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| Date: | Wed, 30 Oct 2002 13:29:45 EST |
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--- Forwarded Message from Mark Sanford <[log in to unmask]> ---
>Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 18:59:59 -0500
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]>
>From: Mark Sanford <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #6921 microphone extension boxes? (!)
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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My first impression is that I've never auditioned a pair of cheap
headphones that was of acceptable quality for language lab use. Perhaps
if the trade off was in durability instead of sound quality the point
could be argued successfully, if you intended to replace the headsets on
a regular and frequent basis.<br>
<br>
While we are on this subject I will be furiously writing notes as all the
LLTI er's share their headphone recommendations. I am even now working on
a scheme to improve the sound quality of cheap computer/headset
combinations. A promising experiment:<br>
<br>
1) Take a PC with a cheap sound card and equip it with cheap
headphones. The microphone makes bad recordings filled with static
using SoundRecorder.<br>
<br>
2) Since new sound cards are expensive, we don't want to go
there.<br>
<br>
3) So we came up with the idea to amplify the microphone externally
using a STM-1 ($75) from RDL
<a href="http://www.rdlnet.com/stm1.htm" eudora="autourl">http://www.rdlnet.com/stm1.htm</a>
which gives us a line level output. The STM-1 amp output goes to the LINE input on the computer sound card. So in this way we bypass the poorly performing mike amplifier on the sound card altogether.<br>
<br>
This set-up has been working very well since we hooked it up two weeks ago in our Development Lab, although I am at this point trying to figure a way to get more gain out of the amp. We may end up wanting to use the slightly more expensive STM-2 amplifier. We are getting better results with this STM-2 configuration than we got from the $200 "SoundBlaster" card we tried.<br>
<br>
And...<br>
<br>
Of course I'm coming to next week's NERALLD conference at UMass Amherst. This one is not to be missed. I look forward to seeing everyone!<br>
<br>
Mark<br>
<br>
<br>
At 01:50 PM 10/29/2002 -0500, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite>--- Forwarded Message from Paul Ruppert <[log in to unmask]> ---<br>
<br>
>Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 21:50:42 -0500<br>
>From: Paul Ruppert <[log in to unmask]><br>
>Organization: University of Toronto<br>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]><br>
>Subject: Re: #6921 microphone extension boxes?<br>
>References: <[log in to unmask]><br>
<br>
------------------<br>
I have been thinking about requiring the students to purchase their own headphones for some time. Just think, when was the last time you got on an airplane and were given the set that had been used by the previous 20 people? We can buy locally headphones for $1.00. Even if they only last for a few months, and have spares available for purchase, I really like<br>
the idea. What we do on many of our public access machines is plug in a headphone extension cable (costs about $2.50), and cable tie it to the keyboard cable, so people can plug in their own headphones.<br>
Maybe its just me, but I also don't borrow other people's combs.<br>
<br>
Paul<br>
<br>
Paul Ruppert<br>
Director, Instructional Technology for Humanities and Social Sciences<br>
University of Toronto, Faculty of Arts and Science<br>
15 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3H7<br>
[log in to unmask]<br>
416 978-8098<br>
<br>
<a href="http://lab.chass.utoronto.ca/" eudora="autourl">http://lab.chass.utoronto.ca</a><br>
<br>
<br>
LLTI-Editor wrote:<br>
<br>
> --- Forwarded Message from "Donna Apgar" <[log in to unmask]> ---<br>
><br>
> >Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 11:42:54 -0400<br>
> >From: "Donna Apgar" <[log in to unmask]><br>
> >To: <[log in to unmask]><br>
> >Subject: microphone extension boxes?<br>
><br>
> ------------------<br>
> Maybe someone out there can help us....<br>
><br>
> Central Piedmont Comm. College has 6 campuses now, all with<br>
> "drop in" language lab services....We are seriously considering having students bring in their own headsets... </font></blockquote><br>
<div>______________________________ </div>
<div>John Mark Sanford</div>
<div>Senior Multimedia Technician</div>
<div>Center for Language Study </div>
<div>Yale University</div>
<div>Tel. (203) 432-0588 </div>
<div>Fax. (203) 432-4485</div>
<div>[log in to unmask] </div>
<div><a href="http://www.cls.yale.edu/" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.cls.yale.edu</a></div>
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