October 11, 2014
October 11, 2014
What is a DAC?
What is a DAC?
A DAC is a Digital-to-Analog Converter
A DAC [Digital-to-Analog Converter] is an electronic processor inside digital media players that converts digital audio information (comprised of series of 0s and 1s) into an analog audio signal that can be sent to headphones, or better yet, a headphone amp. If you want all those digits inside the player to sound as good as when the music was originally recorded, you need to use a high-quality DAC. The simplest way to get a digital audio signal to an external DAC is via the USB port on your computer, but one can also get a digital feed from the optical and coaxial outputs -- also known as SPDiF connections -- found on CD or DVD players, MAC computers, home theatre/stereo receivers, and other streaming audio gadgets of all kinds. Remember that lossy mp3 files will always lack detail and dynamics so the biggest thing to improve your headphones is ripping your digital music in uncompressed formats or at the highest possible bitrate for best sound quality.
But to truly understand how a DAC functions we should first understand what an analog signal is. An analog audio signal is a continuously varying voltage that represents (or is analog-ous) to the continuously varying air pressure of a sound wave that you hear. As example, a microphone turns incoming sounds into an analog electrical signal representing those sounds; room speakers convert an analog electrical signal back into the original sound (or as close as possible!).
But how does one store an analog signal? A half century ago, one would store an analog signal as a groove on a record that moves the needle back and forth during playback to create an electrical analog signal representing the stored sound.
Today, we repeatedly sample and measure the height of the analog signal over time, and then store that series of numbers on the hard disk or in flash memory of an audio player. This series of numbers is a digital audio signal. A CD disc stores these samples as 16-bit binary (1s and 0s) "words" 44,100 times a second, but digital audio data can be stored in a variety of sample rates, word sizes, and encoding or compression formats, and are brought to you on everything from your smartphone to your laptop. But in every case, the last thing that happens is the digital numbers get converted back into an analog electrical signal that can be sent to your headphones or headphone amp. The device that does this is called a digital to analog converter, or a DAC!
Sculpted from ash hardwood, the chinon ‘legato CH-PS840′ iPhone speaker dock increases volume by up to six decibels. the refined resonance chamber channels sound waves through the horn and is designed to create a background ambiance or a relaxed listening atmosphere. the device is passive – so does not use electricity – what this does is generate a stable and sonic performance that improves low and mid-high regions.
http://www.designboom.com/technology/chinon-iphone-speaker-08-21-2014/
October 11, 2014
6sqft.com: "Chinon Legato Amplifier Provides an Eco-Friendly Way to Play iPhone Tunes"
There are plenty of cool iPhone amplifiers around the web, and they come in many different materials including cardboard, wood, bamboo, plastic, and even molded vinyls and vintage brass horns. But we especially love the Chinon Legato amplifier because it has a cute, graceful design shaped like a mini gramophone. Crafted from ash hardwood, it amplifies sound naturally, without the use of electricity.
http://www.6sqft.com/chinon-legato-amplifier-provides-an-eco-friendly-way-to-play-iphone-tunes/
October 11, 2014
Coolmaterial.com: "Chinon iPhone Speaker Feels Like Old Times"
There are speakers you plug your iPhone into with a cable. Speakers you connect to with Bluetooth. Speakers that passively amplify sound (this is the old plastic cup trick). The Legato CH-PS840 from Chinon is one of the latter, but it’s also different than other passive amps on the market. For starters, each of the docks is handcrafted from ash hardwood because of it’s stability and sonic performance. The wood is sculpted into a horn shape to organically boost sound volume, particularly in the lows and mid-highs. Aside from the horn shaped out of natural wood, it also has a built-in USB connector designed to charge your iPhone (4+). The passive amp itself doesn’t require any electricity, but the docking and charging is a nice touch because no one is going to carry around a solid wooden horn anyway. It’s too pretty for that. Hell, you could even use it for conference calls if you wanted.
http://coolmaterial.com/tech/chinon-iphone-speaker-feels-like-old-times/
June 27, 2012
Hi-Precision Monocular
In the market, one of the top specialized products to date is a monocular vision equipment. This equipment will help people see from a distance with precise clearness and ease. Mostly, they are used for sports, game, hunting and for fun. They may not be military grade but each of these products will serve their own purpose.
Mono stands for single or singular, its opposite is Bi, which means two, or double. So the difference between a Binocular and a Monocular is their number of lenses. For others, they call Monoculars as half-pair binoculars. Its construction and design is for 2 dimensional perspective of distant objects. Before, in the early days, military men and seafarers were the most common users of the telescope, but nowadays everyone can use them. They also are very good gift items as they have good value overall and a good sense of thoughtfulness attached to them.
Recommended Monocular for the day is Chinon Monocle – 7.5X Hi-Precision Monocular at $199 available through their online store or any other channels that sells their brands. Why I recommend this? It has state of the art design for eye relief and optical performance that is normally found in binoculars only. It will always exceed expectations from the design to its built and going into its functionality. The glass used is multi coated, and it will surely be an eye to your target and will make you not lose sight of it at all. Claiming to have 60m up to the infinite range for viewing. As long as your eyes can muster and take in the viewing target, it will be ultra clear. It is also very compact, very light weight and comes in three colors. Color Gray, black and navy blue. It also has a solid casing and a rubbery feel to its body to prevent dust and dirt. The perfect companion for outdoor activities and yes even the indoors can’t be spared by its greatness and ease to use. With a roof prism structure this monocular is of a high grade quality and will be very easy to use.
There are just 2 warnings while using Monoculars, and it involves some common sense to it. First is don’t ever use the monocular to stare directly into the sun. Even if its an eclipse, because this can cause you blindness. They have specialized telescopes for that. Next is don’t ever try to use the monocular while driving, on a bike, walking or running. These uses of the monocular are careless and will cause an accident since you will not be oriented well enough on your location and distance to objects. It is best to use the monocular while in a stationary position. That way the Chinon Monocle – 7.5X Hi precision Monocular will be serving you well for its purpose and price.
Monoculars are much preferred by golfers, hunters, hikers, mountaineers and bird watchers because of its compact and easy to bring and stow size. If you have little to no room in your baggage or luggage, then pack a monocular now. Aside from the benefits and price and ease of use, it’s the practical thing to do.
Some people choose a dock for their Smartphone because it looks cool, offers synchronising with other devices and then there are those who would like to enjoy their music without using the Smartphone’s battery reserve power or having to plug into the mains power supply. We are talking about an acoustic speaker dock here and this one from Chinon really does look totally cool with its huge wooden speaker. It has been designed to produce high quality sound without the need for any electronics at all the sound comes from the iPhones own speaker and is channelled through the Legatos acoustics. Yet it is still able to produce around six decibels of high quality sound in the process.
One of the main things about the Legato iPhone acoustic speaker dock is that is has been skilfully handcrafted from Ash wood. The user is able to play music direct through the iPhone speaker, it has been built for intimate listening experience, at the same time, it is able to recharge the battery of the iPhone, and it can be used as a hands free stand too. There is a nice and long 1.5 meter USB cable included in with the device, while the detachable docking will work with the iPhone 4 & 4S, but it is compatible with all iPhones from the 4, 4S, 5, 5S up to the 5C.
The Chinon Legato iPhone dock is available to buy right now from around $250!
February 04, 2014
Atlanta Examiner Gives Thumbs Up to Our Legato
The Examiner recommends our Legato for Valentine's Day!
"Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and if you are looking for something different that lives up to its billing when it comes to performance, you need to head on over to www.chinonshop.com and take a gander at their new Legato iPhone dock."
Read the full article!!!
http://www.examiner.com/article/chinon-s-legato-iphone-dock-scores-for-performance-and-uniqueness
January 13, 2014
Unique IPhone Speaker Dock
There are a lot of different iPhone speaker docks on the market today – so much so that our mind can boggle with all the different products and options available. In addition the big problem is that most of the options available to us are just poor quality and not built to last.
Why not look at something different? Why not look at something that has amazing craftsmanship and aesthetics? Why not look at something that uses very little power and is literally a piece of artwork? Why not look at the Chinon Legato Hand Crafted Passive Speaker Dock.
Specifically build for the iPhone this speaker doc is carefully built by hand to produce a truly amazing sound. Made from seasoned Ash hardwood the wood is lovingly crafted to naturally amplify the music from your iPhone – up to an incredible 6 decibels.
This speaker dock is a true marvel and will be a “talking piece” in any household. In this throwaway world we need to look for innovation and quality that will last, something that you will never throw away but treasure forever. We need to look for products that are made with care and not massed produced and we need to look for a product that does not have a built-in obsolescence. We need to make wise choices with our money and our purchases. The Legato Speaker Dock is a shining example of a product that is of exceptional quality and design – a very wise choice.
Functional Artwork such as this is unique and may well become an appreciating asset. With a highly refined resonance chamber sound is conveyed in a warm, rich wave that is perfect for relaxing listening. Whilst playing your favourite music the dock also charges your phone’s battery.
The Legato Passive Speaker Dock is only available online through the Chinon Shop and comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
January 01, 2014
MacWorld gives thumbs up to Chinon Legato
MacWorld, the authority on all things iPhone, included our Legato in its "Wood Makes Everything Better" round-up of mac accessories handcrafted from beautiful, natural materials.
http://www.macworld.com/article/2066034/the-week-in-ios-accessories-wood-makes-everything-better.html#tk.rss_all