, and a pair of surround speakers to the sides of the main listening position can supply a truly immersive sound experience.

Seven-channel home theater adds two more speakers, placed behind the main listening position. That's tough to accomplish in rooms where the couch or chairs are up against the rear wall. There's no "rear" there, so some folks mount the rear speakers up high, or bounce the sound off the ceiling.

Still, the rear surrounds typically contribute little, so it's pretty hard to justify the added expense and hassle of running the extra wires for a marginal sonic improvement. The one exception might apply to very large rooms where the side and rear surround speakers are further apart from each other. The extra coverage may produce a more complete sense of surround envelopment. … Read more

Web radio, music industry reach agreement on royalties

Internet radio got a break Tuesday when the sector reached an agreement on streaming-music royalty rates with SoundExchange, the group that collects royalties on behalf of artists and labels.

The two sides announced the deal, which comes after more than two years of negotiations, political maneuvering, and fans pleading with lawmakers to save Webcasting. It should be noted, however, that Webcasters are still at a disadvantage when competing with traditional broadcast radio. Over-the-air stations aren't required to pay royalty rates to artists or labels.

Steve Marks, an executive vice president for the Recording Industry Association of America and one … Read more

Poll: Why don't you have a turntable?

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.

The 404 375: Where that ain't right

Since we're not having a show tomorrow for Independence Day, there's a lot to cover today, including a new segment with Beck's Beer and Last.fm, a chat with the winner of our logo design contest, and a hilarious voicemail from everyone's favorite Tina Schwartz.

Our annual GetMcDonaldsBreakfastOnJulyThird Day leaves us with upset stomachs and wandering minds, so it's a good thing we have Blake Stevenson on for a quick segment in the beginning of today's show to talk about his winning submission for our logo contest.

We get to pick his brain a bit about how he came up with the design, and we're also curious about his work history and how he got so good! In turn, Blake also surprises us with the amazing poster illustration you see to the left. Click on it to see the larger version, and check out the impressively accurate caricatures of Wilson, Jeff, and me! From Wilson's highlights to Jeff's pursed lips and my ridiculous everything, Blake really did an excellent job of capturing the feel of the show, both with the poster and the logo itself. Attention Tom Green: critics agree, your logo sucks.

The good news is that Blake Stevenson is more than willing to redo it, so head over to JetPacksandRollerSkates.com and put him to work!

We're also very excited to debut the very first of our bi-weekly (that's twice a week) segment called The Weekly Audio Draft, sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.fm. Every Monday and Friday we'll introduce you guys to some fresh bands with varying genres that we hope will be music to your ears.

Jeff is first up with a band called The Twilight and the Sound, which features Jeremiah Rangel and Matt Lovato, former members of pop-punk band Mest. Their new band draws influences from The Cure, Deftones, Weezer, and Interpol, and you can buy their new album "100 Sundays..." on their profile page on Last.fm. On today's edition of the Weekly Audio Draft, we rock out to their new song "There's No Basement at the Alamo," a driving, upbeat track that combines male and female vocals in a call-and-response format that makes the perfect accompaniment to a weekend BBQ or road trip. Leave a comment on this post and let us know what you think! Check out more info for the band at their MySpace page as well.

The second half of the show is filled with hilarious voice mails including some bike shopping advice as well as a really funny voice mail from our favorite listener, Tina Schwartz. We have to reiterate that her views and opinions DO NOT reflect those of The 404 or our parent company, CBS Interactive. We even get into a few stories at the end of the show, including some back and forth about the Microsoft and Nickelback collabo, Facebook flirting and Universal grabbing the rights to the Asteroids full-length movie.

Have a great Independence Day weekend everybody, stay safe, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for our weekend throwback episode!

Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET.

Episode 375 Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Get Logitech Z Cinema speakers for $79.99

If your PC is pulling double duty as a media center, I can't speak highly enough of the Logitech Z Cinema speaker system. It's a 2.1-channel surround-sound powerhouse that cranks out 180 watts and comes with a sweet media-center remote.

Originally priced at $300, the Logitech Z Cinema is on sale for just $79.99 from TigerDirect. Shipping runs a hefty $22, but that's understandable; these are hefty speakers!

The system consists of a subwoofer that plugs into a USB port and two desk-friendly satellite speakers. On one of the satellites you'll find both headphone … Read more

KEF's uber-cool concept speakers a work of art

The KEF Concept Blade is a set of one-off speakers engineered to demonstrate the British hi-fi specialist's technical know-how. Developed over a three-year span, these life-size boomboxes are a work of art in both aesthetics and performance.

Clad top to bottom in woven carbon fiber, these sexy concept speakers are capable of supporting the full audio spectrum out of the box. To achieve this feat, they employ four side-firing woofers to boost bass extensively and the company's Uni-Q driver for more natural-sounding vocals.

(Source: Crave Asia via Audiojunkies)

Reliable alarm clock

Your computer will tell you the time, no problem. However, there are few things as boring and basic as the standard clock. AIV Reminder offers users a chance to spice up their clock situation and keep on top of important appointments.

This free program presents itself as a simple analog clock. In addition, a small, blue genie gives you advice on how to make configurations. If you're not fond of genies, there are three other characters to choose from. Double-clicking the clock face takes you to a menu screen where the ins and outs of the program are laid … Read more

World's tiniest speaker

I know, I know, you don't have room for a decent set of speakers.

I've tried to tell you guys that when it comes to speakers, size still matters. Bigger speakers have tremendous size and performance advantages over pipsqueak models.

But since my pal Brent Butterworth wrote up the new Super Mini Cube speaker for the Sound & Vision Web site I figured something was up. The Super Mini Cube is supertiny; it's less than an inch cube, with a 0.75-inch driver, and better yet, it's powered by a built-in lithium battery. There's also … Read more