Sony ICD-PX470 digital voice recorder

I bought this Sony ICD-PX470 voice recorder yesterday as I feel I may need to record conversations between clients and me. Sometimes, agreements are verbal and when it comes to proving it, it can be rather difficult. I used to use a Sony UX560 digital voice recorder ages ago…about 6 years back, when I was in charge of a big project. That voice recorder saved my ass countless times. So when I had the chance, I plonked down about $80 for this voice recorder. I also bought a 32Gb SD card for it for extra storage. I have yet to put it through its testing but this is a Sony. And it just works.

Sony three-way bookshelf speakers

In January 1996, I decided to gift myself a new mini-component system for my room. The Sony mini-compo system that I bought had a three tray carousel type of CD player, a tuner and a double cassette deck. It sounded fabulous and I used to blast it sometimes in the morning while preparing for work. However, nothing lasts forever and that could be said about the amplifier, CD and tuner combo part of the mini-component system. It just died. I still kept it there, hoping to revive it some day but unfortunately, that day never came. So one day, I decided to trash the damn thing but keep the speakers. The speakers are still surviving to this day, powered by a Kramer 907 amplifier that I found while my company was shifting office. These speakers are really powerful and are pretty loud. And the best part of it all? They sound fantastic. Love you Sony. Sorry I cannot say the same thing about the main part of your component system.

Monster Sony speakers

I came across these speakers in a shopping mall sometime last week. I wonder if it is a refresh of their old line of speakers that was simply laughable. It certainly looks the part. When I had a look behind the speaker, the thin speaker wires and the wires to control lighting behind the woofer were still present. Looks like this is still a novelty and it is just not worth it. If you are looking for something to power your next event, get something else.

Sony Professional Walkman

About twenty years ago…no…more than that, I thought of buying one of these professional walkman recorders by Sony to record stuff. One of the things I wanted to record was some of the comedy sketches being played on the airline entertainment channels. It was during that time when I used to fly a lot, because of my job and all. In any case, I also wanted to record the radio stations overseas because I liked their stations…so funny and entertaining. I remember looking at these Sony recorders and was weighing in on buying one of them but I never bought it in the end. The reason? Many shops here did not have this!

The beautiful thing about this Walkman is that it has a level control and it could record on chrome and metal tapes, which were better than the normal tapes. This professional walkman in the end remained one of those things I wanted to get but did not get.

Sony New Ultra batteries

Just the other day, while I was doing an event, I had found out that I had forgotten to pack batteries for my wireless mic. I got bloody mad at myself, kicking myself for not following what I preached. So I go to a neighbourhood shop near the event and bought myself these Sony batteries for my AKG wireless mic. One thing I can say…luckily my AKG wireless mic uses only one battery. That is because these batteries were shit. I know that they are not alkaline batteries like Energizer or even Duracell but even ordinary GP batteries are better than this one. Beggars cannot be choosers unfortunately so I ended up using all these batteries for the show. But I will say…a lesson learnt! No more Sony batteries!

Sony 8Gb thumb drive

A friend gave this to me as a present some time back. When I first got this USB drive, I noticed how flat and small it was. I was a bit worried about the contacts of these because they are exposed. I have always avoided buying thumb drives like these because of that. But I can safely say, after one year of using this, I find that it is not the case. The only complaint I have against this thumb drive is ironically, its tiny size. It can get lost pretty easily! Looks like I will have to fasten a zip tie on this to keep it secure. But I like this thumb drive. It’s amazing how a thumb drive this small can look so cool

Rolls MX42 stereo mini mixer

I saw someone had posted this for sale in an audio sales group in Facebook and I thought it that it was a mighty fine piece of equipment. First of all, it does not need any power. According to the Rolls website:

The MX42 is a four channel stereo mixer. The unit mixes up to four stereo RCA signals such as CD or cassette players with VCR units, even computer sound cards or MP3 players. All signals are mixed via stereo 100K ohm potentiometers to stereo RCA output connectors. The unit is passive, requiring no power.

These are the specifications of the mixer, for those who are interested.

 

• Input Impedance: 10K to 47K Ohms
• Output Impedance: 2.5K to 10K Ohms
• Gain: -12 dB MAX

That is great to hear and it will be a great and better way of mixing various audio sources at maybe  a small bar or shop. I remember that I used to use a crappy Sony SB-12 back in the day:

This thing is just horrible and after a while, those keys have difficulty in staying down. Bloody POS. But that Rolls mixer looks good. I might get one for bars when I do my installs in future.

TEAC A-707 DC Integrated Stereo Amplifier

I saw this TEAC A-707 amplifier being sold on Ebay and I remember that my friend Simon used to have this amplifier.. I remember that back in the day…must have been the early 80s when we used to go to Simon’s house and blast his stereo that included this amplifier…it sounded pretty powerful and I was in awe of it. It is only just now that I found out that this amplifier only pushed about 50 watts per channel. I tell you, back in the day, those bloody LED and VU meters on amplifiers used to fool you into believing that the amps could output massive amounts of power. The Sony amplifier my dad had was a very good example!

In any case, we used to use this amplifier back then even for mobile parties. I remember a party in 1983 at my house when we used this amplifier and we rocked the house. The last time I actually saw this amplifier in action was the late 80s. But it did bring back memories…memories of the days when we were young and foolish.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P2

I bought this camera in 2002. This was a time when I needed to get a digital camera as I was sick and tired of using the old Olympus camera that my workplace had. It cost me about $600 then…pretty pricey but I liked it because…it was a Sony! Unfortunately, I do not feel the same about Sony nowadays. But anyway, back to the camera. It was all of 2 megapixels and only had a 16Mb (yes, you read that right…16 megabytes) proprietary Memory Stick. But it lasted me six years. In 2008, I bought my Panasonic Lumix and that camera has been with me since then, replacing this Sony Cyber-Shot. But this camera brought back lots of memories and I will always remember it and the fantastic photos it took, even though the photos were pretty small. Thanks for the memories Sony!

LG X-BOOM CM9730

I remember chuckling to myself when I wrote that article on the Sony LBT-SH2000 “DJ” sound system. I thought that would be the end of it as far as ridiculous, riding-the-DJ-wave-sound-systems was concerned but nooo….. along comes LG with their LG D.J. X-Boom CM9730 sound-system. Sigh. Here we go again.

On their website, LG states that this system is capable of handling “25,000 watts Powerful Sound”. Bloody hell. Yeah…I can just imagine it. Speaker cables look less than 16 AWG, plus 25,000 watts of “Powerful Sound” can take on any speaker system in the market now…yep…even powerful line arrays. LOL! Really. And check out the link to their website above. When I went to check the specifications, LG claims that:

Design, features and specifications subject to change without notice. Screen images simulated and/or dramatized. Some features in videos may not be available on all models.

Now LG, what does that mean exactly? Please tell me! And to add to this:

Mini hifi systems from LG give you the incredible power and sound quality you need to take parties to another level. At LG, you’ll also find home entertainment systems packed with features that make them sound even better than they look.

Wow. That’s rich. So (snigger, chuckle) if you want to get a sound-system that can take on a full concert line-array system, get this. 25,000 watts of “Powerful Sound” guys. It will blow you away! So all you sound rental companies, make sure this in your arsenal of audio equipment. This is an ROI dream!