speakers

Replacing the foam speaker surround on my JBL speakers

About ten years ago, I bought a pair of used JBL J520m bookshelf speakers. They have nice, wood cabinets, a great-sounding woofer and tweeter, and a classic look (they don't really look dated, like 90% of 80s and 90s-era speakers).

JBL J520m speaker wall mounted with grill cover next to TV
Doesn't it look stately?

Whenever you buy used speakers, you should check the woofer cone and foam surround, as these are usually the first parts to deteriorate and cause terrible distortion in certain situations. In my case, the speakers had been stored in someone's garage for a few years, so I knew the foam wouldn't last long. When purchased, the foam flexed okay, but this year I noticed both speakers started making funny noises during explosions or low bass notes during movie and music playback.

Buzz or Hum in Computer Speakers

I recently spoke with an audio engineer (my Dad, who has worked in radio for many years) about something that's been bugging me for many years: Why do almost all computer speakers have some sort of annoying buzz or hum?

I know it has to do with voltage differences, power, RF emissions, etc... but I wanted to know more about what I could try to do to reduce the level of the noise. I've tried things like plugging everything into one outlet/power strip, using a filtered power adapter, using a ground loop reduction magnet, etc., with varying degrees of success.

Power/Amp-induced buzz

60hz buzz in a speaker is typically induced in the power lead. If that is the case, the buzz will be in the speakers even if the audio connections are removed.

If the buzz is there with audio input to speakers is disconnected, the problem is the AC adapter, the actual power supply (from your mains), or the amplifier for the speakers (usually, for computer speakers, these are in one of the speakers or inside the subwoofer).

Review: Bose Companion 2 Series II Multimedia Computer Speaker System

Jeff's Rating: 4/5

tl;dr: Five stars for sound quality (especially considering the size of the speakers), but a 3 for the price (you still pay for the Bose® name).

For a very long time, I've used my computer, with a 24"+ display, as my TV, computer, DVD/Blu-Ray player, Xbox 360 setup, etc. Because of this, I had my 5.1 surround sound system, with some very nice speakers and a great sub, plugged into and surrounding my computer. It enveloped me in the most amazing aural arena I've ever experienced.

However, after marriage, I moved the surround sound system into the living room, along with a new TV and the Xbox and and Apple TV. That means I went back to the stone-age days of computing sound, using the tinny built in speakers on my iMac (now MacBook Pro). For a while, I was satisfied with this, as I didn't do a lot of music listening or gaming on my Mac.

Dr. Scott Hahn - Apologetics for the 21st Century

Support a Catholic Speaker Month 2009The following is a blog post I've written as part of the 'Support a Catholic Speaker' month, sponsored by the excellent Fallible Blogma, run by Matthew Warner (also founder of FlockNote.com).

Dr. Scott Hahn, a distinguished professor, father, husband, and convert to Catholicism, is arguably one of the greatest apologetical Catholic writers of the late 20th and early 21st century. Practically every book authored by Scott Hahn has been listed in the bestseller lists for Catholic books, and his frequent talks never fall on deaf ears.

He speaks and writes the truth and the Catholic faith. My first exposure to Scott Hahn's writing was his excellent book on the Eucharist, The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth, in which he explains the Eucharist from the perspective of a knowledgeable Biblical scholar, highlighting the significance and extreme importance of the Lamb of God throughout human history.

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