A really good way to invalidate your car insurance and end up in court/jail.
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Very close but not the same...with interconnects you spend the money and your expectation bias hears the improvement, with fuel economy tweaks you spend the money and your expectation bias subconsciously alters your driving style producing a fuel economy improvement unrelated to the tweaks.
I don't think my driving style will ever be the fuel economy type. Actually I enjoy the increased performance. My criteria is clear on fuel economy gadgets, return of investment in a year without losing driving performance. For performance enhancement gadgets, improved driving experience with no clear increase in fuel consumption. So there is really a narrow range of options on hand to work with. The first one I noticed when switching to a particular spark plug on a SAAB Turbo, been using them for at least 15 years on different cars since. I really can't say the same for audio stuff.
Yes, when you know those very small and short traces effect performance, you swear by it. But there is still a whole range of other technology to explore. I think focusing on the same things others have been doing for decades really does not give ground breaking results. Basically, you have to look at the technology and figure out why after so many decades, audio has not improved like other technology, pretty much in the same old hole striving for the same old figures on paper. What you want is a clear relation between measured performance and perceived performance.
Last year I visited an audio show in China and lisned to a friends system on display which had his own modded Quad speakers and his own amplifiers and players. I felt the system was so revealing that I asked to swap his interconnects out and listen to mine on his system, we were open minded to do that right at the show regardless who were around. In the end, I did hear the limitation of my interconnects that corresponded with my measured prediction which was also noted on the info page. I did not received such open mindedness during a visit in the US. The different mentality is whether you wish to seek true improved experience or whether you are in the "win or lose" mentality.
Lots of ideas in the phone and computer area I chose to provide to Apple for free, the reward was I got some 80% of the features I wanted over the years. I did not have to provide technical details, but their technical people got the idea and ran with the ball.
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Yes, when you know those very small and short traces effect performance, you swear by it. But there is still a whole range of other technology to explore. I think focusing on the same things others have been doing for decades really does not give ground breaking results. Basically, you have to look at the technology and figure out why after so many decades, audio has not improved like other technology, pretty much in the same old hole striving for the same old figures on paper. What you want is a clear relation between measured performance and perceived performance.
Last year I visited an audio show in China and lisned to a friends system on display which had his own modded Quad speakers and his own amplifiers and players. I felt the system was so revealing that I asked to swap his interconnects out and listen to mine on his system, we were open minded to do that right at the show regardless who were around. In the end, I did hear the limitation of my interconnects that corresponded with my measured prediction which was also noted on the info page. I did not received such open mindedness during a visit in the US. The different mentality is whether you wish to seek true improved experience or whether you are in the "win or lose" mentality.
Lots of ideas in the phone and computer area I chose to provide to Apple for free, the reward was I got some 80% of the features I wanted over the years. I did not have to provide technical details, but their technical people got the idea and ran with the ball.
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The post-inductor feedback topology that Bruno uses is state of the art. That's what drives the performance of the Hypex modules. He holds the patent on that... Until that expires Hypex will be the name of the game in low-THD Class D.
Tom, are you ready for Modulus-D? Best in class, done right, with lowest THD Class D amplifier.
I think it would be a great addition to your amps family.
It is really hard to find good quality well build Class D amp. The only one I would buy without doubts would be one from neurochrome
What do you think, Tom?
I've measured and heard the NC400. (Thanks Anand!) I doubt I can improve on it. Besides my switching knowledge is coming up on two decades old now, so it'd be a significant undertaking for me to come up to speed and make a significant improvement on what Bruno/Hypex has brought to market. The Hypex modules are silly inexpensive for what you get. Why not just shop there?
I think a class D module at the Hypex performance level would be a cool design challenge. I could even see some fun in a project that takes one of the many Class D chips and wrings the best out of it. I would not be able to beat Hypex with that approach, but it would be a fun challenge. Whether it'd be worth the effort, additional test equipment purchases, etc. needed to complete such a project is another matter. I'll stay in Class A or AB for now. I have a few other trees that I need to bark up first. Gotta make money and keep the lights on, otherwise there won't be a Neurochrome tomorrow. Such is life.
Tom
Yep. Human cognition is a wonderful thing.
While I do think the discussion of fuel economy tweaks is interesting, I do believe it's pretty far off topic - even in the guise of being an analogy for interconnects. I'll happily join you in the lounge for further discussion should you choose to start a thread there.
Tom
The best class D amp I have listed to was the Tact Millennium. I think taking out a DAC stage was a neat idea, never could figure out why others did not follow. The NCD created by a member here did have a design which allowed for selection between post or pre filter feedback.
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Electrostatic drivers... Hadn't considered those. I poked around a bit. $5k, 1+ kV swing ... sss... Yeah. The money is there. It's a very risky project, though. It's one thing if my amp kills somebody's expensive headphones. It's a completely different thing if my amp kills the end user. Interesting idea, though. Thanks. I'll let it rattle around in my brain for a bit.
Tom
Tom
Thanks guys. I did not know of NC400 Hypex existence until now. Silly inexpensive indeed
This came up in the LM3886DR build thread (thanks, Speedskater):
Henry Ott, "Balanced vs Unbalanced Audio Interconnections".
It's a pretty straight-forward read. Recommended reading for those wondering about the benefits of differential interconnects.
Tom
Henry Ott, "Balanced vs Unbalanced Audio Interconnections".
It's a pretty straight-forward read. Recommended reading for those wondering about the benefits of differential interconnects.
Tom
That's a full market though. Kevin Gilmore has knocked out a number of fairly serious designs for STAX phones over on Head-case.org . I will eventually build one for my Koss ESP/950 where eventually is hopefully before retirement
I added a section to my Taming the LM3886 series describing my rationale for my supply voltage recommendations, how much power you can expect from the LM3886, and the impact of parallel, bridge, and bridge-parallel operation. The text is probably still a bit rough around the edges but the content is there. I'll make another editing pass tomorrow with my morning coffee. Enjoy.
Taming the LM3886: Output Power
Tom
Taming the LM3886: Output Power
Tom
Next Mod86
With this two channel Mod86 amp, I decided to have Internal heat sinks. I like to make the chassis from wood. I drilled several large holes on the top, bottom and sides of the wood surrounding fins of the heatsinks. I've put feet on it since this photo. Still have some wiring to do. I think it looks odd, but it's growing on me.
With this two channel Mod86 amp, I decided to have Internal heat sinks. I like to make the chassis from wood. I drilled several large holes on the top, bottom and sides of the wood surrounding fins of the heatsinks. I've put feet on it since this photo. Still have some wiring to do. I think it looks odd, but it's growing on me.
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