Nemo’s old pal Artie concludes his 2006 Macworld Expo report “from the dark side, nearly ready to switch” with this off the cuff two-part commentary.
EPSON VERSUS HP — WHO IS ALL WET?
Wednesday at Macworld I had an opportunity to talk with one of the HP guys about their newest foray into the printer market, HP8750. It’s a big machine for home use, but HP did an admirable job of making it relatively easy to use and cost effective to run. Examples of the finished product graced the walls around their display, well lit and beautiful. The color, I thought, was smooth and
very accurate.
The rep explained how much research went into creating their new inks and papers, designed to coordinate with one another in order to produce the final image. Without HP paper the images would suffer. I must say here that most large printer companies who make their own paper tell you to use THEIR paper, not just to make more money, but because the chemical coating on the surface reacts with the chemical makeup of the inks to give you their best effort. Enough about that! I left the booth impressed that HP had gotten pretty serious about catching up with and trying to surpass the efforts of the “other guys.”
Thursday I went to one of the other guys, Epson. I have a personal relationship with that company in that I own an Epson Stylus Photo 900, a slower and older model printer by about three years. I knew about the new R1800 and R2400 models, Epson’s entry into the “baby pro home” category, touting their new ultrachrome inks which are archival to 200 years (HP’s are to 105 years).
Eddie Murphy from Epson, who wrote the book on these machines, was the guy at their booth. He explained about the R2400 being the machine for me because that was the one with nine inks., including four types of black cartridges, and would satisfy my appetite for black and white prints.
After his infomercial, I told him I was at the HP exhibit the day before and that I was impressed by their 8750. “How does your machine compare with their new ‘baby,” I asked.” His response was my favorite comment of the day. He said, and I quote, “It’s s**t!” I almost fell over in a combo of disbelief and laughter. I said “Explain.” He told me that the tonal range of Epson’s inks is waaay better than HP’s best try, and that if you get so much as a picoliter (not very much) of water on their print the whole thing is ruined.
Being the wise guy I am, I said: “So? What happens if you get water on YOUR Epson prints?” Eddie immediately proceeded to take his water bottle, opened it up, and poured water onto one of the prints from the R1800. And I mean all over it. He then rubbed his wet hand all over it, shaking the residue out onto Epson’s nice white carpeted floor at the Expo. The print looked good as new, there was not a drop of color on the carpet, and I stood there with my mouth wide open and my breath held.
What a demo. What a printer. What a guy. What a day. Thanks, Epson for the great product, and a great show.
SHURE SOUNDS GOOD — THE BUD STOPS HERE
I’ve been a professional musician since ’65 so I’ve learned a little bit about sonic quality in those years. I’m certainly no expert but I know good sound when I hear it. So it was with not a little excitement that I was able to test some of the newest earbuds/headphones/soundbuds, whatever the companies want to call them. All of what I tested at the convention went in the ear, not over the ears like regular headsets.
Wednesday, along with my friend John Nemo, I got to try out Ultimate Ears’ latest entry in this category. Their rep bragged about how many touring rock concert stars use their products, and how it’s the best sounding thing since Ella Fitzgerald herself.
John was the first to try three of their pricepoints starting from their most expensive entry ($399) down to the economy model at $99. John was impressed. His iPod never sounded better. For him there seemed to be little difference between the two top of the line models. The bottom of the line, of course, couldn’t match up, but wasn’t real bad. Just a little “thin.”
It was my turn. This company uses silicon earpieces to isolate the outer room from the music within the ear. A good fit is a must. Without snug insertion all plugs sound like c**p. I guess my ear canals are smaller, or twisted, or too hairy, or SOMETHING, but I couldn’t get any of their models to fit correctly. Consequently I did not have the same sonic experience John had and I walked away disgruntled. Nuts. If these things can’t fit EVERYBODY, then as far as I’m concerned, they’re not worth anything.
By the way, I suspect that even the Rock & Roll idols using these things have had the same problem I had, but they have the wherewithal to have custom earpieces made to fit perfectly into their hairy orifaces. Bless their hearts.
Thursday I got a chance to test out two more manufacturers of these little sonic marvels. First on my list was Shure. Now, I’ve used Shure mikes, especially the SM57’s and 58’s, for the past 35 years. They’re mainstays in the industry for those of you who may not know. It’s said that if the stage crew can’t find a hammer they just take out their 57’s, build the stage and set, and the mikes
are still good to go for the show. That’s how well made this stuff is. Anyway, I was anxious to try their version of the buds.
There’s actually a little kit that comes with each pair of phones which includes silicon inserts for those who can use them, and soft spongy foam for the rest of us. You’ve seen the foam earplugs used to block out sound. You roll them between your thumb and forefinger to make them small, insert them in the ear, and they expand, blocking out external noise. That’s the style of insert I used with the Shure set. They worked immediately. They went in easily and the room noise disappeared as the sponges expanded.
Kevin from Shure switched on an iPod and I was in Sonic Heaven. The three little speakers in
these things (how do they get two subwoofers and a tweeter in there?) made a Led Zeppelin track come alive like I was front and center stage. And they’re comfortable. Nice! I was testing their top of the line first, priced at $500. Yikes!!! For that kind of money they should lower my alimony payments, too. I didn’t even bother with the other models. But I was satisfied they probably would sound great in spite of the fact they were a little less money. I wanted to get over to Etymotic Research before my luncheon engagement.
Five minutes later I was in front of Etymotic’s display. They had their top o’ the lines just hanging there in a little kiosk with several other sets for people to come by and try at leisure. Very convenient. Again with the silicon buds. I couldn’t get them to work, either, just like with Ultimate Ears. The rep said that if you don’t get them in right they’ll sound like c**p. Right he was. After a frustrating ten minutes of trying I left. Maybe I’ll become a rich and famous rock star just so I can afford custom made ear inserts for this company’s plugs. Thanks, Shure for at least thinking of “the rest of us.”
[And a big thanks to Artie for his guest blogs and photos. Maybe I should retire from writing and picture taking and become a full time scout for MyMac.com. So far I’ve brought Jeffrey McPheeters, David Weeks, Wynne Stevens, and David Casseres onto our staff, and at this rate Artie will be joining before Macworld SF 2007.]
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