Adding a stereo to the shop.........!

[odie]

Earlier this year, I added a little stereo CD player to the shop. It's a cheap one, but.....wow......this has really increased the enjoyment factor in my shop lately! This has been missing from my life for quite a few years now......and I'm enjoying everything from Bach to Beatles......classical, pop, rock, oldies, country, blues, big band, Spanish guitar, mood, and on, and on......

My CD collection is growing fast these days......always swing by the music section when I get groceries, and usually get one or two of the "bargain" music CDs. As long as it's not "current" releases, you can get some very good albums at a really substantial savings. The only one I purchased lately that I didn't like, is Brittany Spears......but, my son wanted that one!

You can just barely see the little stereo at the very top of this photo......

Good turning to you all!

ko

 

[Ricc Havens]

I've gotten to the point where I have a small bluetooth speaker and pair it with my Ipad for the Pandora music streaming. That way I don't have to take time to change CD's. And the range of music I listen too is broad (as long as it doesn't include Rap).

Ricc

 

[Pete Blair]

Odie, I too like to listen to music while in my shop but I keep it low and in the background. I know it's a little off topic but I am amazed at the number of turners/woodworkers who listen through earphones. It might just be me but I NEED to hear the tool and the process. The feedback I get from sound is for me a really important part of the process. I feel it is very important to have all senses active while I'm in the shop.

 

[odie]

I've gotten to the point where I have a small bluetooth speaker and pair it with my Ipad for the Pandora music streaming. That way I don't have to take time to change CD's. And the range of music I listen too is broad (as long as it doesn't include Rap).

Ricc

I hear ya, Ricc.......

Whatever puts the music into your shop is a good thing........and, I appreciate it all the more, since I've been depraved for so long!

I don't know why I put up with that old AM/FM radio, with the cassette player that didn't work, for what must have been two decades!

I'm like a kid with a brand new toy!

(Agree about the rap music......never could appreciate that.......especially since much of it glorifies lack of morals and criminal behavior. :mad

ko

Here's the old radio that I've come to hate in the past couple months (upper left corner):

 

[odie]

Odie, I too like to listen to music while in my shop but I keep it low and in the background. I know it's a little off topic but I am amazed at the number of turners/woodworkers who listen through earphones. It might just be me but I NEED to hear the tool and the process. The feedback I get from sound is for me a really important part of the process. I feel it is very important to have all senses active while I'm in the shop.

I think we were typing at the same time, Pete.....

.....and, I just now realized you'd left a post!

Anyway......I agree completely. Listening to the lathe is an important part of the process. It's important to safety, as well as getting the most out of lathe tools. I think I heard that in one of the early videos I listened to years ago.......and, I've been keyed into that for a long time now......because it's true. Safety wise, listen for that "tick, tick, tick" because it's a red flag that your turning might come apart any second.

I wouldn't use ear phones either!

ko

 

[John Spitters]

When I first built my shop about 6 yrs ago I purchased and installed a compact stereo, CD, MP3, with blue tooth etc. But it wasn't long before I removed it from my shop.
I found that the music, radio etc was too distracting while working around the different machinery. I often found that my attention would drift towards either the music, or perhaps a conversation on the radio. To me this was and is a safety concern so out of the shop it went, I much prefer to work in solitude where my mind can focus just on what I'm working on at the time.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

My music system has changed so much in the last 10 years it is scary. Started with CD changer and cassette player and amp/receiver left over from home system. The CD player went and I got a Bose system with Roommate wireless for shop. Experimented with old smart phone since all my music (well over 350 CD Plus over 100 LP now digitized). New computer left me with an operable old computer so that is what I am using thru the stereo with tall Pioneer floor speakers and will add some Boston speakers from old stereo in the ceiling near the lathe. I like to periodically play thru all my music.
So Odie you will have components fail either from dust or age. The CD changer is the only drop out I have had so far. And digital is the way to go for storage and ease of use by making playlists.

 

[AlanZ]

Listening to the lathe is important, but so is protecting one's hearing.

As I always have the dust collector on when I am turning, I have always worn some form of noise isolation or reduction.

This started with ear plugs or ear muffs (attached to my helmet), but more recently Lauren and I switched to using Bose QC20i in ear monitors.

These have a few advantages
1. They are VERY comfortable
2. They use active noise cancellation via a digital signal processor. This brings the roar/drone of the dust collector down to a low hum, yet lathe and chisel sounds still come through nicely
3. Volume is controlled via a pendant on the earphone cord, as is an inline microphone which can be placed in "Aware" mode so additional room sounds can be fed into the mix. Because of the noise cancellation, the music volume can be turned way down and still be enjoyed, because it is not trying to overcome the other sounds.
4. I have them attached to an iPhone in my pocket, which contains the music, online radio stations, or perhaps I am listening to a youtube video.
5. And here's the big one.... because it is attached to my phone, if I found myself suddenly on the floor for some reason, I can simply press a button on the pendant and say "Siri, call 911", and help would be on the way.

The only real downside is the price... $299.
I bought one for myself, and after trying it, Lauren asked for her own pair.

Pricey, yes. However, hearing loss is cumulative and irreversible, so for us it is worth the investment.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Alan, I am very interested in learning about your experience with noise cancelling headphones. About 25 years ago when I was still flying, both David Clark and Bose came out with noise cancelling headsets. They were quite expensive (about $1000) and the noise cancelling was just analog phase cancelling and filtering which seemed to generate it's own noise that was more annoying than the ambient background noise.

These days my only experience with noise cancelling has been with hearing aids. I have always been disappointed with their alleged noise cancelling performance.

 

[AlanZ]

Bill,

I am VERY happy with the performance and comfort of the Bose QC20 (or QC20i for the iphone) earphones.
I have even connected them to a bluetooth pendant, for the times when my phone is not in my pocket (for example when it's being used as a camera on the lathe)

Will you be in Atlanta? If so, I will be happy to let you try them on.

 

[robo hippy]

From my daughter, "Dad, you are the only person I know who still buys CDs... I have an excellent local public broadcasting station available to me that is on just about all my waking hours, except when I am trying to play my guitar... You need to protect it from dust, to the point of having it in its own cabinet. Other than that, I am rocking out!!!! I need the background noise, and have never had problems hearing or feeling the wood, at least that I know of. More of a problem hearing the phone...

robo hippy

 

[odie]

From my daughter, "Dad, you are the only person I know who still buys CDs... I have an excellent local public broadcasting station available to me that is on just about all my waking hours, except when I am trying to play my guitar... You need to protect it from dust, to the point of having it in its own cabinet. Other than that, I am rocking out!!!! I need the background noise, and have never had problems hearing or feeling the wood, at least that I know of. More of a problem hearing the phone...

robo hippy

Ha!......Life's a birch for us technically challenged old fogeys......ain't it!

I'm still using a flip phone, and buying CD's is an upgrade for me!

I have two sons who see me as a real dinosaur.......do I care?....Naw!

If you want to know my honest opinion about all this technology......you have to give something, to get something.....and, overall.......life hasn't been improved......it's just different, that's all!

ko

 

[Bill Boehme]

From my daughter, "Dad, you are the only person I know who still buys CDs...

Well, you should introduce her to your woodturning friends.

....If you want to know my honest opinion about all this technology......you have to give something, to get something.....and, overall.......life hasn't been improved......it's just different, that's all!

Yep, but change serves a purpose ..... change enables somebody else to take the change from your pocket and put it in theirs. It's called stimulating the economy.

.......I've been depraved for so long! ........

Thanks for sharing. I'm certain that was tongue-in-cheek .... please tell us it is.

Woodturners in general seem to have a skewed sense of humor. OK, I'll stop gouging you.

 

[odie]

Well, you should introduce her to your woodturning friends.



Yep, but change serves a purpose ..... change enables somebody else to take the change from your pocket and put it in theirs. It's called stimulating the economy.



Thanks for sharing. I'm certain that was tongue-in-cheek .... please tell us it is.

Woodturners in general seem to have a skewed sense of humor. OK, I'll stop gouging you.

Oops! Should have been "deprived", Bill........

It's not always about money.......I don't see the quality of life improved by all the technology, but I am not kidding myself to think everyone sees it like I do.......

ko

 

[Bill Boehme]

I was agreeing with you about change often is just change and not necessarily something that is better.

 

[odie]

I was agreeing with you about change often is just change and not necessarily something that is better.

I can agree to that!

I have memories of times similar to Norman Rockwell's America......I don't think the opportunities for a satisfying life have gotten any better! Working harder for a result, doesn't necessarily lead to increased happiness......or satisfaction in completion of a task.

ko

 

[Steve Worcester]

I don't have anything I regularly operate that requires hearing protection. I have an Onieda cyclone, not loud, a big air compressor, but it is a Bel-aire quiet model.

for sound, I have zone 2 of the sound system piped to the shop. Anything I can play in the house, CDs, Internet radio, XM radio, I can control in the shop with my phone.
To me, music is a big part of the process

 

[Pete Blair]

I don't have anything I regularly operate that requires hearing protection. I have an Onieda cyclone, not loud, a big air compressor, but it is a Bel-aire quiet model.

for sound, I have zone 2 of the sound system piped to the shop. Anything I can play in the house, CDs, Internet radio, XM radio, I can control in the shop with my phone.
To me, music is a big part of the process

Steve, tell me more. I have all the fancy stuff in the house but don't know how to go about sending it to the shop? Do send it wirelessly? What app do you use etc etc etc?

Thanks!

 

[Bill Boehme]

Steve, tell me more. I have all the fancy stuff in the house but don't know how to go about sending it to the shop? Do send it wirelessly? What app do you use etc etc etc?

Thanks!

I think that this might be what Steve is referring to: http://batpigworld.com/wp/?p=160

 

[Ricc Havens]

Odie,

That radio looks very similar to what's on my shelf too. Mine only gets used now when I forget to charge the wireless bluetooth speaker I normally use

Ricc

I hear ya, Ricc.......

Whatever puts the music into your shop is a good thing........and, I appreciate it all the more, since I've been depraved for so long!

I don't know why I put up with that old AM/FM radio, with the cassette player that didn't work, for what must have been two decades!

I'm like a kid with a brand new toy!

(Agree about the rap music......never could appreciate that.......especially since much of it glorifies lack of morals and criminal behavior. :mad

ko

Here's the old radio that I've come to hate in the past couple months (upper left corner):

 

[robo hippy]

Blue tooth, that is from eating blue berries correct???

robo hippy

 

[Steve Worcester]

Steve, tell me more. I have all the fancy stuff in the house but don't know how to go about sending it to the shop? Do send it wirelessly? What app do you use etc etc etc?

Thanks!

It is all wired. What you need is a app controllable receiver with multiple zones.
For the shop I use a Denon AVR-E400. It is in the room adjacent to the shop. It has zone 1 connected to the TV in that room. Connected to it is the cable box, 300 disk CD player and DVD player. You can pipe anything through to Zone 2 (the shop) but only get 2 speakers (on this model).
The receiver is connected to the houses wired network, but there are other models that are wireless capable.

 

[Pete Blair]

Thanks guys. I was hoping for it to be wireless using my wifi.

 

[Steve Worcester]

Thanks guys. I was hoping for it to be wireless using my wifi.

You can as long as the receiver has wireless capabilities.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Thanks guys. I was hoping for it to be wireless using my wifi.

I think there are several setups that will work over WiFi . The ones I am familiar with are linked to a computer. Blue Tooth on the other hand is usually connected to a device such as an MP3 player or cell phone. As with all this there are exceptions out there the problem is that they do not all work well.

 

[dave clausen]

I've gotten to the point where I have a small bluetooth speaker and pair it with my Ipad for the Pandora music streaming. That way I don't have to take time to change CD's. And the range of music I listen too is broad (as long as it doesn't include Rap).

Ricc

i agree, rap isn't even music

 

[Dean Center]

Listening to the lathe is important, but so is protecting one's hearing.
As I always have the dust collector on when I am turning, I have always worn some form of noise isolation or reduction.
This started with ear plugs or ear muffs (attached to my helmet), but more recently Lauren and I switched to using Bose QC20i in ear monitors.

2. They use active noise cancellation via a digital signal processor. This brings the roar/drone of the dust collector down to a low hum, yet lathe and chisel sounds still come through nicely

Alan,
Do you have or are you aware of any data on the effectiveness of the noise cancellation actually reducing noise levels? Maybe an equivalence to the rating numbers applied to plugs and headphones, or decibel amounts? My knowledge on noise cancelling technology dates back to the days Bill describes, where it was really just a masking and not an actual reduction. I would hate for people to have a false sense of security due to Bose's marketing being superior to their technology.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Alan,
Do you have or are you aware of any data on the effectiveness of the noise cancellation actually reducing noise levels? Maybe an equivalence to the rating numbers applied to plugs and headphones, or decibel amounts? My knowledge on noise cancelling technology dates back to the days Bill describes, where it was really just a masking and not an actual reduction. I would hate for people to have a false sense of security due to Bose's marketing being superior to their technology.

I should have explained in greater detail, but I didn't want to go off on a technical tangent. If my memory isn't too faulty, the David Clark and Bose aviation headsets from several decades ago had a noise cancellation in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 decibels on top of the approximately 25 decibels noise noise muffling of those headsets. They worked fairly well for noise frequencies that were in the mid range of hearing, but I think that the real problem was at the lower frequencies. The problem might have been subharmonics. I seem to recall that low frequencies could create a sub audible pulsing effect like a pulsing pressure on the eardrums that you feel more than you hear. This can be a significant problem in multi piston engine aircraft anyway if the RPM's aren't exactly in sync.

 

[Gretch Flo]

Dean=-wasn't there a "fad" for dentists to use head phones/music/noise? on patients to reduce dental procedure pain? (gate theory of pain-diminishing pain perceived by the brain, by interferring with the transmission of impulses to the brain pain receptors??? Think they are doing this with spinal patients now (friend getting the procedure next week.
I do notice small problems with driving when I have a passenger talking to me!!!!.
So shop noise interference can interfere with some brain function!!!!.. (there is so little extra to go around with me!!!!) Gretch

 

[AlanZ]

Dean,

As far as I know, these actually cancel the incoming sounds.

If it was masking, then someone would have to warn "beware of the very loud silence" <vbg>

 

[olaf Vogel]

As a stereo geek, i've never been a fan of noise cancelling headphones.
For music, They just give me a headache.
But for drowning out constant, even motor noise, they could work well.

For stereo set up, i use an older pair of Tannoy PA speakers, an old amp hooked to an 8 year old laptop.
Admittedly, its sometimes cranked up. But hey, my shop is in the country.
All my music is ripped into mp3's so i can just pick a genre and let run for hours.

For monotonous work i run podcasts, mostly BBC, NASA, Stanford, a few others...
Theres a ton of great content to listen to.
I also play them in the car on long solo drives. Keeps me focused.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Dean=-wasn't there a "fad" for dentists to use head phones/music/noise? on patients to reduce dental procedure pain? (gate theory of pain-diminishing pain perceived by the brain, by interferring with the transmission of impulses to the brain pain receptors??? Think they are doing this with spinal patients now (friend getting the procedure next week.
I do notice small problems with driving when I have a passenger talking to me!!!!.
So shop noise interference can interfere with some brain function!!!!.. (there is so little extra to go around with me!!!!) Gretch

Sort of like dropping an anvil on your big toe will make you completely forget about a toothache.

Except that I'm not buying that theory right now ... I recently had a right shoulder injury with some torn tendons and other damage that is very painful ... then yesterday I had Mohs surgery on my nose and it is painful just to even look at it. Did one block or cancel the pain of the other? No, but Tylenol #3 is doing a pretty good number on the big muscle between my ears.

 

[Gretch Flo]

Sort of like dropping an anvil on your big toe will make you completely forget about a toothache.  :rolleyes:

Have you heard of a "twitch" in horses???? If you have to work on a horse that can kill you, a rope/chain at the end of a handle is used around the upper lip and twisted, so you have a better chance of coming out alive. Gets it's attention!!!!!! I am unsure how much that is used nowadays. Sedation in horses can be iffy at times, and can lead to bad side effects. I don't keep up with the horse industry, but an example of the gate theory of pain.

" then yesterday I had Mohs surgery on my nose and it is painful just to even look at it. Did one block or cancel the pain of the other?".

I assume you had a local block. Tylenol#3 =great stuff!!!
Do you have rotator cuff??. Good luck!!!

 

[R Henrickson]

Have you heard of a "twitch" in horses???? If you have to work on a horse that can kill you, a rope/chain at the end of a handle is used around the upper lip and twisted, so you have a better chance of coming out alive. Gets it's attention!!!!!! I am unsure how much that is used nowadays. Sedation in horses can be iffy at times, and can lead to bad side effects. I don't keep up with the horse industry, but an example of the gate theory of pain.

Twitches are are still used by trainers. I made one for my brother-in-law several years ago, using rope.