View Full Version : Bgw amp plus eq for free!
BGW 100B Pro power amp rated 50 W/ch. 8 ohms and 60 W/ch. 4 ohms (actual factory test: 55/80/162W mono).
YES, its absolutely FREE (shipping costs NOT included though, I won't pay to give it away!). Why give?
I've noted there may be some fans of BGW legacy here, so I decided to offer it here first in case, before sending it to recycling. I had two of these amps, one is already gone and the other is offered here.
Since I just received a nice reimbursement from the tax man, plus had put some money aside for new gear, I think extra cash is a good opportunity to act and timing is good to replace some of my older audio gear.
Plus I NEVER sell used audio equipment, not even for a dollar, not here nor on E-Bay. I always prefered to give it away for nothing, to someone who may enjoy it, since to me it has no monetary value left considering its age. As an accountant would say its been fully depreciated and has no book value anymore... Working fine or not the price is the same.
Good or bad, my audio equipment policies are: quality purchased new, hold on to it for a long time, when replacing time comes give away for free, don't sell on E-Bay or other. If no takers its going to electronics recycling.
That amp was purchased new by me in 1980 or so, never been on the road, has no dents nor scratches. One rack unit, about 19 lbs, "totally modular construction and large aluminum heat-sink." XLR/1/4". Haven't used it for a while so I need to confirm operational status.
I have the owner's manual (with full schematics and complete parts list), individually measured factory specs sheet dated 10 Dec 1979, product data sheet and most probably the original purchase invoice in my papers. The only thing I don't have for sure is the original box.
My responsability is limited to packaging it and dropping it at a Canada Post office, UPS or Purolator store for shipping. The beneficiary is responsible for making shipping arrangements AND PAYING for the carrier.
Naturally, considering the amps age someone with Electronics Technician's skills may be a good idea as I CANNOT predict the future regarding the amps longevity... There's no warranty, expressed or implied as they say, it comes as is, nice looking, for the circuitry its your baby...
Two years ago I gave away a nice and fine working 38 years old rack mount Spectro Acoustics pre-amp. I also have a nice and fine working Spectro Acoustics Octave Band graphic EQ purchased in 1979, used it a few months ago and still going fine! I'm willing to let it go also, for free as usual (shipping not included) if someone is interested. Same conditions. Pro construction and reliability but with sturdy RCA connectors. I still have the easy on/off rack mount adaptors, owner's manual, probably the invoice too. Spectro Acoustics was created by Bob Carver's former engineering colleagues at Phase Linear. If you want to know more on Spectro's story let me know.
I'm not in a rush as I have other power amps and EQs, but don't want to drag this on since I need space in the rack for new gear (or another rack), otherwise these will go to recycling...
Let me know here if you're interested by the amp and/or EQ.
REPLACEMENTS CONSIDERED:
For some its relatively easy. EQ: DBX Pro 1215 quite similar to my other EQ's. CD player: Tascam 200 series. Power amps are the bugger, rack space too! Not looking for hi-fi type stuff, already have that (NAD, Onkyo), rather looking for more PRO gear, built like it, dressed like it, perform the same and provide flexibility. No interest in Kilowatt amps. 200W bridged OK, seeking more quality than quantity.
ART, "In most cases, we simply do not stock replacement parts on older products where they are discontinued and the warranty period has expired", not good for me, goodbye!
Bryston 2B LP Pro, a favorite, pricing seen 2.3K+! for 60/100/200W, stretching it I could buy 2, but no $ left...
Crown, moving to Mexico?, Adios amigos, forget about me...
Ashly, SRA series, nice but cheap Euroblock plastic connectors on a 1K $ amp? NO WAY, for now...
Crest Audio, PA-150, seems discontinued, gain controls on back, prefer on the front, barrier strip in/out only(still available as IPS-150 In Peavey Commercial/Architectural Acoustics)
Rolls, RA 200, former owner of DOD (his initials), has most of what I want, no XLR but can live with balanced Neutrik 1/4" TRS, MOSFET!, high slew rate!, 70/100/200 W, 2 rack spaces maybe, at $575 CAD I can buy a few, "Regardless of age we don't usually charge for repairs, a lot of people really like this", me too! (like Bryston)
QSC, RMX 850a, it has everything I like and more!, except for the fan some say noisy others say not so?? Any member's info on this? Deeper, much heavier, more powerful, 2 rack spaces, though would complement my other QSC amps, at $500. CAD I could buy a few. Really tough call between QSC and Rolls, I like both...
Other suggestions or insight welcomed.
Richard
BMWCCA
05-26-2018, 03:36 AM
Nice offer. I hope you find someone nearby who can give them a good home.
Hi BMWCCA,
Thanks for dropping in.
With close to 50 views on the post, and still no takers for a FREE no strings attached amp, I get the impression the interest in BGW legacy may be more in info than making it happen?, or fellows simply don't want to pay for shipping?, which should not cost a lot depending on where one is located...
For those interested in knowing how it looked like inside a 100B in 1979, I took some pictures hopefully to be posted tomorrow (no time now). The amp does turn-on (normal transformer sound and idle lights on; a good start!), but I haven't had time today to hook it up in a system and test it with music reproduction. That may happen tomorrow, I'll let the guys know. Regards,
Richard
BMWCCA
05-27-2018, 02:45 PM
Okay, okay! You've shamed me as a BGW fan from nearly 50-years ago—I'll take the amp!
I'll PM you. Will I have to pay customs on a US product coming back to its home?
Actually, I see that you want the recipient to arrange the shipping. From my experience in buying stuff from Canada, that can be a pain for us USA residents. On second thought you may need someone from Canada to express an interest before any of us south-of-the-border take you up on this.
Thanks!
You can see the idle lights being on in the bottom pictures.
812708127181272
Hi BMWCCA,
Damn lucky fellow you are, because today I tested the amp, using the 1/4" inputs, for 3 hours of music reproduction, and guess what? Its working like 38 years ago, except for a small static noise in the left channel gain control, which I may be able to remove with contact cleaner I have "Caig's Deoxit Fader F5", unless you would rather do it your way, let me know.
Listening to it today I was having second thoughts about giving the amp and thinking about cancelling the offer if nobody took it. Stupid me, but a promise made is a promise honored, no ifs and buts, and no walking back, as there's also other gear I want to try and have extra cash for.
Correction: contrary to what I wrote earlier, there are a few very minor scratches on the top cover, possibly from in and out of the rack, but no dents.
With regards to the Spectro Acoustics EQ, it was between the pre-amp and power amp during the whole test. I tried again all sliders and knob: not a single glitch! for a 39 years old EQ. If you or someone else knows another good home for it the offer still stands. In the meantime its not with my Pro gear but rather used in a hi-fi setup. Its 2 rack spaces high, plus I still have the original easy rack mount adaptors and owner manual.
I'm amazed and delighted by the long life of these old purchases and others I made, good USA made gear from the old days, and still serving...
Please don't sell the amp to someone else, I would not feel good about that since I give it away for free for someone else's enjoyment not for money. But you may very well give it for free to another BGW fan...
Seen a thread recently here about power amps for 2405 or other tweeters, including your own posts on that, may I say to a Crown man and others that I've seen numerous times in the past such devices being powered by BGW 100B? If my memory is correct, BGW even made a successor to it: 100C or another number like 140 or something. Don't take me wrong, I have high respect for Crown, but in the old days the Canadian distributor (Crown then sold here as Amcron, he also distributed B & W speakers) had a sky high rigid price list I couldn't afford, and BGW was more competitive.
I will reply to your PM soon with specifics. Regards,
Richard
Hi BMWCCA,
Two things I forgot.
Re the thread on 2405 amps, I forgot to mention the 100B has no turn on delay/instant off upon shutdown. At the end of my test today I didn't hear at shutdown any of the noise mentioned in the thread, but I have a habit with this amp of turning off the gain controls before amp turn off. Plus, as indicated in the manual, I always turn-on the amp after other units.
No intent to shame you or anyone about BGW. A simple note taking on my part of the fact no one raised his hand, even for a working and free BGW legacy amp! Nobody should feel obliged to take it, the only thing that's sad would be throwing such in the recycling bin... if on the other hand, you're happy as this is the right opportunity to make your BGW legacy coming out, be my guest, do it. I willingly admit having a crush on Crown for a long time with regards to some of their products (but $$$). Now, even with extra cash on hand the move to Mexico pisses me off, like so many such moves even from Canada...
Richard
Wow! This is cool amp and nice gesture! Congratulations to new owner!
Hi MoD,
Yes, cool but heavy! I put it on a scale with attached power cord and get 20 lbs! (9 kg) This is built like a tank... and about twice the weight of recent comparable ones in terms of power output. But recent ones use class D or some other thing...
Richard
EDIT: I may have other stuff in the future to give away, who knows...
I'm glad to report the BGW 100B has found a good home to continue serving...
I'm posting here a few pictures of the QSC 1100 Pro amp, another small size one, for comparison purposes only (not for sale nor give away). Its interesting to see how technology evolves within the same category, eleven years later.
BGW 100B made Dec. 1979 VS QSC 1100 made Dec. 1990. The former weighs about 20 lb. and the latter 12 lb. Miniaturization of components may also play a role in this, as well as somewhat thinner steel. In 1991 the latter one sold for $895. in Canada.
The more recent one has smaller depth, is lighter, uses a toroidal transformer, has XLR/1/4" TRS/Barrier strip, Dip switches, etc., similar output but adds 2 ohms capability, 8-4-2 ohms 50/70/90 W, 8-4 ohms bridged 140/160 W, plus 2 DB dynamic headroom. EDIT: for minor corrections.
Richard
813328133381334
Newer amplifier is build in more efficient manner, what can you say about difference in sound?
"You will regret it, letting the amp go" wife says. I know, she may very well be right, as usual. The BGW has been with me even longer than her! (38 VS 32 years). I will probably want to hit myself on the head with a hammer when this is gone. Dumb me. But I need to try other and newer stuff, and there can't be horses pulling carriages on the streets forever either. Seeing it go to a good home, along with the EQ, makes me feel better though.
The amps, since I had two of these (one gone), as well as a Spectro Acoustics Pre-amp previously given, and the EQ, represented what I'm attached to: quality, reliability, performance... In other words, built like a tank, bullet proof dependability and sings nicely like a bird. I purchased all four pieces of equipment new with money from a part-time job, while being a University student. Now its time to move on and modernize with new equipment, while the old one still works, and let someone else enjoy these for a while.
I've cleaned the amp's very slightly offending left gain control (small static noise), plus I cleaned the right one too, with Caig's Deoxit Fader F5 and re-tested it working both gain controls, with the EQ in the signal path, for another couple of hours. They still perform like in the old days. Not bad for 38-39 years old stuff! BGW was overbuilt for tough conditions and long lasting. Nice to come-by in a world of cheap disposables.
Listening again to music from CDs for dynamic range, with these late 70's amp and EQ, using another pre-amp and a pair of bookshelf British speakers this time, just confirms to me this is it: fast, dynamic, nice sounding. Just keep wanting more. To answer MoD's question, I prefer the BGW sound to that of the comparable and more recent QSCs 1100 I also have, as well as others.
I went back to the BGW manual to find some info regarding the amp's sound, maybe it lies in this explanation, among others given: "The Op-Amp is a special unit featuring high speed (15 Mhz) and a high slew rate (50 volts/microseconds) yet still having very low noise ...". The founder of BGW was an Engineer with National Semiconductor. I assume he knew the good stuff from the bad one in electronic circuitry...
However, compared to new one rack space amps from other manufacturers at 10 lb., this older BGW 100B is larger and much heavier for the category. As for the BGW models that replaced this old fellow, I checked, these were model # 150 (1983) and model # 200 (1990), both more powerful and lighter at 14 lb...
Thanks, Brian Gary Wachner for all those years of flawless enjoyment, same to Spectro Acoustics fellows. BTW, the BGW amp name still exists, but in a different way, bgw.com
Richard
P.S. Most likely a pair of Ashly SRA-2150 Class-D amps will replace the BGWs in my setup, though I'm not a fan at all of those Euroblock connectors. But Ashly usually makes good gear. Not sure though the newer amps will last as long as the BGW. On the other side of the coin, I'd really like to try a Rolls RA-200 Studio amp: special high performance transformer, MOSFET output drivers and very high slew rate of 100 v/microsecond (Bryston 2B LP Pro 60 v/microsecond). Rolls is made by the same guy who formerly made a great EQ I still own. Plus, I haven't seen a recent MOSFET amp in a LONG time! Could be nice. I'll try to squeeze this in the budget, along with other audio purchases I have to make. May be able to go for it!
1audiohack
08-03-2018, 05:15 PM
HI All!
I am the lucky recipient here.
The BGW is in fine shape and is the heaviest 1RU thing I have ever handled! It seems perfect and runs cooler than any of my 1RU D series Crowns. It powers up and down nicer too.
Today I finally got around to making a pair of XLR pin two - pin three swap cables and have the BGW driving the 4435's in my office.
It sounds great and just might be used to power a pair of studio gray JBL 4502 3 ways I am building for my youngest daughter.
THANK YOU RMC!!!
We are both grateful for your kindness.
Barry.
Following-up, here's a summary of what happened to my equipment replacement list partially mentioned in post # 1.
Well, It took a lot of work here and there to get where I wanted to be on the new equipment purchases, but I finally got there wednesday after lots of back and forth with dealers, plus a few bumps on the road and deceptions...
Like that well known local place where at the last minute the price quoted on an additional item (equipment rack) was quite unreasonable vs others (to make up for the other gear?) and the deposit agreed upon suddenly became full payment in advance for all the equipment, now pretexting everything is special order, and no available date. Too bad for them, I walked away...
I finally closed the deal wednesday with local real Pros with whom I also had parallel discussions on this matter: this time no bullshit, no song, no go around and no low-ball/twist at the end. Just nice Pro service, good volume purchase pricing and a private guided tour of the whole facility (huge). Moreover, the deposit requested is a fraction of the total cost of 4,200. $CAD.
So 10 pieces of equipment now on order, all in one transaction, scheduled to arrive Oct. 31 or so. My waiting and grouping of purchases not only gave me better deals than CDN Web prices, but also let me do more mileage for the same money...
2 X Ashly SRA-2150 amps (to replace the BGW amps), one Ashly XR-1001 24 db crossover (addition to others I have), one Tascam CD-200 player (addition), one DBX 1215 EQ (addition), one Allen & Heath ZED-14 mixer (to replace my smaller of two Mackies), one Rolls HR-261 XLR/RCA Sonic Maximizer (toy to play with/try), one Audio-Technica AT 2035 large diaphragm Studio mic, one CAD GXL 2200SP Studio mic kit (2200 large diaphragm +1200 + PF5A), and one Galaxy Audio CM-140 Sound Level Meter (addition).
The Rolls RA 200 Studio Amp mentioned previously, or another Ashly?, as well as a new small equipment rack-addition (e.g. Middle Atlantic slim 2-6M 6 RU, now can get this at better price) will have to wait for next year's audio budget. By the same token, if space permits, MAYBE I'll get my "dream" small mixer to replace my other original Mackie with a Soundcraft GB 2R 12/2 (special order only, about 6 weeks delay here, and quite a few dollars less in the bank...).
Richard
P.S. Though this is NOT a commitment to give it away here on this site, in any case let me know if you are really interested in getting an absolutely FREE (shipping cost excluded) original, made in USA, fine shape/working (I'll re-check it, last use it worked great), Mackie 1202 mixer with owner manual (four mic/line XLR/1/4" TRS Neutrik inputs plus four stereo inputs, etc.). NOT for resale though. Based on replies I get, from here and elsewhere, then I'll decide If I let it go and to whom. "Conditional wording" used above is based on my past experience here with older gear given away and not much interest shown by members, therefore I reserve the right offering it elsewhere too and to give it or not. Sorry, but I don't want to spend too much time on gear given free, and in any case I won't be unhappy keeping/using it a little longer.
SEAWOLF97
10-26-2018, 07:29 AM
Thanks, Brian Gary Wachner for all those years of flawless enjoyment, same to Spectro Acoustics fellows. BTW, the BGW amp name still exists, but in a different way, bgw.com
I had some difficult to drive (4 ohm, sometimes 3) speakers that I really enjoyed.
On guidance from a super helpful LHF member, (thanx again Loach71) , he got me on the BGW track.
I have a beast 750D on the 250Ti's and a 250D on the rears, both controlled with a BGW 203 preamp. These are essentially MILSPEC gear.
The pre needed some maint a couple of years ago, I took it to the guy who most likely is the best in N. Oregon/S. Washington. He commented on it "A real pleasure working on quality gear like that"
Also have a 320 distribution amp, but have never even tested it , pristine condition tho. :)
let us know how the new gear compares :dont-know:
Hi SEAWOLF,
Thanks for your BGW input here. The 750 is indeed a beast, too large and heavy for my needs though.
On the other hand people here rarely talk about the original Crest Audio P-3500 with similar assets but in a two rack space unit. That also made some waves back then (late 70s-early 80s, long before it was purchased by Peavey) specially in the Touring market regarding rack space use on the road: packing more power in less space...
I'm already a convinced soul with regards to older BGW gear, 38 years of enjoyment on my part is a pretty long time... Same for the Spectro Acoustics preamp and EQ I had.
As for the newer Ashlys coming, well my post # 12 here did mention "Not sure though the newer amps will last as long as the BGW." Ashly usually makes good gear but my impression is i don't think they'll match the built like a tank of older BGW equipment in terms of longevity and reliability... The good old days seem gone. We'll see down the road how Ashly does.
Regards,
Richard
To complement a previous post some pictures follow of the smaller Mackie mixer mentioned earlier.
I purchased it new around 1996 (have the invoice in my papers), I'm the sole owner the mixer ever had, and its never been out of the house, nor on the road.
When its not being used the mixer is kept in a zippered pouch seen on a pic to prevent dust accumulation. It has no visible scratch nor dent. For a 22 year or so mixer its pretty good looking.
One close picture shows the genuine Neutrik connectors provided at the time, which more recent units don't have (no name ones are used) and the potentiometer knobs have also changed on recent ones for example. For a while the mixers have been made in low-cost manufacturing China, contrary to older ones like this Made in the USA.
On the back panel the channel inserts shown can also be used as direct outs, as indicated in the manual. For picture taking purpose I covered the unit's serial number on the back, as is often done for pics, simply to prevent any misuse.
The construction is metal all around, better for RFI rejection. No plastic here contrary to what I've as seen on some more recent mixers of many brands. Like others Mackie isn't today what it use to be...
One interesting aspect of having a mixer is the "patchbay" section where many pieces of equipment can be connected and routed/assigned different ways based on what one wants to do.
Some time ago it had a few potentiometers with a slight static noise which I cleaned with Caig's Deoxit fader F5.
Richard
8261882619826208262182622
Forgot to mention.
There is no dedicated PFL (pre-fader listen or cue) on this model but I've done it many times with the mixer. Just need a little creativity with what's already there and it works. If need be I can show how it is done.
The headphones jack is a Mackie special and totally independent of the Master "volume" with its own control. There's enough clean juice on the phones output to even drive a separate PA or Monitor speaker amplifier. Yep! Its in the manual:
"Serve as a totally isolated, high-quality output for a second tape recorder or PA system. Instead of using a low-cost "headphone amp" chip, we use a high-current version of our main output amplifier, which is why it can really clean out your cochlea if you crank it up too far... but still a very clean signal source." (P. 9)
Naturally, using this headphone output with its own control to drive a separate system (in addition to main out) would require purchasing ready-made or the making of appropriate cables/connectors: 1/4" stereo plug on headphone jack end, and two connectors of some variety at the other end for right and left channel inputs, depending on type of EQ or Amp inputs available at the other end: XLR, 1/4", RCA, Barrier strip or Euroblock.
May not be balanced though. Depending on what material you have on-hand or available, two mic type cables may be too large together to fit correctly in some 1/4" stereo connectors. Then, try instead installation wire with foil shield and drain wire as I use in the rack, it usually has a smaller outer diameter than mic cable.
Richard
P.S. I seem to remember, right or wrong, that at one point in time Switchcraft made a 1/4" connector with a larger entry to allow use of larger cabling...
I had a QSC 1100 amp repaired. I sent it to the Canadian importer/distributor of the brand here thinking they know best, right? The amp has a turn-on delay, it was defective, making a loud Buzz sound upon turn-on. They "fixed" it (buzz gone) and gave it back to me. The amp works and plays music.
But since that repair, I noted the heatsinks get unsusually warm/hot, even when nothing is connected to the amp, input or output! No speaker cables, no input cables connected, just the AC cord plugged and amp turned on, I can't keep my hand on the output transistors/heatsinks very long...
So I sent it back to these guys with explanation and mention it wasn't like this before the initial repair. They told me they adjusted the amp's bias, amp is ok, the heat is normal and its like that! Not admitting any issue created. Could it be a defective replacement part, or a solder/wire creating some short for example?
Not being a repair technician I've put the three such units I have side-by-side, cover off, trying to spot any notable problem or difference(s) that may explain the situation, but its not evident. I do see slight things not being the exact same but maybe they're not enough to explain things, and these could be manufacturing related as they were not all purchased the same time.
For sure the distributor is out of luck with his explanation, having three such amps, its easy to compare the heat made by one vs the others. With the same operational conditions the other two run dead cold! Moreover, there's no sign that these two units would then be the defective ones according to their logic!
This situation reminds me of another: I seem to remember a recent post from Barry where I think he mentioned he was about done with "repair shops". I'm pretty done with this one. They SHOULD know better. Sounds pretty much like "you go in there with a problem and come out with another one". I thought the grass was greener on the US side.
Sending it to QSC in California for expertise/repair would unfortunately be pretty costly, and they would probably refer me back to the local distributor who has exclusive rights/obligations, plus "factory repair service", for the product in my country, as I was told previously by another maker regarding its local distributor.
The heat related protection circuit hasn't triggered yet (spec sheet 90°+ C, service manual 105°C, will try to measure this temperature with a thermometer). Why bother then? Heat, at the level I feel it and in this setup isn't normal, also its a well-known enemy of electronic circuitry/components. Plus I'd like to keep this small versatile amp for many more years. They were relatively expensive back then for one rack space (895. CAD retail + tx), are compact size, nicely made, perform well and quite flexible: XLR Switchcraft, 1/4" TRS, Barrier strip, DIP switches, Octal sockets, can do 8/4/2 ohms, have a couple of db of dynamic headroom, etc. and made in good ole USA.
So, back to another repair shop next week, hopefully to find out what goes wrong. Since they repair mostly Pro stuff/high level gear, and are authorized service center for most Pro brand electronics (including JBL, probably QSC too), I figure there may be hope...
On a more positive note, all my new audio gear has finally arrived (took a month+ all together), same place where the QSC is going for diagnosis and repair. Four items had arrived about 2 wks+ ago, however six others were back order at the Canadian distributor(s) involved (Ashly, DBX, Tascam, AT, etc). Quite surprised by the delays considering there's nothing really complicated or unusual on the list. This may be a sign that local distributors stock more lower cost items or fast movers only and order the others from manufacturers as required. Doesn't look good for the Lowell rack (USA made, pricier vs size) I want to order when picking up the new gear...
Richard
P.S. I'll post a picture soon of the three QSC brothers side-by-side on the "examination table".
Here are the pictures of the amps together for comparison and examination purposes. I've also added a pic of the TR3a bias adjusment setting (about in the middle of the second closer pic). As shown by the arrow on top of it, its set at about 9 O'clock and the three amps have the same setting within a very tiny margin. Which makes me feel the heat is probably not an issue related to the bias setting, as implied by amp distributor, otherwise the other two amps would overheat as well and they don't...
I thought using a thermometer for cooking, which has a larger temp scale, normally up to around 400-500°F (as wife confirms), to monitor output device temperature of offending amp, but she can't find it.
Other thermometers on-hand practically useable here are to measure human body temperature which have more limited scale...
The no input/no output plugged temperature of an output transistor was measured at least at 44°C/111°F at which point the digital thermometer shut down because of excessive heat. It was climbing fast and no doubt it would have gone higher at that rate.
Richard
8289682897
grumpy
12-02-2018, 11:05 AM
If you can hold your hand on something, uncomfortably, but indefinitely... that’s on the order of 50°C. If intolerable after a few seconds, then closer to 60°C. If burned, perhaps use a different form of temperature estimation :) ...certainly sounds abnormal for an idle class ab amp. Good luck with the new shop!
Here are the pictures of the amps together for comparison and examination purposes. I've also added a pic of the TR3a bias adjusment setting (about in the middle of the second closer pic). As shown by the arrow on top of it, its set at about 9 O'clock and the three amps have the same setting within a very tiny margin. Which makes me feel the heat is probably not an issue related to the bias setting, as implied by amp distributor, otherwise the other two amps would overheat as well and they don't...
I thought using a thermometer for cooking, which has a larger temp scale, normally up to around 400-500°F (as wife confirms), to monitor output device temperature of offending amp, but she can't find it.
Other thermometers on-hand practically useable here are to measure human body temperature which have more limited scale...
The no input/no output plugged temperature of an output transistor was measured at least at 44°C/111°F at which point the digital thermometer shut down because of excessive heat. It was climbing fast and no doubt it would have gone higher at that rate.
Richard
8289682897
Hi Grumpy,
Thanks for the input on the 50° and 60° sensation benchmarks. I didn't know these. Definitely feels more like 60+ than 50°...
In my view, the distributor's tech went for easy way out the door with amp bias adjustment, probably to move on to the next waiting repair job, not wanting to go on a "fishing expedition" trying to find where that heat problem comes from...
Hopefully this won't become an expensive running bill at $75/hr. Though I like this versatile little amp, if troubleshooting/repair seems to be going the pricey way, I'll stop the bleeding, and consider instead getting another similar Ashly amp in the near future. Regards,
Richard
At last, my new toys have finally made it to their permanent residence. Picked them up yesterday, they are now lined up in their box in the basement for the time being, a few pictures to follow. I also got for the asking a small bag with a dozen and a half of various Euroblock connectors, which I never needed before (used mostly Neutrik or switchcraft XLR/1/4" connectors), but now Euroblocks appear everywhere (e.g. on my new Ashly amps, there may be some already in the boxes, which I don't know, some spares then!).
It will take some time to set up all the gear, more so since I need to pull out of the present rack a number of items to make space, reorganize everything, make many cable/connector sets and wait for a new rack... Some cabling is easier to reuse on something else, like those for the BGW amps given away, by simply changing the XLR Pin 3 hot connections to the present standard Pin 2 hot.
The easiest device to try quickly is probably the Rolls Sonic Maximizer (XLR/RCA), not rack mount, which I can plug fast in my hi-fi setup using RCA cables, between an Onkyo preamp and a NAD amp. A few things strike me about this not expensive "sonic magic" toy: Glass epoxy PC board, Pro grade connectors, silicone damped pots, subwoofer output with 18db/oct, USA made, vs tons of cheap throw away type of stuff from Asia. I guess there's still hope south of the border...
I did order at the same time, with a small deposit, the nicely US built 7 RU rack from Lowell (LDTR-718). Its all good metal construction (no cheap particle board here) appears being made to last forever, which I tend to like. The plan is to make a plywood base under the new rack to lift it up, put the new Allen & Heath mixer on top of that rack to end up at about waist level and it will sit next to the taller rack. Still need to figure out a logical way of spliting the equipment between the two racks though, this affects cabling length. Power (AC) distribution is another matter I need to tackle here...
As more or less expected in post # 20, the new rack is... not in stock with the Canadian importer/distributor! The vendor confirmed to me that since the Internet purchasing craze or wave even importers/distributors (and retailers) don't keep much stock anymore, except popular fast moving items. The couple of weeks delay expected doesn't bother me too much here considering that expense will then go towards the new 2019 audio budget, as I wished. 2018 money is gone now, except for the following issue, if reasonable.
While being there, I also dropped the overheating QSC amp with one of the the repair technicians on-site for testing/repair estimate, even providing a good such unit for comparison purposes, the tech thought it was a nice idea to have a good reference on-hand to compare with, in case its needed. Plus I gave him a USB flash drive with all the QSC amp info I have (schematic, service manual, owner manual, specs, etc.). Helping him to succeed, indirectly helps me! Wasting time looking for manuals on the Net doesn't.
Finally, I got a nice price (only) on the Rolls studio amp (RA 200, MOSFET, etc.) mentioned previously. Better than expected, but I want to see first the outcome on the QSC at the repair shop. This may orient or not my thinking about another amp, Ashly or a Rolls, in the new year. Rolls thinks differently and does things likewise, which I tend to like here, in addition to still making some stuff in the US.
Richard
P.S. I may post later a note I wrote recently about the mixer's choice made, sort of the control center of it all, and some issues related to it...
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grumpy
12-06-2018, 09:42 AM
Looks like presents arrived just in time for the holidays! :)
Hi Grumpy,
Yes, just in time... No need to wrap these as gifts though, they're all destined to the same boy who put money away, waited patiently and worked with vendors to finally make it happen with one of them.
Considering most boxes wouldn't pass through the chimney on THE day, Santa authorized that these be stored in the basement living room (not the one upstairs!), still a bit too much in the wife's way though, for now... "Trespassing" again (LOL), as I already put temporarily other audio stuff in that room, since my dedicated audio room is sort of upside down at this time with all the changes I have to do. Will get there one day! Regards,
Richard
The Allen & Heath Z-14 mixer was chosen. Simply because of its better quality construction than similar ones and that size fits my requirements. Only a little more expensive than a somewhat comparable Soundcraft EPM 12 for example. I went for manufacturing quality first instead of ideal functions. I also considered the purchase of the larger Z-18 but its simply more of the exact same thing, no real need for this, plus I still have Mackie to use as sub-mixer if need be. If the Z-18 had different useful or better features I would have purchased it. The Soundcraft MPMi 12-2 is a serious contender, thought I had found one but the retailer's Web page was not truthful, the mixer was discontinued, while retailer said it could be ordered...
With regards to on-board effects, no real need for that at this time, since I still have a fine working Alesis reverb/delay/etc. unit, and I like the fact it has the settings written right on the front panel with the knobs : easy access, simple and fast to make any modification. 256 programs sound more than enough for me now.
Newer effects devices often require to enter and navigate menus, scroll down, select a setting, and exit, etc. which I tend to see as a hassle, taking more time when trying different settings on the go or even to make a small change to the sound. For these same reasons I stayed away from digital mixers, more so when they're usually much more expensive (e.g. QSC Touchmix-8, 8 channels, about double what I paid for Z-14).
Analog mixers are getting more out of fashion with the Pros, as I was told by a quite surprised Senior audio sales/integration rep seeing me requesting an analog one. Well, I'm not in the fashion business, and don't choose audio equipment on the basis of it being a hit with the crowd, it has to meet my own criteria. If others prefer the more trendy digital units, great I respect their choice. Mine is analog for the time being even if they take more space than comparable digital ones, probably caused by repeated hardware for every channel and more vs virtual stuff on screen. For me, everything is right where I need/like it: at my finger tip, no menus navigation, scroll, etc. Btw another fellow working there, younger guy, surprisingly agreed with me! So, that makes us at least two from different generations...
The Z-14 mixer has genuine Neutrik connectors and 100 mm Alps faders instead of cheap imitations, individual circuit board on each channel like more expensive units have, easier to pull-out and service than one large circuit board in case of problem, nicer potentiometer knobs and the pots are nutted to the top panel for sturdiness. Nice fader and pot feel too.
On the other hand, that mixer remains a compromise on some features. Not as flexible mixing board as I would have liked. e.g. No dedicated 1/4" connectors for stereo aux return(s), one must use the stereo channel(s) for this purpose, like too many other mixers these days... It does have four aux sends on 1/4" outputs, but only a single stereo return input on RCAs!! That logic is beyond me on Pro gear. Alt Out (alternate output) is also on RCA connectors!, another one where they dropped the ball. So two pairs of RCA that should have been 1/4" connectors for flexibility... Like good old Greg Mackie taught us. If one requires more RCAs then the adapter RCA to 1/4" is so simple, low cost and more robust than the other way around...
As for Record Out and Two-Track return on RCA connectors its pretty standard in this mixer category and does make sense for project studios. The mixer's USB features can also be useful to record music to a hard disk.
With regards to the latter two RCA out/in, I still have in the rack a relatively expensive cassette deck with 3-head, Dolby S noise reduction (S/N ratio 84 db), HX Pro, extended response, tape calibration, etc. that could use these connectors (or as a CD player input). Better yet, I also have two MD digital recorders (Sony's Mini Disk format), one in the rack, the other a pricey portable unit Made in Japan!
Richard
I opened some of my new gear boxes to get actual serial numbers for online warranty registrations. On the other hand, I'm still far from installing all the new gear, more so when waiting for a new rack ordered.
Though some have a serial number sticker on the outside of the box, the DBX EQ box contains a clear mention, at the beginning of the manual, to verify the serial number on box sticker VS the actual such number on the unit for discrepancies. I guess that type of problem occured in the past and would mean hassles to get warranty service if you registered # 12345 (box sticker) instead of # 54321 (on the unit) for e.g.
At the same time, I looked at box content (six out of ten done), two amps, mixer and CD player to follow. While being there I took some pictures to be posted, plus have seen a few interesting things. I haven't removed all packaging material yet, these units still being stored temporarily. Box protection is best.
In the Ashly crossover box there's a little surprise: two brand new AC power cord models, one for Canada (like the US) and another one which may be for Europe. First time I get two different ones in the same audio gear box. Manual says unit is good for 100-240V, 50-60hz, this explains why they put two cords in the box??
However, manufacturers usually throw in the box the AC cord type for the country where it is shipped, saving the cost of giving a useless second one. The connector on the left of the picture with two round pins seems familiar (for Europe), but it also has a small metal plate with a hole in the middle of it, never seen that aspect before, for some ground pin? Could be newer European connector type not familiar with?
If anyone knows please confirm that it is for these countries or not. The connector on the right side of picture I keep to power the device. If the one on the left is in fact a newer European type of plug as I suspect, I will probably never use that, therefore it may be available for free, let me know If interested, otherwise recycling? Seems like nice quality, equipment side connector rated 250V/10 amps and AC side connector rated 250V/16 amps. No indication of an AWG wire size (looks 16-18 gauge outside), but I do see on the cable 1.0 mm^2 which may be the European equivalent of AWG... BTW the manual doesn't talk about two AC cord options.
More will follow soon with the gear pics mentioned above. Regards,
Richard
P.S. RE shipping: If, for example, a cable like this costs 10 Euros in Europe but it costs only the equivalent of 5 Euros to ship it there, then its a good deal.
The Euro is worth about 50% more than the Canadian dollar. Today my bank purchases Euros at 1.46 CAD, but sells them at 1.57 CAD, high margin! Local currency exchange office may do better. This would mean in practice close to 50% discount on shipping cost to Europe, which should be low since its a small and light package (my packaging is free).
82985829868298782988
(Pic numbers for me only to match text with pictures as I write these notes in Wordpad then transfert them to LH and selected pic numbers are not in order). As mentioned earlier I didn't unpack everything yet since the gear is still stored for now.
First, a quick mention about the Rolls Sonic Exciter XLR/RCA (picture posted previously). When noting the unit's serial number I took a minute to try its silicone damped potentiometers. Nice rubberish feel from the knobs and the silicone damping of the pots does offer some constant resistance to turning either way. Since the effect sought from such a device would logically be increased or decreased a little at the time, listening, then adjusting in small increment(s) further as required, the amount of resistance from damping seems to make sense to me. Haven't plugged it in yet in the hi-fi setup.
Pics # 270, 294
Ashly crossover, 24 db/oct., has almost everything one can wish for (except delay, I have it on the Ranes AC 22), but includes a Variable Filter Response Control (3rd knob from left: "Response") which varies the filters' response shape at the crossover point (high and low pass). One can choose from different types, like Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley or notch filter at the crossover frequency. Should be interesting to compare.
Richard
8301283013
Pic # 274
DBX EQ, in a way I went for "Only the best components were utilized, ..." , in addition to its specs/features. I tend to prefer quality made things that will last a long time. The genuine Neutrik XLR connectors, some with locks, on the back panel look like a good start. The switchable 40 hz/18 db/oct. Bessel high-pass filter is different than many set at 20 hz (e.g. Ashly X-over), but this one can be of some help for certain applications, like smaller box and woofer in approximate B6 alignment, though Bessel filter has more droop in the passband than Butterworth, therefore would require a little more EQ work. The steeper 18 db low-cut vs usual 12 db used for B6 alignments, may be a bonus in the use of a smaller woofer protecting further from overexcursion.
The price reduction on-going in the US for a while on this unit (DBX site) doesn't apply to Canada though... Owner Manual pretty skinny on info given vs some older EQs, plus no data on filter Q and on center frequency tolerance. I see the latter as an indirect way to assess equalizer quality. Standard Pro EQs are often at 5% or so tolerance, better made ones at 3%. My older EQs: Rane GE 14 is at 3% max., Audio Logic SC215i (i or series II) is at 2%! Haven't seen one yet matching this 2% or closer tolerance. The AL has nice quality build with good features, such as variable 20-200 hz, 12 db/oct., Bessel high-pass filter, also variable 12 db/oct. Bessel low-pass filter 3.5k-22 khz. Gives more flexibility, something I like in audio equipment. Hope it lasts forever.
Richard
83014
Pics # 279, 288, 282, 283
The AT 2035 studio mic response curve was not really visible in the group mic picture for comparison so I shot that specs page curve alone.
I was looking for a reasonably good but affordable larger diaphragm studio mic with acceptably flat response, since I already have a few vocal mics with tailored response curves for such use.
The best seller lower cost AT 2020, didn't have as flat LF response as sought plus is just a bit short on top end. So I went with the next step up AT 2035. Reasonably flat except for the small rise around 14 khz which can be corrected with EQ if need be, received good comments about this unit.
Others I looked at. The AT 2050 multi-pattern mic may have been interesting, but it didn't appear to shine in any of the three patterns: more like a jack of all trade master of none type of mic. Also considered AKG's P series mics. They seemed well made but a few things bugged and the comments I got on two models were more average than nice. RE the Rode NT1A kit, initially I thought it was an NT1 mic (nice) with the "A" identifying the kit with cable and pop screen, since both mics look pretty much the same. No real need for the cable but the screen would be ok. Upon looking more closely I realized its an NT1A mic in the kit, not NT1. The NT1A didn't have as nice response, and the NT1 is more expensive... Rode NT1A kit and CAD GXL 2200SP kit are about the same price.
The large diaphragm CAD GXL 2200 also has acceptably flat response (VLF not as good as the AT) but it has a higher response peak around 12 khz which may probably require some EQ downwards... That mic kit btw was sort of a bonus kicked in last, since I had some budget left considering the prices I got on the rest.
The smaller CAD GXL 1200 makes good impression in this short comparison, it didn't really surprise me since I purchased 2 years ago two of the exact same mic, and I didn't mind at all getting a third one in this CAD kit. This instrument mic has a pretty flat response, save extreme highs and lows, and represents good value (performance/price ratio). All the above subject to hearing the sound of the two larger studio ones later.
That GXL 1200 in the studio mic kit didn't come with a windscreen in the box, as my two others did, but no big deal as I have similar windscreens from other comparable mics.
Richard
83015830168301783018
Pic # 286
The Pop Filters for the larger studio mics. The left one came in the CAD mic kit and has the usual nylon screen whereas the right one, purchased separately, has a metal screen. My initial choice was a nylon model however the one I was looking for was sold out, they offered me instead the little more expensive metal one for the same price. I can't really say at this point if its as effective (maybe better?), but if not then an easy fix will be to add a piece of nylon from a stocking over the metal screen. Another thing to do, pop tests of nylon vs metal...
Richard
P.S. More later about the remaining gear (amps, mixer, CD player)
83019
The latest equipment news.
I picked up two days ago from repair my overheating, even at idle, QSC 1100 amp after a month at the shop due to X-Mas holidays and part ordered. While discussing some other things I plugged and turned on the amp for a half-hour at the shop, nothing connected to it, and now no more hot heat sinks. Good start! Five parts replaced: capacitors and driver transistors, four they had on-hand the fifth one ordered. Cost ($198.+ tx) is a little less than the estimate I approved, so another good news. Haven't tested it yet in the sound system setup.
The tech who did the work isn't the one I initially talked to since busy fixing something else, but the guys I know told me its even better this way, if someone is to find the problem its that meticulous other fellow, because he's the fully committed type that won't stop until its right, which I tend to like, more so below budget, considering he wants to succeed, period. That dedication is great, and he'll likely see me again.
At the same time I picked up the new small rack I had ordered a month ago to complement my taller one: Lowell, LDTR-718, 7 RU desktop rack. Its BIG for a seven rack spaces and weighs a lot too. Even the cardboard box gives a hint of the rack's own dimensions: 23" W X 18.2" D X 17" H. Built like a tank in good ole usa, with side vents (e.g. good for amps), and no cheap particle board construction just thick steel to last forever. As mentioned previously, I need to make a base under that rack to lift it so that with the new Allen & Heath Z-14 mixer on top of rack, things end up at about waist height. More work, plus another (larger) box in the wife's way for which I'll certainly get some heat sooner than later...
Richard
P.S. A post should follow shortly here regarding some news about the replacement of my almost new AT LP120 turntable with a tonearm precision issue mentioned in a recent thread, as well as concerning the Rolls RA 200 Mosfet amp...
8314683147
I raised recently in another thread an issue I have with the AT LP120 turntable. The tonearm's precision when being balanced isn't that good in my view, more specifically for low tracking force cartridges. I know this is more a DJ type turntable than a High-Fi one, but still for the money requested here I think one could have expected a better performing tonearm than what it is in reality. My older Technics SLQ2 was clearly better in this regard.
The tonearm appears to have more friction than it should, I assume cheap gimbals or bearings were used on this one. Though not stated, it could be more appropriate for heavier tracking force cartridges in the 3-5 gr. or so range, however it came with the AT95E cartridge rated at 1.5-2.5 gr. ( 2.0 gr. recommended) which seems optimistic in view of tonearm. A heavier tracking DJ type would seem more appropriate to me.
With lighter tracking cartridges such as AT 408EP, Shure M95ED and V15 type IV I have, among others, working in the 1.00-1.50 gr. the tonearm's insufficient precision just doesn't cut it. So, not really a general purpose turntable that would do fine for both DJ and quality Hi-Fi listening. More geared towards DJ, though Audio-Technica tries with the supplied cartridge to make it look like a good all around turntable...
So I decided to replace this turnable purchased about a year ago and seldom used with another one that has a better tonearm while still being a Direct Drive. The wife will get the AT LP120 to put in the Video/Audio system cabinet in the living room upstairs, replacing a pretty old Technics (still going), this way the AT remains in the house in case I ever need to use a more DJ type turntable/cartridge.
Two wrenches in the wheel though at this time: first the LP 120 may not fit in the cabinet's audio section with shelves and glass door, its too tight by one or two millimeter(s) based on width measurements taken, second getting a 3 gr. or so tracking cartridge from AT, would be safer since upstairs its all older hardwood floors where the stylus may skip at light tracking forces of 1.00-1.50 gr. with living room "traffic". I don't intend to provide nor lend my AT ATP-3 or Shure SC35C DJ cartridges, the former is impossible to replace/even find stylus for, the latter is getting harder to replace or find original stylus for since Shure stopped making cart./stylus summer 2018 and folks have since stormed the stores, a few left though...
I have a few ideas good or bad to get the TT in the cabinet like: loosen the cabinet's screws a bit, if any, to get it in, but I don't really know as it was delivered all assembled many years ago, weighs a TON being large (MDF with wood imitation cover, pretty rigid) and I don't see screws; "grind" or sand a little the turntable's base sides (doing that inside the cabinet she'll shoot me!); use some lubricant on TT base sides to push it in with just a tiny bit of force. BTW putting the TT on top of the cabinet or replacing the latter isn't an option (i already asked!), that would have been too easy... Any other ideas welcomed!
The best replacement turntable compromise I have yet found is the AT LP5. It has Direct Drive, a better tonearm and no frills. The reviews seen on it were positive. The drive system specs are the same as those of the LP 120 (Torque, Wow and Flutter, S/N ratio) which makes me feel it may have the same high torque drive system as the LP 120. But LP5 has different platter, nice rubber mat, etc. I also liked the Denon DP-400 however its belt drive is a deal breaker for me.
The LP5 comes with a "cartridge alignment and overhang adjustment template", which isn't supplied with the LP120, that looks like a little red flag against the latter's tonearm. Also, the AT 95EX cartridge, which looks like an improved AT95E, is designed for and supplied with the LP5. The LP 120 and the LP5 both come from the consumer division of AT Canada (surprisingly for LP 120), and only their premium DJ LP 1240 belongs to the Pro division. With the recent price decrease here of the latter it now retails for the same money as the LP5. Even so I'm less interested in that mammoth turntable (LP 1240).
Pitch control, strobe and target light (LP 120) are nice to have, more so for mixing, but probably not must have in my case, therefore I could live with an LP5. Consequently, if DJ features and higher tracking forces are more important for ones use then the LP 120 would make sense. If on the other hand precision and higher fidelity aspects are more important in view of the usage, as in my case, then the LP5 is a better option.
Finally, with regards to the Rolls RA 200 MOSFET amp, considering the latest price given to me this week for that unit I think I'd probably hate myself for a long time if I didn't go for it at this point in time. I'll chew on the above a little more and make a decision shortly...
Richard
"Thinking out of the box"I got another idea for the AT LP120 turntable location/installation, if it won't get in the audio cabinet properly: put it exactly out of the box! There's an empty corner of 18"+ wide next to the right side of that cabinet. I could put it there on a table or base I can make and fit the thing there, also away from risks of "accidents", it would sit right next to the audio section of the cabinet.
Maybe I don't have to extend the TT's RCA/ground wires, but if need be I've done that in the past for a small length addition and had no hum/noise problems, but I stay away from AC and speaker wiring...
That location is a little less practical since the cabinet's door opens towards the right, where the corner is, but it may well work as a second best or last resort type of option...
BTW If interested and want to know more info on the AT LP5 turntable (e.g. tonearm data) have a look at the following:
- The attached Australian Hi-Fi Magazine test of the AT LP5 turntable and cartridge (no copyright mention seen on this document). Contrary to doc title below its a test of the TT AND cartridge.
- Google the European version of the product brochure called "AT LP5 Brochure Eng Eu A4" which gives lot more info, but its copyrighted, so not attached here.
- Google the AT LP5 Owner Manual, also copyrighted. P. 7 shows specs, though in the tonearm specs there seems to be a typo about stylus pressure adjustment range given as 0 to 2.5 gr. This is contradicted by the European brochure (0-5 gr.) and by close pictures of the tonearm on US and Canada sites showing the range on the counterweight goes ABOVE 3.5 gr...
- Google "How To Align Your Turntable Cartridge" its on AT's Australia web site but when you get at the right page it will show NZ in top right corner for New Zealand (same site for both I guess). It shows a little more info for the LP5, but also in the text the cartridge overhang numbers for AT LP 120 and LP 1240.
Why this relevant info is so far from the main market, being the USA? That's beyond me. However, I assume European and Australia/NZ documents provide more info than US or Canada possibly because they have better product information disclosure legislation.
Richard
83158
nofun
01-16-2019, 12:57 PM
I raised recently in another thread an issue I have with the AT LP120 turntable. The tonearm's precision when being balanced isn't that good in my view, more specifically for low tracking force cartridges. I know this is more a DJ type turntable than a High-Fi one, but still for the money requested here I think one could have expected a better performing tonearm than what it is in reality. My older Technics SLQ2 was clearly better in this regard.
The tonearm appears to have more friction than it should, I assume cheap gimbals or bearings were used on this one. Though not stated, it could be more appropriate for heavier tracking force cartridges in the 3-5 gr. or so range, however it came with the AT95E cartridge rated at 1.5-2.5 gr. ( 2.0 gr. recommended) which seems optimistic in view of tonearm. A heavier tracking DJ type would seem more appropriate to me.
With lighter tracking cartridges such as AT 408EP, Shure M95ED and V15 type IV I have, among others, working in the 1.00-1.50 gr. the tonearm's insufficient precision just doesn't cut it. So, not really a general purpose turntable that would do fine for both DJ and quality Hi-Fi listening. More geared towards DJ, though Audio-Technica tries with the supplied cartridge to make it look like a good all around turntable...
So I decided to replace this turnable purchased about a year ago and seldom used with another one that has a better tonearm while still being a Direct Drive. The wife will get the AT LP120 to put in the Video/Audio system cabinet in the living room upstairs, replacing a pretty old Technics (still going), this way the AT remains in the house in case I ever need to use a more DJ type turntable/cartridge.
Two wrenches in the wheel though at this time: first the LP 120 may not fit in the cabinet's audio section with shelves and glass door, its too tight by one or two millimeter(s) based on width measurements taken, second getting a 3 gr. or so tracking cartridge from AT, would be safer since upstairs its all older hardwood floors where the stylus may skip at light tracking forces of 1.00-1.50 gr. with living room "traffic". I don't intend to provide nor lend my AT ATP-3 or Shure SC35C DJ cartridges, the former is impossible to replace/even find stylus for, the latter is getting harder to replace or find original stylus for since Shure stopped making cart./stylus summer 2018 and folks have since stormed the stores, a few left though...
I have a few ideas good or bad to get the TT in the cabinet like: loosen the cabinet's screws a bit, if any, to get it in, but I don't really know as it was delivered all assembled many years ago, weighs a TON being large (MDF with wood imitation cover, pretty rigid) and I don't see screws; "grind" or sand a little the turntable's base sides (doing that inside the cabinet she'll shoot me!); use some lubricant on TT base sides to push it in with just a tiny bit of force. BTW putting the TT on top of the cabinet or replacing the latter isn't an option (i already asked!), that would have been too easy... Any other ideas welcomed!
The best replacement turntable compromise I have yet found is the AT LP5. It has Direct Drive, a better tonearm and no frills. The reviews seen on it were positive. The drive system specs are the same as those of the LP 120 (Torque, Wow and Flutter, S/N ratio) which makes me feel it may have the same high torque drive system as the LP 120. But LP5 has different platter, nice rubber mat, etc. I also liked the Denon DP-400 however its belt drive is a deal breaker for me.
The LP5 comes with a "cartridge alignment and overhang adjustment template", which isn't supplied with the LP120, that looks like a little red flag against the latter's tonearm. Also, the AT 95EX cartridge, which looks like an improved AT95E, is designed for and supplied with the LP5. The LP 120 and the LP5 both come from the consumer division of AT Canada (surprisingly for LP 120), and only their premium DJ LP 1240 belongs to the Pro division. With the recent price decrease here of the latter it now retails for the same money as the LP5. Even so I'm less interested in that mammoth turntable (LP 1240).
Pitch control, strobe and target light (LP 120) are nice to have, more so for mixing, but probably not must have in my case, therefore I could live with an LP5. Consequently, if DJ features and higher tracking forces are more important for ones use then the LP 120 would make sense. If on the other hand precision and higher fidelity aspects are more important in view of the usage, as in my case, then the LP5 is a better option.
Finally, with regards to the Rolls RA 200 MOSFET amp, considering the latest price given to me this week for that unit I think I'd probably hate myself for a long time if I didn't go for it at this point in time. I'll chew on the above a little more and make a decision shortly...
Richard
Sorry, I would like to ask if you have the original layout. Looks sharp and clean.
Hi nofun,
No need to be sorry.
However, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "original layout". Which layout are you refferring to? Please be more specific. More so in view of " Looks sharp and clean"? Thanks. Regards,
Richard
Following a question about standard factory adjustment of tonearm/cartridge (overhang).
The AT LP 120 is a popular model among people for its many DJ features but comes with a more standard AT 95E cartridge.
If you look at the "AT LP 120 usb at95e Owner Manual" on AT's Web site, P. 10 Specs, you will note there is no tonearm tech data provided, nor on Web spec sheet, same silence in the paper manual that came with my LP 120. Doesn't seem important for that model? Though overhang does matter to minimize distortion.
Its quite possible the TT and supplied cartridge were properly adjusted (or not) at the factory. However, when replacing the cartridge and/or headshell (P. 8 manual) a short note reminds to reset tonearm balance, stylus force and anti-skate. Its very likely in my view, with LP 120, that someone would change the cartridge/headshell for DJ type use. However, no word about resetting overhang adjustment nor about overhang number in manual, contrary to AT LP 1240 and LP5 manuals. For the latter two TT in same order, tonearm specs-overhang/headshell specs-overhang adjustment: 15 mm/+ or - 4mm; 17 mm/+ or - 5 mm.
The lack of info for LP 120 is why I referred to the "How To Align Your Turntable Cartridge" on AT's AU/NZ Web site in the previous post because its one of only two places I've seen (the other being an official AT Blog) that mentions the overhang number for the LP 120 (16 mm), headshell overhang adjustment amount not given. LP 120 effective tonearm length is 230.5 mm, useful to know when using, as many do, a different adjustment protractor, i.e. other than AT's 2016 protractor available free on the Web for LP 120 and LP 1240.
I didn't have much success lately with Audio-Technica. The 3 gr. or so cartridge sought, for my LP 120 going upstairs in the living room, is discontinued and replaced by another, the latter btw, is now also discontinued according to local distributor... Both still on AT Canada/US Web site with current models. Search continues, maybe an AT XP5.
One reason why I like AT cartridges, other than price/performance ratio, is the load capacitance of 100-200 pf they often require VS Shure's often 400-500 pf (V15 type IV 200-300 pf) for flat frequency response. My NAD integrated amplifier's phono section has 100 pf, add some for TT wiring and it should be close. Too low effective capacitance on a cartridge that requires more (e.g. Shure) leads to a high-frequency response bump (more frequent), too much capacitance on a cartridge requiring less leads to a high-end response dip (less frequent).
I use to have a Spectro Acoustics preamp where one could vary the amount of phono capacitance which was a nice feature. My NAD doesn't have this, but has other assets like nice Preamp and Amp sections, both completely separable with jumpers on the back. It can be an amp or preamp alone or both together(integrated) in seconds. Since I still have many records, I appreciate the phono section it has, as well as the flexibility the unit gives me.
I asked last week my audio dealer to verify availability and pricing on six Audio-Technica items, plus one from Rolls (one more verification on the amp), with the Canadian distributor. The AT LP5 turntable being one of the six AT items. The dealer passed along to me the distributor's e-mail for five AT items, I guess he felt really bad about telling me himself...
For the five, all on AT's Canada and US Web site, the reply from distributor is: First item HS 10 BK headshell (for LP5), back order for the time being (no date); Second item ATP-N2 stylus for ATP-2 cartridge which would fit on my ATP-3 but little less desirable, is discontinued and "I have none left in stock"; Third item is the cartridge mentioned above (original discontinued and replacement also discontinued); Fourth item AT 6180A, stroboscope and overhang adjustment tool, "we'll seek information, no info yet"; Fifth item AT 6006R, Tonearm safety raiser "we will also seek information on this one, no info yet" "To be followed". No news up to now, as if the last two items came from planet Mars, come on guys.
A year or so ago I inquired with AT US about finding and purchasing a genuine stylus for my ATP-3 cartridge. Their reply was they didn't know this model, and seemed to doubt it ever existed. Well, I still have the ATP series (DJ) Spec Sheet that came with my ATP-3, there were three ATP cartridges # 1, 2, 3 at the time (later I think I saw ATP-4 and 5 on a Japanese Web site) and the longest survivor in the catalog was ATP-2. However, the more expensive ATP-3 was the group's best performing one. I check periodically my last original ATP-3 stylus (and others) with a small pen shape Audiotex "microscope" knowing one day it will be over, unless I decide to get an ATP-N2 on Amazon. Some pictures will follow shortly.
I don't see anything being rocket science in my AT requests, all listed stuff, all on the Web sites. It seems the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing and don't communicate. Quite disappointing.
On a more positive note I ordered Jan. 14 the AT LP5 turntable (Dealer: looks ok) with an extra headshell (HS 10BK backorder), as well as the Rolls RA 200 MOSFET amp I just couldn't resist trying. I was told if there are delays (AT?) I'll be informed. I don't mind weeks delay as I said, but months delay could be another story.
Most of the audio gear purchased comes from the same distributor: Allen & Heath, Ashly, AT, CAD, Lowell, Rolls, Tascam, etc. No choice, they handle so many brands here in their numerous divisions (Pro, Audio, Consumer, Commercial, Musical instruments, etc.).
Richard
These are the pictures I referred to in post # 42. Sorry for the delay. In the first pic, top right paragraph, I underlined the difference between ATP-2 and ATP-3 cartridges. In second pic left column the response graph shows the typical effect on a high capacitance cartridge when loaded with low capacitance, leading to a high frequency peak in response (I suspect they used a Shure cartridge for comparison to ATP). Third pic is the small "microscope" I use to assess stylus wear and the last two pics are my ATP-3 cartridge.
Richard
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I almost forgot my previous commitment to post pictures of (and comment on) the remaining audio gear I picked up on Dec. 4: Tascam CD-200 player, A & H ZED-14 mixer and the Ashly SRA-2150 power amps. The latter two Ashlys being identical the pics are valid for both units.
TASCAM CD-200 (pic # 322):
This is the unbalanced version I have. The XLR balanced outputs version, also with more gadgets I don't need (CD-200SB), is listed $180. more and has limited availability according to the local distributor's list.
So I have analog RCA outputs, good for the RCA inputs on the mixer, as well as digital outputs (coaxial and optical), the latter good for my digital MD recorder(s). The player has headphone output with volume control, a variable pitch control, and comes with a remote.
In addition to music CDs, it also plays WAV and MP3 format files, I do use the WAV format possibly more often than MP3, even if it takes a lot more space on a CD, since I'm not a strong believer of MP3 compression being Hi-Fi, though very practical.
So that Tascam player basically has what I need and want, and comes with an owner manual worthy of that name (compared to the DBX 1215 EQ purchased).
Richard
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ALLEN & HEATH ZED-14 (pic # 325) In Windows Picture Viewer that photo looked much better (clearer) as shot horizontally than vertically oriented (squeezed), so I'm the one to blame here for that horizontal pic.
I've already commented in a previous post (Choosing the mixer, # 31) on the questionable use of RCA connectors for some in/out. That first RCA pair (stereo return) can be seen next to the XLR mic input # 6 and the last one or fourth pair below (Alt Out). The two pairs in the middle making sense for project studio work (2 Trak return and Record out).
The mixer is sometimes referred to as a 1402, for the non-initiated meaning 14 input channels ( 6 mono, 4 stereo here), zero sub-groups (which I would have like to have) and two main outputs (L, R). I'd trade those L, R mains for a single one L+ R to get a sub-group instead. The mixer is relatively heavy for its size, compared to some others seen with more plastic, a good sign in my view about the construction.
The potentiometers have a really nice feel, and seem quite sturdy with them being nutted to the top panel. Though the space between the pots is small for larger fingers, I assume this is caused by the long travel of the faders (100 mm) which reduces space available on the rest of the board for the numerous pots. With regards to the faders, I would have liked just a bit more resistance for moving them (they do have a little).
The mixer's Mid frequency EQ is sweepable, a nice feature, going from 120 hz to 4 khz. A & H says that range is to cover boomy frequencies 120-250 hz, however the mixer has a switchable high-pass filter @ 100 hz on mic channels, and the LF EQ (80 hz) starts affecting progressively frequencies from about 600 hz downwards. I don't consider 120 hz as part of mid, more like low frequency in my book. Something around 250-500 hz in the low part up to 6 khz or so in the high part would seem a little more useful Mid EQ wise.
Regarding the use of Alt Out as sort of a sub-group output (like Mackie) I need to look into the A & H manual further to see how feasible it can be, since I only had a quick look at it.
The mixer comes with an acceptable owner manual, but certainly not as well made as those for older Mackie mixers regarding options, hints, suggestions and workarounds. A & H is more descriptive of what's there than mentioning or explaining the numerous possibilities that one can try/work with. It falls short on that, therefore my good old mackie manuals will be handy for additional ideas: Like driving a separate sound system from the mixer's headphones ouput (Mackies had enough juice to do that), it remains to be seen on the A & H.
Globally, a quality feeling from the mixer this size and price point, but a few flexibility issues to deal with.
Richard
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ASHLY SRA- 2150 (pics # 327, 328, 331)
The amp is rated the following way: 8/4 ohms/bridged is 80 W/ 150 W/ 300 W respectively, and Ashly mentions that regardless of impedance used the amp is current limited at a certain point, the design limit I suppose. The amp weight is about half that of the BGW 100Bs they are replacing.
They are convection cooled class D amps, no heat sinks seen inside looking thru a couple of vents with light. But it has 5 vents on top, 5 on the bottom and one on the front panel for air inflow. So many vents is surprising for the amp size and class.
Moreover, there isn't a whole lot of stuff inside the unit, about half the space doesn't seem to be used, so not jam packed like the BGW 100B. I also noted Ashly's internal main circuit board is COPYRIGHTED!, this is clearly indicated right on the board as seen thru vents. I assume Ashly has developed a particular proprietary technology or circuitry they want to protect from copying...
These amps have my first owned Euroblock connectors on power amps, though I've seen them previously on Cloud power amps I also looked at, plus I was given a bag with various Euroblock connectors by my dealer. Can't say that I'm a big fan of Euroblocks but I admit its a clever and practical device with no soldering to do. For sturdiness and reliability it remains to be seen. I'm mostly familiar with Neutrik and Switchcraft XLR & 1/4" type, I do use some RCAs too, so we'll see how I get along with the new connectors.
I've seen on the Euroblocks alreay installed on the amp that the screws to tighten the wires are on the bottom side of the connectors, not on the top side usually seen by the user, so this is less practical for a quick check on wire tightness for example, even though the connectors are removable. I can imagine a couple of reasons for having it done this way.
The Ashly amps also come with a small note in the box regarding the Final Quality Check and Performance Test done on each unit before leaving the factory, and its initialed by those involved in the QC process. I tend to like such steps being an indication that quality control people have indeed verified not only a small random sample, but rather each unit with its serial number indicated. People caring for quality made stuff is great news these days.
Finally, Ashly's owner manual is also nicer at 12 pages than the one which came with the DBX 1215, presented as a premium EQ.
Richard
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Some of the stuff further below isn't part of Audio's glamour side, but it sure is part of purchasing audio gear sometimes.
Last week I picked up my latest audio purchases from dealer. The AT-LP5 is to replace my recent AT-LP120 which I don't really like in terms of tonearm precision for use with better (lighter tracking) phono cartridges, as previously explained in a recent post here. Opening that box wasn't my priority. As for the MOSFET amp, well I never had one of these among my amps and really wanted to try one before there's no affordable ones left on the market (the number of MOSFET amps available new seems to be melting like snow under the sun...). Price wise its a little more expensive than say a China made Crown XLS 1002, but I got a good deal on the Rolls and it has no fan (noise) since its more of a studio type amp.
I tend to like Rolls who thinks and does things differently than others, also still manufactures in the USA, but sadly a number of their interesting products have been discontinued, some left though, and they carry this policy "Regardless of age we don't usually charge for repairs, a lot of people really like this." Not many such companies remain in the industry. So I prefer to encourage such fellows with my dollars...
Apart from what follows below, I toured the amp quickly, as well as looking inside thru the ventilation slots with light, and it seems to be well made in and out. The gain controls' rotation sure has a nice feel.
I had planned to use the amp last weekend for a "test drive" after waiting a month plus for it. That item was my definite priority to listen to. However, right when I opened the box to look at the amp I felt something was wrong, and the more I looked the worst it got cosmetically, a big disappointment. The plastic bag is torn plus many holes in it, the cardboard retainers inside the box are scrap, there's dust on and inside the unit, it has scratches, the bottom right rackmount is bent, etc. Showing in my view its been unpacked and repacked many times, scratches telling its been around, and those on back the of rackmount indicating its been rack mounted before... What a drag, and it pisses me off a LOT.
The sad part of the settlement is distributor has no other such unit in stock (no wonder I got the "donkey" the first time to fill the order), a new amp is ordered on the spot from the factory, distributor will speed up import/clearance process, distributor's Product Manager will personnaly inspect new replacement unit to make sure its in pristine condition before delivery, distributor will assume all costs related such as pick-up of the "donkey" and delivery of the new unit. A couple of weeks waiting again though, so I wonder...
Restraint I guess has prevented me from plugging/using the cosmetically bad amp yet, since its going back to distributor. But I'm having second thoughts about using the amp being stuck with it for weeks. That would at least give me some new musical entertainment this weekend and a preview of what's coming with the new amp. I'd treat the amp I have like a distributor's demo on loan to me for testing... Regards,
Richard
P.S. Not having used that amp last weekend, I did however test drive my repaired QSC (overheating now gone that's nice), along with my Rolls Sonic Exciter. Back later with some preliminary comments about the Exciter.
EDITED TO SHORTEN POST
I forgot to mention previously, another reason why I wanted to try a MOSFET amp. Before ordering it, I looked around in my references to see what expert(s) may have to say about that type of amp design. What I found seems quite positive:
"POWER MOSFET OUTPUT DEVICES"
"These transistor types, ... have a greatly superior performance to that of bipolar junction transistors, both in respect of maximum operating frequency and linearity, and allow considerable improvements in power amplifier performance for any given degree of circuit complexity." (P. 509)
"By comparison with 'bipolar' junction power transistors, of conventional types, the MOSFET, ... does not suffer from stored charge effects which limit the 'turn-off' speed of bipolar transistors.
The greater speed and lesser internal phase shifts of power amplifier mean that power MOSFETs allow greater freedom in the design of NFB layouts. This in turn, gives superior performance in the middle to upper frequency range." (P. 513)
Jonh Linsley Hood, Power Output Stages, Chapter 14, in Audio & Hi-Fi Handbook, Second Edition, Edited by Ian R. Sinclair,1995.
I know this reference goes back a while but I haven't seen a lot of talk these days about MOSFET amps. I also read somewhere these amps would be more costly to make, hence their higher price. In today's world where low-cost manufacturing (in Asia or Mexico) is King, that may be a reason why we see so little number of new MOSFET amps on the market... Regards,
Richard
At the end of post # 47 I mentioned some preliminary comments to come about that sonic exciter. Just as a reminder of the device this is about, I'm repeating a picture of it already posted here.
First, I needed to check my repaired QSC amp to verify the heat issue it had and it seems normal now. The first CD played to assess it sounded pretty dull, not having much life nor dynamics. Initially I thought the amp had something wrong. Then I switched to another CD, this one original, life and dynamics were back! So not an amp problem.
The first CD used was a compilation I made of various songs from different artists and grouped them on that support. This may well be the red flag. I write the artist and song names, as well as duration, on the paper provided inside the CD housing, but never write the recordings' format... But I'm 95% sure these were MP3 files on the first CD, more so since a number of the songs came from my daughter...
That "incident" reminded me an Onkyo receiver I have has a feature called "Music Optimizer" for compressed Digital music files. In my view, the mere existence of an optimizer for such files points to an issue with them, otherwise why would this be needed? I know of no optimizer for WAV files or CD. Therefore looks like an indication of some quality issues with MP3 sound.
Onkyo describes it this way: "The Music Optimizer function enhances the sound quality of compressed music files." Then adds "... only works with PCM digital audio input signals with a sampling rate below 48 khz ..." The feature isn't on permanently, it has to be selected to be active, plus its defeated in Direct and Pure Audio modes. I don't remember the exact sampling rate of MP3 files, plus on the other hand Onkyo doesn't give in the manual any more info on what the Optimizer does to the sound, I'll assume its more than just file decompression.
With regards to the Rolls Exciter, my initial impression is I can't say at this point its a miraculous or extraordinary device, but it certainly works. The effect is subtle, differences can be heard, definitely are improvements. Muddy bass gets tighter, more clarity and detail in the mid. Better balanced sounds overall.
Another picture is taken from the owner manual (see bottom right page) explaining its nature, how it works and what it does to the sound.
I listened to an original CD I know without the exciter, then plugged it in to listen again. Not difficult to hear it makes a difference. Moreover, in a particular song with exciter on, one repeated sound clearly hit me. I was convinced not having heard that sound before from the dry version, so I went back to it (active button off bypasses the unit). Listening carefully I noted the sound was there but mixed up with others, therefore less evident. Whereas with the unit active one can't really miss that sound. Things stand out more, which tends to confim rolls' "... the elements of sound are fanned out like a deck of cards, making each sound more audible and distinct, ...".
I test drived the exciter for a good hour and can say at this time that large or excessive positive adjustments result in sound being not so nice, similar to large bass and treble knobs boosting on a preamp. My preferred setting for both bottom and definition controls seemed to be at about 1 O'clock (12 O'clock being about zero effect). Not really the type of unit for large knob turns, instead going small increments at a time.
Since the exciter works, isn't an expensive unit, has both good XLR/RCA connectors and sub output with 18db/oct slope, It seems like good value for the money. The wall wart type power supply doesn't please me, like none of them does, but this sure isn't the only audio device having that.
Richard
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BTW the best audio equipment Block Diagram I've yet seen was for an Aural Exciter! Its been pinned on a wall in my audio room for many years. The pic's horizontal orientation is not an accident being much clearer this way, whereas it appeared very squeezed vertically. The mixer shown along with the different size pies and THE Big Bottom indicate great imagination. Nice to see a little audio fun once in a while...
Richard
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This past weekend I "cheated", I admit it, no regrets whatsoever, I'm even glad I did! The temptation was just too strong with almost a month waiting. But I did mentioned previously I was having second thoughts about not using the "beaten" demo Rolls amp I still have pending its replacement with a factory fresh unit.
First, other than bad cosmetic issues posted before, I did note the amp's left gain control makes a bit of noise, another good reason for not keeping that used donkey.
The temporary setup I use in the basement living room, pending the on-going spare time work in my audio room, can accomodate only a small pair of speakers. Those are England's Mission 2-way boxes I have for many years. Built on the dated principle of console top near field monitors with woofer on top and dome tweeter at the bottom of box, when correctly oriented, so the high frequency unit is at ear level or so when sitting at a mixer. They do sound better, as stand alone units, in the near field or so considering their size doesn't allow them to fill a large room. Today with waveguides being popular on some models the HF issue may change.
I didn't want to have the tweeters at carpeted floor level so I positioned the enclosures up side down with tweeters up, then put the boxes on small angled stands I made years ago since LF here is too bassy when directly on the floor. The CD player is fed to a NAD preamp which in turn feeds the Rolls amp. (Btw Eargle wrote a nice note on 2Pi VS 4 Pi mounted small speakers, Handbook of Sound System Design, P. 294).
One album, among others, I like to use to assess amps and speakers is Quincy Jones' Back On The Block. Well recorded and mixed by famous Bruce Swedien using the "Acusonic Recording Process D", also involving George Massenburg, Milab Microphone Laboratories, Brüel & Kjaer microphones, Monster Cables used at all steps and album Mastered by Bernie Grundman. Top notch all the way. Likewise for the list of singers and musicians. Pretty good album dynamics, many different sounds/instruments and voices (male and female) also from young teens choir. That album doesn't need any Sonic Exciter enhancement, its already among the better made popular music ones in my view.
My first impression is the amp sounds REALLY GOOD. Nothing short of a WOW! Well worth its studio amp designation. Effortlessly reproduces what's on the CD, no blurred passages on more complex material. It is fast and capable. Better sounding than the BGWs I had or the QSCs I still have, in the following ways.
Open mid and clearer highs, both much more articulated, and a nice sound stage even though I'm limited in space there having to put the boxes 4 ft. apart. The mid is really impressive and the highs are softer than the above amps. Male and female voices sound very realistic, same for children's choir.
The piano on George Benson's Turn Your Love Around is simply the best life like reproduction I've ever heard! Percussions? Santana's of course for all sorts of them: Bring-them-on. Wind instruments? Saxophone and trumpet nice and clear.
Never owned a MOSFET amp before so this is quite different to me from SR amps. Still, I didn't find any flaws with this one, bass is relatively tight also but would have liked it a bit tighter, however can't ask more from a small box 5 ¼" woofer... Should be much better bi-amped with my 2214H or 2205H cabs.
An amp reproduces the material its fed with. Garbage in, garbage out. Hence the reason why I choose program material for testing. Varied and demanding material to see what the gear has in the stomach. In the present case the verdict is easy, its a no brainer.
Since the Rolls amp sounds that good, I may well order another one in the near future, though after checking first with the Canadian importer/distributor's Product Manager what exactly he has in stock...
Richard
P.S. Just got news today my replacement amp has arrived at the dealer, I'll pick it up tomorrow...
I did pick up the replacement amp on tuesday. This one is in much better shape than the previous demo unit. And it has that same great sound.
However, after three evenings of testing (2 with the demo and 1 with the new amp) I realized my listening patience has changed somewhat with the Rolls amp, not for the better, in cases of not so well recorded material (i.e. dull, no life, no ambience).
These albums tend to get the "next" treatment faster. I assume this could be caused by the Rolls being a more revealing amp, specially in the mid, therefore aggravating the shortcomings of so so recordings. For example, a 1970s album I tried, remastered to CD (can't remember which one it was) didn't seem to cut it anymore, sounded more crappy and was taken out of the CD player fast. As if recorded inside an anechoic sound booth. Making me think it was good enough for the kitchen counter top Sony radio/CD player...
Maybe I was too hard on it. So I pulled out some other oldies (e.g. Elton John from early 70s). Songs also remastered to CD. "Your Song" recorded March 1970; "Rocket Man" recorded January 1972; "Don't let the sun go down on me" recorded January 1974. Well, these still sound quite acceptable to listen to, for Piano, horns, strings, voices, etc., forty something years later. So it doesn't really appear to be a time passed issue, but rather more one of an album's recording quality.
This leads me to a possible "drawback" of more precise or revealing amps: putting forward or emphasizing the weaknesses of some recordings. In other words, less tolerance for poor recordings...
Richard
After a few days listening to the Rolls MOSFET amp with various recordings I decided to get another one of these, now having it home. Therefore doubling my pleasure since I haven't heard yet, with these amps, a recording that would put them in any trouble. My QSCs sound ok, whereas the others sound great...
By definition, a studio amp like the Rolls should sound better than a SR amp, the former involving critical listening not the latter. And it does. Trying to determine what could make it sound good, other than the MOSFETs, I note the Rolls also has low phase shift and a very high Slew rate (100 volts/micro second) for that category (e.g. my ex-BGWs had 50v/ms, and the Bryston 2B LP has 60v/ms). Plus it runs pretty cool at normal levels, with no fan, and has a barely warm large heatsink at the back of the unit. A really fast/capable amp that's a delight to listen to.
Driving it with my NAD preamp, the Rolls had a very slight hum noise in one channel only when that gain control is turned between 10 and 2 O'clock, none below nor above that. This test with no music, while amp is on, speakers being connected to it and playing with gain controls with my ear close to each speaker, is a way to assess the amp's noise floor. In that particular case the NAD Pre was connected and on.
Driving it with a good old Mackie mixer reveals no hum at all in both channels, whatever the gain setting, even with unbalanced cables (to compare apples with apples). I've heard no such issue when the NAD Preamp drives the NAD Amp (but the latter has no gain controls). So I figure there might be some electronic "gremlins" between the NAD Pre and the Rolls amp. Doesn't bother me since the NAD and Rolls normally belong to different systems I use. The important thing is the Rolls being silent when driven by Pro gear, whether balanced or even unbalanced. Therefore not an amp fault.
There are lots of $40-50 or so phono preamps on the maket today to please vinyl fans and I still have a good number of vinyls too. Unfortunately, cheap phono preamps offer limited or no flexibility at all. Bellari (the audiophile division of Rolls) has a better solution at a reasonable price, the VP 549 (Rolls division having the small VP29 basic unit like others do, little more expensive than some but probably better made).
Bellari indicates "We spent a considerable amount of time developing the VP549. Hundreds of hours went into listening and improving the design." They seem to have their ears in the right place.
I figure if their phono preamp hearing is as good as their MOSFET amp hearing, then its also something to go for with the new AT-LP5 turntable (post # 49; tiny box on top being an extra oem headshell). Web bellariaudio.com/index.php/products/vp549-riaa-phono-preamp/
It's interesting to read on that page what they think about Surface Mount Technology parts vs thru hole parts. Looking through the front panel vents of the MOSFET amps with light I see no SMT parts in there, just thru hole parts on nice PCB, since Rolls applies the same philosophy. I asked my audio supplier, who has a large repair dept., what their repair techs think of SMT parts. The reply was not positive for SMT vs thru hole parts. Because I tend to keep my things for a long time, plus throw away audio isn't my cup of tea, I'm probably better off with equipment made of conventional parts.
The VP549 phono Pre has selectable cartridge load capacitance, a practical feature I previously had on another preamp, nice to get it back as my phono cartridges require different load capacitances. I certainly would have liked to have a setting in the 400 pf range for some Shures preferring 400-500 pf but can't have it all I guess. The max setting isn't that far, somewhat short, but the other cartridges like the V15 IV require 200-300 pf, plus the ATs are happy with 100-200 pf so they will be satisfied.
A direct headphone/line output on the phono preamp, as well as the rumble filter, are also useful features, though other gear has a HPF in that region. The unit's trim/gain control unseen before by me is another interesting asset for hot or lazy output cartridges.
When I picked-up recently the second Rolls MOSFET amp I ordered at the same time a Bellari phono preamp...
Richard
I picked up last tuesday the Bellari VP549 phono preamp I ordered recently.
A flashy looking bright red unit, doesn't bother me in fact, as it will add a new color in the audio room!
The quality built impression, I get from the phono preamp upon handling it, inspecting it and playing with the knobs on it, is very good. The large golden trim/gain control appears silicone damped and has a quite nice feel. No disapointment here.
But I got some wrench in the wheel with using the Bellari since I had ordered elsewhere a nice set of premium RCA cables to connect the new turntable to preamp then on to mixer, but those cables never arrived... That changed my plans. More on this in the next post.
At the same time I dropped for repair estimate my 1992 Furman Sound tunable crossover maybe in need of some new pots (3 out of 8) since my Deoxit job on the output level controls, having some static noise, is a partial success only. Still like this two-way 12 db/oct. straightforward XO (2 input level pots, 2 continuously variable freq. pots 80hz-4khz, 4 output level pots). Inputs are balanced (1/4" TRS) but the outputs are not (1/4" TS) and never had hum, buzz or noise issue! Simple to make some quasi-balanced lines if need be. The fully balanced (XLR) version of this Furman was more costly. Not done yet with unit, even if I have others.
Richard
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This post has many shorter parts for better clarity.
Legend Electronics Canada Supreme series audio cables are high quality, metal connectors and double shielding. However, the retailer where purchased played the substitute items game without any notice, finding out when opening the box delivered. More surprising when claiming being a Legend authorized dealer. Delivery quite fast, possibly to avoid credit card charge reversal when stuff is not sent. Pics of cables ordered # 522 & 540 & 542
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The Maestro Banana plugs ordered are correct, but the Legend cables (RCA and speaker wire) ordered at the same time, were replaced by less desirable stuff... Web site said all 3 items "in stock", and still does today!, nevertheless replaced the Canadian goods I paid for. Pics of what I received # 516 & 518
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Learned afterwards their return policy. Box content must be checked when carrier still there in case refused(wife received it...).They deduct the initial shipping cost to consumer from a reimbursement, and sending the stuff back to them is at consumer's expense. Meaning more loss, so not worth it. Not a large amount of money involved so I stopped the bleeding there. They're quite clever!
One day I may find some other use for that lower value "Our most affordable" China Monster Cable with plastic connectors and single shield they sent, or give it away. Retailer's web site doesn't even list that entry-level 100 series Monster Cables sent. Must keep those in their back pockets to fill orders when one takes the lure...
Possibly a little better than $2.95-3.95 RCA cables, but still far from the Legend Supreme cables ordered. Switching of the Legend speaker cable pisses me off too, but I can live with this one, speaker wire isn't as critical device in general nor in my setup. Bait & switch game. Won't see me again...
On same day as the other order, I also ordered from yet another Toronto area retailer a nice Ultralink UA 1 M RCA cable set plus some Ultralink banana plugs, that I'm still waiting for... Now learned, following my e-mail to that vendor, these items shown "in stock" when ordered and still today! are in fact, "Special order, sorry for the inconvenience"! No date given, no shame... Pic # 552 (bottom right, still "in stock" with a smiley...)
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I didn't order premium RCA cables for the new Bellari preamp and AT LP-5 turntable, as well as Legend speaker cable, for their purported better sound. Rather for their much better quality manufacturing, and improved shielding for RCA cables. Important to me because of number of gear in a limited space and RCAs are not balanced. I already have a pair of Monster Cables Interlink 400 MK II, better made, metal connectors, proper shielding. Legend RCA/Monster 400 are about the same, but sent me Monster 100, three steps down. Pics of Monster 400 MK II # 523 & 524
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Recently, the only successful audio Web purchases I had were from Amazon.ca for items sold and shipped by Amazon: Audio-Technica ATP-N2 original stylus for my ATP-3 DJ cartridge shown prior here, since no genuine ATP-N3 stylus available. Model 2 stylus fits on model 3 cartridge being from same series, but its not as good/refined performer as model 3. Not much choice to keep it going... Amazon also had the AT 91 cartridge, purchased it, lower cost and heavier tracking, good enough for my AT LP120 turntable's less precise tonearm (issue mentioned here before), that turntable moving to upstairs living room, goodbye. Pics 545 & 547.
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Btw first rogue retailer has the ATP-N2 stylus on his web site as "available" (not "in stock" this time!), but I know and have an e-mail from Canadian AT distributor its not available and they have none left in stock, I checked that before buying mine from Amazon. So looks like another bait & switch thing? Paid mine $98.CAD+ tx from Amazon, then stylus disappeared from the "sold and shipped by Amazon", possibly bought the or one of the last ones. Pic # 539
More to come regarding the cables solution.
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The lack of Legend RCA cables (and maybe the Ultralink cables too?) meant I had to look for/find again something acceptable in Canada. Been busy searching for good alternative RCA cables, and most of the time they're not in stock, lower quality or crazy pricing for good ones, but did see a few prospects.
The BRTB Theatron THA series, hand made in Canada, is a rare one having all I want: gold plated quality metal connectors, twisted pair wires, double shielding, etc. They even make this one in 18" lenght (I would want some) and longer. Very nice cables. But they don't sell to consumers and I've seen no dealer having them for 1M length or less. Moreover, they appear to manufacture on order only, so longer delays one more time. Also have a $100. minimum order. Keeping this one in the back of my head for now. Pic # 531
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Digiflex Canada, maker of Pro Audio cables, makes a few RCAs, one with Neutrik gold contact plugs, lifetime warranty, etc. The issue I have with this Touring series premium RCA cable is the 71% shield coverage (as seen in their wiring catalogue). I want better than 71% shielding, more like 100%, with many pieces of equipment very close to each other, including new turntable and phono preamp, to minimize risk of unwanted noise.
Digiflex has a "second best" type (i.e. not Touring series), which seems better for my needs as I went to check this at a local retailer, opening the screw type Neutrik Rean metal RCA connectors to see the inside story. Looks good, twisted pair, gold plated, etc., except for the single shield but it seems like a nice one. Now being pretty fed up trying and searching, with low success, at least I have an OK find here I would probably get a good deal on. That Digiflex cable looks pretty much the same as Link Audio's Platinum Series RCA cable model LP 203 RR. Pics # 556 Digiflex & 554 Link Audio.
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Got a quote from my usual Pro audio supplier for that last Digiflex. GO, had enough of all this nonsense, search over with no manufacturing delays, no more internet bullshit and no bait & switch hassles. Done deal, 8 pairs ordered got a great price! This will make 10 pairs, with the Monster 400 MK II on-hand plus the Ultralink cables if and when they show up at the door. They'll hook-up the RCA stuff: turntable/phono preamp, two CD players, MD Digital Recorder, Dolby S cassette recorder, Sonic exciter if not used with XLRs
Initially thought purchasing ready-made RCA cables would be simple, fast and save me lots of time and effort, since I have many other cables waiting that I assemble myself with XLR and 1/4" connectors...
Looked in my "collection" of cheap RCA cables to see if I could find something a little more acceptable for the time being. Found a couple of surprises. One of those has 18" long with cable info printed on the jacket, can't recall seeing this on another in that class, they usually don't bother with this info at that level, nor in China. Could be a little better one? Another such cable 24" has "Japan" indicated on it, a rare occurrence these days for such things. Could also be a bit better? I may try temporarily the Japan made cable from turntable to Bellari phono preamp and the 18" cable from Bellari to mixer. The latter two units are very close to each other. Also have a turntable ground wire, from my old Technics sent to recycling, I could use this between new turntable and phono preamp grounding screws. Pics # 529, 526, 528 & 550.
Richard
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Fed Ex delivery guy woke me up this morning, now it was for a good cause, not the usual soliciting...
Though the retailer wasn't truthful with its "in stock" mentions, at least this time it didn't end up being another bait & switch thing. Great!
The banana plugs are nice and can take up to 10 AWG wire, the Maestro ones shown before up to 7 AWG wire.
As for the RCA cables, well its even better than I thought, since I didn't know it used Quad wiring made of double twisted pair. More Quad wiring general info in the other post here. Pics # 560, 561 & 562
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Japan's Canare Cables has been involved with Quad wiring for a long time. For those who want to know a bit more about this Quad thing I'm also posting here two pages from an older Canare catalogue I have. I'm not associated with them in any way, but I do own a Canare microphone cable, not Star Quad, the L-2T2S being a slimmer version also Made in Japan. I've had this cable since the eighties or nineties, still in perfect shape, certainly my preferred one vs others I have mostly from Digiflex. Canare cable isn't cheap compared to some others (about $1 CAD per foot or meter depending on model, no connectors) but it certainly is quality built and durable. Digiflex does offer some Canare cables with connectors but these are a premium option $. The L-2T2S may well outlast me... Pics # 564, 566 & 568
Richard
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This post isn't regarding new gear recently purchased, but more about some other older amps I've owned for a while.
Bought a first Tascam PA 20 MK II one rack space amp in 1995 to try it and got another one in 1996. These were released in 1993 based on owner manual date. They've proven to be quite reliable during those 23 + years. Cleaning the gain control on one unit after a number of years, is the only maintenance ever needed, and they're still going.
These amps were essentially designed to power small near field monitor speakers, typically on console top or in other project studio setups. For my part I use them to power either near field speakers, or for tops in bi-amp setups.
Surprisingly, these little amps sound good. Surprising because though well known for its recording/playback gear, Tascam isn't a household name power amps company. Over the years, they've had very few amps in their catalogues at any given time as I remember. Also had models PA 30, PA 150. None in my 2018 CDN price list though, except for a headphone amp.
I assume their long heritage and expertise of recording studio equipment made them understand a thing or two about how their amps should sound. Not as good sounding as the Rolls MOSFET amps, but still pretty good sound coming out of these.
Rated 25 watts per channel, will take 4-8 ohm speakers stereo mode, 50 W bridged mode 8 ohms. It has XLR input connectors and RCAs, the latter more for project studios I guess. The amp also has a 2-3 seconds turn-on delay followed by a click sound, and instant off. The owner's manual is informative and well made.
The speaker output connectors seen on the picture look like those cheap fragile spring type thing, but they're not. In fact its a locking type, thick plastic and relatively sturdy connector. Put the wires in, lift the red/black tabs and the wires are locked in place at the sound of a click. Simple, clever for an install amp.
The 8 ohm indication on top of the speaker terminal is incomplete, same for the amp's Tech Sheet and Product Overview on the Web. The owner's manual clearly indicates, no less than six times in different sections of the manual (so not a typo), the minimum acceptable speaker impedance is 4 ohms (stereo mode). I've driven many times a pair of small 3.6 ohm speakers with the Tascam and never had an issue yet.
Using the front panel Phones jack mutes the signal to the speakers for private monitoring with headphones. The unusual aspect about this stereo amp is the presence of a single gain control for both channels. Doesn't really bother me since in stereo mode I would put both channel gains at the same level had there been two of them. Plus in bridged mode only one gain control would be used anyway... So its not a big thing for me.
Richard
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BTW In the past Tascam use to make some relatively large audio gear, not much anymore as things have changed with digital recording on hard disk for example.
First pic is a nice 16 track studio tape recorder they made, now obsolete. The rounded pic appearance is from the original Tascam ad, not from me.
Second and third pics being the large M-3500/M-3700 Series mixers they use to make, 32 channels, plus one stereo channel and 8 subgroups. Nice piece of equipment, plus having sleek design with its base on wheels. Gone are those good old days...
Lately, Tascam didn't have a larger mixer for some time... but recently launched a 24 channel mixer model 24, so maybe other larger gear may come back? I wouldn't bet on this though.
Richard
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LATEST NEWS
The Ultralink and Monster 400 MKII cables got the contract to provide a clean signal from turntable to phono preamp and from the latter to the mixer. As for the cables for other devices feeding the mixer (CDs, MD and Dolby S recorders, etc.), I'll pick-up the new Digiflex wiring ordered at the same time as I get my good old Furman Sound crossover from the repair shop, both at the same location. Repair estimate for four new pots is reasonable, fourth pot in that outputs group was not due YET but its basically the same work or so replacing 3 or 4 of them, so going with all 4 I'm buying peace of mind for a while, estimate worth extending crossover life.
I have a few vocal mics, three of them from E-V. Two of the E-Vs initially released 1984 (PL80) and 1988 (PL68), but purchased early 90s. The first is a super cardio, the other a cardio type polar response. Their built-in pop filter called Acoustifoam (trademarked by E-V) has disintegrated due to foam rot over time. I cleaned all this carefully inside the mesh grille (ball) and started looking for original foam replacements.
The dealer e-mailed E-V parts dept. and unfortunately there are no parts available anymore for these two older mics. Also tried for other E-V mic model pop filter that may fit inside? None, as told. Sure didn't want to throw away the mics for this since they both work well, except more prone to popping sound in absence of suitable very thin foam inside mic. The custom made foam follows the shape/contours of the "ball".
Using add-on external foam windscreens I have, then the ball gets pretty large to fit properly in protective pouch with foam squeezed/deformed. Made myself a more "permanent" solution to pop filter replacement, than having to put a foam windscreen on and off each time.
A piece of slightly stretched speaker grill cloth over the mic's ball works. Its held in place with a wide rubberband at the base of the ball, doesn't fall off. It disguises the mics' normal appearance, however proper acoustics are more important here than looks. That idea does the trick acoustically re popping or noise. Plus, its fully and easily reversible pending a better solution to come by.
I did try to fit a piece of speaker grill cloth inside the mic's ball, it didn't go well, not a nice job. The solution found has no mic fitting issues in the protective pouch, no material squeezing/deforming.
Previously told a member here, who gladly takes my free & working used equipment, that if he wants the E-V PL68, and he does, he can have it if/when I find a suitable replacement. Well, that happened this week, I got a good deal on a new E-V PL80C (ordered), this being a more modern Neo version reissue of the old PL80. Similar look, not cardio polar pattern though, but I have some. Keeping for the time being the original PL80 for sound comparison with the upcoming C version.
Richard
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Been searching today for an audio file on my computer, naturally haven't found it when you need it, but I did come across the Canare22A_Cable Catalogue_Q & A [1].pdf file I didn't remember I had when I did post # 69 with some Canare Cables pics.
This pdf is a much clearer version than my paper catalogue pics of Canare's Star Quad cabling info, including much more info given for other models as well. File size is almost 15 Mb (20 pages doc) therefore won't upload to LH Forums. On the other hand, my "PDF Complete" software isn't that "complete", being the basic version which doesn't allow to edit documents, like keeping the most relevant stuff and nevermind the rest to fit LH posting requirements.
Since that info is quite interesting and of "public audiophile interest", I would gladly send that file by e-mail to another member who could work his way around LH file size limit to either post it or link to it, or even edit the document to reduce its size to 8 pages based on the list below. Many of the other pages are about video cabling which could also interest some others here or not.
Among the document's 20 pages, the most relevant ones for audio are possibly (using pdf numbers): P. 1-2 with Q & A; P. 3-4 re Star Quad story and cables; P. 6 where the L-2B2AT two-conductor rack installation cable is covered, as well as the L-2T2S smaller than Star Quad mic cable I have shown in post # 69; P. 7 for other rack wiring options; P. 11 four-conductor speaker cables; P. 12 two-conductor speaker cables for fixed installation, with a Technical Note on speaker cable selection. I'm not associated with Canare Cables btw.
If interested in making this info available to all, send me a private message with an e-mail address where I can forward the pdf file for you to post on this thread. Thanks.
Richard
I did try to compress the Canare Cable file. File size (.pdf) before compression: 14.892 Mb, file size (.Zip) after compression: 14.665 Mb. Pretty low gain, still much too large to fit LH Forum. Windows file compression looks like a joke here...
Richard
Picked-up yesterday the toys I was expecting: the repaired Furman Sound crossover, Digiflex cables and E-V PL80C microphone.
The Furman, with 4 new output pots, is a 12 db/oct., 80-4khz continuously variable/no detents, stereo 2-way mono 3-way, 1/4" TRS balanced inputs but 1/4" TS unbalanced outputs, so a semi-balanced unit, still never had noise issues with it since 1992. The black round plugs on the rear panel were for the more expensive XLR fully balanced version. Both good old Made in USA. Furman now being a quite different company, from a signal processing one in the past to a power conditioning one today...
Richard
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I had previously identified (not in this thread) the Digiflex H2R2R-3 RCA cable (called H2 here) as a cable I could live with, however it was replaced by model HE2R2R-3 (called HE here) shown on Digiflex Web site. Therefore had to order HE units, shown in post # 65 here, in absence of H2... Well, what I received from the manufacturer are all H2 models, I'm not disapointed at all this time, in fact I'm glad I received these instead of the HE! I guess they had some H2 units left in stock and sent them.
One of the pics below shows the back side of the cable's packaging, with two white stickers, top one being the dealer's showing what was ordered, and the bottom one is the manufacturer's model number sticker.
The previous model (H2) has a different Neutrik Rean connector and a nice rubber boot where the cable enters the connector. The newer HE version has that molded plastic thing on the cable just before connector entry, possibly to reduce cable flexing. Compare cable pic here with pic in post # 65. The Link Audio cable, also shown in post # 65, has that plastic thing too.
Looks more professional to me, and more like a real Neutrik connector, with rubber boot. Plastic may be cheaper though.
Anyway, If the rubber boots or cables ever fail then the Digiflex carry a lifetime warranty, so they'd get these back...
Richard
P.S. Next time the new E-V PL80C mic.
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In a world of whistles and bells, unfortunately there's not a lot of audio stuff manufacturers taking care of their customers like this. Read the underlined...
"Digiflex offers the best in quality and workmanship, and we stand behind our words by offering the most comprehensive warranty in the business.
All our standard cables offer a lifetime warranty, except for the following:
. Snakes and Custom Products: 5-year limited warranty
. Power Products: 5-year limited warranty
. Fiber Optic Products: 1-year limited warranty
Q: I have a defective cable, what do I do?
A: If you are a stupendously organized person and can find that receipt from that thing you bought 7 years ago on a rainy Tuesday night because you forgot to bring yours, great! (and please call us, we may have a job for you in the archives...) Go see your dealer with the cable and receipt, and they can exchange it for you, or send it back for repairs. If, like the rest of us normal folk, you washed your receipt or tossed it within minutes of getting home, don't fret, we will still take care of you. As long as we can see that it is one of our cables, we still stand by it. Bring your cable to your dealer, and they will contact us to make the arrangements.
Q: Do I need to register my cable for the warranty? A: No need, the warranty is part and parcel of the product. Hang on to the receipt to makes things simpler, but there are no bureaucratic hoops or triplicate forms to fill out."
That's what I call service!
Richard
The E-V PL80C is the newer version of the older PL80 mic shown here recently (Post # 72). Its a little lighter than PL80 since it has a neo magnet, and the mic's color has also changed from sort of beige to satin grey, but same general look is kept.
The mic's response has been modified, its flatter than it use to be, though not flat, with the typical vocal bump in response being less pronounced than in the past. Therefore expecting a little different sound.
Bottom end is about the same as before. The vocal response bump that formerly started at 1khz now starts at 2 khz and the top end now extends to about 12 khz. The combination of internal design changes opens the door to some other uses, in addition to vocals. Like micing some instruments in cases where a dynamic microphone may be preferred by the user.
Some instrument mics have mid/high frequency response shape similar to vocal ones. I think E-V tried to hit two birds with one stone in the new version. Primary use remains vocals, but now has wider use scope.
Compared to the standard SM-58 vocal and SM-57 instrument mics, the Shure mics have a more pronounced MF bump, folowed by a drop and then a HF bump at about 10 khz with ensuing fall. This is what gives the Shures their distinct clarity and popular sound, but sometimes too much presence or overly bright.
The E-V is smoother than the two in this regard and I generally tend to prefer somewhat flatter sound than too emphasized one. May sound less "impressive". Although either way some EQ can improve deficiencies.
I usually tend to prefer cardio polar pattern due to their much lower sensitivity to sounds coming from the back caused by the "null" in the polar response at 180°, which is easy to benefit from. The PL80C is a supercardio with two "nulls" at around 120° and 240°, making things a little more complex to manage considering there's still some mic sensitivity to sounds coming from the back of the mic at 180° or so. However, to get the rest, polar pattern is basically where I chose to compromise a little.
TV shows with a band and singer(s) often illustrate the issue: one stage monitor cab directed at the cardio 180° null behind the singer's mic, or two stage monitor cabs angled towards the 120° and 240° supercardio nulls behind the singer's mic. Purpose is the same: performer hearing him/herself on the monitor(s) with least impact on sounds picked-up by the mic, while minimizing feedback possibilities. That's when they don't use in-ear monitoring...
Richard
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The first pic, already shown here (post # 18), is that of my first Mackie mixer MS-1202 purchased in 1992, it was given to a member here. If my memory serves me well, the first Mackie Designs mixer was the CR-1604 and the MS-1202 was the next one. Then a whole lot followed afterwards since they not only released other models, but also improved those previously launched, as can be seen when comparing the first pic with 2nd and 3rd pictures showing the MS-1202 VLZ bought in 1996, which I kept. After that version, the changes were minor or cosmetic: e.g. VLZ Pro (XRD mic preamp), VLZ 3 (XRD2 mic preamp) and VLZ 4 (Onyx mic preamp). Mackies were difficult to beat in terms of mixer logic, channel assignments, connectors, flexibility, quality.
Sadly, in 2003 Greg Mackie had to sell his majority shareholder interest in the company, an investment Capital Partners thing got it, folks here know what that means, so things did changed a lot: manufacturing moved to China, quality went down cost being king, warranty dropped from 3 years to one year, etc. A simple comparison of the knobs on the front panel between a VLZ and a VLZ 3 or better with a VLZ 4 is pretty revealing. Neutrik connectors also appear to be gone. From VLZ 3 versions and on its less interesting...
As a side note, In the Aug. 9, 2018 announcement appointing a new Canadian distributor for Mackie the underlined words got my attention: "With ADI now handling Canadian distribution, the Canadian market will benefit from local inventory, great margins, quick shipments and stable Canadian pricing."
However, the "great margins" were removed from the same phrase now elsewhere on their Web site. The announcement might have been for dealers, whereas the other page mostly for the public. No wonder the margins were said to be great on Mackies with low-cost China production. I never bought a third Mackie...
Instead went for a more quality Allen & Heath mixer seen in posts # 30 & # 45. Found a vertically aligned and clear mixer pic of the Allen as fourth picture here. I already commented in posts # 31 "Choosing the mixer" & # 45 the likes and dislikes I have with the Allen & Heath Z-14. Globally, not as cleverly designed as older Mackies, but better made than recent ones.
With the added features I can use the 1202 VLZ as a stand alone or even as a submixer to the Allen. The VLZ has two sets of main outputs (1/4" and XLR), with the XLRs having main output level choice of +4db or mic level, giving flexibility in order to connect in the Allen mixer as a submixer.
The better VLZ includes many items the original 1202 didn't have, like a HPF on mic inputs, Aux 1 Master control and pre/post fader switch, 3-band EQ, Muted channel sent to Alt 3/4 outputs, channel Solo for pre-listening or adjustment, Source assignments, Control Room outputs and gain, etc.
Then the VLZ is a more complete small mixer, on which they also corrected an unusual thing from the first version. From left to right, the 1202 has Master gain then the Phones gain to the right side of it, not great. On the vast majority of mixers the Master gain control(s) are located to the far right. So Mackie switched the location of Main and Phones gain knobs on the 1202 VLZ to a more logical position with Main at far right. Dealing with two 1202 configured differently on this aspect was prone to using the wrong knob, somewhat of a hassle...
Richard
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DIGIFLEX RCA CABLE ADDENDUM
While discussing speaker wire losses and their associated resistance, Eargle adds a short, but interesting item to his cabling table: "Note: Paralleling two identical gauges reduces effective gauge by 3." [John Eargle, Handbook of Sound System Design p. 17, same note in his Loudspeaker Handbook, p. 179].
My understanding is that two identical wire gauges in parallel are effectively equivalent to a three size wire increase, so a lower AWG number (e.g. two 16 gauge wires in parallel would equal a 13 gauge wire).
Thus, when having on-hand extra cable lengths of the same gauge as presently used for speaker kookup, and would like to benefit from larger speaker wire, then by doubling the present wires and connecting them in parallel with the others, this could meet the expectation while saving the expense of purchasing larger cables. Reducing speaker cable resistance is generally a good idea regarding losses and damping factor. The drawback in the present case is having a little more wiring on the floor from amp to speakers.
That being said, there are other situations where this "wire doubling" doesn't involve having more cables in the way, though they may be a little larger ones. In fact, the rule mentioned by Eargle should also be applicable when paralleling some other conventional wiring used in audio.
The two conductors making the twisted pair inside the Digiflex H2 RCA 3 ft. cable shown in post # 76 are not balanced, both are connected at the same place on the RCA connectors (tip), therefore in parallel. This contrary to balanced lines where the twisted pair wires are each connected to a different place on a 1/4" TRS or XLR connector, same signal carried by both, except with opposite polarity. Shield separate.
The two conductors in that RCA cable being paralleled at each end, the system and ultimately the user, benefit from an effectively increased wire size. The spec sheet of the Neutrik Rean connector used indicates a 24 AWG wire size. Assuming this is the case with the Digiflex, then the effective gauge would be equivalent to 21 AWG, which is better than the 26 AWG shown on the low-cost RCA cable in post # 67 (2nd pic). The Digiflex cable shows no wire size, except for "Cable-XL" on the jacket (post # 76 1rst pic) presumably meaning Extra Large, giving more credibility to the above 21 AWG. Nice, also bought H2 6 ft.
Two-conductor balanced lines don't benefit in my view from the above effective wire size increase, not being paralleled and connected to different places on the connector. Unless one uses 4 conductor Quad wiring (2 pairs, each parallel connected), as shown in post # 69: two white wires together and two blue ones together, shield connected separately.
Low-cost RCA cables with one conductor only (plus ground) don't provide either the reduced resistance and effectively larger wire size of paralleling. One larger, and more expensive, conductor may do the job, but this would defeat the cheap price objective...
Richard
I finally got the time to replace the wife's old stereo system with some more recent components I had left and right. By the same token this will free space I need for other gear.
In a previous post here I mentioned the recent AT LP 120 turntable I wanted to get rid of, e.g. too high tonearm friction for light tracking cartridges, but it didn't fit by a darned milimeter or so in the audio/video cabinet in upstairs living room. Luckyly I didn't have to sand/"grind" a bit the sides of the TT to get the mm. Removing the cab's door is something I didn't really want to do re MDF cabinet screw holes getting looser and its a relatively heavy glass door with wood frame...
Still went for it, got the missing mm I needed, fixed the hinges' screw holes, door back on, now the TT is in the cab though touching the cab walls on both sides but no force applied whatsoever on TT. Just made it, work and luck! (1rst pic)
As also seen from first pic, three items are not original for the TT: mat, headshell and cartridge. The LP 120 comes with a felt type mat only, which seems more synthetic fibers than anything else, and not required for our use. Wife's old Technics rubber mat was still good so I put this one on instead, better than felt mat stored in a bag from day one for a possible give away (third pic). Putting wife's mat allowed me to recuperate my nice Technics SLQ2 rubber mat on loan to LP 120 since the beginning (back in stock now).
The headshell is also from her old Technics being in good shape. The pre-mounted AT 95E cartridge/shell on LP 120 I keep in my stock, as well as the Shure cartridge that was on her Technics. I replaced it with a new lower cost AT 91 cart. which is good enough for the LP 120 poor tonearm precision, and tracks up to 2.5 gr.
The AT turntable being pretty heavy and the supporting system of each shelf being only four small metal pins in MDF, I decided to add at the four corners between top and middle shelfs small wood blocks to share some of top shelf weight with the middle one considering the small Sony CD player on 2nd shelf weighs less than 3 lb. This way shelfs 1 & 2 share some of the TT load (second pic).
The bottom shelf houses an Onkyo receiver purchased 2-3 years ago for its separate preamp, and phono preamp sections. Bottom line she "lost" an old faulty Yamaha cassette deck, but gained CD capability, while her old TT and defective receiver were replaced.
In terms of speakers, well "Martha Stewart decorator" won't allow mid/large size speakers in living rooms, only small ones, therefore she's using tiny ones like on fourth pic... (vented box, 4" woofer and 3/4" dome).
The three items she got create little space for my own stuff and in the same process 5 items were sent to recycling: two cassette decks (her's and a Sony of mine still working but noisy motor; keeping my fine Dolby S unit), a receiver, multi CD player, and her old TT from which I took some parts as indicated above.
Wife is pleased with what she has (that's good for me!), so now back to man cave in the basement, where "Martha" has no jurisdiction, taking care of my own stuff...
Richard
P.S. I'm testing my new AT LP5 turntable these days with some good old LPs, the Bellari phono preamp and Ultralink/Monster/Digiflex cables. More on this soon.
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A) THE SETUP
Got some time to "test drive" the AT LP5 turntable with related equipment, now that AT LP120 is upstairs out of sight. LP5 not yet in its final location but made sure all was ok, also using a level to make it right.
This is a no frills TT, all manual, no automatic arm return (not must have but nice), compared to the many features on the AT LP120 though more suited for DJ work. It seems less features, along with more money, is what it takes from AT to get a decent tonearm (J-shaped) and direct drive system, plus acceptable cartridge .
The LP5 looks generally well made, but the primary on/off switch is located on the back of unit and somewhat hidden. A secondary one is located near the platter. Since the TT has a rated power consumption of only 6 W (LP 120 11W), then I guess it would be tempting to leave the main back switch on and use only the easy access secondary switch with 33/stop/45. However, when using stop only power remains on all the time as indicated by a small blue light near the secondary knob...
The turntable comes with a pre-mounted AT 95EX cartridge ($90.CAD) whereas the AT LP120 TT came with the AT95E ($70.CAD). So basically the 95EX is a 95E improved for $20. more, and AT says it was designed specifically for LP5 and is exclusive to it. The rubber mat, said to be 5 mm thick, measured 4 mm (the old Technics SLQ2 rubber mat I kept has 3.5-4 mm).
For a $700.CAD retail price (paid less) AT could have provided a cartridge one step above the 95EX in my view. But in my tests it did perform correctly, sounded good, no particular issue to report. The LP5 also comes with a cardboard cartridge adjustment protractor, contrary to the LP120 (on Internet). I checked the cart's factory adjustments, needle ok with the two dots, but cart body a tiny bit off vs the parallel lines it should match. "Jeweller's" work, no time right now, I'll take care of this at the same time I switch the Shure V15 IV from a Technics headshell to an extra AT original LP5 headshell bought with that TT. Low-tracking force V15 IV and others never got near the LP120 tonearm (S-shaped), as explained below, hence why its still on a Technics headshell inside a nice clear protection box they made.
Tonearm friction with LP5 is a lot better than LP120 and setting the correct tracking force is now quite easier/straightforward, like it should be. Interestingly, the older SLQ2 Technics turntable had a tonearm friction specification in the owner's manual (lateral and vertical), but neither LP5 or LP 120 does.
When installing the AT 91 cartridge in LP120 for my wife I had another taste of the poor precision that tonearm offers, staying up or down when a small change is made on tracking force. Arm never seems to be able to move up or down during balancing process, unless one uses a larger mass correction. Screwing around again for way too long to achieve the expected tracking force number. That also led me to purchase a small precision digital scale to double check quickly on the mini B & O scale I use. Shure's SFG-2 more elaborate scale is used for cartridges worthy of it, not for a $40. one as in that case...
The LP5 RCA/GND wires supplied for hookup look better, more so at 24 AWG, than standard cheap ones but I haven't used them for testing. Instead I went with the Ultralink cables from turntable to powered little red box Bellari VP 549 phono preamp (with ground wire of my own), then Monster cables from phono preamp to a stereo channel on the Mackie mixer using Switchcraft RCA to 1/4" adaptors, finally the Digiflex cables from mixer outputs to power amp along with RCA to 1/4" adaptors at both ends.
TT's internal phono preamp was bypassed. The Bellari's adjustable phono preamp capacitance was set to 220pf to account for AT cart's usual 100-200pf plus some for wiring. The onboard 20hz rumble filter was on all the time, and as suggested by Bellari the phono preamp's gain control was set to "0" gain to start with, in absence of further testing done yet by me re that gain control (e.g. hot cart may subtract, lazy cart may add).
The Rolls MOSFET amp used for the test has both RCA and 1/4" TRS inputs but I prefer using the sturdier and more reliable 1/4" connectors (TS here). So that testing installation only is unbalanced all the way (it would normally be balanced between mixer and amp). Even then no noise heard despite some AC power cables being close to RCA cables in that setup. That's what I wanted when purchasing better made/shielded RCA cables.
Next time comments on how it sounds...
Richard
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B) HOW IT SOUNDS
For comparison purposes I try to use as close to previous setup as possible (e.g. amp, mixer, speakers, room, placement), except for TT/phono preamp/cables in this case. Using a very different listening setup it would be more difficult to single out some component, and assign merit or blame. No EQ or Sonic Exciter was used, they were not in the signal path, described in the preceding post.
I must say it actually sounded very good. No doubt that setup is better sounding than the phono sections of NAD and Onkyo integrated amp and receiver respectively.
The most striking aspects of that sound are clarity, transparency, sound stage (Dynamic/transient response? See below). The phono straightjacket appears to be off now.
During the test my wife came downstairs saying she shut down her music upstairs since mine was overpowering hers... That somewhat surprised me since I didn't push it , and had me double check on my setttings: pretty much conservative.
She thought I was using larger speakers. Not at all I said, only the pair of small nearfield monitor type I pointed at and often use, with maybe 10-25 W from the amp. She was impressed with their sound, me too in fact.
Bellari says the preamp "... has a very surprising attack that will take your rig to the next level." (seen in the manual after the test, honestly true).
Does that statement imply the device improves dynamic range? Not yet convinced about that, it may refer to transient response instead. Still, both of us were pleased with the sound, within the limits of small boxes.
I'm not a strong believer in cables' magical properties on sound, once proper shielding, resistance, capacitance, etc. are met. I don't see the interconnect cables used here as THE reason for the sound's improvements. They probably allow the gear to deal with a proper signal, but after that its the equipment's influence in my view. So I tend to give a lot more credit here to the phono preamp which "processes" the signal, and to some extent to the transducer phono cartridge (AT95EX).
The V15 IV cartridge must have better response, tracking ability, lower distortion and more channel separation, each being tested to insure compliance with all of its specs according to Shure. Well, looking forward to try this one with the LP5/Bellari...
Richard
When preparing the turntable for testing I put the AT protractor on the TT and checked quickly cartridge settings, noting it was a bit off re parallel lines it should follow. No further questions asked to get going...
However, I discovered afterwards the AT protractor's spindle hole is wrong size vs TT spindle which may well introduce some errors in cart adjustment results! Not glorious work from China, and no rocket science.
Turntable spindle is pretty much standardized at 7 mm diameter, same on LPs I checked, but the protractor's hole is a good 8 mm diameter! Meaning the protractor can move a little on the platter while adjusting cart without really noticing it, being busy turning the platter slowly with one hand and putting the needle correctly on the dots with the other hand, also watching the parallel lines vs cart body...
As shown on the first two pics there's quite a bit of loose between TT spindle and the factory made protractor hole on the unit provided. Phono cartridge correct alignment is precision work and its important to get it right to benefit from the cart's best performance.
So I printed a number of protractors from the Internet and double checked the AT95EX adjustments. The next hassle was the punches I have, to make a nice spindle hole in those paper protractors, aren't larger than 5 mm... Then decided to use a scalpel (real surgical precision) to do the cutouts myself for the 7 mm spindle, with no loose this time, though some shade seen near spindle (2 pics). Papers cut on a smooth piece of plywood.
Since the verification using three other protractors (Stevenson's, Shure's and Styli.co.nz, the latter not shown being copyrighted), revealed the cart was well adjusted, but for a minuscule thing fixed. I assume the factory must be using a reliable template when adjusting cartridges in headshells, better than what is given with the TT.
Fortunately, it doesn't change the audio test made, but a waste of time this checking has been.
For precision, the faulty protractor given with the LP5 can't be relied on, therefore another one must be used. And I was initially happy getting a real cardboard one, instead of an Internet paper copy!
Note the spindle hole size indicated on the Styli.co.nz is too small for a standard spindle so it needs to be enlarged carefully. I've also printed the Baerwald and Fluance protractors but have not used them yet. For the wife's LP120 the applicable AT protractor was previously printed and used for cart alignment.
Richard
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Kind of an on-going "musical chair" thing with cartridges and headshells, being short of two shells for the carts I have. Not for long since I ordered two more nicely made AT HS10BK headshells, plus their retail price has dropped from $75. to $50. CAD since my last purchase, that's even nicer. The AT shells are used with the better cartridges and the other ones are on shells from the factory (AT 95E & 95EX) or going on shells I already have, like the universal Technics ones.
I switched the Shure V15 IV from a Technics headshell prior shown here to an AT one (looks good), freeing the Technics for an idled AT 408 cart. More left to do: AT 408 on Technics will move to a new AT shell when I get these, same for Shure M95ED cart now on Technics shell. AT's ATP-3 (DJ) will leave the present generic silver colour shell for a Technics one, while Shure's SC35C (DJ) will get that silver shell (wide/fat body cart on a larger shell), and a Shure/Realistic white cart found will be mounted on the remaining Technics shell.
I've tried various cartridges over the years, not necessarily chasing an elusive perfect one, since there may be as many "references" as there are audiophiles. The carts represent most of what I bought over the years, except the Shure/Realistic, also had a Grado long ago. Many genuine carts or stylus from Shure or AT are NLA or difficult to find, so when the needles for a cart will reach the end of their life, and a proper option is unavailable, cart is out and others still used, for better or worst. Kept the 260 or so LP records throughout the digital craze, no intention yet to let these go, therefore need stuff for that music to continue playing.
Shure having abandoned cartridge and stylus manufacturing mid 2018, the few originals left on the market going rapidly, now one must think "strategically" regarding optimization of their use/needles' life. Using the best ones first until worn-out would mean going downhill later, with only "inferior" ones left to use. Then I prefer doing some rotation type use of the carts to prolong the pleasure with some, hence the number of headshells needed to make this turnover easier.
Google cart searches refer to a number of E-Bay pages, looked quickly at a few since I don't usually shop there. Seen many abusively priced carts, some not in good condition, quite a few with no stylus. I guess people try to make money at the expense of "desperate" LP lovers. A good reason to keep my cartridges.
More to come with pics.
Richard
THE AUDIO-TECHNICA CARTRIDGES
AT 95EX (1rst from left)
This is the cart that comes with the AT LP5 turntable pre-mounted on the AT HS10BK headshell supplied. Designed specifically for that TT, but looks a lot like an improved AT95E instead of a completely new design. AT 95EX rated 20 db channel separation and 2 db channel balance, nothing to really celebrate for, but as mentioned before it sounds ok. Tracking force 2 gr.
AT95E (2nd from left)
The 95E came with the AT 120LP turntable. More of a DJ type TT but the supplied cart isn't a DJ model. Up until some years ago AT used to provide a DJ cartridge (ATP-2) with that TT, not anymore though. The cart was pre-mounted on the silver AT HS1 headshell provided with TT (not as nice as the HS10BK in post # 83). AT 95E rated 20 db channel separation and 2 db channel balance, pretty standard specs among some affordable ATs I checked. It lacks some luster sound wise compared to the previous one. Tracking force 2 gr.
AT 408 (3rd from left)
Long discontinued, bought two new ones years ago, rarely used one and kept the other. At 1.25 gr. optimal tracking force it was certainly not for the higher-friction AT LP120 tonearm, but with the LP5 TT things look better now. That cart has nice 26 db channel separation (1khz), and 1.5 db channel balance (1 khz), the latter compared to 2 db for most comparable ones, a small difference but still: AT says channel balance is a measure of both production quality and good basic design. The 408 was made in Japan as shown on cart and box, whereas many more recent ATs come from China, like the 95E and 95EX.
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ATP-3 (4th from left)
Discontinued a long time ago too, this is a better behaved DJ cart with some attributes of hi-fi and some of DJ carts. More refined than some other DJ ones, nice compromise. The ATP-3 was also made in Japan, has 23 db/1.5 db channel separation and balance respectively. Tracking force 2-3 gr. Looks like specs/tolerances were better during AT's Japan manufacturing years...
In the past some ATs came in a small convenient storage box, I turned it into a small turntable accessories box. Over time I accumulated some headshell/cartridge parts (e.g. wires, connectors, screws, nuts, washers) in a small jar. That has proven to be helpful again to mount the 408 on the shell, since the two screw sets given were little too long (+ mass) and the nuts not to my liking. I used instead better fitting ones from the small jar, added a thin white plastic washer under the nuts to avoid scratching the metal shell, plus the cart slides easier now when adjusting it in the shell.
The Shure cartridges will follow.
Richard
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THE SHURE CARTRIDGES
First pic: Contrary to the AT cartridges, I realized after I left the stylus guard on each for the Shure group pic. Must have been a reflex associated with handling the V15 IV. I'd hate myself for damaging that fragile cantilever/needle.
Though I have stylus for the M95ED its shown with no stylus on, that's explained further. Two cartridges are headshell orphans, waiting for the two shells I ordered.
Second pic shows Shure carts/stylus in a small plastic box cover off: top left is the SC35C with hardware on, plus a small piece of Scotch Tape on the side holding tighter the stylus guard made too easy to remove (not as tight fit vs AT carts), also an original spare stylus at bottom left; top right is the Shure/Radio Shack cart with stylus and guard on, along with another stylus for it (shown vertically for pic purpose only); the two remaining styluses (N75 & N95ED) should go on the M95ED cartridge, the former has no stylus guard, the latter has it, and under that black guard the N95 stylus frame is yellow.
V15 IV (1rst from left)
An original stylus is on and got a while ago a nice Shure Micro-Ridge VN45MR stylus as spare. An acceptable (not great) after-market VN45HE stylus (not shown) was also bought as last resort option.
Now on the AT headshell but stored in the same Technics clear box shown post # 83 (is just a bit looser fitting in the box), however I didn't install this time the optional round spacers between headshell and cart as before in order to reduce mass. I'll see if the cart body remains parallel to the record surface without the spacers (maybe I'll have to put them back?).
The cart has very high record groove tracking ability (Shure trade marked "Super track IV" for it), it has pretty flat frequency response, rated minimum 25 db (1 khz) and 15 db (10 khz) channel separation, and 2 db channel balance. Optimal tracking force 1 gr.
Me95ED (2nd from left)
Haven't decided yet which of the two styluses I'll put on the cart first (details below, see R-1000), also considering the fact one has no stylus guard, then no protection during the periods of time it won't be active on the TT with the cart rotation mentioned before. Not in a hurry to expose a genuine stylus to risk of accidental damage until the cart's turn comes up.
This 95ED is from Shure's "Encore Series" (hence the small "e"), a re-issue of some popular models that were previously discontinued as I remember. In my view the once popular M91ED cart isn't part of that Encore group simply because the M95ED already does that, but better. At some point in time the 95ED was Shure's next best thing to a V15 as I recall. Also has 25 db channel separation (1 khz) and 2 db channel balance. Tracking force max 1.5 gr.
I've seen an original M95HE available as new old stock for $199 US. The latest offerings from Shure were M97xE and M92E I think, and a few M44 and/or SC35C might still be available...
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SC35C (3rd from left)
This is a broadcast studio/DJ workhorse tracking at 4-5 gr., a nail some might say and its somewhat bulky. At that tracking force it won't skip easily a record groove in demanding applications. It has a less desirable Spherical type stylus like some other heavier tracking cartridges. Not a refined, high class or high performance cart, but it does the job and is popular within its intended purposes. Channel separation 20 db (1 khz) and 10 db (10 khz), 2 db channel balance. Not sure yet the new AT LP5 turntable could provide the optimum 4.5 gr. tracking force.
I tend to prefer using AT's ATP-3 when proper. It was described before (post # 43), that shows its more a mixture of DJ/Hi-Fi cart having: Elliptical stylus, easier to match capacitance of 100-200 pf vs Shure's 450 pf, better channel separation (23db/17db @ 1 and 10 khz; 7 db more than SC35C @ 10 khz), channel balance 1.5 db, tracking force of 2-3 gr., etc. However, the ATP-N2 stylus purchased recently (last resort) for the ATP-3's future use is rated 3-5 gr. I think the LP5 TT might be able to do 4 gr. in view of some numbers seen on tonearm counterweight. If not, the LP120 TT upstairs might do it. Need to check that, as well for SC35C.
BTW in relation to the above SC35C/ATP-3 different stylus types, Shure's V15 IV user manual shows on page 9 a graph with the distortion figures (2nd harmonic and intermodulation) for various stylus tip shapes. I note the gain in distortions reduction is larger from Spherical to Elliptical shapes, than from Elliptical to Hyperelliptical. Long-contact shapes such as Hyperbolic are shown at the same distortion levels as Elliptical.
SHURE/RADIO SHACK R-1000 EDT (white cart) (4th from left)
This one was retrieved from someone's older turntable, cart is in good shape, Shure name engraved on the top near the back, its equivalent to Shure's M75 ED. The M75 cart was improved with the ED Type 2 stylus. Way back (70s) I used the one above M91 ED on a Thorens and liked it, later sold it to a friend interested in that gear, along with the L26 speakers. The 91ED was among the first affordable better tracking cartridges, hence the "Hi-Track" on its stylus frame. A pic shows the R-1000 here was made in USA, same for many other Shure oldies, but more recent models came from Mexico.
The styluses on-hand for that Shure/Radio Shack cart are genuine Shure RS5T and Shure 5X. These are below the designated stylus or equivalent (like N75ED type 2). However, having the M95 ED cart I may not want to "waste" the original Shure N75ED type 2 stylus on a "lower" M75ED cart if I can. The N75ED type 2 needle is similar to the N95ED and may well fit the M95ED cart, so I'm tempted to keep that N75 needle, as a second option for the M95 cart: same type/size stylus and tracking force. Although the N95ED stylus was somewhat more expensive than the other, has a little more tracking ability, and should perform better in the 95 cart.
At this time, the above is the "strategy" to prolong and optimize use of what I have from Shure and AT. How the V15 IV works and sounds with the new phono setup should follow, as well for the AT 408...
Richard
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CORRECTING THE AT PROTRACTOR
Took some time to correct the spindle hole size on the AT LP5 cartridge protractor provided (post 85). The too large hole = loosely fitting protractor on TT, simply pissed me off for what is an otherwise ok cardboard tool. Initially thought I could get away fixing this thing easily using adhesive looseleaf reinforcements for binders (1rst pic). Well, the center hole on these is too small at 5-6 mm dia. for a 7 mm spindle, plus didn't really want to do another tedious scalpel job to enlarge those holes: enlarging some to decrease another...
Last resort idea was to put the protractor on the TT then carefully and equally share the loose all around the spindle, followed by covering the loose spaces around the spindle with small pieces of masking tape, doing that on both sides of protractor. Not sexy looking, but it does the job. The result is a 7 mm hole and a now quite usable AT protractor (2nd pic). I double-checked the results I got with it VS two other protractors (Shure's & Stevenson's) and they match. Despite that, most of the time I still use two protractors when adjusting a cartridge to compare/confirm results. Then the cart should be performing at its best.
PHONO CARTRIDGE OVERHANG ADJUSTER
The white plastic "L" shape cartridge overhang adjuster, seen on posts # 88 in the box and # 87 with the 408 cart/shell mounted on it, is the one from the old Technics SLQ2 gone to recycling. Because it holds the shell/cart in place while working on it I still use that adjuster for INITIAL cart setup on shell. This reduces handling of the fragile cart/shell/tonearm directly on the TT, therefore minimizing risks of an accident.
That small tool (3rd pic) remains relevant here, saves some time and potential needle damage. I noted some guys sell their overhang gauge on E-Bay, same for their Technics clear box SH-98 cart holder previously shown.That adjuster, with 52 mm effective length, is for a 15mm overhang. The last three TTs purchased (SLQ2, LP120 & LP5) required needle overhang adjustments of 15, 16 and 17 mm respectively. So I start with the 15 mm setting indicated on the tip (4th pic), then add just a bit more for 16 or 17 mm as the case may be. Checking the cart is parallel to the headshell is also simple using the overhang adjuster: comparing cart's front line vs shell's front line for example.
Note at the bottom of the second pic here, AT indicates "Perfect Overhang Settings, OK"circled. What is shown there is NOT overhang setting but rather making the cart parallel to the headshell. Overhang is a distance of where the needle should be located for lower distortion, represented on the protractor by the two black dots inside the lines shown.
My initial settings with the overhang adjuster are about 90-95% correct for 16/17 mm, therefore only minuscule fine tuning is left to do with the cart/shell in the tonearm & protractor sitting on the TT. Most of the work being already done using the overhang adjuster, prior to moving to the turntable for final adjustment, the latter is a breeze with much less handling to do directly on the TT. The last cart pre-adjusted needed less than a parallel line further adjustment based on the protractors. Did that, done deal!
Richard
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I 've wanted to post this for a long time and kept forgetting about it. Seems to me quite a few folks here don't know or remember about this amp which was one of the Pro game changers of the seventies, along with Phase Linear and BGW.
Touring amp with audiophile sound, hence the "Fidelity Sound Power Amplifier" on the front panel. Crest Audio's founder worked with BGW for some time before designing his own more modern Pro amp than others at the time.
Tested for Modern Recording Magazine (June 1979 P. 67) by Len Feldman and Norman Eisenberg. Their comments about the amp were quite positive. I can indicate where the report can be found.
In 1999 Peavey purchased Crest Audio and things changed, like with all those audio acquisitions...
Unfortunately Crown's response to others eating its lunch (market share) took way too long in my view with model PSA 2 (1990, according to spec sheet date), so many years later than other ones.
Richard
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With regards to nearfield monitor types I mentioned recently on "Back in the 70's" thread, the following contains some info for the Peerless "evergreen" tweeter as pictured from an old catalogue I have.
The 1978 purchased Polk Audio Monitor 5 with pretty low serial numbers, are among the first models they released, I still own them and they're somewhat larger than typical small nearfields. At that time a trade magazine test compared the Polk's sound to the Spendor BC-? sound but the latter was said to be short on highs (13-14 khz max). I may add that in a Stereophile review seen the Spendor's tweeter limit was assessed to be extending to about 12 khz. Both reviews indicated the Spendor was missing some very high frequencies, but for the rest concluded they sounded good.
The Polk doesn't suffer from such lower top end having that widely used Peerless model # 810665 hi-fi "Evergreen" tweeter (frequency response graph below shows its relatively smooth). Its still there up to 18 khz then rolls off. Near the top end, it sounds a little incisive since the tweeter has a small but noticeable peak at about 15 khz which is easily cured with -1 to -2 db EQ, if need be. Depending on program material sometimes I don't mind the peak and other times I do. Also, note from the same graph the tweeter's impedance curve is pretty flat at 8 ohms on a wide range of usable frequencies.
In addition to the 1" dome, it has a 6.5" bass/mid and 8" passive radiator (both rubber surrounds, they last!). Inputs are on standard binding posts and each driver is fused. A pic shows the banana plug type used to feed the speakers. Fusing drivers, as well as use of passive radiators, were more popular in the old days. I guess Polk didn't want its customers to be overly ambitious power wise on the speakers and blow drivers, hence fuses. They're not very high output speakers, will do 105 db with program material, but nice sounding ones.
The HF driver was discontinued long ago. A number of known hi-fi speaker manufacturers used this tweeter in their boxes, saw a list of these on the Net. The made in Denmark manufacturing was quality but higher manufacturing costs too. Companies like Polk Audio and others made or found lower cost replacement tweeters for subsequent versions of monitor 5 and others. Binding posts and fusing were also changed later, possibly to reduce cost...
Tymphany purchased Peerless and Vifa some time ago and moved production to Asia. Though NLA, Parts-Express still has it listed with specs. Mid West Speaker Repair has a copy made of this tweeter they sell and Simply Speakers also sells a replacement copy for $50. Cannot comment on the copies, since the drivers in my pair have never been replaced, the speakers are fully original and in good shape after 41 years.
The 30-20 khz bandwidth mentioned in the Monitor 5 sheet appears overly optimistic at each end, in practice. Moreover, the "nearly perfect hemispherical dispersion" touted by Polk seems more marketing than real life in view of off-axis data indicated on the Peerless 810665 data sheet here. Also the clean usable response down to the 36 hz resonance of the passive radiator referred to leaves me wondering. I suppose the key is one's definition of "usable". In my view, with reasonable output, its probably 10 hz higher. Giving a real life stand alone bandwidth of about 45-18 khz. Biamping the Polks with the 2214H cabs further improves the low end and makes a nice complement...
Richard
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Mr. Widget
11-06-2019, 11:48 PM
I know that tweeter well... I used them in several designs back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. It had a pleasant if slightly rolled off sound. If I recall correctly it was available in the $10-$15 a piece range while the Dynaudio D21AFs that I moved up to next were in the $40-$50 range back then.
Both Peerless and Audax made really excellent drivers that were extremely reasonably priced.
Widget
Hi Widget,
Thanks for your input here. Always interesting to hear from someone who has much wider view than JBL alone. Though I had/still have high respect for JBL's engineering, which made me purchase three pairs, two I still own, it never prevented me to look at other manufacturers as well. There's some nice stuff from others too, as you have already shown. We're not in the same league, equipment and budget wise, but that's fine.
In fact I have a lot more non-JBL stuff and this hasn't eroded my esteem for that brand. But at time of choices I also consider other non-performance related variables, such as currency exchange rate, manufacturing country, space available, budget, application, my needs, etc. Ultimate WATTS/SPL often sought on LH isn't really part of my list.
Btw at 9,999 posts you're just one post away from enjoying a big cigar... Probably will keep reading the next 10K considering their usual practical no non sense approach... Regards,
Richard
AT distributor stretches my patience. Ordered more than six weeks ago two more AT-HS10BK headshells, like the one with the V15 IV. Learned wednesday they're back order, no date in sight. Digging further I found they have only one left in stock, order for two couldn't be filled, so it was put aside, no call no notice... Still want that single one they have, then I'll even take an AT-HS1 (not as nice & silver) for second one to put the Shure/Radio Shack M75 cart on it. And if the lone HS10BK happens to be gone then its two HS1 (they have 10 in stock). That's it. 6+ weeks wait for what?? Want to sell? Make it happen, get proactive, pronto! Did check EBay and others for good used shells, asking prices are simply crazy, unreal. Better buying new then.
Had to put the round spacers back on between the AT headshell and the V15 cart otherwise the tonearm wasn't parallel to the record surface (post # 89 3rd pic no spacers on; pic # 875 here they're back on, also showing the 45HE after-market stylus installed and next to it a worn-out Shure original, sniff). Undid prior install/re-mounted the cart with spacers, used the Technics overhang gauge another time, but adding a little more for 17 mm. Checking initial adjustment with protractor on TT indicates no further adjustment needed, surprising! Double-checked with another protractor: same result, no fine tuning to do. First time initial and final adjustments for that TT are the exact same, my lucky day, I'll take it. But...
Trying the V15 IV revealed the original needle on it has reached the end of its life: the two channels aren't at the same level and the sound is distorted. Stopped it there. Haven't used the V15 for a while since the LP5 came with a cart I wanted to try, and the previous LP 120 also had a pre-mounted cart, plus its tonearm was not worthy of a better cart due to higher friction.
As mentioned, the new stylus put on temporarily is that after-market 45HE shown. Seen with the small 50X microscope (post # 43) the needle on it looks good. However, upon use I noted the small dust brush (also a record warp damper) built into the stylus frame has too short hair to even work, making that device useless! They say a problem doesn't come alone, so that's another with the too short hair-cut. Mfrg country not indicated on the stylus packaging.
Fortunately, it can be used with brush in up position (out of service). Still prefer having an ok needle with a poor optional brush than the other way around. Since a hand-held carbon fiber brush is used anyway to remove record dust, plus the Bellari phono preamp has a 20 hz rumble filter taking care of record warp sub-sonic frequencies if any. This way the stylus brush issue isn't a big deal in the meantime.
Haven't risked yet putting the Shure Micro-Ridge VN45MR on the cart pending I get some new VN45HE replacement stylus, since the MR is now the sole and ultimate genuine stylus I have left for the V15 IV. At least not before I secure some other proper one(s). Looked at LP Gear, some Japan made prospects identified as replacements. Need to order some soon, then I may get rid of that no country/no brush 45HE...
Richard
P.S. While re-confirming yesterday the details about the headshells I want (A+B, if no A left then two of B, etc.), since there's still some money in this year's budget, I decided to go ahead and ordered the Behringer DEQ 2496, along with the companion mic ECM 8000, mostly for its RTA feature, and considering its about the only affordable hardware unit left on the market...
P.P.S. The surrounds of the 6.5" bass/mid drivers shown on the Polk Monitor 5 (post # 93 2nd pic) look more grey, like foam ones, than black rubber stuff. They needed some careful dusting/cleaning with a damp rag, which I now had time to do, to bring them back to their original color. They are now black looking except for the lighting reflection on the pic below, surrounds still quite compliant too. Been using them more these days and will comment on that later (e.g. the Peerless tweeter small HF peak hasn't been an issue with a number of records even with no HF EQ correction).
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The V15 IV is a well balanced cart, pretty much faultless, does everything competently, but has less "personality".
With Sun Goddess (live), Earth, Wind & fire 1975 Gratitude LP, Engineering by George Massenburg!! the sound stage is better on the Shure than on the AT. Btw You Tube's version of the song, maybe MP3, is a poor rendering of the sounds and effects compared to the LP record. Sun Goddess is one of the rare popular type music song where I actually much prefer the live version to the studio one, by far. Sax & percussions !!
The details that went in this recording are brilliant (e.g. channel panning). It has many different sounds coming from the left, from right, some center, different intensities, etc. Its quite a mixing job, raise my hat to Massenburg's work. To confirm what I hear I did a small test with the Mackie's output signal level LEDs, adjusting gains so only the first row of LEDs would light according to channel L/R and music signal intensity, no subsequent LEDs going on, just first stereo pair to avoid any confusion. Room light kept at a minimum for LEDs to be seen easily. The result is evident, watching the L/R LEDs blink its crazy, re how often they're alternating from one side to the other, some centered, plus varying intensity. Naturally LED's follow the music but there's no apparent pattern or definite sequence watching them, great sound effects.
The AT 408 has more character, not as neutral as the Shure, with a little more emphasis at the top end. Listening to Good Friend, Loggins & Messina 1972, the AT's attack, impact and clarity are impressive for drums, percussions, cymbals, electric guitar notes. Nice.
The 408 was initially developped for pricier Linear Tracking Tonearm Turntables (P-mount), such TT I never owned and they weren't a big commercial success. An audio store owner had two new ones left, willing to deal he said, checked them for possible fit, AT included a simple finely made adaptor for standard half-inch cart mounting, guy made me an offer one cannot refuse for both. Done deal, 2nd one still stored in its box, all Japan made.
Overall the V15 IV is a better performer, but the AT 408 still has some interesting aspects sound wise. The properly loaded V15 has a very flat response (typical ± 1 db in 1977 owner manual) and doesn't exhibit that little exagerated VHF sound the Peerless tweeter is supposed to have.
Quincy Jones, The Dude, 1980 LP. Like his 1989 Back on the Block CD, its also recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien using the Acusonic Recording Process. Sound clarity exemplary. But this time with the addition of Binaural Recording Equipment. Westlake Audio Studios, Bernie Grundman mastering it, top notch artists too, great album, LOT of instruments, great sound! The Binaural effect is more discernable on smoother and simpler tracks (where less instruments), like voices (The Dude, One Hundred Ways, Somethin Special). Also nice Harmonica & whistle on Velas, plus Piano on Just Once).
Used the same basement living room temporary audio setup as before (not audio room yet, sniff), carpeted plywood floor, Maple wood wall panels, acoustic tiles on the ceiling. Same usual equipment, but now alternate phono carts, as well as speakers on the small speaker stands I made between the Mission nearfields and the Polk Monitor 5 (nice open mid, no boomy bass).
When that Polk was released it wasn't marketed as a "look at my specs" or "feel the big bass sound" type of speaker. Instead it was presented as a "worth listening to box and then decide for yourself". No regrets since.
Listening to three Loggins & Messina LPs 1972-1976 none of these sounded overly bright using the V15IV with proper capacitance loading and the Polk speakers having the Evergreen tweeter. 45HE stylus though, as good tracking HF as the real thing? (Did order a few styluses from LP Gear, they should be on their way).
The AT 95EX (supplied with LP5) and the AT 408 might have a small high-end peak of their own (no response curve provided), even with proper capacitance load by the Bellari phono preamp, since the V15 used in similar conditions doesn't sound that little brighter.
Richard
P.S. Some paragraphs may not be in the right sequence here, wrote that spare time over a few days here and there, no time to check text structure before posting it...
SEAWOLF97
11-24-2019, 10:04 AM
Richard
V15T3 has always been my "go to" cart ... have a couple of spares.
currently have a V15T4 mounted on my daily driver , tho still buying LP's,
just haven't had time to spin any lately.
Have a V15V (XLM ?) on my big Denon TT, but it will get transplanted to the
"new to me" Oracle Delphi, if I ever get down the project list that far.
Do also have some Empire's (cant recall model - ??) that rivaled the Shures.
Just a while back I picked up a rare dual platter* Sansui XP-99 (?) that has a
M91ed and it sounds great. Dont know if the nice quality is from the cart or the TT ?
TOM
https://reverb.com/item/20158711-sansui-xp-99-1988-black
*It has a counter-rotating sub platter to kill vibrations.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the comments here.
You never cease to amaze me with all your great finds. Once in a while I look at your thread showing what you found left and right for very little $, at some point my head starts spinning so have to leave. Also a headphone collector maybe? Where do you see all this stuff? That must be a full-time job looking around? I never see/hear about interesting stuff/deals like you pick-up. Don't really have time searching everywhere, but they seem to be falling on YOU all the time like rain does... Why not on ME the odd time?
Big Denon TT, Sansui, Oracle,... I got space for one TT only that's it, so it has to be the best compromise I can afford. Phono cartridges are small, don't take space, so I have some of those.
RE "Do also have some Empire's" I remember the Empire name, my father use to have one on a AR turntable, late 60s or early 70s if I remember well?
RE "M91ed and it sounds great. Dont know if the nice quality is from the cart or the TT ?" Had one of these on a Thorens way back. Liked it. Good bang for the buck, nice sound. The only issue with many older Shures was their required 400-500pf capacitance load, if not met as with many gear, then the VHF gets more peaky. Not a huge issue but noticeable if too far off. A speaker with some VHF roll-off might make this less evident sound wise. See attached pics re Shure SC35C as an example. At 100pf or so response deviation would be even larger.
Late 70s I bought a Spectro Acoustics 217R preamp (and 2102 EQ), these were made one State above you by former Engineering colleagues of Bob Carver at Phase Linear. It had user set capacitance settings on the front panel for almost any MM cart, nice. Kept the Preamp about 35 years, still working fine, gave it away to try other things. The EQ, and a BGW amp, were given after about 37 years. Haven't heard about their fate.
The NAD 3240PE integrated amp I kept provides phono capacitance of 100pf. Add a little more for tonearm wiring and you're ok for popular AT carts at 100-200pf. Not enough for many older Shures though (more recent ones 200-300pf). When purchasing the Bellari phono Preamp, not only did I get a better phono Pre but also getting back the capacitance adjustment lost from the 217R.
RE Sansui XP-99 Never seen this one before, the platter on that is something, looks very good. Another of your incredible finds I assume.
RE "if I ever get down the project list that far." Well, we're in the same boat I guess. Always something more urgent to attend than audio, which gets bumped down the list... Sniff.
Btw Avatar pic looks like a Russian spy to me. Maybe you are after all a Russian spy scouring the USA of all the pre-owned audio equipment deals available? LOL Best regards,
Richard
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SEAWOLF97
11-24-2019, 06:27 PM
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the comments here.
>>You never cease to amaze me with all your great finds. Once in a while I look at your thread showing what you found left and right for very little $, at some point my head starts spinning so have to leave. Also a headphone collector maybe? Where do you see all this stuff? That must be a full-time job looking around? I never see/hear about interesting stuff/deals like you pick-up. Don't really have time searching everywhere, but they seem to be falling on YOU all the time like rain does... Why not on ME the odd time?
Big Denon TT, Sansui, Oracle,... I got space for one TT only that's it, so it has to be the best compromise I can afford. Phono cartridges are small, don't take space, so I have some of those.
Richard<<
we are empty nesters , raised 2 kids here ... now just us two bouncing around. Good income, retired 17 years and I cycle and collect gear ... stuff that isn't up to what I need gets passed on (usually paying for much more than itself) . have more headphones than I can count. A home theatre system , big music system, 120Ti's on the computer and 2 big systems in the living room and a smaller one to demo speakers on. Oh, and 1 in my work area. and about a dozen DAP's , oh yeah, and a Creek amp for headphones on the bedstand.
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?17712-Speaker-Safari&p=425912&viewfull=1#post425912
Big Denon TT, Sansui, Oracle,... I got space for one TT only that's it, so it has to be the best compromise I can afford. Phono cartridges are small, don't take space, so I have some of those.
5 active TT's ... The Oracle is waiting to be #6 . My son sells records online and so I've gotten into the habit of buying anything interesting ..keep some, ship others to him.
Late 70s I bought a Spectro Acoustics 217R preamp (and 2102 EQ), these were made one State above you by former Engineering colleagues of Bob Carver at Phase Linear.
RE Sansui XP-99 Never seen this one before, the platter on that is something, looks very good. Another of your incredible finds I assume.
Richard
I have a Spectro Acoustics amp somewhere in storage.
another minidisk deck yesterday.
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?17712-Speaker-Safari&p=426010&viewfull=1#post426010
Btw Avatar pic looks like a Russian spy to me. Maybe you are after all a Russian spy scouring the USA of all the pre-owned audio equipment deals available? LOL Best regards,
Use these often, the Polks too, for reasons of limited space with temporary audio setup. Bought them new in 1991, vented box, 5.25" bass/mid Plasiflex cone and 3/4" fabric dome tweeter. Response rated 70-20 khz ± 2.5 db, and - 6 db @ 60 hz. Recommended amp 20-75 W /ch.
Looked quickly at some L series JBL consumer speakers Tech Manuals I have (L7, L15, L100T, L100T3, L101 Lancer, L150A, L212) to see how they rate box frequency response. Only two of those had a response rating with ± db, the L7 and L100T3, and in their case its ± 6 db.
These small Missions have some common grounds with nearfield monitors: deeper than wide for improved imaging, tight frequency response rating, also with some older nearfields since when the box is correctly oriented the tweeter is down and woofer is up, in order to have the HF unit at ear level when sitting, either at a console or on couch with speakers on higher stands. Correct positioning is confirmed by the Mission name on tweeter, also by Made in England at the bottom of the cabinet (see pic).
During older days it was more frequent to see nearfield monitors sitting "up side down". Presently, the Missions are on small stands I made, tweeter is up to avoid having it too close to carpeted floor absorption. More recently some nearfields use HF wave guides (e.g. Genelec, JBL). Nearfields are also optimized for flatter LF response with 2 Pi placement or with 4 Pi placement, as explained by Eargle (Handbook of Sound System Design, P. 294).
The manufacturer here doesn't say specifically in manual if its 2Pi or 4Pi designed (many don't), but the Missions are probably closer to a 4 Pi design, as can be inferred from some mentions below. Plus according to my own experiments they sound too bassy woofer down directly on the floor (2Pi), a clue towards 4 Pi.
What differentiates the Missions from many others is they're optimized for smooth power response (off-axis), instead of the more usual on-axis: "The loudspeakers are designed for an extremely smooth 'off axis' frequency response performance. This means that they are not to be 'toed in' or angled towards the listener." (re positioning) "... with their fronts facing straight out." Mission adds the model "should not be placed directly on the floor ... or in the corners of your room." (Owner Manual, P.3) But they can be used on stands, bookshelfs, even console top. More clues in the direction of a 4 Pi design.
Moving to the left or right in the room, not far from the speakers, leads to very little sound difference, up to a point as they're not omnidirectional, but certainly show less difference than with the Polks having the Peerless tweeter. Tried toe-in just for the sake of it, not as good sounding, imaging blurred.
Their 4 Pi or so and good power response may be what gives the listener an impression of the boxes sounding somewhat larger than they actually are. Like in post # 84 when wife came downstairs saying I was overpowering her own music...
Before letting go the BGW 100B amp I tested it again prior to shipping to make sure it worked ok. I used it to power these Mission nearfields, which were driven up to the onset of clipping at some point. Then click, nothing. Busted speakers? Thought it wouldn't be such a nice cut-off with no apparent sign of speaker distress. Thermal issue then, amp being warmer than usual!
Shut it down, waited few minutes, turned-on amp again, played some more music up to about half power this time, amp delivered as if nothing ever happened. That kind of confirmed the theory of a thermal trigger re full power used and warmer amp. Never got this issue before, don't normally go for pedal to the metal power output, but wife was gone shopping...
At the time I didn't suspect a better reason re protection trigger (dumb me i guess, but didn't launch a "national investigation" for that). Stayed that way up until many months later when looking at Eargle's "Recording Monitor Loudspeakers" section in his Loudspeaker Handbook, P. 200. Broadly speaking he says, Eargle gives a list of monitor speakers attributes: "7. Well behaved impedance characteristic. The DC resistance of the system should not drop below 80% of the nominal impedance value,..." That's where the light turned-on re circuit trigger. Sure failed to check system DCR on the Missions before.
Pretty confident a lot of folks here may not have done that either (in absence of an issue). Plus on LH forum DCR is way more associated with driver(s) alone, than at system level. Also, many modern amps in use today have pretty low impedance capability, wasn't like that during 100B time.
The Missions have 6 ohm nominal impedance and a measured system DC resistance of 3.6 ohm assessed with a precise multimeter (1% accuracy). Not so "well behaved" on that aspect, pretty low DCR at 60% of nominal figure, 80% would give 4.8 ohm (Btw the Polks measured a nicer 7.3 ohm). On the other hand, the 1979 BGW has a minimum impedance rating of 4 ohm, and actual factory test at clip was 80 W @ 4 ohm. Being driven at the onset of clip when the cut-off took place, I now believe the amp's sensitive protection circuit triggered because of excessive current draw, also creating more heat, in view of the above DCR.
But the little boxes survived harmless. Learned from it what they have in the stomac. Sure won't rattle the silver with these speakers, never been the intention anyway, but they do sound good, their power response giving them a little something extra. Bi-amped with LF cabs further increases the pleasure.
Richard
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Received tuesday the styluses ordered from LP Gear. Two for Shure V15IV (VN45HE) and one for M95ED (N95ED) taken from their house brand. All Japan made they say.
Inspected these with the small 50X microscope re cantilever and diamond. Cantilevers seem straight (except a bit off on one) and diamonds look ok. I verify this since over time I've seen many styluses with cantilever a little off exact center and some diamonds not so well polished. For example, the cantilever on AT95E is a bit off center, but on AT 95EX, 408 and ATP-3 its really straight.
The nice surprise with the order is the cheapest of the three (N95ED $37.95US). It appears remarkably well made for the price, cantilver dead straight and its diamond nicely polished. I'm impressed re cost.
The more expensive V15 styluses ($125.US each) should beat the M95 stylus easily for craftsmanship/quality mfrg, etc. but they don't appear to. Didn't get the same impression of attention to details. One cantilever is a hair off re straightness, the other is straight. Both diamonds could have been cleaner after installation. I used Shure's little stylus cleaning brush, a 50% or so success. The diamond on one doesn't look as finely polished as the other.
A small round silver cap, covering the brush/stylus guard pivot, on the side of stylus frame was not on, found it in the small clear box, put it back on, hopefully it will stay where it belongs (cap can be seen on post # 83). Can't say that I'm impressed here re consistent quality work from one sample to another...
I compared the bit off center new one with an identical Shure original (worn out, kept it for comparison with LP Gear's), Shure is also a bit off center, then compared same new one to the aftermarket 45HE and the latter is also a bit off center. Those three have cantilever going just a little towards the right if installed on cart/tonearm (towards LP center), or to the left viewed with stylus up side down.
If the N95ED received is of typical quality, then it seems someone looking for good bang for the buck should consider a good used M95ED cart body and get an LP Gear N95ED stylus since the one examined is well made. Getting a nice M95ED at resonable price (say $50-60) gets more difficult with many crazy cart pricing seen on EBay, but getting one with no stylus may help, then put on your own LP Gear one, all for less than $100. hopefully.
Haven't had time for a listening test of these styluses nor have assessed yet the effectiveness of the dust brush on V15 styluses, but the hair on those new ones are longer than on the too short hair cut 45HE...
Richard
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Been thinking recently about the possibility of selling (or not) the SC35C cart with its accessories. Simply because its been rarely used (maybe 5 hours on the original stylus) and didn't see if and when it will be used in the future. Also not evident the AT LP5 TT I have could provide the optimum 4.5 gr tracking force. Still had to test the cart before deciding anything, as any potential buyer would inquire about working condition, and I haven't used it for a long time.
First, needed to mount cart on a headshell. Cart has wider body so looks better on a wider shell I have than a narrow one. Naturally, the mounting screws provided were either too short or too long for my taste, this varies a little with shell thickness, the too long tried add mass or risk touching the LP record, though cantilever is made stiffer here. The little jar with cart harware/parts to my recue once again, having better fitting screws.
Next wrench in the wheel is TT won't do 4-5gr, Max is 3.5gr. Fortunately, little jar again has weights for cart/shells, one at 3 gr is perfect, just put it on top of shell for adjustment/testing purpose rather than screwing it in place now. Adding a weight on cart/shell reduces the requirement from tonearm counterweight, so gaining some leeway doing that. With 3gr added on shell all is needed left from TT counterweight is 1.5gr to get to 4.5gr, done deal. Weight used is from Technics, part # on pic below, seen on Amazon & EBay.
Finally, a small parallel adjustment to do with protractor on TT. During test I switched a few times between 220 and 330 pf capacitance loading on the Bellari phono preamp before deciding on using 220pf (plus cabling pf), therefore replicating or so the SC35C dotted line response curve shown in post # 99.
Using the same listening setup previously mentioned, the cart is sounding better than I could ever remember. Most of the time I prefer the sound of Shure over AT carts. They seem to sound more truthful to the instruments and voices. Some AT carts sound more "artificial" to me instead of real in terms of instrument timbre.
The SC35C doesn't have all the sound details/refinements of an M95 or V15 cart but the essentials of a Shure cart sound are there. Globally, has typical Shure sound I like, which is what matters most. The stereo separation and soundstage are not as good as on the previous ones but still quite acceptable and the rest is ok. Another time where the Peerless "evergreen" tweeter showed no excessive VHF sound.
A two-hour Steely Dan 1972-1978 listening session gave me second thoughts about letting cart go. Something tells me selling might be a mistake, that I could regret. Cart doesn't take space and isn't costing me anything either, then no hurry to get rid of it. Other reasons in favor of keeping it for the time being. Also, a major reason being Shure carts are all a thing of the past now, but for the few left often at crazy prices. Cannot be replaced easily anymore in case of "changed my mind"... Put that plan on hold for now.
Richard
P.S. The "Non Stop Dancing '68" record shown on the TT pic is ballroom type music from the 60's by James Last Orchestra. Have two others from that series (65 & 67) inherited from my father, like few others. Today, it may be the kind of music to empty a room in no time? More for parents or grand-parents I guess. Kept these since sometimes use them as test records only. They're in nice condition and very well made for their age by Deutche Gramophone in Hamburg, thick vinyl and surprisingly no/very low record noise (hiss, clicks or pops) amazing, compared to 70's and 80's LP records often plagued with the problem. Might post the jacket of these later in Music thread on LH, could be interesting for some, though most of text is written in German which I don't speak, but some members here do, and may even know more about the series...
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Holiday period was a good opportunity to check & test things plus make some changes. Like reassigning in a more appropriate way a different headshell for five of the eight carts. Lots of tiny parts and detail work involved in moving carts to other shells, should stay as they are now for a long time.
CORRECTIONS TO POST # 90, BEFORE LAST PARAGRAPH
N75ED type 2 stylus shown before for R-1000EDT/M75ED cart will not also fit on Shure Me95ED cart as I initially expected. Not a big issue having other styluses for it (LP Gear & Shure), even a third one now...
Shure 5X stylus also shown does not fit R-1000EDT white cart as I thought. However, 5X does fit correctly on the Me95ED cart giving more flexibility with tracking up to 2.25gr vs 1.5gr for other 95 needles on-hand.
ADDENDUM FOR SHURE SC35C CARTRIDGE
In the previous post use of a Technics 3gr weight was shown on top of headshell in order to be able to use that cart (4.5gr tracking force) with the AT LP5 TT limit at 3.5 gr tracking force. Someone who doesn't want to purchase such shell weight has other possibilities such as coins. The only requirements are that coin stays in place on the shell during use with a small piece of tape sticking on both sides (coin and shell), plus knowledge of the exact coin weight.
To get an idea about using coins I checked a few smaller ones I had with the small digital scale: CDN 1 cent 3.2gr (1965), 2.5gr (1993); CDN 10 cents 1.8gr (2010); USA 5 cents 5gr (1993); USA 10 cents 2.3gr (1992). Metal type content and weight varies based on the year coin was issued. Depending on TT counterweight capability, using a dime as a shell weight might be enough in most cases, and its much cheaper than a Technics weight sold on Amaz/Bay. In addition, the Canadian one cent coin was discontinued years ago...
OTHER PHONO CARTRIDGE MATTERS
Few days before X-Mas finally got, after 10 weeks waiting!, the headshells ordered: AT HS10BK and HS-1, and picked up an extra one of the former at clearance price due to my long wait. As previously shown, two Shure carts (SC35C & R-1000 EDT/M75ED) were left without a headshell (post # 89). That's settled now each cart having its own, making rotation or substitution much easier.
First pic shows two DJ cartridges head to head: AT ATP-3 on HS-1 shell & Shure SC35C on wider silver one. The wide body of the latter is evident, even more so when the ATP-3 was seen on that wider silver shell on post # 87. Its now used by the SC35C better fitting there. Next pic now has the Me95ED on a AT HS10BK, as well as the AT 408 next to it, the third cart being the white R-1000EDT (AKA Shure M75ED) on the Technics headshell previously shown with the AT 408 cart on.
Having an extra shell means one is back in stock as spare, i.e. the Technics that came with the shell holder clear box (SH-98), usually protecting the more valuable V15 IV cartridge. Two pics show the original Technics SH-98 kit (box & shell) with some hardware on. The 3gr Technics shell weight might have been part of that kit, can't remember exactly, purchased it many years ago.
The screw on TOP of that headshell is for overhang adjustment of cart/stylus with about 5-6 mm leeway, making cart slide in shell. Clever system since it prevents having to loosen/tighten two cart mounting screws/nuts for proper overhang setting. Its also the only shell having gold plated connections at THREE places: wiring to cart pins, wiring to shell case and on the four connecting pins to tonearm. Others have from none to two places.
Richard
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R-1000 CART "ROAD TEST"
Test drived the R-1000EDT white cart (AKA Shure M75ED T2) for the first time. The two styluses on-hand for this cart are the RS5T and N75ED type 2, both original Shure. The RS5T (1.5-3gr) was already on the cart so used it for the test and set tracking force in the middle at 2.2 gr. 220pf phono pre capacitance was applied.
Listened to Patti Austin LP record album "Every home should have one", 1981, she's a protege of Quincy Jones, nice voices, many instruments, also recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien using the Accusonic Recording Process, etc. Though the album is not as good nor as extensively "polished" as those from Quincy Jones, but interesting.
However, this time used my good old Sennheiser 414X headphones instead of speakers for the test since wife was sleeping, while I stayed up late. Don't usually test with headphones as I like some room acoustics (little livelyness) and sound dispersion otherwise its a little "dry", but I did hear with the phones a few lower level sounds that I missed before. The cartridge's typical Shure sound was there and quite acceptable to my ears, more so in view of its lower cost. The 414X is slightly short on LF and VHF but the 220pf applied (lower than should be) compensated for the VHF shortness and about +2db of mixer's LF tone control does the trick on bass.
The M75 is probably as low as one should go in the traditional Shure lineup to keep it reasonably "Hi-FI". M70B or similar being too low quality for adequate fidelity. The M75ED type 2 may be not far behind the well-known M91ED cart, and a worthwhile lower-cost alternative for smaller budgets or for someone getting progressively into playing vinyl records. Everyone started somewhere, probably not at the top...
Yesterday, seen a few used R-1000EDT in relatively good shape on EBay for about $30.US (one in Canada $35.CAD), add $30.-$35. for a proper LP Gear stylus and for $60. or so you get something decent AND not abusively priced, contrary to many others on EBay. Realistic name on the cart makes it less glamorous to own and keeps it lower market value vs Shure brand, but under the hood its a real Shure made in USA. Btw saw that LPG also has a Japan made replacement stylus for the more recent Me75ED Encore series cart.
I think the R-1000EDT with a good stylus on would be a nice contender in that class. Though considered closer to entry-level Hi-Fi it did perform reasonably well and sounded like good value to me.
Richard
SOME NEW STYLUS ISSUE AND LISTENING TEST
This post was written during the X-Mas holidays but forgot to post it before a preceeding one...
From what I have seen the only affordable quality replacement stylus for Me95ED cart is new old stock Shure original at $60.US from Jico Canada and LP Gear. One review on it is good and the other is not, and the latter may have a good point. A mixed bag then.
When I ordered from LP Gear some styluses I figured the one for M95ED cart (with more options available) would fit on my Me95ED Encore series cart, same assumption made for the original Shure N95ED stylus I had purchased a while ago. Dumb me, they're not "drop-in" fit! Cartridge appearance and body has changed over the years, older M95ED cart has bulkier look with more square shape/right angle edges, compared to the narrower/sleeker profile of the more recent one I own.
Still convinced though stylus for older model could fit properly on newer one, but for a difference inside the plastic frame (first pic sketch).
With stylus guard on and holding frame by the sides, I proceeded to remove slowly with a small Swiss knife two corner plastic triangles molded inside both stylus' frames (LPG & Shure) that prevented fit on the more recent cart. Worked carefully, removing a little at the time, and was able to correct this without any damage to frames, cantilevers and diamonds. Hasn't made stylus frames more fragile. Satisfied with the results.
Checked modification with stylus in cart/tonearm on the turntable with the protractor and it hasn't created any issue there either. So the usual N95ED stylus CAN be made to fit correctly on the slightly different Me95ED cart, with some precision work though (45 min. for first stylus and 30 min. for second one, getting better at it I guess).
Second pic shows the Shure modified stylus fitted on Me95ED cart, while the other stylus at bottom right of pic is the LP Gear one also modified and it can be seen inside frame the corner triangles are gone, nice right angles now. "Jeweller" kind of work requiring patience, maybe not for everyone. Top right on pic shows I've removed some clear box foam since the LPG stylus that came in it is packed way too tight in foam for easy removal from box or putting it back in, risking damage. Little looser is better (factory foam pic post # 102).
Various LP records were used during the listening session. With the new LP Gear VN45HE stylus on the V15 IV cart the sound is as good to me and pretty much what it used to be in the past. Using the Polk speakers having the "evergreen" tweeter showed no signs of the VHF small peak or excessive high-end.
Used capacitance settings of 220 pf for the V15 and 330 pf for the Me95ED. With the latter I had to switch a few times between 220 and 330pf to decide which I prefer, finally ended-up being the 330 pf setting. The stylus frame modification done on N95ED didn't affect sound performance either based on listening tests. Even checked the Me95ED with the revealing sound of the Mandolin (and others) on Loggins & Messina's Be Free. Cart passes the test with nice, detailed and clear sounding mandolin with the Polks open mid. Still no overdone highs.
I get to think the sometimes noticeable small peak from the Peerless evergreen tweeter might well have happened during the period of time I used the NAD or Onkyo phono preamps (NAD 100 pf, Onkyo no say). Such period was between the time I let go the variable capacitance Spectro Acoustics 217R preamp I had and the recent purchase of the Bellari phono preamp having cartridge capacitance settings too.
Richard
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SEAWOLF97
01-21-2020, 10:18 AM
Richard .... if nothing else, you are sure persistent. ;)
glad you were able to make things work out OK.
On cartridges/stylii .... about 10 years ago, I needed a replacement for one of my
V-15T3's ....ordered an Ed Saunders (ex-Shure employee) needle.
https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/shure-replacement-styli-from-ed-saunders.417250/
happy to mount it up and give it a spin .... sibilance ... :eek::eek: . contacted them and a replacement came immediately. This one was fine. Understand the company has changed hands and quality is gone too.
I have years of experience with V-15's T3/T4/T5's ... but my dual platter Sansui came with an M91Ed ...it's a very good alternative to the V series ... especially on this TT.
I always enjoy your posts.
SEAWOLF97
01-21-2020, 11:06 AM
Richard .... when my wife runs across used TT's, she alerts me.
she found a Yamaha in GW for $30 ... i went down to look at it ..meh. but it had a note "see cashier for needle" , so I did
It was a standard CD4 mount TT, but the cart had a P-mount with a P-mt to CD 4 adapter. :blink: .... the cart was a very rare V-15T3P ... the P-mount version of the T3 that we all know and enjoy.
so i bought the TT ... put a extra P-mount cart in and sold it. that more than covered the cost. But now had a cart with no TT to use it in ... finally gave up and sold it for abt 5x of what the TT cost me originally.
Always wished that I had a TT to run that in ... w/o that silly adapter.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the good words.
RE "if nothing else, you are sure persistent."
Well, I gambled a little when ordering the N95ED stylus from LP Gear and the other Shure one bought sometime ago. Put myself in shit and got myself out of it nicely. Looked at these and was confident I could make them work, going slowly but surely. Not afraid of having to work hard to succeed, as long as I see there's reasonable hope. If I had to replace it again I'd possibly do the same (hands and sight being the same).
Recently moved 5 carts to different headshells (post # 105). One of them in particular made me work a LOT, must have tried 5-10 times to mount it on the shell before getting it the way I want it to be installed, but stayed with it, finally made a great installation after trying many screw, nut, washer combinations...
RE "Sansui came with an M91Ed ...it's a very good alternative to the V series .."
Its a surprisingly good price/performance cart from Shure's older models, like the 95ED, 91ED possibly one of their best sellers ever. It won't impress the "purists" but I don't play in that league. If I didn't already have the 95ED I might well have looked for a 91ED. The friend who purchased my Thorens years ago did want the 91ED cart on it, otherwise I'd still have it. Most of the time I prefer Shure's sound vs AT sound from comparable carts.
RE "I always enjoy your posts."
I try to post about things that are different than mainstream, as well as trying to help newcomers, showing there's more than just expensive amps, speakers, TT, etc. for folks starting in audio. Hopefully encouraging them with some correct stuff that's accessible to those without deep pockets.
RE Always wished that I had a TT to run that in ... w/o that silly adapter.
With six TTs you already have, ain't enough? Plus the Oracle project on your plate should keep you busy for a while?
RE "when my wife runs across used TT's, she alerts me."
WOW! So there's TWO of you watching for gear, nice. Wife alerts me to nothing audio, she thinks I've already got more than enough stuff hanging around. She did alert me last night to take out the garbage and the recycling bin though...:banghead: Regards,
Richard
P.S. RE my cassette come back post: do you see or hear any feedback that there might be some revived interest from people in getting cassette decks or keeping theirs since still using it? Have nothing to sell, just trying to assess if the British cassette sales numbers on the rise are also a similar thing in the USA? e.g. if in your great gear finds you got a nice cassette deck would you be able to resell it fast or it would drag on?
SEAWOLF97
01-21-2020, 06:04 PM
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the good words. Most of the time I prefer Shure's sound vs AT sound from comparable carts.
I like SHURE carts a lot, but also have a couple of Empires that are just as good as the V-15's
RE Always wished that I had a TT to run that in ... w/o that silly adapter.
With six TTs you already have, ain't enough? Plus the Oracle project on your plate should keep you busy for a while?
And right now standing hurts and I'm just streaming while looking at the latest LP's that I haven't played yet.
RE "when my wife runs across used TT's, she alerts me."
WOW! So there's TWO of you watching for gear, nice. Wife alerts me to nothing audio, she thinks I've already got more than enough stuff hanging around. She did alert me last night to take out the garbage and the recycling bin though...:banghead:
BUT, I still get the old "you only have 2 ears, why need so much" line .. .. I answer that it's (vintage audio) so much less than cars,boats,planes,mistresses ..etc.
that usually quiets her down ..cides,, I give her a bounty on good things she finds for me. ;)
P.S. RE my cassette come back post: do you see or hear any feedback that there might be some revived interest from people in getting cassette decks or keeping theirs since still using it?
Most cassette decks are belt driven (much harder to change out than a belt TT) , tho my son's online vintage record account seems to have no problems selling tapes.... .
Hi Tom,
RE "still get the old "you only have 2 ears, why need so much"
Pretty smart lady, only two ears at a time, difficult to fault that logic isn't?
RE "mistresses" LOL, that's a pretty good one, you got talent to plea your way out, since that word resonates with all wives I guess...
Giving her a bounty on nice items she finds for you is quite clever making her an ally or partner in "crime" ;)
Next time I get the speech about too much gear around, think I'll try the "better than having mistresses" line, then see what happens, lol
RE "Most cassette decks are belt driven"
Didn't really know that, never took one apart, sent two to recycling last year (one hers, one mine), should have open them to see what's inside before letting them go, dumb me. Regards,
Richard
SEAWOLF97
01-22-2020, 08:42 PM
RE "Most cassette decks are belt driven"
Didn't really know that, never took one apart, sent two to recycling last year (one hers, one mine), should have open them to see what's inside before letting them go, dumb me. Regards,
Richard
the ones I've opened have belts that go around multiple pulleys .. so mechanicals need to be dissembled partway to get the new belt in .. also share a problem with many R2R decks, where shafts were lubed with a heavy grease thats now turned solid .... sure, pull apart, scrape old grease out, regrease and re assemble. (if you have the time and think it's worth the effort.
Even had a TT with that problem, spindle grease solidified and the record stayed still, while the platter under it turned.
so glad my project que is nearly empty ...:bs::screwy::barf:
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the info on cassette deck belts and shaft grease.
The Sony TC-K520 deck I sent to recycling had two belts according to the Service Manual found today.
As for the TEAC V-2020S deck I kept, haven't been able to get the Service Manual, have owner manual.
The grease you refer to is that a special one or any general purpose? Which did you use on deck & TT?
Some stores like LP Gear sell TT belts. Any known places that specialize in or sell cassette deck belts, just in case, or only service centers?
Had a good laugh at the emo BS flag, projects list is never near empty in this field... Regards,
Richard
SEAWOLF97
01-24-2020, 07:00 AM
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the info on cassette deck belts and shaft grease.
The Sony TC-K520 deck I sent to recycling had two belts according to the Service Manual found today.
As for the TEAC V-2020S deck I kept, haven't been able to get the Service Manual, have owner manual.
The grease you refer to is that a special one or any general purpose? Which did you use on deck & TT?
Some stores like LP Gear sell TT belts. Any known places that specialize in or sell cassette deck belts, just in case, or only service centers?
Had a good laugh at the emo BS flag, projects list is never near empty in this field... Regards,
Richard
Have a big stash of TT belts , the variations are endless. suspect tape deck belts are even worse.
recently had a nice Tandberg deck that did FF/REW just fine , but very slow on play,prolly loose belt/solidifying grease combo problem. Could have fixed it, but why ? wouldn't use it anyway, MD , for me, is THE ANSWER. Sold it off to use for money for more acquisitions.
Grease ?? I use some very thick, green stuff that a friend gave me ... no idea what name or even type.
Speakers ? Out in view, I have the 250ti's, 120Ti's, ESS's , Ohm Walsh's, a/d/s's , Rock Solids (B&W's) , but really enjoy headphones ... I buy them, give em an audition and sell off the ones that don't impress and try to move up the quality ladder a little more.
Sennheiser has become the "go to" brand for me ... and recently picked up a UK made Creek amp that is now getting use as a headphone amp. I just get detail that gets masked with speakers playing in a room. Can go LP>MD>mini MD player>creek>senns and the result is quite good. :bouncy:
Hi Tom,
Re "Sennheiser has become the "go to" brand for me"
I like them too, but right now not so much, damn it...
Recently gave daughter a pair of my Sen phones, same as I had given her few years ago (bought two), she worned out hers pretty fast, they look like scrap! while mine were still in good shape.
Dec 29 ordered directly from Sen Canada a new pair for me, HD 559, Dec 30 got e-mail of order confirmation, and since that time radio silence from Sen. Wrote them mid Jan., got sort of a prepackaged reply saying your order is finalized and will be shipped to you shortly, and you'll get an e-mail when it ships.
Today, another 11 days later, still no news not even a shipping (included) tracking number. Initially tried to get these from my dealer (Pro audio) and couldn't, Sen said its a consumer model not available for Pro dealers to sell! They're stiff on that. Didn't like Sen's Pro models at comparable prices or so, then went for that consumer one. Now looks like they have both feet in the same shoe or boot, can't move. However, Sen Canada deals with a subcontractor handling their online sales, that may be part of the explanation.
In the past dealt directly with Sen Canada's parts dept. for my 414X from mid seventies and 480 series II re ear foams and got great service, original parts still available! If Sen's Rep can't deliver the phones (not in stock?) should say so and provide an expected date instead of generic reply and hiding behind the Web.
My dealer had sent me a copy of Sen's reply to them (i.e. no HD 559 to pro dealers) so I have Sen's Manager name and coordinates, he's next on my list... Regards,
Richard
P.S. Since you're the headphone man around here, your take on HD 559? Seems it has replaced HD 555. Looked around a lot at comments on various sites, they are positive, except for the 1/4" connector which a number of people don't like since can't use them with 1/8" portable devices. That's a non-issue for me since it will be plugged in 1/4", plus I already have 1/4" to 1/8" adaptor if need be...
SEAWOLF97
01-25-2020, 01:06 PM
P.S. Since you're the headphone man around here, your take on HD 559? Seems it has replaced HD 555. Looked around a lot at comments on various sites, they are positive,...
not familiar with that model , have had HD-580's for a long time , just bought* HD-6XX's and they are VG++ , have 2 pair HD-25 mk2 ii's , VG too.
*this seems to be the place to get Senns, great prices & service. But, be warned ..their "drops" may not last past the target quantity ..although they claim to have sold a lot ..91.7k Sold. I got mine on a drop of 20k units that sold out in about 3 months.
https://drop.com/audiophile/drops
we have a pretty good headphone thread over here ===>>> http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?34094-Headphones
Tom,
Thanks for the headphone thread.
In the present Canadian Sennheiser lineup, HD 25, HD 25 Plus and HD 25 Light are all in the DJ category on their Web site. Had seen those before but didn't want DJ phones, rather more hi-fi type.
There was another interesting model I saw previously on Sen's, can't remember model number, but the moment I saw it had a coiled type cord, simply ran away from it, deal breaker...
Look at the pic below, red line at the top, got that minutes ago from Sen Canada Web site. That wasn't there when I ordered. Starting to smell I may be part of that unavailable thing one more time on Web purchases...
Richard
85732
SEAWOLF97
01-25-2020, 08:34 PM
Had seen those before but didn't want DJ phones, rather more hi-fi type.
these are such a huge "hi-fi' bargain, that i couldn't resist. :D
https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx?&utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1686863736&utm_term=65561201443&utm_content=328268787343&utm_keyword=massdrop%20hd%206xx&utm_placement=kwd-416312364434&utm_network=g:c:e:1t1&utm_device=&mode=shop_open&fe=delay_ftue,carousel,no_al,su2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj5mhm6qg5wIVOB-tBh3LBQvhEAAYASAAEgLuI_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
If you know audio gear, you know the Sennheiser HD 650. The company’s flagship from 2003 to 2009, this open-back headphone has shown serious staying power. Praised for its richly detailed, effortlessly enjoyable sound, it remains one of the most talked-about products on Head-Fi today—and is still widely considered among the best headphones under $1,000. So when we teamed up with Sennheiser on its first-ever community-driven design partnership, the HD 650 was a natural place to start. A new revision of the popular all-rounder, the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX has that same great sound plus a few updates, and a price that makes it even easier to love.
From Sen's Hi-Fi/Audiophile Headphones category, Canadian retail prices seen (plus taxes) for 600 series models :
HD 600 $530.
HD 650 $650.
HD 660 S $680.
HD 660 S Apogee $870.
HDVA 600 $1,900.
Don't use phones as much as you do, usually prefer listening to speakers, use cans mostly when need to monitor something. My frequent but short or occasionally longer use don't justify such expense. Regards,
Richard
SEAWOLF97
01-26-2020, 09:23 AM
From Sen's Hi-Fi/Audiophile Headphones category, Canadian retail prices seen (plus taxes) for 600 series models :
HD 600 $530.
HD 650 $650.
HD 660 S $680.
HD 660 S Apogee $870.
HDVA 600 $1,900.
Don't use phones as much as you do, usually prefer listening to speakers, use cans mostly when need to monitor something. My frequent but short or occasionally longer use don't justify such expense. Regards,
Richard
guess you didn't follow my link. DELIVERED price is.......
Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones
$195
read through to see why it's model number is 6XX rather than 650.
https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx?&utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1686863736&utm_term=65561201443&utm_content=328268787343&utm_keyword=massdrop%20hd%206xx&utm_placement=kwd-416312364434&utm_network=g:c:e:1t1&utm_device=&mode=shop_open&fe=delay_ftue,carousel,no_al,su2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj5mhm6qg5wIVOB-tBh3LBQvhEAAYASAAEgLuI_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Tom,
Did have a quick read of your link.
Don't take me wrong. I DO appreciate your infos, efforts and posts on helping.
I don't dispute the Sen is a great deal for US folks, but for a Canadian purchase in the USA its a more nuanced picture, though it remains a somewhat nice offer, but definitely much more expensive for me than you.
DELIVERED free to USA, Free returns in USA, that's indicated right on the Web page Tom. NOT Canada. Drop indicates being in San Francisco, about 5-6,000 KM from me, this impacts shipping cost, not included.
Here's a taste of Canadian life re US purchases on the Web:
Bank currency conversion rate from CAD to USD add 35% to cost at friday's rate (making a nice profit) ;
Bank's here who issue credit cards also apply a currency conversion fee on Visa/MC add 2.5% (again $);
Canadian sales taxes applicable even on a foreign purchase add 15% here, not on lower USD amount, but rather on USD converted to higher CAD amount leading to 35% larger tax number! They're quite clever. Then adding insult to injury, Postman collecting CDN taxes cash at the door to get the package, adds another $10. tax collection fee called "handling";
My recent experiences with credit card purchases in US are that Pay Pal processing of Visa/MC adds 3%;
Shipping cost, which I estimate at $40-50. also has to be paid in USD, so add the above percentages on it too.
Bottom line, from a quick calculation, I estimate $370. CAD or so for those seemingly $195. headphones, assuming only $40.US shipping, on which I haven't applied taxes yet since not sure if they really apply to that amount. Not the same bargain anymore when all is in. Then I consider my headphone usage mentioned before which doesn't really justify higher cost cans as much as your own use. Nice, but they'd be hanging most of the time.
There might be duties to pay also at the CDN border since the HD 6XX are made in Romania, not in US. Goods MADE in the following three countries cross such borders duty/tax free, with some exceptions. The previous North American Free Trade Agreement between US/Canada had a $20. limit on US purchases to be duty/tax free. The newer USMC (US/Mexico/Canada) agreement increased that duty/tax free limit to a big $40.!!! LOL, Clearly CDN Govts idea is to deter us from buying south of the border...
We got nailed at least four times with the above "scam", one time recently not so because the cost of the US purchase was just under the $40. radar at $38.95 (refoam kit from Simply Speakers).
Finally, there's NO Canadian warranty on US purchased goods, have to ship it back to the US at consumer expense for service, if need be. Canadian audio distributors (e.g. Sennheiser Canada) DON'T usually honor US warranties again to prevent Canadians from shopping in the USA: you either ship to US vendor/service center for warranty service or pay. EDIT: But distributors here do apply manufacturer's warranty for things purchased from an authorized Canadian dealer.
Therefore its not a lack of interest from my part on your interesting suggestion(s), but reality is what it is: purchase from the US only when I have to since we're getting ripped-off from Canada side. Best Regards,
Richard
SEAWOLF97
01-27-2020, 09:09 AM
well, that story just about kills buying anything from the USA :dont-know:
I do hear stories (even here on LHF) of Canadians buying , having shipped to USA (either a friend or dropbox) and either being reshipped or picked up and carried in.
Don't know what I'd do in your shoes, but there do seem to be a lot of Audiophiles
in Canada , they must have found a solution :confused:
)only a little OT( ... I drove from Portland to Tsawwassen to buy my 250Ti's , couldn't find them available anywhere else on the WC. (and now I barely use them :crying:)
Tom,
Solutions? There's no magic, forget it.
The more shopping moves to the Internet the more brick & mortar stores put pressure on Govts to collect taxes from Web sales, and the more Web sales will effectively be taxed in the future, that's inevitable. Govts lose tax revenues from conventional stores, too much is at stake when not taxing Web sales.
Also there's nothing one can do about different currencies having different values, but wait for it to go up...
Shopping in jurisdictions with lower tax rate is about all one can do, other than purchasing used gear which is often not taxable when its a transaction between individuals.
Shopping lower tax rate is nice but if to get that you have to deal with a vendor much further away then this may cause the shipping cost to be higher, so need to put that in the equation too (TX saved vs shipment $).
Many things that cross the border are deep discounted items, like Black Friday Sales, often lower quality throw away type things, that consumers view as "it will last the time it lasts" and for money paid it may not be worth paying a fair amount to a repair shop to have it fixed, the device ends in the garbage or recycling...
BTW Read previously in the newspaper the US Supreme Court has reversed a 1992 ruling, and decided (June 2018) that States are allowed to tax Internet purchases, so taxes on Internet sales are coming your way too...
As for your low use 250ti's, well its not really a surprise considering you're a headphone man. I like mine too for my use (still no news re HD 559), but I usually prefer listening to music on speakers in a room.
I'll be changing subject soon since that one on taxes isn't good for my blood pressure, lol. A few LP test records and special effects have resurfaced in my record boxes: Shure, Direct-to-disc, Mobile Fidelity, etc. could be interesting. Regards,
Richard
P.S. I'm not a robot... yet, lol
SEAWOLF97
01-28-2020, 09:03 AM
As for your low use 250ti's, well its not really a surprise considering you're a headphone man. I like mine too for my use (still no news re HD 559), but I usually prefer listening to music on speakers in a room.
the 250 usage is not affected by the headphone usage. The living room (at the far opposite end of the house) has the 250's , and a demo system with ESS's attached and the big BGW system with Walsh F2's. I'm just not out there much. Contrary to most US homes, there is NO TV in the LR, that room now mainly supports the woodstove. I have my TV, she has hers, no conflicts.
The old family room (now bedroom) is at the other end and has the big Adcom a/d/s system and the 120Ti's run by 130wpc amp by the main computer. So either streaming, itunes or the TT feed those. They get the most usage.
Tom,
Since you mention the omni Walsh F2 (never heard it) that brings a WOW! souvenir back to mind from the old days (late seventies or so).
The most spectacular speaker demo I heard in my life was a pair of British omni Radford Studio 360 and a pair of Sonab omni (from Sweden), don't remember model number for this one but it was the larger Sonab. Heard each pair for a short time, then both pairs together for a somewhat longer time: Jaw dropping.
Took place in a relatively large dealer demo room with me standing in the middle of it. Totally surrounded by nice clear sound coming from every direction. Single event, never heard anything like that again... Anyhow definitely could not have afforded such a setup. However, its shortly after I bought the 1977 Neil Diamond LP he played for the demo and kept it, though not a fan of him , but looking at the list of instruments left and right on the jacket says it all, its almost a whole symphonic orchestra! Well made & good sounding (jacket pic).
Went to that store many times to purchase mostly small audio stuff (headphones, cart, stylus, etc.). One day there were no other customers in store at the time so the rep said come I want you to listen to something. These were the "thing". Didn't regret a minute of the listening session. Its printed in my memory forever.
Still remember store name (long gone), rep name but just can't remember which amps powered these speakers my focus was on sound. Maybe Phase Linear?? since these were popular at the time and he sold that brand among many others though, plus the Radfords may not have been very efficient? (like the Walsh).
Liked the a/d/s, do you have a pic of yours with grille off? If I remember well Braun in Germany had some similar speakers or ADS got drivers from Braun? Seems there was some form of connection between ADS & Braun? Regards,
Richard
85758
SEAWOLF97
01-28-2020, 10:40 PM
Liked the a/d/s, do you have a pic of yours with grille off? If I remember well Braun in Germany had some similar speakers or ADS got drivers from Braun? Seems there was some form of connection between ADS & Braun? Regards,
you are correct abt the a/d/s & Braun driver connection , in addition ..the cabs were made by a furniture manufacturer in Germany*. The L-1290/2 has twin 8's and can produce great amounts of bass ... there is a compartment in the rear for their energizer amp to power one of the LF's if so desired ... very sweet mids & HF ...cast alloy baskets.
(won't relay the purchase details ... you would :barf: )
(I replaced my L-7's with these as they were just so much more musical :) )
* if you look very closely, the cabs actually have 8 sides ... beautiful German walnut & workmanship.
SEAWOLF97
01-28-2020, 10:56 PM
QUOTE=RMC; :Tom,
Since you mention the omni Walsh F2 (never heard it) that brings a WOW! souvenir back to mind from the old days (late seventies or so).
reply:
The Walsh F2 (1982)was an improvement on the original F , ten years later ... here is a quote from their propaganda page ....
"The Ohm F (1972) was the most popular of the first generation Walsh speakers. It used a 12” inverted omnidirectional driver operating from 35 - 17,000 Hz. The Ohm F’s were internationally recognized as ”one of the best…if… not the best…speaker in the world”. It received reviews from as far away as Australia and Thailand as well as throughout Europe and America." https://ohmspeaker.com/legacy-products/f/
I had the F's for a long time, but a fantastic deal appeared and I traded a pair of 4311b's for the F2's, had no room for both pairs and sold the F's .
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?13871-I-must-be-living-right&highlight=walsh
Tom,
No, don't relay the ADS purchase details I'm sure it would only lead to me :banghead:
Very nice speakers. Can only wish I had a pair like these, sniff... Have always been impressed by their nice dome mid and dome tweet. Not a lot of manufacturers dared using a dome for mids, AR and Allison Acoustics did it too, maybe few others I forget...
I think ADS was available in Canada for some time but rarely seen them. Similar with Ohm, haven't seen much of those. Many Hi-Fi speakers in audio shops here were from Britain. Though some Canadian brands also hit the market.
Most revealing aspect is that you let go L7 for "so much more musical" ADS, moreover traded a pair of 4311B for the F2's... So you're not "locked in" JBL, nice to see. Regards,
Richard
SEAWOLF97
01-29-2020, 01:43 PM
Most revealing aspect is that you let go L7 for "so much more musical" ADS, moreover traded a pair of 4311B for the F2's... So you're not "locked in" JBL, nice to see. Regards,
Richard
>>So you're not "locked in" JBL
I'm not "locked in" to any products moniker ... JBL is my first choice, but not the only one that I'll take. I like Nikon , but also use Canon & Olympus , like my BMW, but put more miles on my Ranger and even bike, like Denon TT's, but also use Pioneer & Technics & Oracle (someday) ...etc...etc.
active speakers in the house :
JBL250Ti's
ESS AMT 10b's
Ohm Walsh F2's
JBL120Ti's
a/d/s L-1290/2's
a/d/s L-300 surrounds
DefTec HT center with 8 in. powered sub
B&W Rock Solids with a Bose wave for a sub
JBL something powered sub
M&K passive sub
Velodyne servo-sub
2 passive 10 in. subs as stands for the big a/d/s's
My home theater : http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?17712-Speaker-Safari&p=409759&viewfull=1#post409759
Been searching recently in my LP record cases for some titles, also came across some interesting things haven't seen for a while. Will cover those items in separate posts to come.
Music variety in these cases goes from Beethoven to Led Zeppelin, with almost anything in between (mostly rock & popular), except when its more noisy than musical or when artist talks instead of singing then I'm out, with a few exceptions.
The record case at the bottom of pic bends a little on the sides from weight on top of it, so the partially filled fifth case on other pic isn't stacked to prevent damage. Space available is limited so going upwards was a must... A piece of plywood between cases improves stability.
Richard
8579685797
D'STAT II Anti-Static Turntable Mat
Starting with an LP accessory. Showed previously in post # 81 what appears to be a cheap synthetic fiber turntable mat from Audio-Technica LP120 which I didn't use. Forgot I had another one with the records. Though similar principle, the Discwasher model shown here is way better made than the AT, latter was China stuff for DJ use.
The one here is Sweden made, top side looks more like some type of felt, platter side has a little different texture to the touch and its said to be conductive re static, specially when placed directly on metal platter. Usually prefer using a good old thick rubber mat, however in situations where static is high this may be an option. Short Instructions shown on a pic explain the rest... Next post some test records.
Richard
85798857998580085801
On the next two posts/test records, the back side pic of the jacket is clear enough to be read easily, after saving it to hard disc, then viewing it on Windows picture viewer for example.
TEST RECORD
This is an oldie, year unknown, probably from the 60's. Its the size of a 45 but spins at 33 1/3 RPM.
Because of light reflections the record looks like crap on the second pic but its actually in good shape. Not as elaborate testing as more recent ones we'll see later, however it has a few interesting features.
It has strobe markings around the record label to check TT speed (less necessary today with quartz lock for example), some test tones are provided, as well as TT rumble test.
On side B there's a stylus wear test, can't recall seeing this on another one, except indirectly with mistracking from a tracking capability test record to come. However, a stylus could still mistrack for other reason than being worn out, like limited capability even though its new.
Frequency response covered is 40-15 khz (called cycles per second decades ago), that was pretty much it at the time. Notes on back of jacket provide a couple of tricks, more or less obsolete now.
Another test record should follow later tonight. Gotta go.
Richard
858188581985820
TEST RECORD
Another oldie, no year indicated. This one was recorded in Europe according to record label but its US made and sold for $1.98US! as indicated on jacket ($2.95 in Canada), that was decades ago...
Based on record frequency response mentioned (30-18 khz) it should be a little more recent than the previous test record shown, say late sixties?
The curve shown on the back of Jacket is the RIAA equalization curve for recording. If you added the RIAA curve for playback on the same graph then you would get roughly an "X" shape from the two. Shortly, for recording LF are reduced to allow longer recording times on LP's and HF are boosted. The playback EQ does the inverse by boosting LF and reducing HF.
The LP contains 5 test frequencies indicated and a number of classical music songs chosen for subjective listening tests.
More recent test LP's next time.
Richard
8582485823
SEAWOLF97
02-08-2020, 09:29 AM
TEST RECORD
Another oldie, no year indicated.
I remember seeing that one when I was 4 y.o. :blink:
gotta be 1953
https://www.discogs.com/No-Artist-High-Fidelity-Demonstration-Record/master/801521
Tom,
Thanks for the input.
Geez man, 4 Y.O. and you remember that? You were quite a precocious audiophile. You must have bionic memory like the 6 million dollar man...
Got these old test records from my deceased father's estate and they're surprisingly in good condition for their age.
Mid to late 60's I remember him playing classical music records, hence part of my guess of sixties for those two test records. Also based on "judgement call" in view of frequency responses given for these.
During 60's my father had initially an E-V (or maybe Heathkit?) small silver receiver, replaced by a big Clairtone wood case model, E-V 12" coax speakers and the AR turntable, possibly with an Empire cartridge.
That's about as far as my audio gear/music memory wants to go, but I'm not the six million dollar man!
Out to snow removal!!! Regards,
Richard
SEAWOLF97
02-08-2020, 01:40 PM
Had some help with the dating (see prior post)
https://www.discogs.com/No-Artist-High-Fidelity-Demonstration-Record/master/801521
Tom,
I don't know where they took the year because its nowhere on jacket nor on record.
Funny that the Discogs pic of it doesn't show the $1.98 price printed on my copy posted. Maybe it was removed with Photo Shop type software?
I guess anyone selling this wouldn't want to be stuck selling it at the old advertised price?
Richard
SEAWOLF97
02-08-2020, 07:26 PM
Tom,
I don't know where they took the year because its nowhere on jacket nor on record.
https://ourpastimes.com/catalog-numbers-vinyl-records-8518643.html
Thanks for the link. Now I understand.
Never really gave attention to those album numbers on the jacket, music more important...
SHURE TEST RECORD
This is a trackability test record for stereo cartridges, TTR 115, from 1977. Kind of tracking "torture tests" to assess performance. It has a number of test bands with instruments played and trackability levels. Only the best carts can reach top levels. Also includes a tonearm/cartridge resonance test.
Naturally that allowed audiophiles to compare tracking performance between various phono cartridges. In such cicumstances it is best to use the maximum tracking force a cart permits.
When mistracking starts it is recommended to stop playing that band and move on to another (to avoid record damage).
Inside jacket info on tests is clearly copyrighted by Shure and opening the folding jacket to show would reveal everything... The test record was issued at about the time the V15 IV cart was released, thus the ERA IV title.
If I recall correctly, when I purchased that cart there was a coupon or order form in the box to get that record. Can't remember anything about pricing though. I think CBS also made similar test record(s) but not certain about that.
Unless one is a perfectionist regarding tracking, I would suggest not to run yet to find a copy of this LP, since another test record I'll show in the near future has a somewhat similar tracking test (though not as extensive as Shure's here), plus includes many other goodies, so it could be a better buy. Then the choice would be between a very specialized tool VS a more general and complete one.
Richard
85830
RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (RIAA) EQUALIZATION NOTE
For those interested in LP records playback, but not familiar with RIAA phono preamp EQ, why, how, etc. I forgot to show with post # 134 the note attached here.
The following is one of the best explanations I have yet seen: short, simple and easily understandable.
Richard
P.S. The horizontal orientation of the note WAS changed to vertical alignment but with no success, horizontal keeps coming back...
85832
SEAWOLF97
02-10-2020, 08:28 AM
?
Tom,
Thanks for saving my... rear end with the pic!
It was shot horizontally with a small Canon camera. Transfered it to laptop, changed it to vertical orientation with Windows pic viewer and IT IS vertical in my computer. Posted it, its horizontal, damn it.
Still coping with new to me Windows 10, compared to good old Win 7, learning it the hard way. Hopefully I'll get there one day...
RE Avatar pic. I see you've adopted a new primate look closer to mankind's origins. Not sure ladies would appreciate the long hair, but the rest looks fine though, lol. Regards,
Richard
SEAWOLF97
02-11-2020, 05:59 AM
Tom,
Thanks for saving my... rear end with the pic!
It was shot horizontally with a small Canon camera. Transfered it to laptop, changed it to vertical orientation with Windows pic viewer and IT IS vertical in my computer. Posted it, its horizontal, damn it.
Still coping with new to me Windows 10, compared to good old Win 7, learning it the hard way. Hopefully I'll get there one day...
RE Avatar pic. I see you've adopted a new primate look closer to mankind's origins. Not sure ladies would appreciate the long hair, but the rest looks fine though, lol. Regards,
Richard
fix the pix ? just a couple clicks.
WIN10 is unusable (to me) as installed. If it weren't for the classic shell I'd prolly give up.
new look just reflects reality. Been stuck in the house since Jan 9, and starting to get cabin fever.
Only 1 lady whose opinion I value and she's been through so much with me (nearly 50 years) , that nothing I do is really new. :(
Tom,
RE "WIN10 is unusable (to me) as installed."
Yeah, I remember when you posted a funny pic of an airplane assembled in a curious way with "Windows 10 we fixed everything...", LOL, Plane pic pretty much described what W 10 is.
There's things I haven't figured out yet, such as how do you save a web page to your hard disc? In Win 7 it was easy: file, save as, etc. Win 10?? There's no file menu on left side, parameters on right side doesn't have "save page as", then right clicking on page has no "save as" either. Only once was I able to save a web page to disc, it had something at top right for this, can't remember which page, never happened again... I guess the "New Deal" is having to put a Web page in favorites only, not on HDD, sniff...
RE "If it weren't for the classic shell I'd prolly give up."
I think I lost the classic shell link you gave me before, can't find it, post again por favor amigo? I remember looking at the classic shell thing. But there was a clear security note issue about installing this, that kinda stopped me. Did you have any problems? Is there an uninstall? Can I revert back to W 10 in case of bugs or am I stuck with it? Thanks.
Richard
AUDIO SYSTEM TEST RECORD BY SOUND & VISION MAGAZINE
This is the 1984 LP "ancestor" of a similar one on CD done by the same magazine in 1993 (to be shown later). That record is the one to own, before any other shown here, if you're into vinyl spinning. However, it doesn't have a cart/tonearm resonance test, like the Shure TTR 115 does.
One side is made of 9 different tests and the other side includes 9 musical excerpts, some of them challenging. The cartridge tracking test I alluded to in the Shure post is test # 5 here. Test # 7 is an audio frequency sweep 20-20 khz which can be used to check effective vented box tuning frequency, among other uses. The frequency where there's least cone movement or vibration, as felt by a finger slightly touching the cone near surround, is Fb. Pretty simple, no instruments.
Explanations are printed on the back of jacket and continue on a sheet provided inside. Note the third fellow with glasses on the album pic is well-known Dr. Floyd E. Toole, being one of the producers and active participant. Pressing was done by CBS records Canada.
The same back cover pic appears twice because some of the stuff (e.g. tests) is easier to read on the first version, while the recording/technical data is a little clearer on the second pic version.
Vinyl wise its the best test record I know. Saw one for sale in Canada on EBay.ca for $15.CAD. Stereophile, Ortofon and possibly others made some but I don't own those.
Richard
858498585085851
Forgot to mention in the preceding post the Sound & Vision 1984 test LP could be among the most recent vinyl ones since a quick search on EBay revealed many were from the 70's (70-78), one from 1982. So the present test record seems like a late appearance hitting the market when CD's were already being released or so as I recall...
SOUND & VISION MAGAZINE AUDIO TEST CD
This is the more recent (1993) CD version of the Sound & Vision Test record. The 1984 LP shown in last post and the 1993 CD here are NOT the same, the former leaning towards turntable related stuff, whereas the latter is somewhat more directed at digital equipment. It still has tests for tape/cassette decks though, and both media do have a few things in common.
Like the LP version this CD also has a 20-20khz frequency sweep useful to assess a number of things, such as the actual vented box tuning frequency. A number of spot frequency signals from 4 hz-20 khz are also provided on CD, the first two being at 4 and 8 hz, then 16 hz and on. 4 & 8 hz are probably more earthquake territory than anything musical, therefore not sure about their usefulness or if speakers could really reproduce these with some level (at your own risks).
Nippon Columbia and Denon Digital Industries were implicated in the making of this test CD. It comes with a 15 page explanatory leaflet covering each test, nice.
Because this stuff is copyrighted I'll leave it at the Table of Contents pic, this being public domain that everybody can read before purchasing the CD in a store, since that content is shown on the back cover of the CD case for anyone to see.
This is the only test CD I own and its probably enough, with the LP's, for my needs. Stereophile seems to have released some test CD's too. Next time a premium vinyl album.
Richard
85859
HEADPHONES UPDATE
Monday was the 7th week been waiting to get the Sennheiser headphones I ordered directly from Senn Canada. Had enough, patience depleted for what is a very standard model with nothing unusual. They dropped the ball or even lost it. Not a shipping delay, on a good day Sennheiser is a half-hour away!
Since the beginning they've been telling me "Your order is finalized and will be shipped soon". Called them, I figured they needed a "pep talk" to get going so gave them an earful, believe me. 20 hours later the headphones are at my door, free expedited shipping, lol. Senn needed a "little realignment" I guess.
Sadly though, the Made in China HD 559 is a big disappointment. Had read lots of good user reviews on many Web sites I checked: good sound, comfortable, price/performance. Don't know where these folks got their ears from (Tom: maybe theirs are the greenish type shown on your previous Avatar pic?), but I can't share their view about that good sound. Was expecting something acceptable or correct, and the phones are loaded with mid-bass...
First impressions: they're larger than expected, early on they sqeeze the head++, after some time you get used to it, the 3 metre cable is somewhat too long for me, have to get it out of the way, 2 metre is enough. Sonically tested them for a couple of hours with the following records: Supertramp Crime of the Century (normally some nice piano), Gino Vanelli Audiophile Series, Loggins & Messina, etc.
These phones turn out to be a little short on VHF, not critical, an easy EQ fix. Midrange would be relatively nice if it wasn't for the mid-bass bump overflowing on it. The mid-bass is exagerated over a wide range and into the low-mid which blurs the cards there. Sad because otherwise the mid may have been its main asset. Can't stand mid-bassy sound on phones, speakers, wherever. Needless to say, haven't noted real bass there, just fake one that also contaminates higher.
The 30-day trial period with free return ends after 2 days for me, no need to go any further. I'll keep the old 414X and 480 Series II for the very long run, they're still better than that thing.
Already contacted my dealer this time for a pair of HD 25 Light (being in Senn's Pro division he can get those), they're more or less the closest thing to the 414. However, marketed as DJ phones they may well have boom boom, tssss, tssss as indicated some places. We'll see. Even though Senn says its made in their European factory it appears to be in low-cost Romania, not Germany. Dealer is asking Sennheiser Canada to import for me a new pair left in the US, discontinued they say. Maybe not a done deal...
Previous last ditch effort or so was a pair of Beyer Dynamic DT-250 Studio Headphones, Made in Germany, but it has a coiled cord which I DON'T like, and among the versions/options of this model none has a straight cord...:banghead:
Richard
SEAWOLF97
02-21-2020, 08:45 AM
HEADPHONES UPDATE
Already contacted my dealer this time for a pair of HD 25 Light (being in Senn's Pro division he can get those), they're more or less the closest thing to the 414. However, marketed as DJ phones they may well have boom boom, tssss, tssss as indicated some places. We'll see. Even though Senn says its made in their European factory it appears to be in low-cost Romania, not Germany. Dealer is asking Sennheiser Canada to import for me a new pair left in the US, discontinued they say. Maybe not a done deal...
I haven't seen German Senns for a long time, the good ones are made in Ireland. I have 2 pairs of HD 25-1 ii mk2's . yes, they are DJ phones, very impressive sound. But they are "on the ear" to block outside noise. There are multiple versions. The ones used on the Concorde are collectable. read up on the different models of the 25 before ordering.
The HD 25 has not changed from the first to the current one - they will all sound the same.
The differences were in the cable length and connector.
HD 25-1 had a 1.2m cable with a rt-angle connector.
HD 25-1 II had a 1.5m cable with a rt-angle connector.
HD 25 II had a 2m cable with a straight connector
The above had a steel cable with 3.5mm jack and adaptor to ¼" jack
HD 25-13 and HD 25-13 II were 600Ω, had a 3m cable and a ¼" jack only.
HD 25-C II had a 2/3m coiled copper cable.
The latest versions are just re-packaged and less versions.
It's only the HD 25-SP and SP II that sounded different as they were down-rated and had a cheap headband instead of the split one.
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/what-are-the-primary-differences-between-the-different-hd-25-models
Tom,
Glad you jumped in. Man, you're a real Sennheiser encyclopedia! You should work for them here and enjoy harsh winters by the same token. Yeah, I know you don't mind FREEZING but getting paid with lower value Canadian dollars isn't your thing, I understand that, lol
Already ordered them as soon we knew there's a pair left in the US. Question was would Senn Canada accept to import those? (see below). Never flown on the Concorde, well over budget, not a millionaire like those guys here.
The model I'd be getting is the first one on the link you posted (with little shorter top end response). The other two HD 25 I don't like their double head band stuff and those retail here for $200. and $270. CAD + Tx
RE "Dealer is asking Sennheiser Canada to import for me a new pair left in the US, discontinued they say."
Got e-mail today from my dealer: "They (Sennheiser Canada) tell me the last pair (HD 25 Light) is ours."
Great, so they have accepted to import that last new pair hanging around at Sennheiser USA! Nice. Hopefully it won't take another 6 -7 weeks, with Customs clearance?
BTW that Avatar pic is among the preferred ones, with "the whole universe is insane" being best ever. Not against pic rotation though, these are often the laugh of the day! Note if you keep putting your right hand on live electrical wires while waving at us with the left one you may not last as long time as we wish you to...
Best Regards,
Richard
SPECIAL EFFECTS RECORD
MOBILE FIDELITY SOUND LAB, MFSL 004, 1978, THE POWER AND THE MAJESTY
Purchased around 80's, this is not a music record but rather a premium "special effects" one, the fourth released by Mobile Fidelity in the series. Bought it simply for the experiment, it was said to have nice recording and sounds reproduction.
For this post I listened to it again this time with the Sennheiser 480 series II headphones since wife went to sleep. I tried a different listening setup the Bellari phono preamp having a direct headphone/line output on 1/8" TRS Stereo, using a 1/4" to 1/8" adaptor I have. Would have preferred a 1/4" socket on the pre but the trend nowadays seems to be 1/8" for the many portable devices...
The phono preamp also has a trim/gain control so the level can be adjusted up to a point (- 10 to + 4 db), enough for my listening needs, about midway. Signal path is short from turntable (V15 IV) to phono pre and phones. That's it, no other preamp, EQ, amp nor speakers (did often use a mixer as preamp to power amp). This minimalist setup sounds very good to me.
Record noise here is pretty much non-existent which is nice. Album jacket says the pressings are imported and Stan Ricker is disc cutting engineer. The MF yellow info sheets posted add its from Japan (see where I underlined). My examination of the record between the last groove and the label indicates JVC CC (cutting center), with whom Ricker was associated (like on the Stars Wars music album I showed in "Sad to say..." thread).
Thundestorm (including unexpected hail) sounds are very clear as if you were there. The jacket talks about phenomenal dynamic range. Keep that in mind with regards to the monster Steam Locomotive and other train related sounds. I suggest having ample system headroom to play this, here's why.
When the train is far away (low level sound), and the record having next to no noise, the temptation is to increase volume markedly to hear it better and because its gets a little intoxicating as it approaches. Since its fun naturally one forgets to turn down somewhat the volume... However, on some scenes when the monster train with 80" dia. driving wheels passes next to the recordist, well at high volume the impression is the train passes right in your living room!, it can get pretty noisy, and amp clips...:eek: Definitely more for larger 12-18" woofer speakers than smaller ones.
Noticed an occasion where the train's air horn (far away to the left) is heard in the left phone, but its echo (far away to the right) is heard in the right phone, very nice spatial effect.
Quite realistic sounds. If you have a crush for thunderstorms, or more so for old trains and enjoy their sounds this record may wake the kid in you... Next time an Audiophile music record.
EDIT: Sorry two other pics that pull the horizontal orientation trick on me, while they ARE vertical in my laptop...
Richard
85893858948589585896
GINO VANELLI, BROTHER TO BROTHER, AUDIOPHILE SERIES, 1978
Purchased this premium LP version instead of a regular one sometime after it was released, mainly to compare sound and pressing quality vs standard ones. Not having the same LP in regular version I can't put them head to head for sound comparison. It was released the same year as Mobile Fidelity's four debut albums. Some interesting music on this. Labels choose which ones will be premium released.
Some record manufacturer(s), like A & M records here, have decided decades back to seemingly compete with Mobile Fidelity's premium records. Don't know if A&M's were commercially successful at the time, but better quality LPs appear to be the new norm now, though there are different quality levels, even today.
Days ago found another place here selling such vinyls and those seen with indications are 180 gr vinyl, some add high quality pressing, a few might include remastering. 180 gr vinyl looks like the norm, high quality pressing and/or remastering is mentioned for some units only though, and a few are cut at half-speed by MF (about $25.-$60. latter price for MF).
BTW Seen recently on Amazon.ca Chuck Mangione's 1977 Feels So Good album, $20. something on CD, but a whopping $158. CAD for the Audiophile LP version, quite a difference! I think I have the standard LP of this and will stick with that one...
Vanelli's premium record is pressed in Japan (shown on record label). No mention of JVC Cutting Center here since it was mastered by Bernie Grundman at A & M Studios. It uses a similar half-speed cutting process as MF, as well as pure anti-static low-noise vinyl. Don't recall what I paid for it too long ago, maybe $30.? Closer to a Mobile Fidelity record quality compared to usual premium reissues mentioned above.
Listened to it again last night on speakers and headphones using Me95ED, no record noise but for a small tick once. Sound clarity is A-1 even on more complex musical sections, ambience is nice. Like what I hear, sounds like a treat.
Maybe saving the best for last? Next time a Direct-to-Disc LP will close this record chapter stuff.
Richard
85911859128591385914
SEAWOLF97
02-25-2020, 09:44 AM
The DMM disks are usually great sounding. Mobile Fidelity sometimes are low recorded volume and gain needs to be turned higher.
The BEST sounding LP I ever heard (including demo disks) is this LP , "produced without microphones to provide you with the true sound of live music" - piezzo pickups on every instrument.
==>> https://www.discogs.com/Norman-Whistler-The-Rural-Rythm-Masters-Rural-Rythm-/release/6630794 . It's not music that you would listen to every day, but it's startling clean & real sounding.
Manufactured By – Sparton Of Canada Ltd.
Dad played his copy for me long ago, left it to me, I loaned to a friend and never got it back. Lucky to find another copy not long ago.
Never heard about that "piezo disk", nor about Sparton of Canada. Based on pic posted maybe old? What year or so would that be?
RE "I loaned to a friend and never got it back."
I loaned wife's cousin a pair of small DIY speaker stands and they never came back either. Not a collector's item like yours, but I spent time making these (two pairs) and getting them right with tilt angle. When asked what's happening with those, he said didn't know where they were nor what happened to them... Pisses me off not for their cost, rather for their usefulness to me. End of loans.
Btw #1
Initiated today return of the Sennheiser HD 559 phones loaded with mid-bass/low-mid. Free return Web site said. Free return to me = no out-of-pocket money for return. For Senn = no restocking fee! So I have to pay shipping to send back the donkey. Would be more honest to say no restoking fee on returns, but this would raise a red flag about who pays return shipping, which they don't want to do. Marketing is still King!
Btw #2
Also learned from Senn the HD 25 Light phones that were in the US are now here in my dealer's hands, pretty quick this time. Didn't get a call because the other item ordered at the same time hasn't arrived yet. One trip downtown for both is enough, and forecast calls for snow and/or freezing rain, either way crap.
Richard
SEAWOLF97
02-26-2020, 08:20 AM
Never heard about that "piezo disk", nor about Sparton of Canada. Based on pic posted maybe old? What year or so would that be?
Richard
http://music-ape.com/folk-world-country/28609-norman-whistlerthe-rural-rythm-masters-guest-artist-ted-nashrural-rythm.html
Date of released: Sep 1964
ROUGH TRADE LIVE, DIRECT-TO-DISC RECORD, 1977
The usual understanding of "Live" is that a group performs in front of an audience. Not here though, the group's live perfomance in the studio is sent directly on the master disc as the musicians play. No tape recording involved at any step. A nice aspect from that type of live thing is no audience noise or other, which tends to increase dynamic range with lower noise floor.
The record was purchased decades ago about the same time as the other non-coventional ones mentioned before, for an amount I can't recall but possibly $30. or so? It was a pure blind date! Had never heard of the group, nor about their music. Wanted to try a Direct-to-Disc to hear how that sounds and figured I might as well help a Canadian band and product by the same token, others available were unknown too so...
Music type turned out to be more like Jazz, not really my cup of tea (except e.g. Chuck Mangione, Grover Washington or Herbie Hancock). Songs on the first side are ok (no more) but on the second side they're a real sleeping pill for me. So beware of blind dates... Essentially a demo type record to me more than anything else. Sound wise its quite a different ball game though!
Initially, ATP-3 DJ cart was already on tonearm for protractor adjustment so tried it with this LP. It just didn't cut it, dull sound, wasn't at all the record I remembered, 5 min. max and switched to the V15 IV. This one is a smile, now getting the real defined Direct to Disc sound from past listenings. That confirms DDs are demanding cart wise for good reproduction, therefore require more than just an ok cartridge to enjoy.
Sound clarity and dynamics never heard like this on a regular album, you get an earful of it, drum sounds are nice with bass drum being a wow, percussions and cymbals are great. Everything is lively as if you were there. Drums do sound different than on a regular LP. Could hear the timbre or tone of the "skins" being hit, which I haven't noticed that much on other LPs. On standard rock/popular LPs bass and drums sound more or less all the same "generic" type, whereas here its very well defined. Globally impressive sound.
There's only about 15 minutes of music per side, presumably caused by groove width on the record for LF content. On the other hand silence between tracks is somewhat longer than usual. If I played this LP at high volume using smaller boxes only, the woofers would cry for help. When LF is restricted to the 2205H or 2214H cabs with biamping then its way better.
Thick vinyl pressing, with each jacket numbered since only a limited quantity can be made this way, mine being # 001... There appears to be an error on the jacket info. It says pressing by RCA in Canada, but has shown on two pics near the label the record is made in Germany, as well as label printing. Maybe when the jacket was printed in Canada (ahead of time?) the expected pressing plant was RCA, but that changed on the way for a German plant?
Record noise is just a tiny bit above that on Mobile Fidelity and Gino Vannelli albums previously shown. No mention here about vinyl type used.
Since its 1977 this Direct to Disc was made the year prior to Mobile Fidelity's first premium records.
Note for picture purpose the album jacket being silver its a pain with light reflections. Somewhat like picturing a sheet of aluminum foil. Mostly got it ok, though one pic has a darker side from shade I created so people could read the Direct to Disc process description next to the shaded area.
Richard
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EDIT: one more horizontal pic trick on me, damn it.... Quite vertical in the laptop!
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BOTTOM LINE ON PREMIUM VINYL VS DIRECT-TO-DISC RECORD
In my case the comparison between the Mobile Fidelity and the Direct to Disc records would not be a fair one since the MF I have is not music like the DD is, but rather a special effects one (train & thunderstorm sounds).
The Gino Vannelli Audiophile Series album is music, its cut with half-speed process and has quality vinyl making it comparable to a MF. However, what's more challenging in assessing Vannelli's album sound is the fact it has a fair amount of electronic music (keyboards) where I find it more difficult to differentiate good sounding synths from so so ones, as opposed to listening to a piano or saxophone in a small group for example. How should synths sound like?? Hard to say when these are synthesized sounds...
The MF has no record noise (dead silent) and nice dynamics. Vannelli's also but for a small tick noise once. Nevertheless both of these sound very good to me and I'd give them a slight advantage over the Direct to Disc one for record noise level. MF like and DD are both serious contenders, but sound wise DD has an edge over MF.
As for comparing regular LPs to premium vinyls, the latter do sound more realistic and pleasant, even if it was for dynamic range alone. On the other hand, the sound differences between a regular LP and a premium vinyl one appear to be less pronounced (though still there) than for a regular LP vs a Direct to Disc one. Clarity, dynamics and timbre are simply second to none on DD, specially drums, percussions, etc.
If a record's music is really good for a number of tracks then it may be worthwhile to purchase a premium version of it. Not the case for my purchase of the Rough Trade Live Direct to Disc album though. Nothing more than a demo record to me, hence why it spends way more time in storage, than on the turntable, even if it sounds great...
Richard
SEAWOLF97
03-07-2020, 01:46 PM
Santana "Abraxas" is one of my DID albums.
I have it on MoFi gold CD and my son bought the MF LP for Xmas ,
that's my total exposure to MF.
Both disks sounded somewhat flat and with low volume. They don't
get played as often as the QUAD LP that I also have.
So, with my limited MF experience, would not pay the premium for
their products.
My "direct to disk" - Rural Rhythms , no mikes, everything wired to piezo
pickups is fantastic ... the best vinyl I've ever heard (tho the music is not a fave)
I do have some DMM - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_metal_mastering
disks, including a Eurthymics LP and it's absolutely something to demo a system with.
SUMMARY: I can't get on the MF bandwagon, DMM's were only selectively made, so I just generally get the best condition LP that I can, do a good cleanup job and concentrate on the downstream gear.
OH Yeah, have our big record sale/show coming up in April. Always enjoy that one .. :)
I like Santana too, music & percussions are great, have a couple of standard records and CDs from them. These guys have energy and rhythm.
My exposure to MF isn't better than yours. At $60.+ tx here for an MF it would need to be really excellent on both sides, which rarely happens, for me to embark on that boat. MFs would make a quite expensive record collection since I usually buy new. So pretty much share your view, a good reg LP can do the job when its not plagued with record noise.
How are the interviews going for the record library Assistant you were looking for? Any "skilled" candidates in sight yet?
Tested the waters with my wife, she wouldn't allow a lady like the one you showed to take care of record collection. My alphabet would be so mixed up she says, records then get in worst order than they were... lol Can't win them all...
Not aware of any record shows going on around here, though some stores specialize in selling used, others new. To attend record show guess you gotta be nice with wife to unlock the "sheltering in place" chains for April, or getting the doctor's OK health wise following accident?
With what I see happening on news next door to you, hopefully you won't have to appear at record show with the mask... Though, showing up looking like Avatar pic you could be the event's main attraction! Fun, the posers would need to go back to cloakroom, but they'd never find a better disguise.
Btw should get the Senn HD25Light next week, dealer rep I do business with was on vacation this week, not a rush.
SEAWOLF97
03-08-2020, 10:44 AM
Not aware of any record shows going on around here, though some stores specialize in selling used, others new. To attend record show guess you gotta be nice with wife to unlock the "sheltering in place" chains for April, or getting the doctor's OK health wise following accident?
It's no secret that I am AudioFrugal , the only new LP's I get are Xmas presents.
Have no problem sitting on the floor and going through boxes of used LP's. , the record show is perfect for me.
It's a 20 mile drive, mostly along the scenic Willamette River , so I gas up the pickup, go to the bank and convert $30 to dollar bills. Many times get a funny look from the teller until I tell them it's not for the girls at the Strip Club. ;)
I run (well maybe gimp in , this year) in and head for one particular seller ... he usually has abt 30 boxes of dollar records on the floor surrounding his 6 tables. I can use up 2/3's of my bucks on him.
Everybody carries those cloth shopping bags over a shoulder. Most buyers are over 55 or under 35 .. not much in the middle.
When I run out of bills in my pocket, it's time to leave ... about half go to my son and the rest are for me.
An event the I look forward to every year.
Audio Frugal, na, not with the amount of gear stored in your house. Maybe a wiser buyer and eco-friendly one when giving a second life to stuff. In the past saw too many things "nice condition" turning out to be not so nice, wasting lots of my time going to see those, had enough of it. But do recognize today with pics on Net gear appearance is easier to assess, not necessarily inside the gear or malfunction though. Even recall a member here who had woofers, dustcap black glue lines looked like crap, a red flag, questioned about this he kept denying anything ever happened, original drivers! No time to waste with that BS...
RE "funny look from the teller until I tell them it's not for the girls at the Strip Club." LOL, my laugh of the day, though I may still wonder if by any chance there is such a club on the way to or back from the record show? lol
Buyers being over 55 or under 35 may not be a big surprise. Older guys like us who own and are interested in LP music plus still have turntable(s). As for the younger guys, well its perceived as being cool to have LP/TT, a fad?
Now that I seen the ad of the record show I understand better. There are similar things here, flea markets, (or garage/yard sales), where people sell all sorts of cheap things, more often outside on tables. They are usually held away from the City in small towns a half-hour drive or more. One can buy anything from magic healing cream to pipe fittings! There's possibly guys selling records, CDs or tapes too, some for their own country music... Haven't been to one of those in a very long time. Don't see much advertising for that so not really aware when one is held.
The nice thing about yours is its dedicated to music media, not magic healing cream and other junk! With over 80 tables and dealers from 4 States! it should be interesting, I guess one may find there some goodies music wise. But dollar records in good shape? Sounds like a fire sale or used LPs are now worth nothing or so?
SEAWOLF97
03-08-2020, 06:29 PM
I guess one may find there some goodies music wise. But dollar records in good shape? Sounds like a fire sale or used LPs are now worth nothing or so?
you would be amazed at some of the records that I've found in $ boxes. Portland has more record stores "per capita" than any major city in America. There are a lot floating around in this area.
Sellers at shows would rather not haul home full crates. Tho most of the younger buyers feel comfortable with $20+ prices for an LP.
with 80 sellers, some you avoid as their $ prices are high/quality is low..others you look for.
I've met a couple of guys whose job is full time record buyer .. they take a van around 6 states , check CL ads when they stop and buy entire lots at a dime/LP ... selling at a $ makes good profit.
Wow, buying entire lots at a dime/LP! One has to hate his LPs a lot to let them go at that price. I've got way too much money invested in mine to kiss them goodbye for a bunch of pennies each... When I get to that point I'd probably prefer to give them away free to young folks getting into spinning records.
Some may be from estates then wanting to get rid of these fast, but still I'd try to get a couple $ each. On the other hand LPs are not the major trend in the market today vs streaming, MP3 and that sort of stuff... That may well affect resale value: supply and demand!
Btw since you send records to your son by US mail, how do you package the LPs: cardboard box only? Flat or upright? Whole bunch or limited number per shipment? Special packaging padding or reinforcement required? Not afraid being damaged at destination or how you prevent that?
SEAWOLF97
03-09-2020, 07:41 AM
Some may be from estates then wanting to get rid of these fast, but still I'd try to get a couple $ each. On the other hand LPs are not the major trend in the market today vs streaming, MP3 and that sort of stuff... That may well affect resale value: supply and demand!
Btw since you send records to your son by US mail, how do you package the LPs: cardboard box only? Flat or upright? Whole bunch or limited number per shipment? Special packaging padding or reinforcement required? Not afraid being damaged at destination or how you prevent that?
>>>Some may be from estates ... that's my guess, or widows ... sure there is a lot of church or Andy Williams or Hawaii ...but nobody wants those.
CB box, upright, 30-40 perbox, little bubble wrap, media mail ..abt 50 cents a pound.
SEAWOLF97
03-09-2020, 09:31 AM
.
has been LPs in QUAD.
That format needed better vinyl and more care to produce ... on a stereo
cart you still hear extras that were bound for rear channels, but now in 2.
My son found this beautiful copy of Abraxas in Q , and in a dollar bin I found
"A Space in Time" on a nice Q , and The Doors too. :)
https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?format_desc=Quadraphonic&format=Vinyl
Interesting alternative to MF...
RE "CB box, upright, 30-40 perbox, little bubble wrap,..."
Never shipped records, but I'm surprised at how little care is required. I thought you had to make the shipment "battle zone proof" to avoid having damaged LPs at destination. Really surprising to me.
If you look at post # 152 the yellow sheets posted from MF, the high definition vinyl they use is the formula developed for CD-4. And I think the Gino Vannelli album shown uses that vinyl type too.
Discogs link you posted, opened it, first 3 items I see Dollar, British Pound and Euro prices, what the hell is this? Then I saw third party sellers around the Globe like on Amazon, Best Buy and too many others... I hate that. How do I purchase a record from DISCOGS? I don't know, and don't like that either, dumb me. I figure only 3rd parties have Quad records to sell? But I see top left one can shop by currency! First and foremost I'm looking for records not really currency, latter comes after as the make or break the deal thing, depending on exchange rate... Didn't see an option "shop from Discogs".
Why sites don't make a "third party sellers corner" where its unlikely I'll go? I know, because they want to be seen and private sellers pay a commission to locomotive Web sites. On Amazon I only purchased "Sold and shipped by Amazon". On Best buy 5 min. screwing around with 3rd parties, had it, close Web page, goodbye. So, unless its made easy (KISS principle) re how I can purchase a record from your son, then my motivation fades away. In other words, the more I have to work to spend money! the least likely it may happen.
Btw with leg strapped as shown on new Avatar pic guess you won't be running this time to be first at dollar per record boxes at the record show. Then I have a chance getting there before you do, but I promise I'll keep some for you: church, Hawaii, etc., I'm confident you'll love those, lol
SEAWOLF97
03-09-2020, 03:45 PM
1 Never shipped records, but I'm surprised at how little care is required. I thought you had to make the shipment "battle zone proof" to avoid having damaged LPs at destination.
2 Really surprising to me. So, unless its made easy (KISS principle) re how I can purchase a record from your son, then my motivation fades away.
3 Btw with leg strapped as shown on new Avatar pic guess you won't be running this time to be first at dollar per record boxes at the record show. Then I have a chance getting there before you do, but I promise I'll keep some for you: church, Hawaii, etc., I'm confident you'll love those, lol
1 they can't really toss around a 30-40 pound box ..I pad the corners
2 this way ==>> https://www.discogs.com/seller/BetterInTheBasement/profile , but I doubt his punk genre is your thing.
3 I'll just hold my cane sideways and nobody will get around me. ;) and I hope to be RTG by then. Ever been to Orygun ? doubt they'll take your funny money. :(
Btw "Ten years after" now seems to ring a bell with me. Maybe have an LP from them, probably not quad tho. Since my record's alphabet is a little mixed up now, and mostly because wife vetoed my record Assistant hiring (lol), well don't want to spend time searching for it. If i'm lucky it will surface (marine language) then I'll show it to you. Don't think its the same.
RE # 1 you're probably right. But if it was say 3-5 LPs shipment would you consider ship them flat in a shallow box or only upright? Not testing you, just learning from master LP shipper. I might ship one day.
RE # 2 Punk genre? I'm out faster than Road Runner, taking the door with me...
RE # 3 Beware of the cane, its a two sided thing, if you're not nice with wife a little hit with the cane on your painful leg can bring you back on track fast. Mine washes my fool's mouth with a soap bar, and it works! lol
Been to Orygun? Na, too far, not in sight. Stopped taking the plane about 4-6 months before 09/11/01, too much hassles, wasted time++, security, tiny handful of peanuts and a 7up to eat, etc. I don't need that. Go to US east coast by car, no travelling lottery, everything hunky-dory. Why suffer then?
As for my funny money, well the term is right, sniff. Record show wouldn't take it. Plus today it took a beating with what happened on the markets, even funnier $, not for us tho. Few days ago was still "rich" now somewhat "poor" on paper with the CDN/USA stock markets' deep plunge since I got $$ in there (not all tho). Wonder what I have left: shorts only, socks maybe, a T- shirt included? LOL, better to laugh at it. If what goes up must come down, then what goes down will eventually go back up, nice eh? lol
No US spending for now, so you can rest comfortably, your leg also, I won't be in Orygun anytime soon for the record show...
SEAWOLF97
03-10-2020, 07:45 AM
Btw "Ten years after" now seems to ring a bell with me. Maybe have an LP from them, probably not quad tho. Since my record's alphabet is a little mixed up now, and mostly because wife vetoed my record Assistant hiring (lol), well don't want to spend time searching for it. If i'm lucky it will surface (marine language) then I'll show it to you. Don't think its the same.
I'd love to write a funny comment
But I don't know what to do
So I'll leave it up to you…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTUsFm0BAu8
RE # 1 you're probably right. But if it was say 3-5 LPs shipment would you consider ship them flat in a shallow box or only upright? Not testing you, just learning from master LP shipper. I might ship one day.
YES
RE # 2 Punk genre? I'm out faster than Road Runner, taking the door with me...
I'm NOT a fan either
RE # 3 Beware of the cane, its a two sided thing, if you're not nice with wife a little hit with the cane on your painful leg can bring you back on track fast. Mine washes my fool's mouth with a soap bar, and it works! lol
she's more dangerous with her mouth
Been to Orygun? Na, too far, not in sight. Stopped taking the plane about 4-6 months before 09/11/01, too much hassles, wasted time++, security, tiny handful of peanuts and a 7up to eat, etc. I don't need that. Go to US east coast by car, no travelling lottery, everything hunky-dory. Why suffer then?
BUT, I've been to Canada ... it's funny, at our PO, shipping to Can, it's just 1 big zone.
Vanc or Montreal doesn't matter, same price.
As for my funny money, well the term is right, sniff. Record show wouldn't take it. Plus today it took a beating with what happened on the markets, even funnier $, not for us tho. Few days ago was still "rich" now somewhat "poor" on paper with the CDN/USA stock markets' deep plunge since I got $$ in there (not all tho). Wonder what I have left: shorts only, socks maybe, a T- shirt included? LOL, better to laugh at it. If what goes up must come down, then what goes down will eventually go back up, nice eh? lol
I've been there when it was the other way around. Nobody cried for us.
.
x
Thanks for posting the Ten Years After song. I remember this song, like it. Nice souvenirs. Haven't heard it in a long time! Made my day.
70's music is probably what I have the most. Great era music wise, sky was the limit. Sometimes think the music clock may have stopped ticking Dec. 31 1979...
EDIT:
RE "it's funny, at our PO, shipping to Can, it's just 1 big zone. Vanc or Montreal doesn't matter, same price."
Doesn't seem logic travel wise when there's about 6,000 KM apart these two. Maybe their system can't process CDN alpha-numeric postal codes. Then to avoid being under water I guess they charge a high flat rate on shipments to Canada? When I ship to US always need Zip Code and shipping rate is based on this.
Recently been searching for something in Vance Dickason's Loudspeaker Design Cookbook, 5th ed., flipping the pages, and at the end there's numerous ads from speaker manufacturers and dealers. I stopped at one of these ads. Remembered in the past a member asked me if I had what he called a "play school" type explanation for something that I don't remember exactly (speaker related though).
Well, the page I stopped at in the Cookbook has a generic LF driver "play school" assembly explanation. A simplified woofer exploded view with, on left side, short notes numbered 1-9, indicating how woofer parts are put together. The ad's pic here is intended for new members less familiar with woofer details.
I've previously posted on another thread one from JBL that I'm reposting here simply to have both at the same place, easier to consult, two birds with one stone.
Put together, those two pics should give the apprentice a reasonably good idea on woofer construction...
Richard
8601786018
SENNHEISER HD 25 LIGHT HEADPHONES
Picked up tuesday the new headset and extra 1/4" to 1/8" adaptors ordered.
These phones are possibly the closest thing I've yet seen to good old Sennheiser HD 414X, though not identical. They're also light and come with a somewhat cheap 3 M cable which is too long for my use.
Did a headphone listening test of about two hours with various LPs. That included the "Back on my feet again" song, Sandy Davis, Capitol Records, 1975 album with same title. This one may be played loud by Seawolf to celebrate, even dance to its rhythm, when his injured leg is healed enough to have him... Back on his feet again! (You Tube's is poor compared to the LP, there's some nice acoustic guitar, sax, etc.)
New headphone comfort is poor, too much pressure on ears it almost hurts after time, trying repositioning them doesn't help, took them off a few times to give my ears a minute of pause from compression. Headband is hard on the head since the foam provided isn't soft enough, that's the sad part. The 414X have wider headband, no foam and still more comfortable, plus they don't compress the ears so much.
Used AT LP5 TT with Shure Me95ED cart/original Shure stylus, Bellari phono preamp and Mackie mixer as headphone amp, since I previously read these phones had increased LF and HF and the mixer has HF/MF/LF EQing (quick fix that works).
These phones sound WAY better than HD 559 I returned to Senneiser, having no highly exagerated mid-bass/low-mid sound the 559 has. Note the HD25 Light and the HD559 retail for the same price ($100.USD or $130.CAD) but for the same money the former beats the latter easily on sound quality.
As indicated on a pic here, the HD25 does have some emphasis on bass and a lifted treble, but its not gross and the bass sounds like bass. With about -2db applied to LF and -1-2db on HF they actually sound pretty decent. On some records -1 db was enough for HF. Btw correcting the old 414X response is pretty much the opposite: + 2 db on LF and + 1-2 db on HF. But the 414X has a nicer open mid sound.
The HD 25 Light model has TWO part numbers (older/newer Product Codes), the phones are much the same, however # 506910 (I have as new old stock imported from the US) was made in Ireland, compared to newer # 508664 now made in low-cost Romania... I've seen on US Web vendors some still having a few of the prior model. To find one its its better to type manufacturer name with product code instead of model number.
If I could have one pair only between the HD 25 Light and 414X, then I'd keep the 414X for comfort/quality, since wearing the HD 25 is somewhat like having a vice on the head... One day they might pursue their career with my daughter, while the 414X and 480 Series 2 will remain with me like they have for decades.
RE Sea's Avatar pic quick switch, I assume the Boze sound where he covered his ears didn't pleased him so he reverted back to defensive mode "sheltering in place" Cov-19 proof equipment? Can't be more ready than this for the outbreak! Should file for a patent on this imaginative protection/entertainment duo, or could sell his pics wearing it, now's the time! As for Boze sound, well it might have been better trying a Bose with an "S", even a Bozak speaker with a "Z"?
Richard
86051860528605386054
SEAWOLF97
03-20-2020, 07:59 AM
SENNHEISER HD 25 LIGHT HEADPHONES
Did a headphone listening test of about two hours with various LPs. That included the "Back on my feet again" song, Sandy Davis, Capitol Records, 1975 album with same title. This one may be played loud by Seawolf to celebrate, even dance to its rhythm, when his injured leg is healed enough to have him... Back on his feet again! (You Tube's is poor compared to the LP, there's some nice acoustic guitar, sax, etc.)
New headphone comfort is poor, too much pressure on ears it almost hurts after time, trying repositioning them doesn't help, took them off a few times to give my ears a minute of pause from compression.
headband pressure is a common complaint with this model on the web, on new cans, many store them overnight around a soccer ball to let them ease out. Looks like cheap plastic, but very strong. My 2 pairs are the dual headband models, the bands are movable and you control the pressure by the distance you set between them. It's such a good system that I was surprised that they made a single band version. Even stretched now, I can only wear them about an hour, that is why I recommended the superbly comfortable HD-650's.
They appreciate power and of course are source material dependent.
SW not dancing for a while. Although hematoma is residing, still pressure on the nerve, other knee still very painful ... MCL not healing as predicted and to top it off,,,,my followup appointment on it has been changed to a "phone appointment" :(
Thanks for the informative reply.
Don't have a soccer ball, not really looking to buy one. Have a 1 ton cable puller though! lol
RE "surprised that they made a single band version", for guys like me only...
RE "Even stretched now, I can only wear them about an hour", well that appears to confirm single or double headband doesn't seem to matter. Yours being more expensive it should have been more comfortable. Senn may have lost comfort in their priorities list, contrary to the old days...
RE "the superbly comfortable HD-650's." Superbly expensive too here at $650. + tx = almost $750 CAD. Even with a discount still over $600. all in. My use of cans doesn't justify paying that kind of money.
I might look again at the Beyer DT-250 though it has coiled cable I don't like, will I step on my principles? Would want to try it on before purchase using a distributor's demo model, however my dealer is on "lockdown" now re COV-19 prevention, min. staff, little happening there, rep works home taking calls, couple warehouse guys re urgent stuff. Doubtful dealer can arrange for a distributor's demo soon...
Other option is to stock up on ear foams/pads for 414X/480 S2 Senns before they get discontinued, and stay with them forever... Comfort importance to me as well as sound would then be met for long while.
Sorry to read your injuries are not improving to the extent you'd want them too. Hopefully you'll get better soon. Has to happen, the whole universe is waiting to see your next audio finds...:bouncy: Regards,
Richard
SEAWOLF97
03-21-2020, 07:12 AM
I might look again at the Beyer DT-250 though it has coiled cable I don't like, will I step on my principles?
cord type certainly makes no difference to me.
sold my Beyer DT-880 Pro's last month ... they were comfortable enough, but
the sound just seemed bland to me.
will never part with my Fostex's with the Beyer ear pads and pilots sheepskin band pad.
here is a headphones journey thread. ===>>> http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?34094-Headphones
maybe there are some suggestions there to help you.
From 1989 to 2004 British Airways used the HD 25 BA for Concorde passengers. Due to their excellent performance in high-noise environments, they were perfectly suited for passenger use on planes, blocking engine and wind noise with their closed design and secure fit. Music professionals and performers travelling in style took notice. Passengers liked them so much; they occasionally took the headphones with them.
The forward character of the HD25-1 makes it one of the best Rock headphones of all time, where the forward vocal is matched with the punchiest upper bass in this comparison. The HD25-1 has a good amount of treble, although not as extended as the M-50, the SRH-840 or the AKG K181DJ. The slightly rolled off treble of the HD25-1 is actually preferable for Rock music, as it is less fatiguing over long listening periods.
Part of why the HD25-1 is so addictive is the punchy, tight, and focused bass impact of the HD25-1. For Electronica music, the M-50’s bass is the ultimate, beating the HD25-1, the SRH-750DJ in sheer bass force. But for rock music, the M-50’s doesn’t nearly have the agressiveness of the HD25-1 and the SRH-750DJ, and among the two, the HD25-1 just have the best PRaT and presentation for fast and energetic music. The M-50’s bass is also less focused than the HD25-1, making it less ideal for fast Rock and Electronica.
SEAWOLF97
03-21-2020, 09:19 AM
Other option is to stock up on ear foams/pads for 414X/480 S2 Senns before they get discontinued, and stay with them forever... Comfort importance to me as well as sound would then be met for long while.
thot you had others that were more appreciated ?
I still have my good old pair of Sennheiser HD 414X from the 70's in mint condition and use them once in a while... But my also good old Senn HD 480 Series 2 have a better quality sound (though I still like the 414 sound) and for these too Senn Canada has the original ear foams available, also made in Germany! I purchased a number of years ago the HD 437 but these sound more bassy than the other two models I have and the foams on that model are covered with fabric which may last longer...
HAD 414's (not X) that had OK sound, but hardly any bass. sold them quickly. had sales receipt...$25 new.
HD-25's
https://www.pocket-lint.com/headphon...dphones-review
Sennheiser has a long heritage as a maker of quality headphones and it's easy to see why. The sound performance offered by the HD 25-1-II really is superb, being both well-balanced and extremely clear. You can really hear the quality when it comes to bass performance, which is full of depth and punch even on the most bass-laden of tracks.
RE "cord type certainly makes no difference to me."
It does matter to me.
When using phones most of the time I'm standing up, moving around a little, adjusting EQ, gain or phono capacitance for example, rarely sitting down with cans. When testing the HD 25 Light I was standing up for the two hour test. Coiled cords are heavier, add weight to the phones since I'm up, don't like that, straight cable is lighter.
Big cans never liked, nor heavy, or having a vice on the head. Light, comfortable is as important as good sound. Unbelieveably hard to find today in our world, though so simple! (not interested in ear buds btw)
RE "thot you had others that were more appreciated ?"
Had three Sennheisers, gave one to daughter before Xmas and at the speed she/her husband scrap phones! the HD 25 Light might be hers in the near future... Bought the HD 25 to replace those I gave her but i'm really disappointed at comfort, sound ok (the part of the mid on HD559 where sound isn't corrupted sounded better than HD25). The 414 and 480 can't be more appreciated when I see and/or try what's on the market today at reasonable pricing.
Evidently its a marketing technique today to push up comfort and/or good sound higher into the price ladder where the margins are fatter. They can certainly make decent phones comfort & sound wise for about $100., even more so since they're now made in low-cost China (HD559) or Romania (newer HD25), and still make a profit...
RE "HAD 414's (not X)"
The "X" version was an improvement, think I paid about $50 around 1976-7. Still have the invoice of all audio gear, saw it a few months ago. The 414X still requires a bit of EQ, as indicated in post # 174, but its minor and with that they sound pretty good across a wide range. Plus, comfort wise both 414 & 480 are hard to beat...
RE "Sennheiser has a long heritage as a maker of quality headphones and it's easy to see why."
The link didn't work btw, but it doesn't matter since I own the phones therefore know how they are.
For affordable models the statement isn't true anymore in my view, "and it's easy to see why" (i.e. sound or comfort). I got burned with the HD559 Net reviews, mostly on sound but somewhat on comfort too. Plus the HD 25 Light comfort is poor. I'm more prudent with such reviews now... Regards,
Richard
SEAWOLF97
03-31-2020, 08:05 AM
Big cans never liked, nor heavy, or having a vice on the head. Light, comfortable is as important as good sound. Unbelieveably hard to find today in our world, though so simple! (not interested in ear buds btw)
Richard
I was digging around in one of my "big boxes of headphones" this week. Pulled out some light Senn PX-100's and gave them a try. Tho comfortable, they were rather dull sounding.
Then went back and grabbed a pair of Senn PCX-150's. They look similar , but have a large "in line" battery box. Senn calls it NoiseGuard, contains 2 AAA batteries. It's big enough to have a belt "clip-on" . When you power it on, the volume & bass pickup quite a bit ..so it seems to function more of an amp than a noise reduction box. :dont-know: (or see below)
https://www.alphr.com/peripherals/28478/sennheiser-noiseguard-pxc-150-review
"If you don't like in-ear headphones, the Sennheiser PXC 150s are the best here. They're expensive at £49, but are lightweight and fairly comfortable. The soft padding forms a good seal over your ears and the active noise-cancelling circuitry is effective. On buses and trains, the engine noise still cuts in, but the PXC 150s let you listen at lower volumes than standard headphones. They don't fold ... but sound quality is fantastic. Bass isn't overpowering and vocals are crisp and well defined."
Anyway..I enjoyed my time with them, tho will keep digging in the boxes.
Hi Tom,
Hope you're going better.
Seems to me you're right: booster amp, more like noise masking than real noise reduction... Makes music louder so you won't hear surrounding noise! I like the phones design tho, but the battery box is a no :(.
RE "tho will keep digging in the boxes." Great idea as this gives me some alternative suggestions to look at. I still have on the back burner Beyer Dynamic DT 240 and 250 but can't arrange for a demo to assess these with most things closed these days (all non-essential).
Then, "sheltering in place" too, though we're not Cov 19 sick yet but the numbers are rising fast here too. We go out once a week or so for grocery plus me go pick up the odd "junk food" when I "cook dinner" as wife says LOL, that's about it. Snow melting fast, might be able to work on the lawn soon, but still a little cold.
Therefore best time for me doing lots of income tax returns for family now, hopefully my head won't explode from all the numbers... Regards,
Richard
P.S. Could a funnier display of avatar pics boost morale around this site in the present circumstances?
Sea's new Avatar pic is fun. Must say it looks a lot like me at work these days filling tax forms. Oxygen tank & mask making me immune to infection, but not immune to income tax though...
Wonder what would happen if the tank was filled with Helium gas: levitation at work? euphoria?
Guess as long as amount of taxes owed isn't itself subject to levitation, then euphoria should take place!
SEAWOLF97
04-02-2020, 06:28 PM
so, if you like big, comfortable 'phones and don't like cords ..maybe try Senn wireless HDR-130's
or
I have a pair of Pioneers, comfy & good sounding. :)
Sea or Si!
Can't recall seeing those Pioneer phones model before, having more or less the look of the HD25. Seems interesting, must be somewhat older to look like that, kind of retro design now copied by Senn HD25 you have?
Do I understand correctly that you have these for sale? If so, might be interested but would need more details. How would you describe their actual condition? And vinyl on headband and ear pads? 1/4" plug?
Can they remain on the head for an hour's listening without ears being crushed? No boosted mid-bass nor exagerated bass?
Btw got a doctor's phone appointment yesterday, like you did, routine "check-up" following blood test, appears like i'm going to live another year, lol :p
SEAWOLF97
04-04-2020, 07:49 AM
_________________________________
Pioneer SE-4
Open Type Stereo Headphones (1977-90)
Introduced way back in 1988, Sennheiser’s HD 25 headphones have attained iconic status as the number one choice of DJs and music professionals the world over.
_________________________________
they do overlap in time periods.
I really enjoyed my se-4's and may try them again tonite.
Although I have them for sale, in your case I'd recommending finding some in Canada and avoiding expensive shipping and duties.
The HDR-130's are more modern , comfortable , rechargeable and actually have a volume control. Very enjoyable too. ;)
YMMV
Actually , IF I were looking for lightweight, dynamic, straight cabled headphone in the $100 range ...
the obvious candidates are GRADO SR-60/80
and SONY: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_MDR-V6
Sea,
Thanks for your headphone efforts.
I haven't seen the HDR-130 on Senn Canada site. They have HDR-165,175 and 185. Maybe the 130 is an older discontinued model? Wired phones don't bother me as long as not coiled cord, is comfy and sounds good.
The older sony MDR-V6 has coiled cord, so unless my back is to the wall I try to avoid that, last resort only. Appearance wise the Sony and the Beyer Dynamic DT-250 look similar, but both coiled cord...
Had a look at current Sony consumer and Pro lineups but very little interesting stuff for me.
Thanks for reminding me about Grado. I keep forgetting about them, dumb me. Need to see if my dealer (Pro) is authorized for Grado, if not I can order directly online from gradocanada.ca, if I wish to go that way.
I'm considering Grado's SR80e or SR125e. Have you tried some of the Grado re comfort/sound?
Back to phones/mask Avatar pic, means doesn't look good in Orygun virus wise?
SEAWOLF97
04-05-2020, 08:05 AM
The older sony MDR-V6 has coiled cord, so unless my back is to the wall I try to avoid that, last resort only. Appearance wise the Sony and the Beyer Dynamic DT-250 look similar, but both coiled cord...
I left out the model number ..was referring to my MDR-7504 pro cans .. nice
https://www.broadcaststore.com/store/model_detail.cfm?id=18555
Thanks for reminding me about Grado. I keep forgetting about them, dumb me. Need to see if my dealer (Pro) is authorized for Grado, if not I can order directly online from gradocanada.ca, if I wish to go that way.
I'm considering Grado's SR80e or SR125e. Have you tried some of the Grado re comfort/sound?
My experience has been with SR-60's (bottom of the line) , SR-80's (didn't improve the sound much) and Sr-325's (un-natural punch)
see ... https://www.themusickitchen.com/headphones/best-headphones-under-100/
and that article reminded me about AKG-240's .. also enjoyable & comfy.
Back to phones/mask Avatar pic, means doesn't look good in Orygun virus wise?
naw, we're doing OK .. Oregon just sent a bunch of unused ventilators to NYC.
.
Sony MDR-7504 not on their CDN site, maybe discontinued, MDR-7506 is there, could be the replacement model? I like the design of the smaller MDR-7502, but the comments about its sound are bad. Then out.
On their site seen Grado SR-125e has a bigger 8 conductor cord vs 4 conductor for SR-80e. Read some comments on different places. One mentioned the larger cord on SR-125 adds weight and pulls down on the phones. Relevant for me as I listen to phones in stand up position 95% or so of the time. Don't need more weight. So that model may have made itself out of the game.
Thanks for the 5 best list. The AKG K 240 are big phones, as a few others on the list, which isn't my cup of tea even tho they may sound good. For the time being the SR-80e appears like a top contender to suit my needs: no coiled cord, small, comfy and good sounding, also excluding ear buds.
SEAWOLF97
04-07-2020, 08:23 AM
After reading all your headphone questions here, I stared digging thru HP box #3 to see whats in there. Been alternating them out for nightly listening sessions.
Last night tried the Yamaha HP-1 Orthodynamics (35 y.o.) ... wow, why have these been packed away so long ? Immediately reminded me of my Fostex RP-40's .
detail and more detail. I could pick out individual voices in Beach Boys or Beatles harmonies. They don't have modern bass or shimmering highs, but the mids are just wonderful. Really reminded me of JBL 4410's . There is bass when the program asks for it , but nothing artificial or bloated.
here is part of a review that I found online:
Oh my! The Yamaha HP-1 is a classic orthodynamic headphone. Hang on to it. It can be rejuvenated. They can be disassembled and cleaned up.
The midrange with an ortho like the HP-1 is smooth and full with good detail. So nice. It's midrange love. You aren't going to find anything that competes with that sound for under several hundred $$. Nothing else does midrange like that.
If you've been listening to the Yamaha HP-1 for all these years you're not going to be satisfied with any of the modern sub $100 headphones. You can find modern headphones that have more treble and a more airy or transparent treble, but you'll never find anything with the midrange love of the Yamaha. Music is in the midrange. Get the midrange right and I'll forgive a less open treble.
The closest you'll get to the sound qualities of the HP-1 in a modern headphone is a modded Fostex T50RP. The T50RP also happens to be an ortho.
They do require a lot of gain to come up to full sound, not for plugging into your iPud. Think I'll give these another go tonight. :)
With three boxes of phones! wife must think you're overdue for can detox ? lol Thanks for keeping the different phones rally a little more.
Don't remember seeing that Yamaha headphone. Like their small design, similar to Senn HD 25. Any indication where they were made 35 years ago? The old 414X from Senn also has as its main attribute the nicely open mid.
Funny how in old days there were a number of good sounding small phones vs today's jungle of big cans or lousy sounding ones, unless you pay big bucks. Inflation? Na. Grado still makes afforable, good sounding phones and made in USA! not in China or Romania, so it is possible for Senn, AKG, etc., unless greed explains it.
E-mailed my dealer (Pro) about Grado availability, they're not authorized dealer since its mostly distributed in hi-fi salons...
SEAWOLF97
04-08-2020, 08:10 AM
With three boxes of phones! wife must think you're overdue for can detox ? YES
lol Thanks for keeping the different phones rally a little more.
Don't remember seeing that Yamaha headphone. Like their small design, similar to Senn HD 25. Any indication where they were made 35 years ago? JAPAN
The old 414X from Senn also has as its main attribute the nicely open mid.
Funny how in old days there were a number of good sounding small phones vs today's jungle of big cans or lousy sounding ones, unless you pay big bucks. Inflation? Na. Grado still makes afforable, good sounding phones and made in USA! not in China or Romania, so it is possible for Senn, AKG, etc., unless greed explains it.
E-mailed my dealer (Pro) about Grado availability, they're not authorized dealer since its mostly distributed in hi-fi salons...
another of my fave cans are FOSTEX ... https://www.amazon.com/Fostex-T50RPMK3-Semi-Open-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B079LF8CKF/ref=sr_1_21?dchild=1&keywords=fostex&qid=1586355264&s=aht&sr=1-21
light weight orthos , plug in mini jack cord, so you can use any cable that you want to .. can get much better prices than above amazon link. amazing clarity
SEAWOLF97
04-09-2020, 08:25 AM
About 20 years ago, I saved up and bought my dream headphones (have only bought 4 new, ever) ...Sennheiser HD-580's. very happy.
Last year MassDrop came out with the HD-6XX (650's) for an incredible price. Problem was that when you ordered, your's was yet to be made .. once they got enough pre-orders, then Senn would start the production.
While dearly loving the 580's , I reckoned the 650's must be even better and so ordered a pair. during the 3 month wait, I acquired what turned out to be a great amp, to be used as a dedicated headphone amp ==>> https://www.hifinews.com/content/creek-cas4040-amplifier (mine is the later "A" version)
Turned out that had I known how good the 580's with the Creek sounded, most likely would not have ordered the 650's. But I already had. "Sennheiser HD650 review. A sound quality that loudspeakers can only dream about!" ==>> https://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/headphones/sennheiser-hd650-463216/review
The 650's came and I've been happy https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/very-important-sennheiser-hd-580-hd-600-and-hd-650 .
I had planned to gift my son the 580's, but that didn't work out. For last nights listening session, I broke out the 580's and plugged into the Creek again. WOW, just WOW. 1995 vintage, but you sure can't tell. yes, the foam ear pads and headband pads had sagged and I've replaced, but honestly .. I could stop buying and just use this combo forever and not look back. :D
Don't know if I really have a dream phone. Those shown make a nice set of phones/amp for sure, but cans too big for me. I prefer light and smaller phones for my needs, mostly monitoring from mixer, plus music listening the odd times wife gone to sleep earlier...
No Wonder Mass Drop sold the HD-6XX (650's) for an incredible price. The cat is out of the bag: "Problem was that when you ordered, your's was yet to be made .. once they got enough pre-orders, the Senn would start the production." "during the 3 month wait,"
Mass Drop takes pre-orders, probably paid up front too, so no inventory to finance and they purchase a whole production of them (volume purchase), sold ahead of time to consumers... That's a nice problem for them, but the customer has to wait a long time to get these. Mass Drop has little or no exposure and no out of pocket of their own money to give Sennheiser a deposit before manufacturing takes place... The consumers assume all risks or contingencies. Did they tell consumers those weren't built and had to wait 3 months?
Model # not being the same, though phones may be the same or so, allows Senn to keep high price on 650, and claim, if need be, that its not exactly the same product... Many "house brand" products are/were made this way, e.g. Shure/Radio Shack phono cartridges. Rolls/Bellari also makes audio gear for other names, as I recall initial product Design Engineering required a $6K deposit.
With my dealer I don't pay a penny in advance (only upon getting the goods), and give no deposit (except once on the very first multi units purchase with them, deposit was pretty small vs invoice total). So the dealer assumes risks, if any, since I always go pick up my stuff and pay for it. To order: I send him an e-mail re what I want, ask him price to me, give him the go, he orders and sends me a PDF of the quote/order, when the gear arrives I get a mail advising me. Dealing with Pros is different when they know they'll get paid. No bullshit, no hassles, contrary to some consumer gear dealers I ordered from on the Web.
RE "had I known how good the 580's with the Creek sounded, most likely would not have ordered the 650's."
Easy to fix. Then you can sell the 650 to me, cheap, cheap, cheap. LOL
RE "had planned to gift my son the 580's, but that didn't work out."
Can help you with that too. Try gifting me, will most likely work this time, I'm almost your son you know! Yup, my "headphones father". LOL
Btw how's the leg doing, better? Bike in sight for near future maybe?
SEAWOLF97
04-09-2020, 06:41 PM
.
No Wonder Mass Drop sold the HD-6XX (650's) for an incredible price. The cat is out of the bag: "Problem was that when you ordered, your's was yet to be made .. once they got enough pre-orders, the Senn would start the production." "during the 3 month wait,"
Mass Drop takes pre-orders, probably paid up front too, so no inventory to finance and they purchase a whole production of them (volume purchase), sold ahead of time to consumers... That's a nice problem for them, but the customer has to wait a long time to get these. Mass Drop has little or no exposure and no out of pocket of their own money to give Sennheiser a deposit before manufacturing takes place... The consumers assume all risks or contingencies. Did they tell consumers those weren't built and had to wait 3 months?
YES , they were very upfront about the wait and kept us informed.
Model # not being the same, though phones may be the same or so, allows Senn to keep high price on 650, and claim, if need be, that its not exactly the same product... Many "house brand" products are/were made this way, e.g. Shure/Radio Shack phono cartridges. Rolls/Bellari also makes audio gear for other names, as I recall initial product Design Engineering required a $6K deposit.
MD specified a different color and shorter cord and other changes.
don't forget Technics and MCS turntables.
Btw how's the leg doing, better? Bike in sight for near future maybe?
L leg hematoma nearly gone, nerve pain remains. R leg MCL rupture not healing. Surgery getting more probable , but can't even get face to face appointments except emergencies.
Well, if that may comfort you a little the grass is no greener here in the land of free health care. Pretty much the same situation. All non-urgent surgery is postponed to clear hospital beds for new virus patients. Haven't hit the peak here yet.
Seen on the news this week music is good for morale and healing (maybe not Guns & Roses, etc.?). So lets spin some records or CDs and get lots of positive vibes for you...
SEAWOLF97
04-10-2020, 06:37 AM
Well, if that may comfort you a little the grass is no greener here in the land of free health care.
yeah, you see their true spots when anything serious happens. Both KP & the VA have wimped out on me that way, tho they are happy to continue to collect premiums.
Oregon has 1/10th the exposure of Washington, but acts as if we are dying in the streets. :eek:
RE "Oregon has 1/10th the exposure of Washington, but acts as if we are dying in the streets."
On the positive side of the coin Oregon may well be one of the first States getting rid of pandemic and back to normal life while others might have to continue their confinement longer... Discipline (i.e."Sheltering in place"!) is the key to stop spreading it... So you're part of the solution.
Back to Income Tax paperwork pile. Best time to get rid of that while confined inside and weather isn't nice anyway. Got a little late snow yesterday, melting...
SEAWOLF97
04-10-2020, 12:10 PM
RE "Oregon has 1/10th the exposure of Washington, but acts as if we are dying in the streets."
On the positive side of the coin Oregon may well be one of the first States getting rid of pandemic and back to normal life while others might have to continue their confinement longer... Discipline (i.e."Sheltering in place"!) is the key to stop spreading it... So you're part of the solution.
Back to Income Tax paperwork pile. Best time to get rid of that while confined inside and weather isn't nice anyway. Got a little late snow yesterday, melting...
you must have an extensive empire to battle taxes that long :dont-know:
weather ? 76 here yesterday, nice today. What part of Can. are you in ?
Its not my empire that's big, its my heart I guess... I do tax returns for brother, sister (partly), daughter, her husband, wife and me, and did my parents before they passed away. Don't have a habit of paying people to do what I can do myself, and sometimes had to correct other's mistakes by filing amended reports, so I do it.
Canada is a welfare state (i.e. candy store of social programs, where Bernie gets his socialist ideas from lol). There's forms to fill/calculations to do for each of those, many appendix, some 4 pages long, in addition to the 8 page report! Bureaucracy at its best, you would't believe. Most people don't do it themselves, tough.
Daughter had 4 jobs last year: 2 as employee and 2 as consultant, so had to do her personal plus business income tax reports (another 7 pages). She left me about 3" thick of papers to do her/husband tax returns... At least they're getting money back 3K+, both laid-off re non-essential businesses closed during pandemic.
Taxes = worst month of each and every year for me for 46 years (started at 16). But I figure I'll be getting a four digit tax return also when mine are done...
I'm in East, hence why I tend to prefer the "East Coast sound" over the "West Coast sound", sounds logic, or is it really? LOL
SEAWOLF97
04-11-2020, 07:10 AM
I'm in East, hence why I tend to prefer the "East Coast sound" over the "West Coast sound", sounds logic, or is it really? LOL
Ahh, that explains things. maybe you should switch to the BHF :dont-know:
Bose heritage forum.
SEAWOLF97
04-23-2020, 08:41 AM
Don't know if I really have a dream phone. Those shown make a nice set of phones/amp for sure, but cans too big for me. I prefer light and smaller phones for my needs, mostly monitoring from mixer, plus music listening the odd times wife gone to sleep earlier...
No Wonder Mass Drop sold the HD-6XX (650's) for an incredible price. The cat is out of the bag: "Problem was that when you ordered, your's was yet to be made .. once they got enough pre-orders, the Senn would start the production." "during the 3 month wait,"
pretty good article on can buying.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/streaming-revolution-headphones-and-hardware-part-three-headphones-and-amps
Thanks for keeping me in mind. Btw taxes signed, sealed, delivered, GOODBYE! Hello freedom
The link for phones didn't open for whatever reason but doesn't matter, don't spend time on it.
Found a CDN place that has the Grado SR-125E phones on sale, not a big deal tho, but I think I'll go for that one even though the larger cable on that model makes the phones heavier as one user said. Plus it ships free.
Getting so fedup now about things I want not being available, discontinued, later re pandemic, etc. I've had it.
Going back to post # 200, I failed to reply, what I had more in mind (other than Bose) was names like AR, ADS, Allison Acoustics, Advent, KLH, EPI, Dynaco, etc. that have all passed away... Bose, Boston Acoustics, Polk Audio, etc. remain.
On the Pro side, Eastern Acoustics Works (EAW) from the years when Kenton Forsythe was in charge of Engineering, also including David Gunness. Not the more recent EAW purchased by a Capital Partners thing...
Hi Flamingo,
RE post # 10 in Fave speaker cables thread
Thanks for the link to Bill Whitlock's Ground Loops article. Didn't have that one though I have many from him. As I write this I pulled out three such papers from Whitlock published in Systems Contractor News Magazine. Whitlock is certainly a qualified fellow to discuss these matters, however with him you always seem to end up needing transformers... (see pic as example). Naturally, he's President of Jensen Transformers so he has a tendency towards the use of those in his writings.
That being said, I don't doubt a second transformers may be best solution in some situations. Although widespread use of transformers in an elaborate home system may turn out to be costly for most of us, "normal consumer users".
On the other hand, the qualified fellows having no commercial affiliation tend to subdue readers to a deluge of high-flying mathematical or electrical models, as in pages 3 & 4 of your link. Fortunately for us, there's an alternative to this, its called Philip Giddings, P.Eng. Electrical Engineering, with one of his many articles about noise in audio, the one I refer to published in Professional Sound Magazine. Simple and accessible.
One of those RARE occurrence where a P.Eng., having devoted his whole career exclusively to audio, finally wrote in understandable language for audiophiles (no fancy math or models), about different types of audio noises and getting rid of them. Plus at the end there's a little "survey" of noise/wiring practices with points given to evaluate your own situation. This should put to rest the twisted pair "debate". With Giddings you don't necessarily need transformers left and right to stay afloat, even though using these does give a little more points on one item in the survey.
Btw in my present temporary audio setup during spare time renovations, the RCA cables I use (Digiflex H2R2R-3, 3ft) have twisted pair, braided shield and Neutrik Rean connectors. These large cables (stereo pair from mixer to amp with 1/4" adaptors) are touching older mixer housing exactly where the transformer is located (not toroidal one), this being a gross violation of common sense and Giddings own 10 cm separation rule (tempting the devil I know, like to test!), but still have no hum, buzz or other and not balanced... Space, config & length issues at that temp location. Have 6 ft. versions of same cable, but prefer using the shortest one that fits.
When I'm done with all the changes I figure the phono preamp and cable will be located at less than 10 cm from the mixer's transformer. This is why I bought premium RCA cables in the first place.
I'll post here in the next few days (busy nowadays) Phil Giddings article on noise in audio. Need to scan it or take pictures of it from paper version I have. I see no indication material is copyrighted . Could be your turn then to make some popcorn... But first I need to finish what I started with Altec Lansing in the Vari-intense horn thread. Regards,
Richard
86445
Attached you will find the article from Philip Giddings, P. Eng Electrical Engineering regarding noise in Audio systems (hum, buzz, etc). Its probably the best one I've seen yet on this subject among the many I have, more so in view of its non-high-flying explanations that almost everyone here should understand. This time not written for the Engineers in AES Journal, rather for non-expert audio people.
Despite the fact the article was written in 1991, the vast majority of that material is still quite relevant today, the Laws of Physics don't change every year. Little substance has changed also with regards to audio gear interconnects, except possibly for some digital cables and connectors, such as Fibre Optic, though not extensively widespread.
First page gives the audio interconnect context, while the second one provides good background info re noise. NOTE the second page is made of two half-pages that I put one after the other on the same sheet, so you should read top half of the page from left to right, then proceed to bottom half of the page again from left to right. The practical stuff starts on third page, with the "survey" of practices and points given for each item starting with the fifth page. I guess the author's point system weighting reflects the importance he gives per criteria/level? NOTE that for item # 10 on the last page of the text a correction was later issued, I stapled that at the top left of that same page, so use the corrected version.
According to Win 10 if the whole article had been in a single PDF file the size of it would be 8.8 MB, too large to post here, if I'm not mistaking. Therefore going for 2 posts, 3 pages each and see what happens...
As mentioned, it doesn't appear to be copyrighted material, and I sure paid for my copy as subscriber. It is posted here for members' benefit as help in their fight with noise, some practices being better than others. Its also posted with the understanding that if a rights issue arises then it should be taken down. Please NOT for reposting on other site(s) either. Thank You.
Let me know any feedback you got about the article, good/bad, agree or disagree with it or find it useful or less so.
Confinement weekend interesting reading...
Richard
864848648386485
P. Giddings, next three pages of article
864868648786488
Sea, by the sea?
Now that you're officially a cop...
Got a "2-11" in progress
Being in the process of getting a used! 10-4, yup an older ten-four sir...
Hopefully some wolf doesn't beat me at the finish line, we'll sea
Got an idea? You could give it a try and maybe win a cigar... lol
SEAWOLF97
05-03-2020, 03:14 PM
Sea, by the sea?
Now that you're officially a cop...
Got a "2-11" in progress
Being in the process of getting a used! 10-4, yup an older ten-four sir...
Hopefully some wolf doesn't beat me at the finish line, we'll sea
Got an idea? You could give it a try and maybe win a cigar... lol
actually I was military police for a year, and knew the 10 - codes pretty well.
Smart cop... not risking an answer re nature of 10-4
Should know Monday or so if I can get the mysterious 10-4, then its identity may be revealed, lol
In the meantime have to wait...
SEAWOLF97
05-04-2020, 06:42 AM
... not risking an answer re nature of 10-4
10-4=6 .... duh ....
LOL, clever cop... duh alright...
clue: device is not rocket science at all, it actually is a 10/4, simply well made and useful gadget, and that specific one was "modified" therefore like it even more this way. Ton of them on EBAY not modified though... Pretty vague clue isn't it, lol
Sent e-mail to the guy today, waiting for a reply to know if the deal will be made or not...
SEAWOLF97
05-04-2020, 11:50 AM
it actually is a 10/4...
oh sorry .... 2.5 ?
https://shop.lululemon.com/p/women-shorts/Hotty-Hot-Short-II/_/prod8551591
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Shop-Vac-2-5-Gallon-2-5-HP-Handheld-Wet-Dry-Shop-Vacuum/1000351335
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/accessories-and-monitors/memory-and-storage/storage/MECH-BO-ThinkCentre-HDD-Kit/p/4XF0P01010
??????????????????????????
LOL, Shop vac and computer parts??? NA, but like the Hotty Hot Shorts tho! lol, you got imagination :)
Lets stick to an audio gear device to avoid offending anyone re things like Hotty Hot Shorts...
Clue: something related to Phil Giddings article I posted. That and a 10/4 should give it away to an audio cop... tho you may not have used one in your systems, me neither yet, but plan to try this one with different sources, if I get it.
Still waiting for a reply from the guy... :(
SEAWOLF97
05-05-2020, 07:37 AM
LOL, Shop vac and computer parts??? NA, but like the Hotty Hot Shorts tho! lol, you got imagination :)
not very good at guessing games. plse do NOT post selfies when you receive the Hotty Hot Shorts...
LOL, promised no selfies, tho I'd be tempted... lol
YUP, a 10/4...
86533
SEAWOLF97
05-05-2020, 12:19 PM
.
oh wait, I do have it ...tho it's been missing abt 2 years. white boxes are Sony Gold 80 minute MD's ...still wrapped
Sony MDW80PL 80 Minute MiniDisc MD Premium Gold (Single)
by Sony Price: $12.90 & FREE Shipping
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDW80PL-Minute-MiniDisc-Premium/dp/B00009RUFN
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/316734-REG/Sony_MDW80PL_MDW80PL_Premium_Gold_MiniDisc.html
Fun, "BOBS for kids" MDs box?
A grown-up audio cop might rather want a 10/4 than a bunch of small toy disk things, at least a ten-four suits perfectly audio cops, lol
On a more serious note I did purchased few months ago some more Mini Discs for my Digital recorders, maybe I forgot to tell you. Though no doubt you're still the MD king around here. The fact that I could buy even more of these now doesn't mean I will. At this time, the 27 of them I have suit my needs. If i'm ever short there's someone in Origun that has lots of those, some west coast wolf guy poser over there I guess, lol
Note B&H Photo says "No longer available", and Amazon "This item does not ship to Canada." No mileage to be made there...
Moreover Amazon vendor asks 12.50 USD EACH! that's crazy, wouldn't pay that and paid less for the extra ones I got recently, gold or not doesn't bother me.
Yup a 10/4 is better at this time, and now i'm told its mine btw. Should receive it in a few days. 10/4 !
Flamingo
05-06-2020, 04:26 AM
Finally able to get back to the forum, and thanks for the scans of the Giddings article, RMC (http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/member.php?22986-RMC). Giddings' book, "Audio Systems Design and Installation" is one of the bibles I've read and used over the years. His work, with my personal interactions wit a lot of the Syn-Aud-Con folks (people like Whitlock, Neil Muncy, Dale Shirk, Ray Rayburn and Pat Brown) have been very important to me. So many others, too.
Regarding Whitlock and transformers...there've been plenty of times he's said a transformer isn't required, when you can just fix the chassis grounding of an victim device, or sometimes replace a cable that has an intermittent or poor shield...in live SR situations, we'll drop a good transformer in line because you can isolate your part of the system from the problems you don't have time to trace out. In installation work, we often have to live with some legacy gear that has a "pin-1" problem (allows noise into the circuits inside the chassis), or we need to convert an unbalanced box to behave with distant balanced gear, and those are also places where transformer just solves the problem better than anything else.
In short distance single-ended systems, I see no reason why a transformer is needed unless you're experiencing a problem that can't be solved with the first steps of checking the cabling and physical movement of devices in the magnetic / RF field.
Anyway, it's refreshing to be on an audio board where real solutions are valued over expensive bovine fertilizer cables and "tweaks!"
Brad
Flamingo
05-06-2020, 04:29 AM
I just realized, this BGW Amp thread is kind of the water-cooler thread? To chat about other stuff than what's relevant to a particular thread, or just shoot the breeze a bit?
I was wondering how it took 15 pages to give away a big heavy amplifier...:D
Flamingo
05-06-2020, 04:32 AM
LOL, promised no selfies, tho I'd be tempted... lol
YUP, a 10/4...
86533
Raises hand, "Oooh! Oooo! I know what those are, Mr. Catah!"
SEAWOLF97
05-06-2020, 06:59 AM
I just realized, this BGW Amp thread is kind of the water-cooler thread? To chat about other stuff than what's relevant to a particular thread, or just shoot the breeze a bit?
GENERALLY, you don't get slapped down around here by going a little OT. Some threads evolve that way, others are designed to.
IF you join the OT forum, it is even more so.
How to Join Off Topic Forum
If you want to join the "Off Topic" forum, simply click on the "Report Post" button to the bottom left of this message with the following icon . Fill out the report with a request to join the forum and it will be sent to a moderator to respond.
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?17225-How-to-Join-Off-Topic-Forum&p=174722#post174722
Hi Brad, welcome aboard
RE "thanks for the scans of the Giddings article, RMC." Glad you like it. Certainly worth keeping for long.
RE "it's refreshing to be on an audio board where real solutions are valued over expensive bovine fertilizer cables and "tweaks!" You'll certainly find and see some of both types on this forum. There are believers for everything around here, good or bad is a matter of opinion I suppose. Sometimes science is put aside in favor of "superstition".
RE "To chat about other stuff than what's relevant to a particular thread," Yes to some extent, more a thread where me, wolf or others discuss audio gear that is not "mainstream" or JBL, so having a wider scope on equipment (e.g. phono cartridges, premium records, Mini Discs, cables/wiring, mixer, 10/4, etc.). Still trying though to stay away from Hotty Hot Shorts for example, lol. Must admit the Wolf is a fountain of ideas, with great imagination and examples, some being my daily laugh... A little fun in audio is a good thing.
RE "Raises hand, "Oooh! Oooo! I know what those are, Mr. Catah!" Yeah, I'm sure you know about those 10/4, if you didn't in your trade then you might have a problem I guess. All about consumer/pro gear levels (-10/+4 db), balancing lines and eliminating/reducing noise.
So basically this thread is mostly about other things, still audio relevant and interesting in my view. BTW staying a little aside from the crowd attracts less heated debates or "litigation" as seen early 2020 on LHF.
Sea, those fixation eyes make me nervous. Feel I'm being watched constantly by some alien. Could also be a new kind of hypnosis therapy you're testing, or a message to me the 10/4 was my last good hit ever, sniff?
Richard
SEAWOLF97
05-06-2020, 06:33 PM
Sea, those fixation eyes make me nervous. Feel I'm being watched constantly by some alien. Could also be a new kind of hypnosis therapy you're testing, or a message to me the 10/4 was my last good hit ever, sniff?
Richard
when i was still attached to a Navy Squadron (hunting USSR subs) , we'd get the USN Aviation magazine ..that was a PSA reminder on one of the pages, so I saved & scanned.
You seem to get target fixation often :dont-know:
Decided to jump in the wagon with Loudspeaker Handbook 2nd edition from John Eargle after seeing some excerpts. There's a lot of good info and practical stuff on most aspects of speakers, JBL and others. I note 100 pages were added compared to the 1rst edition I have, a significant addition in my view, so not just a few model driver updates as one reviewer puts it, also having some expanded sections such as the LF one.
I refer frequently to Eargle's Sound System Design and Loudspeaker handbooks on a variety of speaker related issues. On the other hand, it seems unlikely there will ever be another handbook like this from JBL Engineering staff, in view of Harman's new ownership having different priorities than in the past. Also these won't be updated anymore since the author passed away...
The new hardcover 1rst edition cost me almost $100 CAD. all in, years ago. However, this time as shown from attached pic of Amazon.ca, the hardcover 2nd edition goes for a whopping $315.CAD!! Quite expensive hardcover... I tend to prefer those for durability, but here chose Instead the paperback version at $178. CAD shipped, which is more accessible. Thought I'd read this during "Stay Home" period. Expected delivery date said between May 4 and May 26 which seemed long to me for a US book...
The twist here is that Amazon and vendor were not straightforward about item location, like EBay does. Thought the book came from the US, seemed logical to me. However, later found out the book was in Australia! Not "next door" USA, but rather a long ocean away. Might not have gone for that if I knew. Purchased April 13, Amazon said shipped April 15, but it took 14 days! before the parcel was even registered in Auspost's tracking system. AU also explains why the deal was so "good", $AU is worth about 10% less than $CA so not taking a beating on currency exchange this time. A small Band-Aid for the long way home...
On May 4 Auspost first indicated "International departure-enroute to Canada" (i.e. on a flight to Can) :), but 2-3 days later they changed that on Web site for "Cleared and awaiting international departure"... :((see pics). One step forward, then one back. Looks like gonna have to be patient. "It's on its way"...
JBL has changed markedly, the more recent company doesn't seem to provide as much general speaker insight (manuals, technical papers, tech notes, etc.) as they used to since their business model appears to have changed. So I figured this purchase might be like a last chance or so to get some more recent tech info available in one place from one of their most senior loudspeaker engineers (Senior Director, Products Development and Applications-Pro).
When book stock is depleted its likely that insight might fall in between two chairs, unless publisher prints more??
Richard
865828658386584
THE APHEX 10/4 INTERFACE MADE IT HOME
Received the device monday, pretty nice but for some scratches here and there which were expected considering its a used purchase (made 2005). More important to me is build quality and that it works well. On the former no disapointment as it seems well made and relatively heavy vs size, giving a feeling of built like a tank. As for the latter haven't had time yet to test it with some sources connected.
That interface allows the use of consumer gear with -10db output (CD player, Cassette deck, MD recorder, maybe even turntable post phono preamp) and bring their level up to match Pro gear +4db standard while also balancing these lines at the same time. Two birds with one stone. Moreover, it also works in the other direction, i.e. from +4 to -10 db, so a somewhat versatile unit.
Chose to buy a used good old USA made instead of a new China made Behringer, Samson, whatever. Aphex made good gear in the past (don't know about today). A close to 15 y.o. Aphex may even last longer. Other than some cosmetic issues it looks fine. Unit turns on, a good start (lol), connectors and knobs show very little wear if any, RCA/XLR both gold plated. The channel level adjustment knobs are recessed flush with front panel probably to avoid tampering, more difficult to use though. As seen inside the knobs are easy to replace, may change them if i find longer ones, as i plan to play with these.
The power LED also serves as a clip light, to warn about the possibility of signal clipping. As shown on internal device pic, where finger points there's a jumper, like those often used on computer motherboards, with three pins but two of them used at the time, in order to increase level from +4 dbm to +8 dbm. A second such jumper, 2 inches to the right on pic, does the same for the other channel. Default is +4 dbm.
Looking forward to try the interface with various sources. Ten-four!
Richard
P.S. Eargle's 2nd ed. Loudspeaker Handbook is still having a sun tan in Australia, no wonder it hasn't moved an inch from Sydney yet, must be nice Down Under whereas here it might freeze its cover....
86646
8664786648866498665086651
MY LAUGH OF THE DAY
Sometimes marketing shows great imagination and a few exaggerations... Came across a Cerwin-Vega Web page ad from one of their dealers for a speaker part of their XLS series, model 215. Retailer wrote 24 hz bass which raised a red flag with me for the type of box shown, so went to see CV's speaker web page.
That changed the 24hz bass story but the laugh remained: "Simply the biggest, baddest tower on the market... delivers earth-shaking bass down to 36 hz With guaranteed "eviction notice." LOL, not good for sales, never seen that one before, makes me wonder how many tenants, or even husbands for that matter, got evicted from home or found their suitcase on the sidewalk next to the XLS 215? Would the latter be part of the divorce settlement?
Looking at the LF response data at the bottom of the page tells F3 38 hz and F10 36 hz!, pretty short of sismic bass, imagine at what level response would be for 24 hz. LF response that drops like a rock, like 7 db drop for two little hertz here, is often a sign of a bass bump right before the very steep drop. Smells like the "amplitude trick" once again.
So, one probably won't get thrown out for earthquake bandwidth bass here, might be more for bumpy bass. On the interesting side I note the Waveguides for both the 6.5" cone mid and the dome tweeter which follows the market waveguide trend.
Richard
86686
SEAWOLF97
05-16-2020, 10:19 AM
.. Came across a Cerwin-Vega Web page ad from one of their dealers for a speaker part of their XLS series
Have never met anyone with a good impression of CV ... they may be same guys who like BOZE :dont-know:
grumpy
05-16-2020, 02:38 PM
They had their day... that was quite awhile ago though.
Hi Sea,
I tend to agree with Grumpy and would add the following.
There's followers, fans and forums on the Net for about every major speaker brand. So i assume there are folks out there who like Vega. I'm not a fan of them but i do recognize that in the old days both Vega and Bose had a few interesting items.
My first ever crossover, 1980, was a CV which i still have in a box, its what i would call a "semi-active/passive" device, or a student's budget (which i was at the time) dividing network. CV made these 1980-1985. It is "active" in view of its location in the signal path, before amplification, but passive with regards to its fixed frequency. On pic note i removed the housing rivets to look inside, still nice, 12db/oct. CV had a few models available at the time with different fixed frequency and RCA or 1/4". I biamped the 2205H cabs with smaller satellite speakers, still do but with fully active crossovers now (i.e. no more student budget, lol).
Decades back Vega Pro made its reputation and money with folded horn bass cabs such as the L48 something, B36A, etc. used in discos and in some "earthquake" setups. They added mid horns, tweeters, xo, amps, etc. They still make some folded horns, though model numbers have changed over time (see attach).
JBL sure attracted more folks and market share with its large number of components available in the DIY speaker era, but that has changed too... Vega and Bose Pro didn't have many speaker components like Altec and JBL did, mostly finished products. However i remember CV's large double spider Stroker woofer (also in the attachment). Regards,
EDIT: Tried to upload CV Pro brochure but its too large for LHF...
Richard
Recently added some 12 gauge speaker cables, "lamp cord" type construction, though nicer one. Clear jacket makes these blend much better in my "decor" plus look more like home speaker cable to me than large AC type extention cords used in sound reinforcement.
I generally agree with Philip Giggings' article on noise in Audio and the twisted wire pair, however each person has to assess his own situation and potential noise risk. In my case no transmitters or particular EMI sources near by, think noise potential for me is probably more on the equipment hookup side than on speaker cable side.
Twisted 12 AWG wires lead to a relatively large round cable jacket, often black color, which basically appears like touring stage cables (white ones with MONOPRICE printed on jacket every foot or meter isn't sexier either), to me both would look somewhat gross in a home setup. Even more so when having a number of amps/speakers in a room then it would make those cables quite visible and seem like a performing stage...
Richard
8671086711
Been considering, along with another member, a "group purchase" of some Community driver, in as much as it may please both. Doing some research about that i came across a Community Manual today with some interesting info, more specifically another perspective on speaker wires, and twisted pair or not...
In my view the important aspect here lies in the explanations given by Community. These may comfort some in their cable choice (e.g. Seawolf in Fave cable for JBL thread; myself in post # 230 here), or irritate others.
Note also the suggestion of using 14/4 AWG "quad wiring" with the two pairs in parallel at each end leading to an effectively 3 gauge larger speaker cable, as previously mentioned here re Eargle's note in post # 80.
Richard
8677286773
SEAWOLF97
05-28-2020, 08:45 AM
RMC , you are my main source for info on Canadian audio gear (tho Lee & Earl are great too)
I have a nice little Creek 30wpc amp on my headboard to run the Senn 6xx's . Decided to add speakers to it for when they are preferred.
Started with some Minimus 7's .. nice H & M, but little B. Tried some flat Yammy's , but same problem. Then some larger no-names with a 6.5 woof ... better.
Then I remembered some old faves that I hadn't seen in a while .... started digging yesterday and found them ... LOGIK's. made in Canada.
Hooked them up and very pleased with their sound..balanced, smooth and do have bass. Tried to find some info on these ... all that is available is that they were from same company as ENERGY's & MIRAGE's ... good heritage.
They are NOT high end, but I really like them (more than my 18ti's)
Shot some pics ... d/l them today and said "oh crap, 1 foam is now rotted" .. took a look and it's just a glue reflection. :) (I refoamed them abt 20 years ago)
Sooo, do you know anything about the LOGIK line/series ????
Hi Wolf,
Long time no Sea. I can't recall ever seeing this Logik brand speakers. I did a quick search and attached here are the only things worth mentioning that i found, source being at the top of each page.
Seemingly from Energy & Mirage heritage is not a bad thing hi-fi sound wise, as they made/still make quite listenable speakers, always subject to what one is looking for and budget (i.e. not in the same market as JBL Pro). Not surprised that you enjoy them, its fun to listen to other things than monsters sometimes.
If they are house brand as some mention in the pics, getting more info might be difficult, even more so if they don't exist anymore. Plus i doubt Energy/Mirage would provide additional info. I think the data sheet is what you have shown printed on the back of the box and that's it. Not bad numbers though.
RE do have Bass. The sensitivity number shown at 86 db does in my view confirm that. In such small boxes the only way to get bass is to sacrifice some efficiency for a little more LF bandwidth. Nothing wrong with this in view of the application. More so when JBL mentioned 85 db was a comfortable listening level (even saw from JBL further back in time 70-80 db was comfy). Welcome to the world of small boxes, i've enjoyed my small Mission and Polk Audio for decades... Regards,
Richard
8678986790
SEAWOLF97
05-28-2020, 06:35 PM
Hi Wolf,
RE do have Bass. The sensitivity number shown at 86 db does in my view confirm that. In such small boxes the only way to get bass is to sacrifice some efficiency for a little more LF bandwidth. Nothing wrong with this in view of the application. More so when JBL mentioned 85 db was a comfortable listening level (even saw from JBL further back in time 70-80 db was comfy). Welcome to the world of small boxes, i've enjoyed my small Mission and Polk Audio for decades... Regards,
Richard
these Logik's seem to be 1980's vintage ... Have read that both RMS ratings and sensitivity measurements have changed since then.
I've had a couple pairs of Mission , they sounded good .. but the cabs always seemed to be falling apart. ?? Also Polks, but have always sold those on. Ideally , I really enjoy the British 8 inch, 2 ways. My JBL 18Ti's were underwhelming, despite having the stellar 044Ti and good heritage.
A couple posts back, you were talking speaker wire. In abt 1970 I purchased a good mid-fi (mostly Pioneer) system from the japan PX, but when released on the civilized world, I didn't have 2 nickels to rub together. I found some telephone wire . You know , that pinkish jacketed 4 wire , solid core stuff. It's pretty fine gauge (20-22ga ?)
I'd twist 2 pairs together and used it for 1 side of my stereo pair and then on the other... was surprised as to how good that solution sounded. :)
Sea,
RE I've had a couple pairs of Mission , they sounded good .. but the cabs always seemed to be falling apart. ??
Yeah, know why? Mission made the drivers/XO but subcontracted the cabinet making to India...:( Had heard about this possible issue, so i proactively removed woofers to check inside, barely any glue used! and no nails or screws either. Before having that problem i used Carpenter's glue on all inside joints plus nailed tiny finishing nails on the cabs' perimeter (nail heads can't be seen unless within 2 ft of boxes). Problem solved beforehand.
Rated 70W max, i fed the small boxes the full output of the 1 RU BGW 100B amp at the onset of clipping (80W 4 ohms factory measured) and the cabs never fell apart. The interesting thing about the small speaker is that its optimized for flat power response, not on axis response, the effect is nice and they sound "larger" than size suggests. I posted that here previously.
RE Also Polks, but have always sold those on
The Polks i have, Monitor 5 purchased 1977, was among their first models, pretty nice sounding, i doubt you would have sold these on. Over the years Polk, like many others, reduced cost, put cheaper drivers in their cabs, etc. the usual story...
RE I really enjoy the British 8 inch, 2 ways.
Europeans do things differently in many cases, not necessarily chasing 2 kilo watt speakers like in North America. In the last 5 years or so i bought more European drivers than anything else as i don't need 130db. Interesting to read your JBL 18Ti's honesty.
RE when released on the civilized world, I didn't have 2 nickels to rub together.
You mean when released from the Navy? Thanks for your efforts, work and goodbye? Sounds pretty cheap to me for someone who served the nation, like no transition measures granted such as money, career/job help, etc.?
RE speaker wire
I do remember those pinkish jacketed 4 solid wire telephone wires from Ma Bell (maybe AT&T in the US). Never thought about using that, good imagination. Necessity mother of invention once again!
BTW Eargle's take on fancy wires: "A great deal of money can be spent on system wiring, perhaps more than really need be. One beneficial fallout of expensive cable is the generally high quality of the connectors themselves." He's not mentioning sound magic, but the connectors. LOL (Loudspeaker Handbook, P. 178)
Richard
SEAWOLF97
05-29-2020, 03:23 PM
when discussing small 2 way's ... forgot that I have these Sonance MB-30's . forgot them as they are ceiling mounted for PC speakers (on the B pair) and JBL 120Ti's as the A's ...
I really like the "new class - A" integrated amp that connects to the computer, BUT if I try to run all 4 , then it kills bass to the JBL's....so I've had the B's deselected.
But as a holdover from the laptop, I'd gone to an echo for streaming music instead of online , so to save some CPU cycles. It was outputting to both a pair of little B&W's (that had little bass) and also to a BOZE Waveradio (it really makes bass) . But the B&W's had to sit up on a stand to project over & from behind my big monitor. No separation.
The Sonances tho have about 12 feet separation and are powered by a little Denon amp. They could easily stand for music by themselves.
I have 6-7 ? pairs of 2 way , 6.5's. They image well, but box size appears to make a big difference in bass response. :)
not my pic .. mine still white.
NEXT DAY EDIT: forgot ..have some nice little JBL L-15's that I'll try to locate and give a try with the Creek amp.
from the web: I also have a friend who has the famous Yamaha NS10 recording monitor and for home purposes, at least, I would choose the L15's in heart beat. The L15 is a nice speaker at low volumes and is not shy if you want to crank it up as well.
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/jbl-l15-bookshelf-monitors-whats-a-fair-price-for-a-nice-set.714710/
while doing a little research on these, before trying to locate, I found this post that I'd never seen
Originally Posted by Chris Brown
...the L60T's should be better in just about every way.
You would think, wouldn't you? But Seawolf's First Law of Overachieving JBLs says otherwise, and the experiences of several others here would support their being enamored by the baby L20t and underwhelmed by the larger L60T.
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?28274-JBL-L15-vs-L26-vs-L60T
Si,
RE: little B&W's (that had little bass) and also to a BOZE Waveradio (it really makes bass)
Which little B&W? The only one i seem to remember is DM110 i think from 80's
After all YOU ARE a Bose man with waveradio, YUP, all you're missing now is some Vega...
RE: The Sonances
These look like outside installation speakers, but are they really i don't know, won't prevent inside use
RE: I have 6-7 ? pairs of 2 way , 6.5's.
Do you biamp some of these with the M&K sub you previously mentioned? Could make some nice combinations.
RE: little JBL L-15's that I'll try to locate ... before trying to locate
You must have a pretty large warehouse, having to try to locate those...
Funny new Avatar pic. Definitely shows you're all ears for 45 rpm hit singles, lol
BTW slower to reply, busy doing lot of electrical work in the house, beefing up some power lines/circuits, still to come audio room, wife's own list always more urgent than mine...:banghead:
SEAWOLF97
05-30-2020, 12:59 PM
Which little B&W? The only one i seem to remember is DM110 i think from 80's
Do you biamp some of these with the M&K sub you previously mentioned? Could make some nice combinations.
You must have a pretty large warehouse, having to try to locate those.
B&W Rock Solids
the M&K's way too big for the bedroom install, tho do have a 12 in. Velodyne Servo sub in there for the HT.
no warehouse, we have 3 bedrooms, but use the family room (14x24) for HT , desks/office & bed. So have 3 inside storage areas + garage + patio + shed + greenhouse.
I did find the L-15's ... bigger than the Logiks, even better bass and lots of mf/hf detail. They are keepers.
LATER EDIT: So I ran the L-15's last night .. I just let the echo stream pretty non-complex stations ... nothing too exciting .. patsy Cline station or Julie London .. both of those include lots of standup bass in their music ..now I can actually hear it. :) vocals are especially good on them ... the 034 or 033 sound very good to me. Not quite the sparkle of the Ti HF's, but they seem a bit more listenable.
I did have some L-16's and should NOT have sold those. :( Also have 2 pairs of L-19's in storage, 1 still needing refoams, but they are a bit too large for this application (sitting on top of the a/d/s L-1290's)
IF I were to get a little energetic , there are a nice pair of NHT-1's waiting for refoam too .. found them on top of a dresser .
2nd later edit: During my archaeological dig, I found a second pair of L-15's , tho these do need new foams. :)
whats the best sounding "small" speaker you've ever heard ?
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/whats-the-best-sounding-small-speaker-youve-ever-heard.254112/page-1
Wolf,
RE: So have 3 inside storage areas + garage + patio + shed + greenhouse.
Is audio green by any chance? Seems almost like an "audio home warehouse". Maybe some "virtual" speakers in the Cloud for the future, who knows? Any space left for the bike, lawn mower and car??
RE: I did have some L-16's and should NOT have sold those.
I never regreted selling the L-26, bass and treble mostly, little in between, and poor treble it was. Speaker lacking a lot of detail/finesse, not bass though.
RE: refoams
So now you got 3 pairs to refoam (L-19, NHT, L-15). I still have three pairs of drivers with foams, though one pair has pretty long lasting rubberized foams, nice, and i'm trying not to add any other foam drivers. In the last 5+ years I've been able to stay away from foam edge speakers as they don't last long enough for me. During that period i purchased rubber or cloth surround woofers only. Hopefully it continues this way because doing a proper refoam job takes too much time.
RE: whats the best sounding "small" speaker you've ever heard ?
There's possibly hundreds of small boxes on the market and i sure have not listened to all of them, not even half of these. So my sample would be too small to designate a best sounding one among the crowd. However, seen another way, i've kept for decades the old Polks, Missions plus the ones i made. That may be an indication i guess, otherwise would have dumped them.
RE: IF I were to get a little energetic...
How's the injury doing, getting better or standstill?
BTW have delayed the purchase of the Grado headphones for two reasons. Bought a new replacement laptop for my daughter, more urgent these days with virtual classrooms, she's part time teacher for now.
On the other hand i was told Grado CDN distributor is located in a house, so a Ma & Pa type of shop in their basement i guess. Its been said many times in the media here that probably half of small businesses won't make it through the pandemic. So before giving Grado hundreds of $$, since i also want to add a phono cart. at the same time, first i want to know in which half they will end up being. If they go underwater i can kiss my money goodbye with nothing in return... Moreover, a few days ago Canada Post's main processing plant in the region said it had 250 trailers of parcels in the backyard waiting to be unloaded! They work with reduced staff, apply distancing, sanitary measures, etc. So i'd probably have to wait a long time anyway...
Like for my Eargle book Down Under. Just got news about it, they're transferring my parcel to a sea carrier! (see pic). Maybe another name for a sea wolf? Curious part, yesterday tracked the book no new info. Today new info appears but dated May 16! Back dated or 2 week delay to update tracking info? Not departed yet it seems. Hope doesn't follow similar path as the records you sent to your son: Portland, Puerto Rico! Chicago.
86801
SEAWOLF97
06-01-2020, 08:06 AM
.
Wolf,
RE: I did have some L-16's and should NOT have sold those.
I never regreted selling the L-26, bass and treble mostly, little in between, and poor treble it was. Speaker lacking a lot of detail/finesse, not bass though.
I've sold 3-4 pairs of L26's tho I like them, just ran out of room and replaced with better.
RE: refoams
So now you got 3 pairs to refoam (L-19, NHT, L-15).
Sure that I've got a lot more than that to do, but it's boring and can wait for another day.those 3 are just ones that I can see
RE: whats the best sounding "small" speaker you've ever heard ?
There's possibly hundreds of small boxes on the market and i sure have not listened to all of them, not even half of these.
that's a link I found while researching the L-15's .. they were mentioned on page 21
RE: IF I were to get a little energetic...
How's the injury doing, getting better or standstill?
no recent improvement
On the other hand i was told Grado CDN distributor is located in a house,
Hope doesn't follow similar path as the records you sent to your son: Portland, Puerto Rico! Chicago.
Grado's HQ is in a house in NY as far as I know.
I tracked that box, Portland>Seattle>Tulsa>Miami>Puerto Rico>Miami>Chicago
On it's 2nd trip thru Miami they figured out the mess and then airmailed it on ..
the 2 M>PR>M trips were via ship/boat. 2 weeks at sea on a Port>Chicago trip:blink:
Sea,
I understand you've navigated the Pacific ocean a lot with the Navy, i haven't. So this is like your backyard, and i'm confident you know the name of each girl and of each club between Portland and Sydney, lol. The uniform attracts ladies as you already know... Hence the song "In the Navy" i guess.
Its said to take 2 wks or so to cross the Atlantic by ship from eastern Canada to Europe.
Therefore, I would assume it might take a month from Australia to Canada's west coast Vancouver? What do you think, am i right or wrong?
Unless that ship goes straight to the Panama Canal to stop at... PUERTO RICO!!! LOL, after on to eastern Canada, in which case the journey might take an extra month.
The hazards of free shipping...
SEAWOLF97
06-01-2020, 12:33 PM
Sea,
I understand you've navigated the Pacific ocean a lot with the Navy, i haven't. So this is like your backyard, and i'm confident you know the name of each girl and of each club between Portland and Sydney, lol. The uniform attracts ladies as you already know... Hence the song "In the Navy" i guess.
Its said to take 2 wks or so to cross the Atlantic by ship from eastern Canada to Europe.
Therefore, I would assume it might take a month from Australia to Canada's west coast Vancouver? What do you think, am i right or wrong?
Unless that ship goes straight to the Panama Canal to stop at... PUERTO RICO!!! LOL, after on to eastern Canada, in which case the journey might take an extra month.
The hazards of free shipping...
never made it to Oz .... tho have shipped a lot to there. have a good friend in Sydney, who I partially converted to a JBL fan (L250's & L166's) . AFAIR , sea shipping is abt 3 weeks, but their customs is very strict and items can hang up there for another 2-3 wks.
I'm often invited to his places in Sydney & Lipari , we had planned a long trip to VN then down under, but SWMBO's health has been iffy the last couple of years. Recently made a new friend in Nha Trang and the thought of someone to visit there (besides family) has perked her up a bit.
Thanks for the info. In my case the parcel has already been cleared by AU outbound customs for air travel which was later cancelled. Hopefully they won't repeat customs clearance procedures again to get aboard the ship.
So when the book does leave AU i can expect about 3 wks to Canada, unless its a "milk run" type of ship stopping at places on the way to unload stuff. That remains possible since this could be a cargo ship, considering there aren't many cruise ships left on the oceans these days with the pandemic, likewise with passenger planes in the sky.
Well, if SWMBO is being perked up by the prospect of visiting a new friend, that's nice, then you have to find a plane, or even a ship, hopefully not cargo one not really romantic, to get to VN/AU. Key word: Obeying...
SOME PRACTICAL ELECTRICAL STUFF
Spent a lot of time recently doing electrical work in/out the house. Haven't had time to spinn some records nor turning on an amp in over a month. I've been wanting to beef up some electrical circuits for a while and making space for others, then "Stay Home" finally provided a good opportunity. Though not over yet...
"Juice" is an often forgotten prerequisite for good audio. Knowledge of electrical circuits/cables/practices means, in my view, being better equipped to make decisions related to electricity powering audio gear, as well as in dealing with licenced electricians.
Been doing electrical work at home for decades. Learned it early 90's (and before that) from helping electricians coming at home, getting the tricks and basically paying to learn how its done. Also have some "How to" books from a while back (see pic).
However, one of the most useful, nice overview with many specifics, remains Engineer Brian Roth's PRACTICAL ELECTRICAL, Parts 1, 2 & 3, Modern Recording & Music magazine, March, April & June, 1981. Have the original paper version of it in a binder since that year, from being a subscriber, with other electrical stuff (pics shown for identification purpose only). Great background info, where more advanced fellows will also find interesting data: e.g. large AC cables capability. Still quite relevant for the most part for North American electrical systems. If time allows the reading of a single doc only (12 pages total, not a book), this may be it, PDF version: worldradiohistory.com ; on left side "Find a specific title" click letter M for Modern Recording; on left side list click Modern Recording; for year 1981 click on check mark for each relevant month, one at the time (March, April and June); table of content for pages. Don't know if copyrighted.
Before doing my own things, I turned away a few electricians with the info from Brian Roth. Over the years i've seen many wrongs done by licenced electricians, such as:
1- 25 Amp breaker for a 12 AWG wire! (should be 20 Amp)
2- Alu wiring used to power a whirlpool outside, water & power! Use of alu wire mostly forbidden (very few exception(s); sister's house has some alu cables i've seen (more later on why Alu wire is practically banned, one explanation not mentioned by Brian Roth though he talks about Alu wires on first page of Part 2);
3- General absence of a proper color piece of electrical tape near the connections to indicate when a wire's normal purpose was changed, usually allowed except for GND, providing its identified, hence the piece of tape (e.g. red wire normally hot, but used as a neutral (white), or a white wire normally neutral, but used as a hot one (black). "The next guy will figure it out" is their answer!
4- Inverted hot/neutral wires on a GFIC safety device!
5- No junction boxes used to connect wires in an attic, only twist wire connectors!
6- 2/0 main cable used in a conduit allegedly providing a 200 amp Service Entrance...
Never had any problem with my electrical work, do it very carefully & take my time, more so since working in a live 200 amps/120-240 Volt breaker box (DON'T DO THIS, FOR SAFETY REASONS), cutting power only on a specific circuit i may be working on. Learned to work this way early on, as turning off power for the whole house would get me "drama" from wife for having nothing left being powered...
More to come.
Richard
86861868628686386864
OTHER ISSUES WITH ALUMINUM WIRE
Alu wire is also "handicapped" by two other aspects related to alu's nature.
First, Alu is a "softer" metal than copper. Its main problem in AC circuits use, as mentioned to me by electricians, is connections reliability. Wire more subject to break with bending and twisting for example. If you missed the nice bending around the duplex receptacle screws, straightening it then starting again it could become an issue or the weakened alu placed around the screw may not hold reliably, wire breaking loose touching the metal box leading a short circuit.
The safest thing with Alu wires is minimizing handling/bending, pulling and screwing around with the connections, i.e. to get it right the first time. Alu cable going through holes made in studs, staying there for years, isn't really the issue. Its more at each end where things might go wrong. Hence why its almost out.
Second, Brian Roth mentions the use of a somewhat larger size cable with Alu vs copper. Though he didn't expand on this point, after making some verifications it turns out to be a red flag. "The resistivity (reciprocal of conductivity) of aluminum is about 1.6 times that of copper, ..." (J. Eargle, Loudspeaker Handbook, P. 34). Alu's 60% more resistivity isn't a trivial amount. There's resistivity tables for various materials on the Net, checked a few and calculated 1.577 times for Alu, on par with Eargle. So another weakness for Alu wiring.
Have no AC Alu cables in the house. Many do, maybe not by choice, but it seemed to have been a trend at some point in time because of its lower cost. Which reminds me there was also a period where cheaper counterfeited circuit breakers hit the market! After some safety problems occured these were banned.
Btw recently looked at some Speaker cable which, at first sight, seemed like a good deal. Looking closer and reading the small text revealed one conductor was copper and the other Alu (with 60% more resistivity...). Guess that's how they saved money making the speaker cable a "deal". Both conductors appeared to be the same size. Wonder what would be the impacts with one side of the cable not as conductive as the other. Have some ideas in mind but haven't had time to check that (e.g. on Back EMF?).
Richard
House electrical service entrance was replaced in 1995 or so, had no problems with the previous one, simply getting too small for evolving needs at 100 amp/20 or 24 circuits. Licenced master electricians i knew did the job once and for all, to meet 1995 requirements and future possibilities... I used some of Brian Roth's info in Practical Electrical to spec some items.
First pic, the two juice providers installed to feed the replacement Square D, 200 amp/40 circuits breaker box (Made in USA). As seen just before the cables go in the 2" hole made in house foundation to reach the box in the basement: Belden, 1000V, 3/0 AWG, with 6 AWG main ground copper wire, both in a conduit. Providing two 120V lines, also allowing 240V for power hungry appliances with double size circuit breakers.
Spent a lot of time recently moving circuits, reassigning things, shortening some wires in order to create space in the breaker box. Big panel but getting closer to full. Second pic shows it was overcrowded to install new lines i need, plus these must enter the breaker box on the right side of it re distance measured vs 30M cable length purchased (divided in 3).
Plan is to add three new 12 gauge cables (3 wires each) to bring 120V/20 amp lines in audio room, to power more equipment, on top of the two 15 amp ones there. Phase one breaker box cleanup is done (third pic), phase two new installations should get off the "drawing board" in the near future.
Initial plan A got wife's veto with loaded 105mm cannon in her eyes, too much "demolition"/removing stuff just for cables; a modified plan B also got wife veto, this time with .50 caliber machine gun in her eyes, still too much hassles for cables; after reconsidering/measuring everything another time re where the cables could be routed, i'm at plan C now with my back to the wall. Tested the waters with wife on plan C, got no objections this time!! More work for me though, and part of it needs to be done in a small closet... :banghead:
NOTES ON SECOND PIC: bottom right, on neutral bus bar, two red wires (usually hot) are used here as neutral wires (usually white), so a piece of white tape on each near the connection indicates their modified use. Moreover, near the bottom a 12 gauge red cable crosses from left to right at an unusual place. This is an "RMC Special", lol. DON'T DUPLICATE THAT FOR SAFETY REASONS. What works fine in my situation may not be the case for yours. It was done this way because of cable lenght available and balancing loads between both sides of breaker box. Normally the wires should go all around the top (like an inverted "U") for left side wires connected on the right side. Things were checked carefully before implementing that solution.
NOTES ON FOURTH PIC: what is seen here is in reality the top right side of the breaker box. Numbers 1, 2 and 3 are the cable connectors i installed after the panel "cleanup" for the upcoming three 12 gauge lines to audio room. Number 4, while at it i removed the knock out and put a cable connector to cover the bare hole for safety reason, like preventing a mouse from being shocked in the box, lol. In other words a spare cable entry for future use. Number 5 the black hot wire will be moved from there when the three new lines go in.
Richard
86878868798688086881
Some of the electrical supplies i bought for the upcoming three new circuits going to audio room. Real 20A lines made of 12 gauge cables, 20A circuit breakers and 20A rated duplex receptacles, on 120V.
US made Yellow jacket 12/2 cable bought at Depot will differentiate it easily from the other 12 gauge red cables often used in the house. Same specs and price as red, except has black, white, GND instead of black, red, GND wires. 98.4 ft roll allows 3 lines of 32.8 ft and minimum i need is 32.9 ft with the connections. One-tenth of an inch difference isn't enough to call mother.
Anyway learned the electricians' trick i'll use (more later) to extend a little the wires in breaker box part, therefore giving a little more length to the cables outside the panel (leeway for AC receptacles location). While still remaining within the 35 ft total length for 12 AWG mentioned in Brian Roth's article for 2% voltage loss with 20 amps (Part 2, P.38, Fig. 3).
Before getting the missing stuff at Depot, made a quick distance calculation from the top of my head for cabling required, figured i could do two circuits (three??) with 30M cable. So bought two 20 amp breakers to replace two 15A (spares). With actual measures taken i can do three, so next trip to Depot one more 20A...
While at Depot i needed some more larger twist wire connectors having almost depleted those i keep due to other recent electrical work. Sadly Depot discontinued keeping and was clearing out nice ones made in Canada, exactly those i was looking for. Good deal, but future availability? Then took two boxes since well made & have copper inside thread, not cheap metal alloy (resistivity). Plus the list of wire combinations these connectors can accomodate is pretty long as shown on box side, a few seem optimistic though.
With electrical hardware people tend to purchase the cheapest stuff they can find, regardless of quality. Similar with electricians who bid on jobs, lowest price gets it. Very few folks care about "juice".
Richard
86887868888688986890
On pics, the dark brown 20A/125V single receptacle was purchased while ago to get higher AC capacity than the usual 15A. Bought it new, never used it since i found a more useful model for my needs. In accordance with usual 20A receptacles it has an horizontal slot on the left and vertical one on the right, plus ground. Spec grade is engraved on it, Depot site says good for commercial use with that mention, Spec-Master red cardboard came with it. Some larger power tools may require 20A as i recall, i have no big ones re space.
Because i later found some duplex receptacles (beige ones on pics) that can do 20A plus accomodate both 20A and standard 15A plugs, therefore i don't need the dark brown, meaning its AVAILABLE FOR FREE if you need it. They all have metal on the back, brown one also CSA certified, might have been made in Canada. For shop use color won't really matter i guess. NOT FOR RESALE. If interested PM me.
Made my 20A shop AC receptacle, next to breaker box, using one from the beige model, hence the "RMC Special" red 12 gauge cable crossing from left to right in the breaker box as previously shown. Plus the plan is to use three of the nicely made beige ones for the new circuits that will go to audio room.
Not long ago bought a Leviton China for testing, newer version of the beige here, well not the same quality for sure and goodbye to metal on the back... Will show next time.
Richard
86894868958689686897
More recent China version of the beige AC receptacles shown on the previous post.
Manufacturer worked on changing the appearance a little and reducing cost. There's metal at each end only, not on the back as before, and that metal is a bit easier to bend.
The previous model was shiny beige whereas the newer one is low gloss. For those who need installation instructions note they're printed on the inside of the box, hitting two birds with one stone.
Handling/inspecting the receptacle doesn't give the same quality feeling as the former did.
Possibly because of the higher 20 amp capacity vs standard 15A ones, they added a protective slide down with plug in/slide up with none white cover having a little resistance to hide the hot and neutral blades inside. Presumably to prevent kids from being tempted to put some objects in it that may cause a shock or short circuit.
The sliding mechanism on the way in feels a bit scratchy at times. However its not the type of device where one would typically plug/unplug frequently an amplifier for example, the latter normally being plugged for a while. So a minor issue.
Globally, not as high quality as the former model, but ok.
Richard
86898868998690086901
CONNECTING CABLES TO BREAKER BOX
Had three blue plastic cable connectors holding cables to breaker box (e.g. first pic. Small rope on each cable is holding a tag indicating where/what:e.g. to kitchen-dishwasher). The connectors were transfered from older panel to new Square D box with the cables by electricican at time of its installation. Now have only two plastic connectors left. Pulling a cable slowly in my moving things around that cable lightly touched a blue plastic connector next to it and two pieces fell off! removed what's left of it (second pic) Had to replace that faulty connector, and did with a metal one this time.
Never trusted plastic connectors for reliability, never bought any nor installed some. That event confirmed my suspicion about these. Unfortunately, with time plastic gets dry breaking easily. Metal variety you install forever, none ever failed on me, whereas plastic ones get brittle and let you down easily as years go by. Not good enough for the long run.
Saw recently in a store bags of a more recent dark grey plastic connector for cheap, didn't bother getting any. When the two remaining ones on my panel break, for sure they will sooner than later, i'll replace them too with good old metal ones, done for the last time.
Third pic (all metal stuff, no plastic for me)
Top left, older connector for large cables like 8/3 + GND (240V/40A, electric range/oven)
Middle left, older connector, nice with 14/3 or 12/3 + GND cables
Bottom left, connector for a main ground wire to house main water supply copper pipe, sending any current in GND wire to earth
Middle, the two types of connectors i prefer using for 14/2 and 12/2 + GND cables, the similar bottom three being the ones i prefer most; saw China copies of these two recently, metal is thinner, not as robust but ok
Top right, the more recent trend for breaker box metal cable connectors. Have used many since my stock of older prefered connectors is low, but i don't really like them, the result isn't as good as with the previous ones.
Richard
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