Category: Tech

I am very impressed with the Topping E30 II Lite external digital-to-analog converter I bought a few weeks ago. Purchased primarily for the display, to figure out my Chromecast Audio problem, the improvement in sound over the built-in DAC’s in my digital sources is obvious. The shimmer of cymbals is very realistic compared to what I had been hearing all these years, and the overall sound is now much more “open and spacious.”

The E30 II Lite is on sale for $85, compared to the $100 that I paid for mine.

https://www.amazon.com/Topping-E30II-lite-DAC-Preamp/dp/B0C9HC6XCK/

It’s called the “Lite” model because its more expensive brother, the E30 II, has two DAC circuits. Normally costing $150, the E30 II is also currently 15% off. As I always do, and enjoy very much doing, I took a deep dive into the technical weeds to finalize a selection, and I couldn’t find a reason to buy the more expensive model, other than bragging rights for having two DAC’s.

Note: These products come with power cables, but not a power adapter. A standard 5V USB adapter with an “A” port is needed, and by now doesn’t everybody have some spares sitting in a drawer?

I’ve completed a lengthy journey of understanding a problem with Google’s (discontinued) Chromecast Audio device. The symptom is the sound sputters, as if it were gargling.

The process I’ve been through to figure out the problem would be tedious to explain and boring to read. The upshot was that I bought an excellent external DAC with a display.

These are the essential points:

• Android resamples audio to 48 kHz. This will be seen when using the Home app to cast all audio from Android, rather than casting from an app that does its own audio rendering.
• Android audio played via USB is always 48 kHz.
• Resampling 44.1 audio to 48 kHz causes Chromecast Audio to “gargle.” This is true whether using the device’s analog output or an external DAC.
• USB audio works perfectly at 48 kHz.
• Google Chrome browser no longer supports audio-only Chromecast.^*

All of this is within Google’s “ecosystem” and control, especially considering my Android phone is a Google Pixel 4a. It’s an example of where Google continues to be sloppy and inconsistent.

They create a lot of interesting stuff, with the Chromecast Audio puck at the top of the list, as far as I’m concerned. It’s painful recalling the innovative Logitech Revue with Google TV being abruptly discontinued. Google’s problem is they don’t fully commit to the pursuit of polishing their products to perfection as Apple, following Steve Jobs’ lead, seems obsessed with doing.

^* Correction: The Chrome browser in one of my Windows 10 PC’s continues to show Chromecast Audio as an available device. It’s playing the audio for a YouTube video, at 48 kHz. So after so much careful checking, being sure that my WiFi PC’s are on the same network as Chromecast Audio, only to see the device no longer being listed in the Chrome browser, I am confronted with yet another quirk that will require even further testing.

Follow-up: Oh yeah, it’s working now!

Only $87,500! If you love your records, you’ll get yours today!

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/nagra-hd-phono-phono-preamp

The least expensive phono preamp worth buying is the German-designed Behringer PP400. I bought one five years ago for $25 to use in my office.

While costumed kids were at my house treating themselves to candy, Bluehost was tricking me with an expired SSL certificate. The site went down with a 403 FORBIDDEN ACCESS error. Which was doubly frustrating, because a few days ago I’d received notification that my certificate renewal had been processed.

So at the end of the night’s activities I had a text chat with customer support. It began with the usual scripted questions. “When was the last time the site was working? Did you make any changes?” Knowing with certainty what the problem was, I replied, “These are pointless questions. Did Bluehost let my SSL certificate expire? Please answer MY question.”

A new certificate was issued, and a couple of minutes later the site came back up at 9:45 ET. The question now is, why is the new one good for only three months?

Issued On Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 7:43:37?PM
Expires On Monday, January 29, 2024 at 6:43:36?PM

I had a routine appointment at a large dermatology practice this morning. When I first saw a dermatologist there, for a biopsy that turned out to be melanoma, they had paper medical records. Six years later, they still don’t have an electronic medical record system. Appointment scheduling and billing yes, but EMR no. Why that is, I don’t know, but it’s interesting they’re a holdout. My guess is the owners don’t want to invest the money and deal with the hassle of transcribing all of those records, because their long-term plan is to sell the business.

A hospital in a small neighboring city is one of the last in the area to still be a customer of my former employer. Cost is the obvious reason why. The leading HIS/EMR software, from Epic Systems, is typically much too expensive for a small community hospital. Last year I chatted with an employee at the hospital, who said of my alma mater’s system, “you get what you pay for.” Ouch! Well now it appears they’ll be getting Epic after all. A pattern that I have seen played out many times over the past 10+ years is about to be repeated. The hospital has announced its intention to be acquired by a regional medical center that, I’m certain, will convert them to their existing Epic system.