"...the best preamplifier ever made" says Mr. David Price, Hi-Fi- World

[jleaman]

Originally Posted by Peter Daniel

I already have 3 of them (although built differently), don't need another one

You have 3 of the units that cost 7900$ ? LOL.


how come no response to the chassis question.

[Peter Daniel]

didn't I say 'built differently'?

I always miss checking Forum mail. Talking about chassis, this is how Sowther TVC version looks like in that chassis (with remote and balance controls):

[georgehifi]

Originally Posted by Peter Daniel

George I didn't catch it initially, did you actually compared the new Reference model?

The one they compared, was this one they sent me the link to. They said it was veiled in comparison and lacked the detail and dynamics of the Lightspeed Attenuator.

Hi]Hi Fi Guy - Hi Fi Guy Products - Category - Pre-Amplifier - Music First Reference

I say no wonder look at all the switch contacts in the one you posted, not to mention the couple of hundred meters of fine wire the signal has to run through inside the transformers, this is what the Lightspeed Attenuator is all about, no contacts between cdp and poweramp, just one soldered resistor per channel.


Cheers George

[analog_sa]

Originally Posted by georgehifi

I say no wonder look at all the switch contacts in the one you posted

Interesting remark. I find these particular switches as transparent as anything.

[georgehifi]

Originally Posted by analog_sa

Interesting remark. I find these particular switches as transparent as anything.

Yes but not as transparent as no contacts!
Look at the wiper arm of those switches, they have to be dished to be able to ride up from contact to contact, this means a surface area of a couple of thou, and there's three of them per channel, and they would have to be also very light pressure as not to wear out the (soft) arm itself or the (soft) contacts, I say (soft) as that's what is the best metal conductor, brass/copper or gold plated brass or similar, then there is the lubricant used to let them slide.
And if that's not the problem you have hundreds of meters of hair thin wire for the poor signal to travel along in those transformers, you may as well have interconnects 100 mts long.

KISS
Beauty for sound quality is not in how a mechanical device looks with all it's glitz and glamour, but in how it behaves under the fast rise time of real music signal. And for that no contacts are the best.

Cheers George

[merlin el mago]

I own a Shallco with remote control with all Shinkoh resistors in an Erno Borbely Balanced Line-Amp & I can assure is the best switches ever made.

Right LDR have no contacts, that's a good issue but there is other importants issues like: what about LDR noise, I heard bad comments about this?

I agree that TVC have a lot of cables & for this reason an anothers that I dislike TVCs with or without gain but is really a good alternative for guys without vinyl the TVCs with 6 dBs gain is enough to send the signal to the amps but I prefer also in this case the Shallco with Shinkoh over the TVCs with gain.

Another big issues is the price: switch + resistor is more affordable than goods TVCs.

Merlin El Mago

[georgehifi]

Originally Posted by merlin el mago

Right LDR have no contacts, that's a good issue but there is other importants issues like: what about LDR noise, I heard bad comments about this?

Merlin El Mago

I don't were you got this information or heard it.
This is one of the Lightspeed Attenuator's hallmarks, an absolute lack of background noise, it has the blackest background you will (not) hear.

The Lightspeed Attenuator as I supply them has less measured noise than my top end Tektronics scope can measure, and that is 10uV, which is quieter than any pre I have measured.
This is why the power supply in my production Lightspeed Attenuator has first, a 12vdc regulated "linear" wall wart supply and then a 5vdc regulated internal supply.
Sure if some of the DIYer's start using smp supplies these are going to be nosier, as far as I'm concerned smp supplies have no place in this application, or any other high end audiophile product.

Cheers George

[jleaman]

Originally Posted by georgehifi

I don't were you got this information or heard it.
This is one of the Lightspeed Attenuator's hallmarks, an absolute lack of background noise, it has the blackest background you will (not) hear.

The Lightspeed Attenuator as I supply them has less measured noise than my top end Tektronics scope can measure, and that is 10uV, which is quieter than any pre I have measured.
This is why the power supply in my production Lightspeed Attenuator has first, a 12vdc regulated "linear" wall wart supply and then a 5vdc regulated internal supply.
Sure if some of the DIYer's start using smp supplies these are going to be nosier, as far as I'm concerned smp supplies have no place in this application, or any other high end audiophile product.

Cheers George

Well said, and Couldn't agree more.!

[Peter Daniel]

Originally Posted by georgehifi

Yes but not as transparent as no contacts!
Look at the wiper arm of those switches, they have to be dished to be able to ride up from contact to contact, this means a surface area of a couple of thou, and there's three of them per channel, and they would have to be also very light pressure as not to wear out the (soft) arm itself or the (soft) contacts, I say (soft) as that's what is the best metal conductor, brass/copper or gold plated brass or similar, then there is the lubricant used to let them slide.
And if that's not the problem you have hundreds of meters of hair thin wire for the poor signal to travel along in those transformers, you may as well have interconnects 100 mts long.

Well, even with Lightspeed, you still need a switch for source selecting and you can't eliminate RCA connectors unless you solder cables directly, so complaining here about contacts is rather out of place.

And how about 100 of mts of wire in speaker crossover coils, not to mention transformers in PS of active electronics

I did actually compare TVC to direct connection (no attenuator at all) and in my experience there was no obvious sound degradation.

[Zen Mod]

well ...... I made some comparisons between commercial made AVCs , TVCs and PSM lightspeed .

all I can say is - to each his own . differences are matter of taste .

xformers have own virtues , PSM LS is brutal in resolution and transparency , but I can't say that one is better than other .

matter of taste .

edit : just read what PD wrote ;
not as plus for LS camp , because I'm not in any camp here - it's easy to make awesome selector with LDRs ;
even minimum resistance , residual in LDR by construction , is lesser evil than mechanical contact .... be it gold on gold or even some unobtanium .