1. For the April meeting with David Griesinger 21 intrepid souls convened to have their headphone/hearing response tested for a calibration curve. It takes into account the headphone response, ear canal cavity resonances, resonances in the cavity between the headphone and the head, the pinnae and the hearing response. These numbers then are applied as a correction factor with a 1/3 octave equalizer ($150) allows headphone listening to sound as if you were listening in free field, without the 'phones. My experience was without the correction the recording sounded flat and smeared. With correction, the music moved forward (out of the head) and the instruments were pinpointed. The curve is for a specific headphone that was brought, however I think that any headphone would be improved. Apparently the quality of the headphone doesn't matter.

2. Ends of era: Sony is discontinuing the manufacture of Beta tape.

I stopped by the CD/DVD/VHS machine section of Walmart and it was entirely gone, replaced by iPhone accessories.

3. A drawing was held for the Meeting Summary Writer Annual Bonus. The winner was Alvin Foster, CES Report 2015.

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