The Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) offers Family Weeks at three different camps — Pinewoods near Plymouth, Massachusetts; Timber Ridge in West Virginia; and Ogontz in New Hampshire’s White Mountains — that provide a folk music vacation for the entire family. “Family Week tends to draw people with a high level of interest in dancing or music making or both,” says Mitzie Collins, 66, of Rochester, New York, who has attended Family Week for many years both as an instructor and as a participant.It was thanks to Collins and other like-minded musicians that Family Week began. A hammered and mountain dulcimer teacher, Collins frequented adult camps organized by CDSS, and she and other musical parents found themselves saying, “Gosh, we’re having such a good time. Wouldn’t it be great if our kids could do this?”They approached CDSS management, which was initially concerned about how kids could be integrated into a camp. But it was the 1970s and change was in the air. CDSS, and some interested campers, came up with a structure and Family Week was born.Back then, Collins only wanted to share her love for music with her family. She had no idea how quickly Family Week would blossom into something truly extraordinary.

Sweetness and Loveliness“At an adult camp you are a little bit self-focused, and at Family Week it’s not just about you,” says Nawal Motawi, 43, a tile artist from Ann Arbor, Michigan. “There’s a sweetness and a loveliness to the people.”Motawi has attended Family Week for about five years, starting when her son, Kitson Dong, was three. “At Family Week we spend a lot of time together and I find I enjoy his company in another way,” she says. Kappy Laning, 51, serves as camp director at Timber Ridge and attends Family Week with a large blended family that includes her husband, Sam Droege, 49; her son, Stuart Hean, 16; two step-daughters, Anna, 14, and Wren, 15; their mom, Romey Pitman, 42; Pitman’s husband, Brad Seay, 41; and Pitman and Seay’s four-year-old daughter, Bizzy.Laning, a pediatric nurse from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, first attended a CDSS camp at the suggestion of a friend. “My first camp I was pregnant with my son and I’ve been coming ever since,” she recalls. “My son has grown up in this environment. He’s an avid dancer and learning to play guitar.”Romey Pitman went to camp for the first time when Bizzy was two. “It was amazing how much fun I had,” she says.“I love dancing, the music that goes with it, and playing that music,” says Pitman. “CDSS camp is a way to share my love of those things with my kids.” Pitman’s teenage daughters are both involved in music year round. Wren plays tuba and flute and Anna plays clarinet and harmonica.

A Yearly RitualThose who have tried CDSS Family Week tend to come back year after year, as they watch their children grow and mature. Families are encouraged to bring whatever instruments they play and everything is organized around making each family member feel like they are part of the group.Families eat together in a dining hall, often accompanied by live music. Each person is assigned a daily chore and they are requested to attend at least two daily gatherings.Freelance radio producer Marika Partridge, 52, of Takoma Park, Maryland, says she has attended so many camps with her husband, portrait painter Larry Ravitz, 56; son Chaney, 17; and daughters Sally, 14; and Irene, 13; that she’s lost count. “My son is high functioning autistic with special needs, and when we went to our first camp I didn’t know how he would fit in,” Partridge recalls. “It’s been really great for him and anytime that something is great for him, it’s usually great for the rest of us.”Not only has Family Camp become a relaxing time for the whole family, it’s helped Chaney discover his sense of rhythm. “Now, everyone in my family is a dancer,” says Partridge. “My son plays piano and would like to learn drums. He has a pretty good sense of pitch and he’s learning harmony, and the dancing reinforces that.” Additionally, Partridge plays piano, tin whistle, and ukulele and her husband plays sax and flute. “My daughter Sally is really blossoming as a guitar player, and plays fiddle and accordion, and Irene is a piano player.” The family packs a number of instruments for family week.For children and adults alike, Family Week is a chance to perform in a friendly environment. “Kids have a chance to join the dance band,” says Mitzie Collins. “That’s often a real eureka moment because people dance along with their playing and they get to be functioning musicians in the community.”“It’s great watching the kids bring their fiddle that they may have started at school and they try it out at camp and become part of the camper band,” says Laning. “The next year they come back and they are even better on the instrument, or maybe another instrument.”

A Sacred RetreatJust as campers are encouraged to bring musical instruments they are discouraged from bringing electronic gadgets and video games. And there’s no TV and Internet access in the cabins. “CDSS Family Camp is a kind of sacred retreat,” explains Collins. “We’re modeling a much healthier way of living,” says Partridge. And, although live music from jam sessions and dances can be heard all day long, there are plenty of other activities to keep families busy, such as swimming, canoeing, organized hikes, crafts, and even some built-in time to just read or relax. “Some of the best times I’ve ever had were at camp,” says Nawal Motawi. “The whole package is fun: being outdoors more than we ever are in our urban life and sharing music with other people.”

Learning for Young and OldFamily Week is an educational experience for the entire family and daily classes, divided by age group, are held both in the morning and afternoon.“All children are required to go to the classes and the teachers are top-notch and experienced,” says Laning. “In all my years at the camp I’ve never had a child refuse to go. We always find a way for it to work out and everyone ends up having a great time.”For younger children classes begin at age two and focus on singing, movement, dancing, and crafts. From age eight and nine children begin to learn clogging, body rhythm, social dances, and longsword.“It’s brain gym; all the dances and movement patterns they are getting out of this are vital for the development of the brain,” says Partridge. “The teachers watch the children and they know who needs extra help.”Ten to 12-year-olds sing, dance, and clash sticks together, while learning about music around the world. Adult classes, for age 13 and older, include contra, clog, and swing dance, longsword, family band for ages 10 and up, mummers, and harmony.“It’s great for grown-ups, as well as children,” says Partridge, whose husband has early onset Parkinson’s. “He’s in good shape, but the dancing is great for him. It’s healthy for all of us and uses all our faculties.”“A lot of times we send our kids off to do wonderful things, all the while they are thinking, ‘If it’s so wonderful, why aren’t the grownups doing it?’ says Collins. “The kids see that this is important enough for grownups to do too. It also provides a wonderful model for doing things with their own families.”The camp is a particularly great experience for teenagers, who are treated as adults and learn social skills, alongside musical skills, which carry over into their home life. Collins stresses that this is especially useful as the teenage years are often the time when we “lose” our children.“Kids don’t get to talk to adults that much,” she explains. “At camp they get an appreciation for other capable adults who are not critical of them and see them as separate people. That’s particularly important for teens.”“My teenage daughter told me that it’s the only place where she feels she can just completely be herself,” says Romey Pitman. “They don’t have to act cool and tough the way they do at school; they are full participants in the adult community. They play music and dance with the grownups, but they also play with the little kids and look out for them. All the ages are engaged in such a healthy way.”

Total Immersion in MusicEach evening at 8:30 p.m. a guitarist leads all those children under age 10 to their cabins for bedtime. Once they are safely tucked in bed, parents are free to return to the dancing and live music, while roving babysitters monitor the children.“It’s a great vacation for a mom,” says Partridge. “Live music, dancing, wholesome activities, really nice people, and the community is fantastic.”CDSS’s staff of professional musicians and music teachers interact with camping families in every aspect of the camp, including bringing their own families along to camp.“Music is integral to everything we do at camp,” says Laning. “We are spoiled by the live music at camp. We appreciate the musicians who are performing and we are also inspired by them.”“You can join the band or just sit around and play,” says Partridge. “If you are a younger player who wants to learn something new, the musicians always, always take time to do that.”She has fond memories of jamming poolside with Family Camp teacher David Cantieni, a flutist from the group Wild Asparagus. “I play the ukulele and he tells me what I could be doing to accompany him,” says Partridge. “He’s teaching me tunes and strums and I’m really coming along because of this informal work.”“There could be a craft project going on and nearby people are jamming,” explains Collins. “So the kids are hearing music while they are doing other things. That’s so valuable. There are lots of ways to teach music. You can teach it in a classroom, but people all over the world learn music more from just being around it. This is a more organic way.” “My favorite part is the multisensory nature of it,” she adds. “You are in a pine woods, away from the world and yet you are immersed in music and dance. I go to a lot of different music festivals, but rarely am I so immersed.”

Musical LegacyMany of the adults who bring their children to Family Camp see it as a way of passing down the tradition of folk music and dancing. “This folk world is such a healthy world,” says Laning. “At camp the children learn that it’s a wonderful community and they have a tendency to either stick with it or stick close to it as they grow up.”“We were not thinking generationally back when Family Camp started, but we are definitely thinking generationally now,” says Collins. “There are a lot of gray hairs in any cultural activity today. You tend to get a lot of people in their 40s and 50s, which is wonderful for them but doesn’t address the next generation.”And Family Week’s generational thinking seems to be working. “Any number of kids who went to the early camps are now back on staff, running camps, and having their own children attend,” says Collins.Collins and her husband do their part to pass the tradition of folk music to the next generation, they are now bringing their grandchildren to camp each summer. “We come with a slightly changing cast each year,” says Collins. “We may have two or three generations.”“What’s really neat for us, where our grandchildren are concerned, is that we get to be around them and learn a lot about them outside of ceremonial occasions,” she says. “But yet they are not with us all the time.” “We have the best, silliest whole week,” says Partridge. “We get to enjoy music, dancing, singing, and we even have a parade. We come home with songs stuck in our heads … It’s pure joy!”

For more information visit the country dance and song society website at www.cdss.org or view Making music’s calendar of Music camps at makingmusicmag.com/calendar/camps.html.

Modern Guilt dives in with folky opener “Orphans”. It has a distant bass sound in the beginning. Once the guitar enters and Beck voices out, the track just hits the jackpot like that. It produces a country-like atmosphere to it, folk and country rock altogether. Indie artist Cat Power also known as Chan Marshall is also featured here to lend her vocals to Beck. In the bridge, the additional flute is a thing to watch out for. Very well-harmonized vocals on Orphans towards the end. Very tempting opener that will haunt especially the adults.

“Gamma Ray” is a faster tempo track and i wouldn’t mind if i’ve been hit by Gamma Ray. The music itself speaks for itself. The vocals of Beck just add extra pump and weight to the whole song. The bass and drums keep re-looping themselves until they hit a climax further down into the track. In the verse, the music seems to be taking a break and slowly build itself for a breakthrough in the coming chorus. Every phrase that Beck sings is followed by gospel-like backing vocals. I just love the music on Gamma Ray, infectiously groovy!

“Chemtrails” is a track that suddenly slows down Modern Guilt’s momentum. Listening to Chemtrails revokes your imagination, you would like you’re dreaming. The piano and the synthesizers just create a soundscape that is so unreal, you be dreaming away listening to Chemtrails. Even Beck’s vocals on Chemtrails blends in very well with the music. Full of howls and moans to greatly enhance the atmosphere of Chemtrails. The remaining one minute instrumental, you would enjoy the beautiful violin that plays on just before the track ends and fades into silence. What an experience!

“Modern Guilt” has a steady drum beats once it enters. Beck moans through each phrase with his vocals. Combined with the music, Beck is twisting his vocals here and there to accustom himself to Modern Guilt. Entering the chorus, the guitar just comes plucking itself in and it’s really good, Beck just goes on with, “Modern guilt, i’m stranded with nothing… Modern guilt, I’m under lock and key…” In the bridge, the piano and violin speak for themselves. Beck just adds in some vocal effects to complement the music. Until the end, the whole track seems to be saving the best for last. It’s very beautiful and i find myself swaying away listening to it.

The bass in the beginning of “Youthless” really revs me up. It’s very tight and fast the way the bass is being played on Youthless. Even Beck sings as if he’s rapping softly at between intervals. When it comes to the chorus, Beck just sings at a slightly higher pitch that seems to be echoing itself through the chorus, “And they’re helpless and forgetting in the background holding nothing, and they’re youthless and pretending with their bare hands holding nothing…” The synthesizers also seems to be having fun from here onwards, coming in and out, creating some cute sounds at intervals that delight us. Towards the end, cello enters and give some extra support to the bass. Very smartly composed music, very tight!

“Walls” already surprises me in the beginning. The violin-like sound created by synthesizers is really the core music on Walls. Beck just sings on as the music goes on like that. Approaching the chorus, there’s a lady-like sound in the background, sometime i would think that it’s Alvin from The Chipmunks which is making those funny sounds. Cat Power is again featured on this track in the chorus, where she would join Beck, “Hey what are you gonna do, when those walls are falling down, falling down on you…” The music on Walls just ends almost the way it started. Weirdly good!

“Replica” is fast and delicate simultaneously. The beats on Replica are tight and light. Due to a distant sound in the music, it makes the whole track sort of delicate. Delicate enough you would also hear Beck singing in a distant voice. Piano can also be heard in this track as Beck sings. Nearing the end, the violin only comes in and the whole track turns into an instrumental adventure before fading itself to night.

“Soul Of A Man” sounds like a rock track for the army. The bass line just follow every lyrics that Beck sings, like a chick following its mother. Handclaps and guitar riffing can also be heard as Beck sings through the track. When the chorus comes, the whole track seems to be floating in mid-air and Beck goes, “Cold was the storm, that covered the night…” Soul Of A Man is at times like a folk rock track that would definitely be appeal to the old ages. It’s not loud, but its groovy beat will get onto you quietly.

“Profanity Prayers” is an upbeat track with infectious drum beats and smart vocals that just know how to enter and exit. Beck can be heard singing in a speedy voice in the verse. In the chorus, he just raises his pitch and let go of his vocals that echo back to him, “Who’s gonna answer, profanity prayers, who’s gonna answer, these profanity prayers…” I also like the guitar that enters in the chorus, it has this special rhythm with it. When Beck is not singing, the music just plays itself out. And i have to say, it’s really good!

Beck ends Modern Guilt with slow-driving “Volcano”. Beck’s voice on this track gives a hint that he might be tired from all the singing that he has done on Modern Guilt. Therefore he’s taking it slow with Volcano. When it comes to the first chorus, you would hear some backing vocals helping Beck out when he goes, “I don’t know what I’ve seen, was it all an illusion? Or a mirage gone bad? I’m tired of evil, and all that it feeds, but I don’t know…” With the backing vocals, it sounds really great as it adds the definitive weight to Volcano and Beck’s voice. Volcano is slow but it’s able to gulp you down slowly after listening to it a few times. Once you get the hook of it, you would find it hard to drop it. Sometimes it’s just beautiful!

Cheers!Darren TanIndiesurf.com

Balloons are  a definite no. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns parents and guardians of young children about the suffocation hazard presented by uninflated toy balloons and pieces of broken balloons.

Of all children’s products, balloons are the leading cause of suffocation death, according to CPSC injury data. Since 1973, more than 110 children have died as a result of suffocation involving uninflated balloons or pieces of balloons. Most of the victims were under six years of age, but the CPSC does know of several older children who have suffocated on balloons.

“Toy Basketball Nets” (11 million) can strangle children on loops or openings in nets that come unhooked from the rim or have knots that slide. CPSC is aware of more than 20 reports of children under 5 years old whose head or neck caught in the net of a toy basketball set, and an 18-month-old child died after becoming entangled in a partly unhooked net. People should remove and throw away nets that can unhook or have knots that slide. Call the manufacturer to get new nets that securely attach to the rim and do not have sliding knots.

“Swimming Pool Dive Sticks” (19 million) can cause rectal or vaginal impalement if children fall or land on the dive stick. CPSC knows of nine impalement injuries and three non-impalement injuries to children 5 to 11 years old. People should stop using the hard plastic dive sticks and throw them out. Depending on the dive sticks owned, consumers can receive a refund, replacement or repair.

“Flammable Spray String” (1 million) can cause burn injuries if sprayed around flame sources such as birthday candles. CPSC is aware of three reports of burns resulting from the use of flammable spray string. Flammable products intended for use by children are banned by federal law. Return the flammable spray string to the retailer for a refund.

“Star Wars Lightsabers” (618,000) without a battery protector could have a dislodged spring in the battery compartment, causing the batteries to overheat or rupture. CPSC and the company know of 38 reports of Lightsaber batteries overheating, including 6 reports of batteries rupturing, 3 reports of minor burns to consumers, and 1 report of eye irritation. Call Hasbro toll-free on (888) 690-6141 to get a free repair kit. Lightsabers currently being sold with the sticker “Now with battery protector” are not part of this recall.

“Pooh Poppin’ Piano” (202,000) has a carrot-shaped microphone with a green leafy top that could break off, posing a choking hazard to young children. CPSC knows of three broken parts from this toy piano. Call Tiger Electronics toll-free at (888) 748-2860 to get a replacement. Only pianos with serial numbers starting with “WT” or “CO15D” are part of this recall.

“Blue’s Clues Toy Notebooks” (3.8 million) that are recalled have red plastic coils with flexible plastic end caps covering sharply bent coil ends. The bent coil ends can break off, presenting a small parts choking hazard to children. CPSC is aware of four incidents where the end piece of the coil broke off. People should call Colorbok toll-free at (877) 677-4725 to obtain a free replacement coil. Blue’s Clues Toy Notebooks currently being sold with “Version 2″ on the back cover or lower edge of the packaging are not part of this recall.

“Precious Moments Tender Tails Stuffed Toys” (472,000) have pompoms that can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. CPSC is aware of three reports of pompoms detaching. People should cut off the pompoms and return them to Enesco to receive a different, free Tender Tails toy.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Council, more than 120,000 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries during 1998. To prevent eye injuries, the Academy offers these tips for choosing safe toys:

Tips on buying baby toys that are safe;

Select only toys and gifts that are appropriate for the child’s age and maturity level.

Avoid toys with sharp, protruding or projectile parts.

Check labels for American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) approval, to be sure toys meet national safety standards.

Consider carefully before giving BB, paint or pellet guns or air-powered rifles as gifts. They are classified as firearms and should not be considered toys. Darts, as well as bows and arrows, can also be dangerous.

Don’t forget that participating in sports such as basketball, baseball, football and hockey can cause serious eye injuries. If giving sports equipment, make sure to include the appropriate protective headgear such as helmets, facemasks or goggles with polycarbonate lenses.

 http://www.moneybizhome.com/family_articles

Aside from these, “Electronics and the Internet. That’s what kids are obsessed about today,” said Jim Silver, editor and co-publisher of Toy Wishes magazine. “They have an iPod, they are on Facebook and some are e-mailing by age five.”

1. Web Connected Toys

IToysWe all know and love Webkinz, the pioneer of the “virtual toy” revolution. Webkinz is still doing very well and now has been joined by several other toy manufacturers. Russ’s Shining Stars, TY Girlz, Barbie and now even TY’s Beanie Babies. Aside from dolls and plush toys, there’s a brand new preschool game which nicely incorporates play and technology. It’s called Me2 from IToys. Also worth noting is Clickables, a wonderful line of toys from Technosource. Clickables integrates the virtual world of Disney Fairies with toys for girls. There are a lot of other web connected toys and dolls. My collegue, the Doll Collecting guide, has a great article up on the virtual doll trend.

2. Dinosaur Toys Dinosaurs have been around for a while now, (remember the very recent Pleo?), but they certainly made their presence felt at the Toy Fair! Here is one dinosaur which was hard to miss – Kota the Triceratops from Playskool. This friendly creature is pretty tall at approximately 40 feet and is equipped with sensors, which when activated, make him move his head, tail and horns. Kids will enjoy sitting on this playful (and very pricey) creature. Another dino in the spotlight comes to use from Mattel. D-Rex, a remote controlled dinosaur with a lot of different sounds and realistic motions aims to fascinate kids this year.

3. Indiana Jones Toys

HasbroIndiana Jones is really something to look forward to this year. The movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is slated to be one of the hot movies of 2008. It’s no wonder then, that Lego, Hasbro and the rest have jumped onto Indy’s bandwagon! The plot of the movie isn’t yet revealed fully. Still, Lego had some wonderful sets based on Indiana Jones. The Indiana Jones LEGO sets include Indiana Jones Temple Escape, Indiana Jones Race for the Stolen Treasure, Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb and Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase. Some of Hasbro’s Indiana Jones offerings include Mr Potato Head: Taters of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones Sound FX Whip and of course Indiana Jones action figures.

4. Science and Nature Related Toys

Jakks PacificI noticed a large variety of Science Kits and nature themed toys at this year’s Toy Fair. Elmers (the glue company) had some really cool science kits represented by Bill Nye, the science guy. Scientific Explorer had a lot of fun kits to offer where kids can experiment with fascinating stuff like bubbles, perfumes, volcanoes and more. The biggie in the science category is none other than EyeClops from Jakks Pacific, which has updated versions(read night vision and higher magnification) available. Also, Uncle Milton of the Ant Farm fame had some cool Indiana Jones based products to show.

5. Batman – The Dark Knight Toys

MattelThe new Batman movie, The Dark Knight is slated to be released later this year. Mattel has a host of Batman related toys and action figures up their sleeve. The Stealth Batmobile and the Wayne Tech Tri Fire Blaster are must haves. Apart from those two, there are a lot of pretend play options and Batman action figures from Mattel. Lego also has some great Batman themed construction sets for release this year.

6. Speed Racer Toys

MattelSpeed Racer is another big movie franchise on which Mattel has a great lineup of toys. I know that Hot Wheels has a Morph Mach 6 vehicle and an interactive helmet to offer as well as the Speed Racer Sky Jump Track Set among other toy vehicles. The movie should spark off a craze for racing and toy cars which is going to be huge. Lego also had some great Speed Racer kits on display at Toy Fair. Personally, I think this is THE franchise to watch out for.

7. Animated Toys/Robots

Fisher-PriceOk, so by now everyone must have heard of Elmo Live, right? Well, the animated toy trend seems to be very prevalent this year with Elmo Live, Hasbro’s Biscuit, Playskool’s Kota the Triceratops, Tomy’s ISobot and more. While I’m on the topic, let me mention that I just previewed an adorable duckling from Hasbro’s Furreal Friends line – it’s too cute for words. Just like me, it seems like everyone enjoys seeing animated animals nowadays!

8. Iron Man Toys

HasbroHasbro has a fantastic line of action figures based on the Iron Man. This is another movie franchise for this year which is going to be popular with Marvel fans.

9. Green Toys

It’s no wonder that everyone is focusing on healthy and safe play this year. The “green” theme is predominant with many toy firms promoting their eco-friendly products. One toy manufacturer which I really liked was Plan toys from Indonesia which had a wonderful lineup of natural wooden toys. There were some toys made out of recycled milk bottles from a company called Green Toys. They had tea sets, gardening sets and beach sand sets on display which looked very appealing. I also noticed the Kapla line of wooden construction planks which falls into the “green” category as well. 12. Classic Toys – Lots of Anniversaries!

10. The Incredible Hulk Toys

HasbroThe Hulk was at a lot of places at Toy Fair 2008. I specially loved the Kid Designs line of Hulk laptops and learning toys. Hasbro has a fantastic lineup of Hulk toys including the much awaited Hulk Smash Hands, a plush animated Hulk toy, conventional Hulk action figures, a Hulk power glow electronic mask, a Hulk dart blaster and much more. Looks like “green” is popular in more ways than one!

11. Musical Toys

KID Designs For the last couple of years, toys based on musical instruments have really grown in popularity. Remember Piano Wizard, Piano Made Easy, I Can Play Guitar, Guitar Hero and the other toys on similar lines? This, along with musical toys based on celebrities like Hannah Montana and hit TV shows like American Idol practically dominated the musical toy scene. This year, the trend continues with some more Hannah Montana toys, new DVD games based on American Idol (KIDDesigns has an awesome American Idol DVD game) and much more. Stay tuned. (pun not intended)

12. Keyboard for toddlers, Wallcrawler Spiderman

The portable DVD player is made to withstand a kid’s abuse. It features a 3.2-inch color TFT screen, rechargeable batteries with a two-hour lifespan, an anti-skip buffer, grip handles and a stand for hands-free viewing. The player, which plays DVDs and CDs, comes with a battery charger and wall power unit, a video output jack, and a headphone jack.

13. Wall Crawler Spider-Man

“Wall Crawler Spider-Man” is a standout innovation from Hasbro. The remote-controlled Spider-Man toy, which incorporates vacuum-pump technology, actually crawls ups and down walls.

Last, but not the least, classic toys are very much in the forefront. This year, many classics were celebrating their anniversaries. Hasbro’s My Little Pony celebrated their 25th anniversary with a lovely birthday party at the Hasbro showroom, complete with a cake cutting! Cabbage Patch Kids celebrates it’s 25th anniversary as well. The LEGO brick celebrates its 50th anniversary with a commemorative gold brick. Other brands celebrating this year include Scholastic’s Clifford, the big red dog, the Toy Company’s Wham-O and Mary Meyer (who is turning 75 this year). We’ll wind up with congratulating Hasbro’s Mr Potato Head who is turning 80 this year. Way to go!

Her debut album The Fame was released in August 2008 to critical and commercial success. In addition to receiving generally positive reviews, it has gone to number one in four countries, also topping the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart in the United States. The album’s first two singles, “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” have become international number one hits, and the former was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 51st Grammy Awards. In 2009, after having opened for New Kids on the Block and the Pussycat Dolls, Gaga embarked on her first headlining tour, The Fame Ball Tour. To date she has sold over 20 million singles and 3 million albums worldwideMusically, Gaga is inspired by glam rockers such as David Bowie and Queen, as well as pop singers such as Michael Jackson and Madonna. She is also inspired by fashion, which she claims is an essential component to her songwriting and performances. She is also very supportive of the gay community, crediting them for her early mainstream success.http://www.buydvdhere.com/lady-gaga-collection-1cd1dvd-p-2576.html1986–2004: Early life and educationGaga was born on March 28, 1986 in Yonkers, New York as the eldest child to Italian American parents Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta.At 11 Gaga was set to join Juilliard School in Manhattan,[5] but instead attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private Catholic school. Having learned piano at the age of four, Gaga went on to write her first piano ballad at thirteen and began performing at open mic nights by the age of fourteen. At the age of seventeen, she gained early admission to the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. There, she studied music and improved her songwriting skills by composing essays and analytical papers focusing on topics such as art, religion, and socio-political order. Gaga later withdrew from the school to focus on her musical career.2005–2007: Career beginningsLady Gaga (left) and Lady Starlight at their weekly party New York Street Revival and Trash Dance.Gaga signed with Def Jam Records when she was 19, after record executive L. A. Reid heard her singing down the hallway from his office. However, she claims Reid never met with her, and after three months, she was dropped from the label. She moved out of her parents’ house and started performing downtown in the Lower East Side club scene, with bands Mackin Pulsifer and SGBand.Around the same time, she started taking drugs and performing at burlesque shows; Gaga said her father “just didn’t understand” it, and that he could not look at her for several months.Music producer Rob Fusari, who helped Gaga write some of her earlier songs, compared her vocal style to that of Freddie Mercury. He nicknamed her Gaga, after the Queen song “Radio Ga Ga.” She began to use it as her stage name and was known thereafter as Lady Gaga.Throughout 2007, Gaga collaborated with performance artist Lady Starlight, who helped her create her onstage fashions.The pair began playing gigs at downtown club venues like the Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and the Rockwood Music Hall, with their live performance art piece known as “Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue.” Billed as “The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Rockshow,”[16] their act was a low-fi tribute to 1970’s variety acts. In August 2007, Gaga and Starlight were invited to play at the American music festival Lollapalooza. The show was critically acclaimed, and their performance received highly positive reviews. Having initially focused on avant-garde, and electronic dance music, Gaga found her musical niche when she began to incorporate pop melodies and the vintage glam rock of David Bowie and Queen into the mix.During this time, she began writing for artists signed to Akon’s Konvict label, as well as Fergie, the Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears, and New Kids on the Block.[6] After hearing her sing a reference vocal for one of his tracks, Akon formed the opinion that she was also a good singer.[20] He ultimately convinced Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine to sign her to a joint deal with his own label, Kon Live Distribution, and would later call Gaga his “franchise player.” Through her affiliation with Akon, Gaga started to work on her own new material for her debut album with producer RedOne. Already having a solid selection of electro-glam, David Bowie-esque, and Queen-inspired songs, Gaga wanted to mix her retro dance beats with urban melodies, a pop chorus and still retain a rock and roll edge. The first song they produced together was “Boys Boys Boys”, a mash-up of Mötley Crüe’s “Girls, Girls, Girls” and AC/DC’s “T.N.T.”2008–present: The FameGaga performing at the New Kids on the Block: Live tour.By 2008, Gaga had relocated to Los Angeles, working closely with her record label to finalize her debut album The Fame. Gaga said that she combined a lot of different genres on the album, “from Def Leppard drums and handclaps to metal drums on urban tracks.” She began to work with a collective called the Haus of Gaga, who collaborate with Gaga on her clothing, stage sets, and sounds. The Fame received mostly positive reviews from critics; according to the music review aggregation of Metacritic, it has received an average score of 71/100.Times Online described the album as “a fantastic mix of Bowie-esque ballads, dramatic, Queen-inspired midtempo numbers and synth-based dance tracks that poke fun at celebrity-chasing rich kids.” The Fame peaked at number one in Austria, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ireland, and at number four in Australia and the United States; worldwide sales as of July 2009 stand at 3 million copies. The album’s lead single, “Just Dance,” was released on April 8, 2008, and has topped the charts in six countries – Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It received a Grammy nomination for the Best Dance Recording, but lost to Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” The second single, “Poker Face”, was released on September 23, 2008, and has reached number one in nearly twenty countries, including almost all major music markets in the world. “Poker Face” became Gaga’s second consecutive number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2009.Afterward, the Haus of Gaga turned its focus further upon the American market with Gaga going on her first ever concert tour with fellow Interscope pop group, the reformed New Kids on the Block. Gaga started her stint with them in Los Angeles on October 8, 2008, and continued through the end of November.[30] She appeared as a guest artist on the song “Big Girl Now” from their new album, The Block.[31] Gaga’s first headlining North American tour, The Fame Ball Tour, began on March 12, 2009, and has received critical acclaim. In May, Gaga opened for the Pussycat Dolls in Australia. Her performance there was well-received, with a reviewer claiming that she upstaged the Dolls.Around the same time, the music video for her international third single, “LoveGame,” was banned by the Australian channel Network Ten, who refused to play the video reasoning that it contained sexually explicit imagery.Gaga appeared semi-nude, wearing only plastic bubbles, on the cover of the annual ‘Hot 100′ issue of Rolling Stone in May 2009. In the issue she discussed that while she was making her beginnings in the New York club scene, Gaga was romantically involved with a heavy metal drummer. Gaga described their relationship and break-up, saying of it, “I was his Sandy, and he was my Danny [of Grease], and I just broke.” He later became an inspiration behind some of the songs on her debut album The Fame.[39] Gaga also stated that she is bisexual and is inspired by beautiful women, which she says makes her boyfriends “uncomfortable.”[39] She later regretted disclosing her orientation, saying, “I don’t like to be seen as somebody who is using the gay community to look edgy. I’m a free sexual woman and I like what I like. I don’t want people to write that about me because I feel like it looks like I’m saying it because I’m trying to be edgy or underground.”She had previously told a crowd at one of her concerts that her song “Poker Face” lyrically discusses fantasizing about a woman while being in bed with a man. Gaga appeared on rapper Wale’s single “Chillin.”Gaga was nominated for a total of nine awards at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for “Poker Face” and Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Special Effects, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction for “Paparazzi.[43] “Poker Face” managed to win the award for “Best New Artist” while “Paparazzi” won two awards for “Best Art Direction” and “Best Special Effects.”On September 15, 2009, Gaga announced dates for a co-headlining North American tour with Kanye West entitled, “Fame Kills Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga.”Musical style and influences Lady Gaga “Just Dance” A 30-second sample of Gaga’s “Just Dance” featuring the chorus sung by Gaga and Colby O’Donis in the range of B3 to C? backed by a synth marching beat. The song became Gaga’s first international hit single. Problems listening to this file? See media help. Gaga has been primarily influenced by glam rockers such as David Bowie and Queen, pop singers Michael Jackson and Madonna, artist Andy Warhol, poet Rainer Maria Rilke, fashion icon and entertainer Grace Jones, and fashion as a whole. Gaga’s vocals have drawn frequent comparison to Madonna and Gwen Stefani, while the structure of her music is said to be reminiscent of classic 1980s pop and 1990s Europop. In reviewing her debut album The Fame, The Sunday Times asserts “in combining music, fashion, art and technology, Lady [Gaga] evokes Madonna when she was good, Gwen Stefani circa Hollaback Girl, Kylie 2001 or Grace Jones right now.” Similarly, The Boston Globe critic Sarah Rodman comments Gaga draws “obvious inspirations from Madonna to Gwen Stefani… in [her] girlish but sturdy pipes and bubbly beats.” Baby A. Gil of The Philippine Star asserts that her voice is “just right for the mix of dance and rock that she does.”[50] As an artist, Alexis Petridis of The Boston Globe commented that although Gaga lacks originality, “pop music doesn’t have to be blindingly original or clever to work: it needs tunes, and Lady [Gaga] is fantastically good at tunes.” Though Gaga’s lyrics are said to lack intellectual stimulation, “[she] does manage to get you moving and grooving at an almost effortless pace.”Style and imageGaga wearing a plastic bubble dress while performing a concert on The Fame Ball Tour.Gaga has stated that she is “very into fashion” and that it is “everything” to her.[6][52] Her love of fashion came from her mother, who was “always very well kept and beautiful.”[4] She claims that: “When I’m writing music, I’m thinking about the clothes I want to wear on stage. It’s all about everything altogether — performance art, pop performance art, fashion. For me, it’s everything coming together and being a real story that will bring back the super-fan. I want to bring that back. I want the imagery to be so strong that fans will want to eat and taste and lick every part of us.” She has her own creative production team called the Haus of Gaga, which she handles personally. The team creates many of her clothes, stage props, and hairdos.Gaga has six known tattoos,among them a peace symbol which was inspired by the late English musician John Lennon who The Guardian remarked as Gaga’s “hero,”[55] and a curling German script on her left arm which quotes the poet Rainer Maria Rilke with the lines “In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer, and ask yourself, must I write?” Gaga described Rilke as her “favorite philosopher,” commenting that his “philosophy of solitude” spoke to her.In response to Gaga saying that she considers Donatella Versace her muse,[6] Melissa Magsaysay of Los Angeles Times commented, “[Gaga's] aversion to wearing a top and bottom at the same time [...] swigging champagne and being fanned by oily men in Speedos [is] very Donatella-esque.”[57] Towards the end of 2008, comparisons were made between the fashions of Gaga and recording artist Christina Aguilera, noting similarities in their styling, hair, and make-up.[6] Aguilera later claimed she was “completely unaware of [Gaga]” and “didn’t know if it [was] a man or a woman.”[6] Afterward, Gaga released a statement in which she welcomed the comparisons due to the attention providing useful publicity.[58] Gaga said, “She’s such a huge star and if anything I should send her flowers, because a lot of people in America didn’t know who I was until that whole thing happened. It really put me on the map in a way.”[58][59] Gaga is a natural brunette, but her hair is dyed blonde because she was often mistaken for fellow musician Amy Winehouse.

http://www.buydvdhere.com/lady-gaga-collection-1cd1dvd-p-2576.html

Electromagnetic flux, magnetic field, vibration of transformer, vibration of revolving mechanism with a CD player or LP turntable, laser reflection and refraction, vibrations of drivers causing coherent vibration of the whole loudspeaker, vibration caused by EMF, EMI Noise, high resistance, high impedance, etc., cause lots of problems to your hi-fi system whenever you’re turning them on. Some inferior circuit design of amplifiers may also cause harmonic distortion. As a result, your system and loudspeakers can’t get to the appropriate frequency response as stated with the specification in the manufacturer’s manual. What you would feel the sounding is like getting so thin and without as many details as a real instrument should be.

You know what? It means that no matter how dear your system is, you’re buying lots of problems at real high cost along with the hi-fi system you’ve bought, ha-ha…

Don’t get disappointed

Don’t get disappointed, I have studied and found ways to solve most of the problems and want to share with you guys. Should these problems be minimized as I suggested below, your tube system with a CD or DVD player at real low cost may sound real good and works much better than a system with the black LP turntable. Of course you must pay much more effort or hard work on your own than you can imagine. Believe it, or not…

Some expensive systems may cost you a lot only with just a little improvement in the design with the series whatever named ‘Monitor’, ‘Reference’, ‘Signature’, ‘Mark I’, ‘II’, or ‘III’, etc., but you have to pay for a lot more than what it is really worth. Some systems of higher marking, ranking or power output might even sound much worse than the previous versions. But for those who only crave for some branded systems, I’m surely sorry no one can help.

***You may doubt what I’m saying here. Those branded manufacturers do know what the problems are as I know, but they would only ask for a much higher price for a certain design with just a little improvement.

What is Electromagnetic Interference?

Electricity creates electromagnetic interference that is a common problem in which electromagnetic flux (EMF) interferes with the proper functioning of an electronic system like CD or DVD player, PC, recording system or any electronic components, especially those with PCBs whenever you turn on every piece of component of the hi-fi system.

And you can also find electromagnetic field in every corner of the Earth, we’ve got no way to eliminate EMF, all we can do is just find some ways to reduce such EMF impact by altering its path along all the cables in order to get the system improved in some way.

Electromagnetic flux starts from the power station when electric current moves along cables which may be far away from the area where you’re living and finally gets into your loudspeakers, and any video, audio systems or recording system within your house or premises shall be distorted whenever you’re turning them on. This also causes vibrations when you’re turning on any systems.

These interference problems can range from an annoying jitter of the electrical signals in either digital or analogue or images on a screen of a monitor or television, hi-fi system or recording systems including editing system and mixing system, etc., especially solid state ones, to very serious and costly problems with complex electronics.

And then this will tense up the tone of sound output of the audio system and the color images of the television or the computer monitor which are very annoying and cause the loss of details in both video and audio quality of full ranges no matter how expensive or how good your system is. That’s the reason why you can’t even turn up the volume of your system especially for those solid state amplifiers.

You may also refer to the relevant info at the path below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_interference#EMI_in_Integrated_Circuits

Systems in 4 main categories                           Interference caused by EMF

Glass Tubes with Hard Wires                              Moderate distortion – Simpler hard wire circuit with low output of about 8-watt thru the output transformer; some system of higher output will lead to lower sound quality. That’s why this sounds better than the 2 systems below though it’s still not good enough. This kind of systems may sound sweet in vocal though it’s not as real as live, then the treble and bass would get too soft.

The most famous model for this is McIntosh MC240, 6L6, push-pull, 40-watt output of each channel which was manufactured in the 60’s. Most people comment that it sounds real sweet, but there’s one thing I don’t like is the small tubes 12AX7 with the system and it can’t handle the bass well.

According to what I’m expecting from what a system can sound real as live instruments, it’s not up to my standard as well.

Glass Tubes with PCBs                                       High distortion – We call this a modern tube system as it applied PCB instead of hard wire, and it still sounds better than any solid state system,            generally speaking, but it also has higher   distortion than any tube system with hard wire circuits. If you’re an experienced audiophile, you won’t accept this at all. The modern McIntosh MC240 is of this kind, much worse than the hard wire version of McIntosh MC240.

Solid State with complex PCBs                            Severe distortion – Being too complex with the circuits on PCBs and getting interfered by EMF at least 2 or 3 times higher than tube systems with Hard Wires; the higher output like 100-watt or above of the solid state system, the severer interference which distorts the sound quality badly and causes loss of more details, and it’s not environmental friendly as well.

Any system made this way shall have higher distortion like at least 2 to 3 times higher than any tube system, and doesn’t please your ears at all.

Solid State – Vacuum Tube Hybrid                       Seriously Unclassified – I can say systems made this way never appreciate anyone’s ears.

  Golden Rules…

All these methods of shielding and reducing EMF, vibrations, applying wave absorbent, etc. below can help improve your hi-fi systems, recording system, editing system, personal computer, monitor, television set, and then you can find your TV set works better, your hi-fi systems sounds better and your PC works better than ever you can dream of… And you can’t get a real perfect system without such concerns. Or else, you’ll never know how good or how bad your system is.

Ha-ha… Money just can’t buy. Reducing electromagnetic flux and vibrations are real critical to both the video and audio quality of your system.

What I’m doing… Trials and Errors…                                                                                        What I’m doing isn’t what people or people in the trade say, because most people say what they think which doesn’t mean they understand what it really is. It all depends on what you have tried, found and proved what is right or wrong.   Sometimes what people say may fool you around and mislead you to a state of total waste and loss of time, money and fidelity; and you may spend a lot more money than what it’s necessary, or you may then change from a system to another system, a cable to another cable and a component to another component, a pair of loudspeakers to another pair of loudspeakers, you still can’t get what you really want and feel lost. I think most inexperienced audiophiles have the same experience as started at the very beginning.

Furthermore, marketing a product with a real good attraction or image doesn’t mean the product itself can give you full satisfaction in sound or video quality. Some marketing strategies don’t really care if the quality of the products itself is good enough or not, they’re just selling things out for the profits they concern. A successful marketing strategy in some way to promote some expensive and junk hi-fi systems may mean harm to audiophiles. Ha-ha…

That’s why all you’ve got to do is study why and how you can improve the system at a real low cost. At least I’ve found that vibrations, magnetic field and electromagnetic force, etc. don’t do any good to any audio or video signals in digital or analogue formats and also badly affect the performance of the whole hi-fi system. Then I’m going to understand why most systems don’t sound really good and find some way to solve the problems…

Of course training up your ears in listening to some live music with instruments is also crucial to yourself, this can be used as a real standard which nothing can replaced. Then you would find if the system has improved or not after doing a few shielding, otherwise you’re not sure if the system has improved or not.

You now can get to learn more of things relating to electricity and EMF from Encarta, Microsoft Corporation.

http://encarta.msn.com/media_461518050/Electric_Power_System.html

Right-Hand Rule 

You can visualize the magnetic field created by an electric current flowing through a wire using your right hand. Point your thumb of the right hand in the direction the current is flowing and curl your fingers as if making a fist. The magnetic field curves around the wire in the same direction that your fingers curl around the axis defined by your thumb.

1) Wave of electromagnetic energy: a wave of energy with a frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum, generated by the periodic fluctuation of an electromagnetic field resulting from the acceleration or oscillation of an electric charge. Electromagnetic waves can be reflected, refracted, and polarized, and exhibit interference and diffraction effects.

2) Area of electric and magnetic forces: a field of force associated with a moving electric charge and consisting of electric and magnetic fields that are generated at right angles to each other.

***The above impacts do affect the video and the audio quality of your system badly. Some branded manufacturers do know about and concern all these problems but what they can do is little due to higher cost of production may arise which also affect their sales and profits.

That’s why branded systems can only have little room for you to get them improved. And you have to pay a lot for only a little improvement with your systems and it doesn’t seem justified.

1) Power Section:

Electrons

Electron, negatively charged particle found in an atom. Electrons, along with neutrons and protons, comprise the basic building blocks of all atoms. The electrons form the outer layer or layers of an atom, while the neutrons and protons make up the nucleus, or core, of the atom.

Electrons, neutrons, and protons are elementary particles—that is, they are among the smallest parts of matter that scientists can isolate. The electron carries a negative electric charge of -1.602 x 10-19 coulomb and has a mass of 9.109 x 10-31 kg. “Ha-ha… They’re just too small, that’s why we must find ways to treat them well.” “Or else… I’m sorry.”

  Transformer   No matter what shape the transformer is, EI or toroidal with acute current as it vibrates when you turn on the power; it must be shielded and sealed up or separated apart from the working part with direct current. All transformers vibrate as the electric current interacts with electromagnetic means which also creates electromagnetic interference that affects any electronic systems or devices such as hi-fi system, loudspeakers, PC, recording system or TV set, etc. nearby. I have also shielded up or separated up all transformers as can be, lest EMF interfere other working parts.   Most tube systems would place the transformer on top of the chassis, in this case, transformer won’t interfere the working part directly and severely. While solid state system with PCBs would only placed the transformer within the partition inside the chassis, thus interferes the working parts which severely distort the video and audio quality of the system.   Grounding up the transformers   All transformers, such as isolation transformers, chokes, including power transformers, output transformers have to be grounded to the metallic chassis, and then the noise and interference of EMF will be somehow reduced.   Po Shan (??) Transformers

It’s not easy to get good quality transformers as there are some good ones though they’re expensive from U.S.A., Japan or England, but you still can get some good quality transformers here in Hong Kong as well, the mill called Po Shan Electronic Co., Ltd. Most of the DIY-ERS here in Hong Kong know where the mill is. And all the transformers I’ve used are made to order by Po Shan as well.

  Sealed Transformers

All transformers, no matter it is a choke, a power transformer or an output transformer, shall be sealed up by iron cap or ironclad, and then electromagnetic force won’t leak out as much which distorts the whole system.

  Chokes   A choke is necessary for filtering electric current, it does real good to the power parts and the electricity thereafter will become more linear or stable.   Electric field & Electromagnetic force on Printed Circuit Boards   Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are largely employed for building solid state systems and they’re real compact with parts indeed, that’s why any system built with this method tends to have higher interference caused by electric field and electromagnetic force which badly distorts the sound and image quality of any system as flow of electrons occurs.   You may also refer to the article at the link below:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_interference   As for CD/DVD player and D/A converter, PCBs are just fairly acceptable as the working voltage is real low. If PCBs are employed with solid state pre-amp and power amp, the sound quality of this is totally unacceptable when compared with tube glass system with hard wire circuit. That’s the main reason why solid state amplifiers don’t sound good at all.   That’s the reason why most modern glass tube systems built with PCBs never sound as good as the traditional glass tube systems built with hard wires, not to mention any solid state systems.   Of course you can also shield up every PCB, every inch of cables and apply appropriate partitions as you think fit in order to improve the sound and video quality. I have never found any system with shielded PCBs. In my case, I do shield up all the PCBs as can be.   Power cables

Power cable is real important to your hi-fi system and it’s the 1st criterion that you must concern. As the power cables provided by some manufacturers are mostly in ordinary or inferior quality which doesn’t do well with any electronic systems. That’s why I must make them on my own.

Every power cable I’m using is silver-coated copper bought in Shamshuipo, then made and designed by myself; I’ve shielded up every wire of live, neutral and earth with aluminum foil individually and wrapped them up with insulated tape separately. After that I have also braided them up with some metallic cable to alter the path of EMF. The more shielding and braiding you put on them, the more great sound your system can get.

e Isolating these 3 wires with 3 sockets will get your system improved in sound and video quality as well.  If you’re doing so, of course it’s taking up space and you would need a few power boards to get a better result. I can say there’s no such branded products made this way no matter how expensive they are.

Moreover, I would then add an EMI filter to each of the power cable to further reduce the EMI impact to each component of my metal tube hi-fi system, it sounds real great that you can’t imagine.

If your system is safe enough, the earth wire isn’t necessary and can be removed as it might cause interference from outside to your system. Of course, my system is safe enough to allow this removal of the earth wire.

***In case your want to remove it, you’d better check with an electrical technician to make sure if it can be removed or disconnected. In my case, I removed all the earth wire of all the power cables I have made.

You know, a good power cable is especially necessary for any electronic components such as CD/DVD player, D/A converter, tube buffer, tube pre-amplifier, tube power amplifier, PC, monitor screen, TV set, recording system, etc., as they’re very sensitive thru power to signals.

  Furthermore, I’ve also shielded up the power cables for the isolation transformer and the surge block filter to minimize EMF as can be.   How to treat electrons well?

An isolation transformer, surge block filter and an EMI Noise filter will improve the manner that electrons work with protection of isolation from outside and if it’s with every inch of wire within or along the system being shielded and braided up, and then the sound and image quality get improved. And it’s such a big task.

  e If your isolation transformer has an option of input and output at 240-voltage, you can use this option instead of an option of input and output at 220-voltage; at this option, it’s still 1:1 in ratio which doesn’t change the power of input and output at 220-voltage. It further enhances the isolation of electromagnetic interference coming from the outside as you fully employ the whole coil of the transformer.   And I also suggest to get a much higher power output for the isolation transformer, in my case, it’s a 3,000-watt output; it’s the higher, the better.     Power Distortion   Generally speaking, tube audio systems shall have less distortion than any solid state audio systems, the higher the power output, the worse the sound quality caused by distortion due to electromagnetic flux interference ever starts from the power station far away from the place where you’re living. Some manufacturers would design some branded products with power output of 1,000-watt each channel, but they don’t sound real good at all.   EMI Noise Filter   An EMI Noise filter is a real good part that is necessary and crucial for any CD or DVD player, D/A Converter, Pre-amplifier, Power Amplifier, Television, Computer, or any recording system, editing system, etc. as it reduces EMI Noise thus the electric current gets stable & linear before going into the component. I’ve put one each to each of my component and the improvement is crucial. Should you apply it to any component of the system and find the sounding isn’t as good as before, it means that there’s something wrong with the whole system.    EMI Noise Filter shall be applied to those digital components of hospital grade. I do recommend this to be applied to the power section of your hi-fi system or any components both for audio and video output.   Power Surge Block Filter   Surge Block Filter is also necessary to your system and it also protects your system from damage due to sudden power increase during thunderstorm that may have the risk of burning your whole system up or so.   Separation of Power Transformer   Some mill would separate power parts such as transformer, regulator, and stabilizer with an individual chassis other than the chassis for the working parts such as amplification. By doing so, this can also reduce the problem of EMF caused by the power parts which interfere the working parts which processes the digital signal concerns especially for the CD/DVD player and the D/A converter. If the situations and conditions allow such, I suggest separating all power section or part with an individual chassis other than the one with processing parts.   2) Cables Section:                                                                                               e 2 Uni-axial Cables replace 1 Interconnect Cable

Every interconnect cable that I’m using is just a single axial cable which must be shielded up, one for the positive and another for the negative pole only to replace traditional RCA interconnect cable, then I have to make and design my pre-amplifiers and power amplifiers with more RCA jacks to fit this purpose. Traditional RCA jack isn’t a good design as the positive pole will be affected by the negative pole when electrons move along while the system is working.

Normally most amplifiers with 4 RCA jacks, 2 for the left channel in white, and 2 for right in red including both input and output, but I have to make 2 more female jacks for the left channel and 2 more for the right channel. By doing so, your system sounds incredible because electromagnetic flux impact will get less severe.

There’s no such product on earth you can find with 2 more jacks for negative pole of input and output each channel, rite?

Microphone cable

  It’s crucial to have all 3 wires shielded and braided up separately for the microphone cable as well. It does reduce coloration and give better recording result.   RGB Coaxial/Component Cables  

You may refer to the photo of the cable below I posted for making RGB coaxial cables, 3 of these can make 1 good quality RGB coaxial/component cables. Most products of this in the market are made in a bundle which each of the cable represent a color will get interfere one another, but if you make it separately like 1 for the red, 1 for the green and another for the blue with shielding and braiding which will give you real good colors and video images. A single one of this even does real good as a coaxial digital cable for digital signal transmission or interconnect cable for analogue signal transmission.

 ***This cable ideally carries positive and negative signals with 2 separate metallic mesh shielded wires which gives a more ideal audio or video image. After that I would also braid it up separately to further reduce EMI as electrons move along. I would also apply 2 e uni-axial cables in between my pre-amplifiers and power amplifiers to replace the traditional one as shown in the picture.   HDMI Cable

HDMI cable carries both digital video and audio signals in a bundle which they would interfere one another and distort the true quality of each signal. Of course, that’s for sure digital signals work better than analogue.

  Cables with less than 50 or 75 ohms

Every cable I’ve made has fewer ohms than any other branded ones with 75 ohms. I have tried some good brands with specification of 50 or 75 ohms but it doesn’t sound as good as the ones I’ve made with real fewer ohms.

Silver-coated Cables                                                                                                    

All the cables I’m using including power cables; interconnect cables and loudspeaker cables are of 95% silver with 5% gold or silver-coated copper which has higher conductibility. If all these cables are not shielded and braided up individually, they won’t work as good at all.

  Length of cables, the shorter the better                                                                                              

All cables such as power cables, speaker cables, inter-connects, coaxial cables, etc. should be the shorter the better as it would have less resistance and lower chance of being distorted. Long cables shall have higher resistance and higher impact of being interfered by EMF within the environment such as magnetic field or electromagnetic flux that surrounds your system.

What is the best conductor for cables?   Silver is the best conductor for transmitting electrons, especially it’s a single strand. Even if the cable is made of silver without shielding, it won’t sound any better. I don’t suggest using pure silver as it easily gets oxidized.   Shielding and braiding up every inch of wires and cables…

As long as you would shield and braid up every inch of the wire or cable including those inside the system you’re using, it gets improved a lot, and the phase of the audio image will get more accurate. But it’s just one of the golden rules that can improve your hi-fi system.

Shielding and braiding can’t remove or eliminate all of EMF; it just changes the way and path that EMF moves from the electricity power outlet from the wall, along the cables or parts within the whole system which is distorting the video and audio output quality.

  Here you can take a look for reference at the site below:   http://www.rane.com/note151.html   Braiding up the cables   You may braid up all the cables after shielding with aluminum foil for further enhanced improvement in sound and video quality and performance of the whole system.   The site below is showing you how to braid up cables:   http://www.chimeralabs.com/diy.html   In my case, I’ve applied these 2 methods for all the cables I’m using such as power cables, coaxial cables, interconnect cables, and loudspeaker cables. This is a real good method to make a good quality cable. You can apply these 2 methods to all the cables for your components, and then it could be the best cable in the world, ha-ha…   Cables within the system   Most cables within some branded system are nicely and neatly arranged and tied up in a bundle, but this is not a good way to tie up those cables. The EMF incurred along each cable may interfere with one another. Thus, any system made this way causes loss of details and won’t sound any better.   Remarks: All cables shall be duly separated, don’t ever let the positive end get touched with the negative end. Especially, cables that carry digital signals such as coaxial cables which shall be separated away from the power cables.   3) CD/DVD Player Section:   DVD player after shielding and blacking out sounds much better than CD player.

The 2nd criterion is the quality of CD/DVD player as it’s the source which affects the sound a lot to the whole system. After shielding up the cables within, the power cable and blacking out my DVD player with a black magazine, it sounds better than some CD player without such treatments. By doing so, it doesn’t cost much; it’s much less you having to pay than the cost you pay for a certain modification with some parts of your CD player.

‘Moon Harbor’ HDMI DVD player – JungSon (??)

The player I’m using is a Chinese made DVD player called ‘Moon Harbor’ HDMI 1080i DVD player with a black magazine, it plays DVD, CDs, etc., this is a real good one when compared quality with dollars and its weight is heavy enough, and it sounds real good too. And I can say, it sounds much better than many famous foreign branded CD players. This player can also play DVD audio discs which sound much better than any CDs.

You know I’ve also blacked out the chassis inside and shielded up the power part and the working part as well. After that it sounds even much better. This component is worth every cent to the sound quality it can give you.

http://www.jungson.com/content/product_pages/dvd.htm

   ’Moon Harbor’ HDMI 1080i DVD player, its chassis is real strong and heavy. And I have blacked out the chassis with proper shielding and partitions inside, and then put some weight on top of it which further reduces the vibrations caused by the revolving mechanism.   Weight on CD/DVD player

You might put some weight heavy enough on your CD/DVD player to minimize the vibration caused by the revolving part of the drive mechanism and the transformer which cause jitter distortion to the reading of signals. It’s better to put iron weight on it.

  DVD Audio Disc

Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6 burns music DVDs treated with LPCM that gives real great sound quality which also sounds better than any CDs or LPs. You can download a free version for trial at the path below. In my opinion, I would rather burn a DVD audio disc rather than a CD. That’s why I seldom burn any audio CD anymore.

http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1173965700866#versionTabview=tab0&tabview=tab0

  CDs to LPs

Most people say CDs don’t sound good, while LPs sound much better. It’s because they somewhat misunderstand the way electrons work in the hi-fi systems and the technology in the 80’s for making a good CD wasn’t yet there. If you have applied all these methods I suggested here, your tube system will for sure sound better with a CD player than a system with an LP turntable.

Actually there are good and bad in both CDs & LPs, but there’s much more room for you to improve a system with a CD player with a black magazine than a system with a LP turntable.

  Jitters Correction Software – Nero Burning Rom 6

Nero Burning Rom 6 has a function of jitters correction which does real good in burning your CD-ROMs. You are suggested to use this software to copy and back up your CD collections. Your burnt CD-ROMs will sound better than any original CDs.

http://www.nero.com/ena/downloads-nero6-update.php

  Black is everything…                                                                                                   

If you have a CD or DVD player with a black magazine, you’re lucky… or else, can’t help improving. You know most professional stuffs come in black. Black is the color which doesn’t reflect and refract any color.

  Blacking out the CD or DVD players

If you’re not going to sell out your CD player, you can try and find ways to black it out. If the CD or DVD player is of gold or silver colored chassis and looks good but without a black magazine, I can say I am sorry, it won’t sound any better.

  4) Digital/Analogue Converter Section:

Digital/Analogue is the 3rd criterion to your system as its quality should be better than the D/A within the CD/DVD player. An external D/A converter will work better than an internal D/A converter inside a CD or DVD player, I do recommend Zhaolu (??) D2.5 which is a 24-bit D/A converter as it sounds real good at a very cheap price, much better than many branded ones. Ha-ha…

  After I’ve shielded up every single wire and PCBs of different sections inside, it sounds terrific as well.   http://www.zhaolu.com/products/d25/big1.htm    Zhaolu (??) D2.5 is a 24-bit D/A converter; I have also shielded up every piece of PCBs and wires with partitions inside. One must applied an EMI filter to any D/A converter.   5) My metal tube 6J5 buffer   I would like to apply a tube buffer right after the D/A converter and before the metal tube pre-amplifiers in order to enhance the sound quality by the metal tube 6J5, one mono tube works for one channel, much better than those branded ones using one stereo tube for both channels because each channel within a stereo tube may get interfered each other.   Tube buffer is placed within the D/A will certainly not sound good, mostly soft and fat. 6) My metal tube 6J5 pre-amplifiers   I would like my tube pre-amplifier to have an amplitude of e20-time to get the most of details of the audio source, and the metal tubes 6J5 I applied are good for such design while most branded pre-amplifiers would apply an amplitude of about 10-time instead. And I don’t use traditional interconnects as I’ve designed e uni-axial cables for my tube pre-amplifiers and tube power amplifiers. Guess you can’t find any product like this in the market, Ha-ha…   7) My metal tube 6L6 power amplifiers   My power amplifiers are of output loading below 8-watt, the power of such output is good enough for an area of room from 80 to 100 sq. feet. Its sound is so dynamic and giving you every bit of details of the audio source as well. The output loading of the output transformers for these amplifiers are of 60-watt each channel, but the actual power output for the tubes are less than 8 watt each channel and you won’t find any problem of electromagnetic saturation with it.   Loudspeakers Section:

Crossovers at the 4th order for tweeter, mid-range or woofer individually

If your loudspeakers have 3 drivers for each channel, the crossovers designed should be made separately with shielded partitions, one for the tweeter, and one for the mid-range and another for the woofer. Furthermore, you can shield up coils and capacitors which the cross-over will work precisely. I do recommend designing the crossovers at least at the 4th order or above.

  Crossovers placed externally & are shielded up as well.

I would suggest the crossovers shall be placed outside of the loudspeakers, and then the loudspeakers would sound much better because magnetic field of each driver may distort the sound quality. And if they are shielded up as well, the high range won’t get interfered by the electromagnetic flux of the mid-range and the mid-range vice versa, and then the phase of the audio image will get improved a lot.

  Sealing up magnets of drivers  

All magnets of drivers shall be sealed up by iron cap which will hold up magnetic field, thus it will reduce the magnetic field and electromagnetic flux impacts to the working of crossovers and other drivers, and then the sound quality of the driver will also improve a lot. 

  Eton drivers

Eton drivers from Germany are real good; they can perform with all the details at high definition with good frequency response from an audio source and whatever you need. If you shield them up as I suggested, they perform real great sounds that please your ears. I used these drivers to make a pair of loudspeakers with crossovers at the 4th order; they sound real good and perform well with feel of being live.

And it’s not enough; I still need shield up the magnets of them with iron sheets which gives real dynamic and nice sounding.

  This loudspeakers were designed by my friend, Mr. Bill with the 4th order crossovers placed outside of the chassis and the Eton drivers. I have shielded up cables and the magnets of the drivers which enhance the sound quality.

You may visit the Eton’s website at the paths below:

1) http://www.eton-gmbh.de/ShowPage.php?NavRoot=0&LangId=2&NavLang=2&PId=3&NavId=61

2) http://www.eton-gmbh.de/ShowPage.php?NavRoot=0&LangId=2&NavLang=2&PId=3004&NavId=170

The crossover at the 4th order without any compensation network places externally and with weight on top of the loudspeakers. I never use any banana plugs to connect the loudspeaker cable for it, just jam the cable right into the whole of connectors.

  Weight on loudspeakers                                                                                              

You can put weight on the speakers heavy enough to reduce vibration of the chassis caused by the vibration of the drivers, or else this vibration will distort the output frequencies of each driver.

You may buy some heavy objects like ‘Starry Night’ (???) granite at those masonries elsewhere or anything made of iron that weighs. My granite weighs more or less 60 pounds on top of the 2 loudspeakers or at least heavy enough. Of course, iron weight is the best for putting on loudspeakers.

Cables for Loudspeakers

Cables for loudspeakers haven’t to be very thick and long as it may cause eddy current, the thinner the better, though it doesn’t have to be too thin while it might have higher resistance and it doesn’t do any good to your system as well. And the positive end and the negative end must be shielded up individually. But the ones you can get in the market are mostly in a bundle with no shielding at all.

  Room Acoustics

The sound wave is a kind of energy which travels about 343 metres per second, thus creates problem to the sound quality of the loudspeakers as they continually create sound wave. Room acoustic panels for wave absorbent shall be duly applied to walls and corners. Normally, room for separation in between two loudspeakers is from 6 to 8 feet depending on the size of your drivers. And you can place both sides of your speakers ideally at least 2 to 3 feet away from the walls and corners.

If the room isn’t big enough, apply more panels as can be as wave absorbent. Doing so will improve the reflection of sound waves as a result which you can get to know what your system is. You can also get foam and corrugated carton board to make panels at real low cost on your own. But some branded ones are just too expensive.

  Active Loudspeakers

An active loudspeaker means a loudspeaker with an amplifier inside the chassis, an amplifier inside is mostly for the low frequency, but this amplifier may distort the performance of the drivers and the crossovers of the loudspeaker due to electromagnetic flux and vibration take place. This kind of loudspeakers never sounds as good as a regular, passive loudspeaker which doesn’t have an amplifier inside.

  Individual Chamber for each driver   For every loudspeaker I’ll make in the future shall be with individual chamber for each driver and walled by iron sheet. Thus it won’t get interfered one another.   Passive crossovers without Compensation Network   The quality of Eton drivers is good enough and that’s why I don’t need any compensation network. Compensation networks to some extent don’t do any good to the loudspeakers when they sound and consume unnecessary power output which also doesn’t do good to sound quality.   Most people or manufacturers would apply a compensation network to adjust the tone of the sound while the drivers are reproducing annoying sounds. If the drivers are of real good quality, compensation network isn’t necessary.   I don’t recommend any electronic crossover, as most electronic crossovers in the market are solid states which won’t sound real good at all unless you would attach a tube buffer to it.   9) Burning CDs & DVDs Section:   Black burners  

Burning CDs with a CD or DVD writer with a black magazine will improve a lot at a real slow speed such as 4 or 8-x as it has less laser refraction and reflection problems. Furthermore we must find way to reduce vibration caused by the revolving mechanism.

  Black CD-ROMs

Burning your CDs with black CD-ROMs, it gets improved in sound quality as well because it has less problem of reflection and refraction of laser beam. Of course, the quality of the PC system you’re using to burn up CD-ROMs is also very crucial.

  Enhancing the PC for burning Audio DVDs & CDs

Most PCs tend to have bugs; it’s not easy to get them work in a perfect condition. All I do is to treat my PC and the monitor as good as my hi-fi system as I shielded it up as much as can be. The main reason why I treat my PC this way is just for burning CDs since I’ve found most original CDs don’t sound real good.

I have backed up all software with the black CD-ROMs and used disc copy function of Nero Burning Rom with jitter correction, including OS, burning software, and then I would use all the backup copies of black CD-ROMs to install my PC. By doing so, the whole system would have fewer bugs than the PC installed with the original software.

You can also download a software called ‘Gavotte RAM Disk’, then you can make a partition out of the physical ram like at least 1 Gigabyte as a physical hard disk, then applied the virtual memory to it, the whole system will work better than as usual. Or you just can set the virtual memory to 10 Gigabytes if the free space of your hard disc allowed. I would set the virtual memory to another partition in case it’s allowed. And you can also create some partitions with your hard disk just for burning CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs.

I have also disabled some services and functions of the Windows XP OS which are automatically working in the background. By the time I am burning any CDs or DVDs, I just want the OS work as little as possible besides the burning software.

It’s better to get an external hard disk drive and an external black DVD/CD-ROM writer with a black magazine with external power supply away from your PC, thus minimize the impact of electromagnetic interference. And I would use black CD-ROMs for burning CDs as well.

  That’s why most CDs and DVDs I have burnt after enhancing the PC which should have been improved and they sound much better than any original CDs. And then I have thrown away all the originals, ha-ha…   Original DVDs and CDs don’t sound real good.

I have never listened to music with original CDs or DVDs for quite a long time as they don’t sound real good at all. Since my friends taught me how to burn CDs 7 or 8 years ago, I started studying why and how to burn a real good DVD and CD. It’s most crucial factor that CD or DVD is the primary audio source that affects the final output thru the loudspeakers.

Firstly, electromagnetic flux also gives serious impacts to recordings as it gives coloration during recording when the recording system, editing system are turned on. One should shield up every cable connected to the system, or else, it’s hard to record a true audio image to live.

Secondly, CD is a kind of software with digitally simulated analogue signals which has been die-cast or bumped, then metallic plated. Original CDs made this way tend to have errors as the die may wear out during bumping. That’s the main reason why the first copy will sound best while the last copy; maybe the 10,000th one can’t sound as good as the 1st one.

It means that every copy made this way may sound differently as the die may wear out as it bumps again and again. That’s why I would burn it up and the digital signals will be improved in a correct manner through the digital processing of a CPU of computer.

That’s why we can’t find original CDs never sound good as real live.

Rubbing out the CD/DVD edge

You may rub out the CD/DVD edge to improve the sound quality of the CD/DVD. The size of CD gets smaller; it gets more stable during revolving and less friction with the air.

Painting up CD/DVD edge in black

You can get it improved by using a flat black ‘Zebra’ McKee marker to paint up the CD/DVD edge in black; the sound quality can also improve a little bit, better than doing nothing because it reduces the problems of reading errors influenced by reflection and refraction of the laser beam. Of course, you can also paint it up after rubbing off the CD/DVD edge as the improvement in sound is much better.

      Recordings concerns…

Shielding is also important to all recording systems including digital recorder, mixing system and editing system. EMF also gives coloration and distorts the quality of recordings. But unfortunately, most recording engineers neglect this problem. That’s why there’s not much good quality recording you can get on earth.

All these methods I put down here in my blog also do real good to recordings. Unfortunately there are not many good recordings you can get here in Hong Kong both for audio CDs or movie DVDs. Most of them are like junk I can say, bad singing, bad recordings, or badly editing or bad mixing, etc, while some movies from the States give real good live recordings.

As for some playhouse in China, you can find some good recordings there too, but for those in Hong Kong, they never do as professional as can be or just spoil things up. 

  Painting up the edge of CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs in black   Before you’re burning CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs in black with a flat black ‘Zebra’ McKee marker, this also improves the burning quality because it further reduces the problem of laser reflection and refraction.   Warning: Those who wish to burn CD or DVD back-ups must observe and must not violate the law of copyright infringement; otherwise you shall bear all responsibilities or liabilities of legal proceedings at your own risks.   Burning Software   There are 2 burning programs I strongly recommend that, one is Nero Burning Rom and another is Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6. Especially, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6 is a program that’s real good in burning DVD Audio discs, the copies it burns are much better replaying quality than any CDs. You can download the trial versions for trying and burning before you make any decision to buy.   There’s free burning software which is also a real good one called ‘Ashampoo Burning Studio 6’, you may download it at the path below:   http://www.softpedia.com/get/CD-DVD-Tools/Data-CD-DVD-Burning/Ashampoo-Burning-Studio-Free.shtml   10) Other Improvements Section:                                                                                   Do-It-Yourself   If you’re a DIYER, you’ll have more room to get your system improved and it doesn’t cost much, if not, you can’t find much room for improving the sounds of most branded systems.

Cans made of Iron

You can get cans out of fruits or juice can, you can get it at any supermarket or store, some cans may fit the size of the tubes you’re using, they can act as a good shielding tool to your tubes and they cost little.

Cones that reduce vibration

Cones are suggested to place right under loudspeakers and CD or DVD players as they would reduce vibration. Theoretically, 3 cones form perfect plain, but 4 cones will be more appropriate and secure for some heavy objects, and then you can put some weights heavy enough on top to further reduce vibration problem.

Partitions with insulated iron

Ironclad partitions are crucial especially with power to signals transmission. Signals are easily be distorted by running power which gives serious impact to both video & audio quality. And partitions are real good to loudspeakers as well; there might be a chamber for each driver.

Magnetic rings

Magnetic rings can block up electromagnetic flux, you can apply them onto the wires or cables with positive poles only. But the effect of improvement for this isn’t as crucial as shielding.

Heat reducing

You can get some kind of metallic heat sink to reduce heat of transformers and tubes, thus the whole system works better. The higher temperature of your system, the higher the impedance that also distorts the way your system works.

  What materials for shielding can be applied to?

You can get iron sheets or iron mesh pipe, aluminum foils from shops that sell tools or metals. These materials shall be fully wrapped up by 3M vinyl insulating tape or heat-shrinkable insulating pipe, and then applied to any part of the system that carries digital or analogue video and audio signals as isolation to parts that create electromagnetic flux, and then you can find the improvements you can’t even dream of… And these materials are real cheap stuff.

The best shielding methods

Every cable shall be individually shielded up by iron mesh pipe and aluminum foil which reduce the interference by electromagnetic flux and electric field. Unfortunately, we can hardly find this kind of product on earth unless you make it on your own. Ha-ha… everything is on your own.

Aluminum and Copper have a high conductivity, but a low relative permeability. They are good for electric field shielding, but not good for magnetic shielding.

  Low frequency magnetic field shielding is very difficult with non-ferromagnetic materials like Copper or Aluminum, but very effective with steel or iron (having a high permeability at low frequency). On the other hand, copper and aluminum are very good for electric field shielding due to their high conductivity.   You can even braid up every inch of the cables with some cheap quality cables, it also minimize the distortion caused by electromagnetic flux. I applied all these 3 methods to the cables and that’s incredible.   Stands made of Iron or Steel

Stands for placing your components are best made of iron or steel which shields up electromagnetic field and reduce the distortion to your system caused by EMF. Stands made this way are also heavy enough that vibrations caused by electromagnetic flux and revolving mechanism won’t be coherent with one another.

  Poles isolation

Positive pole and negative pole of any cables or circuit shall be shielded up and isolated. Unfortunately, it’s hardly found any product of inter-connect or speaker cables being shielded up or isolated independently. There’s no such product you can find in the market unless it’s made and designed by yourself.

  eIn my case I would make a single cable for the positive end and another cable for the negative end separately, and I would name this as uni-axial cable, 2 of these instead of a traditional co-axial cable further reduce EMF impact.   Chassis made of iron or steel

Chassis made of iron or steel is the best chassis for any electronic systems. Chassis made of aluminum and copper will be only good for electric shielding. Materials must be real thick, firm and heavy to reduce vibrations that caused by EMF.

Connecting cables to your loudspeakers

It’s better to jam the cables right into the hole of banana jacks of the loudspeakers than to use banana plugs instead. The points of contact of banana jacks are real small which doesn’t do any good to transmission of electrons and sound quality at all.

  Perfect Triangle   It’s best to get a perfect triangle to place your loudspeakers with your seat to enjoy and get the best focus image with your listening environment.

Room Acoustic Panels made by corrugated carton board

The sound wave travels about 343 metres per second; it means that if the room is about 10 metres long, it travels about 34 times to and fro from one wall to another in a second which also creates sound reflection & refraction and thus distorts the sound waves