The life span of optocouplers can easily be found and as I mentioned it is limited. There is no false information that I posted. There is however questionable information that you have put forth. The only thing you have going for you is your limited fan club. Any major audio magazine write ups?
I dare say no.
As for adding one of your units to my system..... I don't think so. My system is composed of good performing equipment. To muck it up with something that is extremely questionable would be a bad choice.
So therefore surely this misinformation -therefore FUD you are persisting in, must apply, to all the other DIY audio threads that use LDR's. ?
I am looking forward to your posts at each.
My unit uses less than half the current of others, and as I have said i stand by my product with its reliability and provision of customer service.
I look forward to providing reviews, but for the time being re read Post 1
and these threads
Comparison Lightspeed DIY LDR Pre VS Stereo Coffee DIY - DIY Audio Projects - StereoNET
Stereo Coffee preamp build- Vinyl Engine
Good points.
Incredible value for money.
A number of purchase options.
Quiet as a mouse, no hum, buzzing etc of any kind.
Stunning sound quality, transparent and open when it all comes together (pre/power speaker combo)
Chris Daly is passionate about this product and a pleasure to deal with.
I also think Chris may construct bits for you but that wasn't my bag so im not sure.
Bad points
None really. Being pedantic its a more complex design than a simple pot/selector switch device.
Some confusion when its only e mail comms can occur but that's the world we live in and if it weren't for T'web none of us would be here anyway.
There is more to go wrong so unsure what will happen but if Chris is around im sure it could be worked around.
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Gee, seems like you've cherry picked a few points to substantiate your opinon, disregarding anything else.
All of which is fine, it's your choice.
But if you really have interest in the subject, have you looked beyond the primary posts here? There are other choices for LED volume controls. Have you looked at any of the Lightspeed options, George's and the diy versions? You mentioned discussions with an EE and I posted about Mort, the Tortuga guy, but maybe you missed that post. The Tortuga's get around some of the concerns you've raised.
Then again, if cheapest cost option is the primary concern, a low cost potentiometer is hard to beat. And pcX has a big sale on this month and special offers this weekend to help you minimize the cost. I use an Alps potentiometer I got there in the living room amp and it works fine for casual listening.
Great post, yes there are many ways of doing LDR attenuators, depending on your needs each has merit. Ideally try them all. and let us know which you prefer and why 🙂
Again my name is brought into this BS, and for starters they are not LED volume controls.
PLEASE don't miss quote Morten, he has not claimed to have "re-invented the wheel" with some BS way to power the LED component, like has been spruiked here, and backed by "don't know it all's".
What Morten has done, is to forgo matching of the LDR component that I do, and to electronically "force match" the LDR's, so there is no labor consuming matching involved, which is the main labor cost in the way I do it.
But it shouldn't really be called a passive preamp using this arrangement, as there is an active circuit attach to the LDR's (sort of feedback) to monitor the LDR'd impedance's and electronically force match them.
The purest way is to quad match each of the LDR's first.
And to power the LED's with a low noise supply or rechargeable Li-Ion Battery you cannot tell the difference. Any other way of complicated powering of the LED is pure BS, as the LDR's response time to any LED light change (high or low frequency) is so slow, they are self damped and immune to it, and they laugh it off as if it wasn't even there. A knucklehead with basic ee skills can see this. LOOK AT AND MEASURE THEIR RESPONSE TIME TO ANY LIGHT CHANGE!!
Cheers George
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There are many ways of doing LDR's , not just one way.
Despite some saying there is no difference, there are many
differences with how your music ends up being actually heard.
Exploring the many different approaches, ( each being thousands of hours of design from those providing LDR attenuators,involving many choices of components, all with different characteristics ) and then choosing by listening, which actually sounds best with your music and your partnering equipment, is the correct direction to take.
Over to Marco:
The basics of Ethos
"Why we use our ears to judge all things 'hi-fi'
I'm adding this to our Ethos as I feel that it sums up how we on AOS view the judgement of hi-fi equipment and its associated ancillaries, in reference to the oft raised measurements v. 'using one's ears' debate...
We would gladly use science automatically as the benchmark to judge all things hi-fi, if we felt that it provided all the answers necessary. It would certainly be much easier having an 'undisputable reference' as one's basis for judgement. But it's the grey areas that bother us.
Quite clearly, science can't currently provide all the answers in audio, certainly as far as measuring how equipment and its associated ancillaries treats music signals, and ascertaining how humans process recorded musical information, via our ears and brain. Therefore grey areas exist because we are not robots, and so when listening to music, our brains aren't programmed to respond in a specific way to known audio measurement parameters... The fact is, we do not listen to music in the same way as scientific apparatus measures sound waves.
If such apparatus could measure how we as humans listen to and appreciate music, then measurements would be truly meaningful and embraced wholeheartedly by music enthusiasts and audiophiles alike. That is why audio/music enthusiasts, like those on AOS, will always trust their ears more than any scientific tests or measurements, because what can currently be measured scientifically just doesn't tell the whole story.
Until the day comes when tests and measurements unequivocally provide all the answers, we will happily continue using our discerning ears which for us are infinitely more accurate and reliable in ascertaining what really matters in hi-fi (and subsequently in our enjoyment of music), especially in those all-important grey areas... It's often the small details or 'grey areas' that make the most significant difference, and thus are ultimately of most significance!
Marco."
Despite some saying there is no difference, there are many
differences with how your music ends up being actually heard.
Exploring the many different approaches, ( each being thousands of hours of design from those providing LDR attenuators,involving many choices of components, all with different characteristics ) and then choosing by listening, which actually sounds best with your music and your partnering equipment, is the correct direction to take.
Over to Marco:
The basics of Ethos
"Why we use our ears to judge all things 'hi-fi'
I'm adding this to our Ethos as I feel that it sums up how we on AOS view the judgement of hi-fi equipment and its associated ancillaries, in reference to the oft raised measurements v. 'using one's ears' debate...
We would gladly use science automatically as the benchmark to judge all things hi-fi, if we felt that it provided all the answers necessary. It would certainly be much easier having an 'undisputable reference' as one's basis for judgement. But it's the grey areas that bother us.
Quite clearly, science can't currently provide all the answers in audio, certainly as far as measuring how equipment and its associated ancillaries treats music signals, and ascertaining how humans process recorded musical information, via our ears and brain. Therefore grey areas exist because we are not robots, and so when listening to music, our brains aren't programmed to respond in a specific way to known audio measurement parameters... The fact is, we do not listen to music in the same way as scientific apparatus measures sound waves.
If such apparatus could measure how we as humans listen to and appreciate music, then measurements would be truly meaningful and embraced wholeheartedly by music enthusiasts and audiophiles alike. That is why audio/music enthusiasts, like those on AOS, will always trust their ears more than any scientific tests or measurements, because what can currently be measured scientifically just doesn't tell the whole story.
Until the day comes when tests and measurements unequivocally provide all the answers, we will happily continue using our discerning ears which for us are infinitely more accurate and reliable in ascertaining what really matters in hi-fi (and subsequently in our enjoyment of music), especially in those all-important grey areas... It's often the small details or 'grey areas' that make the most significant difference, and thus are ultimately of most significance!
Marco."
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Ya missed that boat, as there already here.
Really, you believe in mains fuses being directional as well?.
Fuse in the wrong direction? | Audiogon Discussion Forum
Cheers George
Shop — Java Hi-Fi
Appears stereo coffee has spun into java hifi.
I think you’re referring to the stereo coffee kit.
Presumably same internals, nicer box.
What a shame you don't do any research then you wouldn't make so many mistakes.
You don't know even know what equipment you are criticising.
The JAVA has nothing to do with Chris. It is an independent business apart from them commissioning him to design their first boards. Just goes to show how biased you are. You are so consumed by the red mist of your anger that you make mistakes.
As a matter of interest what are your audio/electronics qualifications and what DIY projects or equipment have you designed or built?
Why do you have a vested interest in defaming Chris and destroying his service to DIY enthusiasts? How about putting your cards on the table and coming out of the shadows and stop sniping.
Your criticism carries no credence because you have never heard any LDR passive preamp let alone a StereoCoffee.
Standard 'true believer' FUD; contains just enough truth to put people off the scent. Used by most people who wish to sell audio with a good story; whether the story is true or not is dismissed as being too scientific.
I wonder what would happen when the supposed immeasurable mystery ingredient was discovered, actually no I don't..... I already know 😉
I figured out why the LED volume control seems to be better. I went to the garage yesterday and unhooked my Aikido line stage and hooked the CD player direct to my pair of Allen model 75 tube amps and connected up my little Altec model 9's. The result was amazing. The bass was so much better at lower volume. The Allen Bradley gain control pot in each amp was my only method of changing the volume level. The magic was once restored to my system.
Its funny how explanations like that one were common with Chris's magical little LED volume control. Actually to the uninformed this would be their first thoughts. Once again connecting the Aikido to the Allens they sounded wonderful. I had conditioned myself to think the lack of a gain stage was going to result in a wonderful better sound. There was actually no difference or very slight at most.
My point is that with enough snake oil one can condition the buyers of a product to expect a remarkable difference when in reality there is no difference as its only in the mind.
Chis I applaud your abilities to snow the uninformed uneducated general public into thinking and expecting remarkable differences between your product and decent line stages and or volume controls. I don't respect your calling yourself an engineer/audio engineer or whatever because at that point you have grasped peoples trust with them thinking that you actually know what the hell you are doing. Your comments in the earlier pages of this thread and your corrupt ideas on electronic circuits should have you drummed out of the audio community.
I will continue to be a non-supporter of this abomination. George I can respect because he pioneered an idea using a few optical sensors and light sources and worked that into a platform that yealds favorable operation and results. Even Nelson Pass in his B1 used a version of Georges work. You however have done nothing but copy another's work incorporated ideas from the optocouplers engineering data and called it special. The phrase a sucker is born every minute is attributed to PT Barnum I believe but it should apply to you. So, good luck on that patent you mentioned getting a few years back in that Aussie DIY forum as this was probably another way to drum up business.
Its funny how explanations like that one were common with Chris's magical little LED volume control. Actually to the uninformed this would be their first thoughts. Once again connecting the Aikido to the Allens they sounded wonderful. I had conditioned myself to think the lack of a gain stage was going to result in a wonderful better sound. There was actually no difference or very slight at most.
My point is that with enough snake oil one can condition the buyers of a product to expect a remarkable difference when in reality there is no difference as its only in the mind.
Chis I applaud your abilities to snow the uninformed uneducated general public into thinking and expecting remarkable differences between your product and decent line stages and or volume controls. I don't respect your calling yourself an engineer/audio engineer or whatever because at that point you have grasped peoples trust with them thinking that you actually know what the hell you are doing. Your comments in the earlier pages of this thread and your corrupt ideas on electronic circuits should have you drummed out of the audio community.
I will continue to be a non-supporter of this abomination. George I can respect because he pioneered an idea using a few optical sensors and light sources and worked that into a platform that yealds favorable operation and results. Even Nelson Pass in his B1 used a version of Georges work. You however have done nothing but copy another's work incorporated ideas from the optocouplers engineering data and called it special. The phrase a sucker is born every minute is attributed to PT Barnum I believe but it should apply to you. So, good luck on that patent you mentioned getting a few years back in that Aussie DIY forum as this was probably another way to drum up business.
The beginning piece of this conversation might illuminate for you why I do not trust eye / ear - witness testimony:
YouTube
heresy is the only thing going for the coffee passive unit. There are no published reports by audio magazines only accounts by his friends.
I would be very happy for any of the leading magazines to a review - where a built unit is submitted free to them for testing.
The politics of audio magazines though, are highly complex, sadly not as I see presently supporting the DIY community at all. It would be nice if the magazines did this , don't you think ?
A forum though in the UK is poised to do a review- here LDR preamp build - Page 3
Your assertions that the people already highly praising my efforts at providing a DIY kit, have personal association with me has already been pointed out
on at least two occasions ,as entirely wrong.
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Thanks for that, and here is the version Nelson Pass kindly designed for the Lightspeed to drive lower impedance (10kohm) poweramps of his that some of my customers were using.
It would be interesting for a non biased person to see how close the Coffee version is to Nelson Pass's version if you omit the yellow circled B1 buffer stage and stacked? LDR's, because Nelson copy protects everything he does.
Cheers George
Attachments
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Yet another hi fi forum thread. Still absolutely no proof. What don't you understand about this? Still nothing but snake oil.
You need to see that glossy magazines, are just that - mainly gloss. That massive amounts thrown at a project for marketing, is not what DIY is about,
which is why it receives zero support from magazines.
Yet DIY is where the most exciting projects are, often miles ahead of anything offered in magazines, simply because effort goes into the design at a dedication and passionate level, something the larger glossys will never understand.
Most people involved in DIY are like me, simply doing the best they can with the resources they have. 🙂
I guess you can make anything out of it that you would like. Example might be your famous pass transistors in your opamp circuits. Now, thats engineering skill.
Back to those glossy magazines..
Generally the magazines take an in depth look at the product but then again they just might make sense or maybe I should say non-sense out of your power supply circuit. Sometimes Chris people need to fear the truth especially when the true BS could be exposed.
Hell, for ships and grins why not post that power supply circuit. If your right and I'm wrong I'll be the first to admit it. I'd down right buy one just to tear it apart to back engineer it but then again I'd just be adding to your profit margin. If its as good as you say then take me up on my offer to evaluate it. I'll bet George wouldn't have a problem.
Back to those glossy magazines..
Generally the magazines take an in depth look at the product but then again they just might make sense or maybe I should say non-sense out of your power supply circuit. Sometimes Chris people need to fear the truth especially when the true BS could be exposed.
Hell, for ships and grins why not post that power supply circuit. If your right and I'm wrong I'll be the first to admit it. I'd down right buy one just to tear it apart to back engineer it but then again I'd just be adding to your profit margin. If its as good as you say then take me up on my offer to evaluate it. I'll bet George wouldn't have a problem.
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