John Curl's Blowtorch preamplifier part II

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I try not to be 'rude', but sometimes I have to be honest, in order to maintain a decent balance, here. I will read just about anything. I read through AudioXpress, every month, for example, and once in a while, I find an excellent article. Recently it has been a series of articles on loudspeakers and how they are designed. Excellent input!
 
I would like to state my position on amateur vs professional circuit designs. Of course, there is plenty of 'amateur' circuit design that is very good, even better than typical professional designs that are guided by the 'bean counters' in an organization, and cost becomes the primary consideration, so that instead of a $2.00 IC, they might put in a $0.25 IC, justifying it by meeting some sort of minimum spec and insisting on double blind A-B tests, for anyone who claims to hear anything important. (That will shut them down!) '-)
Amateurs are allowed to use some of the better IC's, for example, and this is an advantage. However, for me, most designs are pretty much 'boilerplate' and not new or unique, so I get little or nothing from reviewing them.
This is not true with engineering journals. Often, I can learn something new, or get refreshed on some topic that I have not looked at recently, virtually every day. For me, this is the most useful use of my time.
What surprises me is that many engineers prefer the opposite.
 
It is perfectly OK with me that people do not read my 'boring' comments. Why they comment on them, is what I question. Just ignore me, if you wish.
What I have been trying to convey here, is 'what works' in audio design, at least for me. I give away free advice, the same advice that some company actually paid me for, in the past. Take it or leave it.
 
I am under the impression Elektor gets way more submissions than they can use. I have found circuits in there that were pirated off the internet, much to my surprise.

The problem I have as an author is that they want all publishing rights to the submission.

There are some articles I could do for them except they want to see it before they consider it and I am actually too busy to do n article on speculation. The nice thing about AX under Ed Dell was that he could commit before I wrote anything.

I am currently working on an AX article on power supplies. It is getting long. If AX for some reason doesn't want it I suspect Jan will.

I would like to do some articles on the gizmos I am working on for my house. You know how to get free air conditioning (almost free) or my best one a moisture damage warning system. I think most home owners know what it costs when the washer hose breaks, the gutters clog, the roof leaks etc. I have a system to warn you before it gets expensive!

But to me Elektor is an introductory to medium difficulty magazine.

Now these days even the publications such as Electronic Design only rarely have good stuff. Part of the problem is the editors aren't as old and grouchy as I am, so they are glad to report what is new to them.

The late Bob Pease had way more experience and if he understood (or wanted to understand) what you meant could provide some lively discourse.

So although I like advances in design there is very little effort spent on areas of my interests.

P.S. Edmund, I get snippy when I see sloppy or just silly stuff even here. I really don't want to argue the big bang theory or creation science with a true believer.

P.P.S. Scott I support the magazines by writing articles that I hope will encourage others to try things. So far my best success has been the dramatic revival of DIY shunt regulators!
 
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Cool, so I could read it over a Charbucks coffee or does it have a plastic wrapper? I tried that at the train station in Billund Denmark and you would have thought I was trying to steal something.

That issue is not online, but this is (and gives a flavor of what TAS is like these days): The Absolute Sound Guide to Vinyl Playback 2012 | AVguide

There is, as usual, little in the way of technical specifications and no measurements. The occasional attributions of what the reviewer hears and has heard to the supposed circuit details are, again as usual, controversial, and some are expressed as well-established "truths" (see for example Valin's review of the Soulution 750, on page 89).
 
That issue is not online, but this is (and gives a flavor of what TAS is like these days): The Absolute Sound Guide to Vinyl Playback 2012 | AVguide

There is, as usual, little in the way of technical specifications and no measurements. The occasional attributions of what the reviewer hears and has heard to the supposed circuit details are, again as usual, controversial, and some are expressed as well-established "truths" (see for example Valin's review of the Soulution 750, on page 89).

One might say boring sophistry. A $25,000 phono whose specs could be equalled by a JFET/IC op-amp composite.
 
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