Not much info on these so thought a quick 1st impressions might be useful. I have powered my 'Unibuff' with a 30va Toroid @15v through a generic rectifier/regulator using decent parts like nichicon 3x1000uf smoothing caps and schotty diodes. I don't really like the screw clamp connectors and have direct soldered to the bottom of the board. I'm running balanced in via 20K 4 gang pot and using balanced out for main and SE to subwoofer. (both work simultaneously).
The noise floor is inaudible.
There is little or no effect on timbre vs running passive.
I do think I detect a smoother treble, and also a better control of sibilance - though suspect this is down to improved matching through my system rather than unibuf 'adding' anything. (Was Running Ares direct to NC400).
Dynamics are not much different (do i detect some extra punch?), and do I detect some soundstage refinement in depth, and location? - I think so, the take-away being no detriment here imo. Another finding has mooted running the unibuf with some gain (I am currently 1;1) has given livelier dynamics. (just add resistors in pre drilled locations)
Overall; I find this is indeed a 'transparent' circuit, and an easy route to creating a quality (and silent!) preamp.
The noise floor is inaudible.
There is little or no effect on timbre vs running passive.
I do think I detect a smoother treble, and also a better control of sibilance - though suspect this is down to improved matching through my system rather than unibuf 'adding' anything. (Was Running Ares direct to NC400).
Dynamics are not much different (do i detect some extra punch?), and do I detect some soundstage refinement in depth, and location? - I think so, the take-away being no detriment here imo. Another finding has mooted running the unibuf with some gain (I am currently 1;1) has given livelier dynamics. (just add resistors in pre drilled locations)
Overall; I find this is indeed a 'transparent' circuit, and an easy route to creating a quality (and silent!) preamp.
The distortion is ultra-low and the gain flatness is +/-0.1dB, completely beyond human detection, so you definitely aren't hearing any difference in treble smoothness or siblence, dynamics or anything like that, unless the unit is faulty. If you can figure out a way to switch it in and out robotically so you can run randomized ABX tests, then you will be able to convince yourself of this 🙂
Its a nice looking module, very high spec chips. I presume it came with the terminal strips pre-soldered (perhaps it would be better if they weren't pre-soldered but came in the bag - that might be more flexible - but they are selling to people without soldering experience so I guess it makes sense). There are some clever spring terminals these days that you just poke a wire in - might be nicer.
Nomenclature aside:
Mr Schottky might prefer you spell his name right! Farads are F, not f, volts are V not v, amps are A not a. the prefix for 1000 is k not K. I think you've got the full set of prefixes and symbols and names wrongly capitalized there, full house! 🙂
Its a nice looking module, very high spec chips. I presume it came with the terminal strips pre-soldered (perhaps it would be better if they weren't pre-soldered but came in the bag - that might be more flexible - but they are selling to people without soldering experience so I guess it makes sense). There are some clever spring terminals these days that you just poke a wire in - might be nicer.
Nomenclature aside:
Mr Schottky might prefer you spell his name right! Farads are F, not f, volts are V not v, amps are A not a. the prefix for 1000 is k not K. I think you've got the full set of prefixes and symbols and names wrongly capitalized there, full house! 🙂
Apologies for incorrect symbols - I'm a mere tinkerer just trying to have a go. (I can write an orchestral score however!).
I understand Ares doesn't have a true output stage, and has a high Zout @ 1k - am also comparing it to running ares driving mains from xlr and sub from se on ares - they are not advised to be used together, so taking away these 'problems' could have had the benefit(?) Yes, Terminals were pre-soldered.
I understand Ares doesn't have a true output stage, and has a high Zout @ 1k - am also comparing it to running ares driving mains from xlr and sub from se on ares - they are not advised to be used together, so taking away these 'problems' could have had the benefit(?) Yes, Terminals were pre-soldered.
Thanks to OP for writing. The Universal Buffer was indeed designed to be completely transparent.
It's impossible to make everybody happy when it comes to connectors. Some will want to solder directly. They will want a different hole diameter than the one provided. I believe this is true regardless of which hole diameter is used. Others prefer connectors, but not the connectors provided. This will be true regardless of which connector is provided.
I opted for the screw terminals because they work well and can be used by anybody who has the ability to strip the insulation off a piece of wire and turn a screwdriver.
Those who prefer to solder directly can always solder to the bottom of the board as OP did.
The spring clamp terminal blocks are generally not so friendly to finely stranded wire and twisted wire shields, so they would not be my first choice in an audio circuit. (See! Regardless of which connector you choose, someone won't like it. 🙂)
Heh. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with that neurosis. 🙂
I would further establish my geekdom by pointing out that the plural 's' and the capital initial are dropped on the units named after some old white guy. So it's one ampere or 1000 ampere. Not 1000 Amperes. Same with hertz. It's 100 hertz ... and one hertz. Not one hert (which is surprisingly common in North America).
Tom
It's impossible to make everybody happy when it comes to connectors. Some will want to solder directly. They will want a different hole diameter than the one provided. I believe this is true regardless of which hole diameter is used. Others prefer connectors, but not the connectors provided. This will be true regardless of which connector is provided.
I opted for the screw terminals because they work well and can be used by anybody who has the ability to strip the insulation off a piece of wire and turn a screwdriver.
Those who prefer to solder directly can always solder to the bottom of the board as OP did.
The spring clamp terminal blocks are generally not so friendly to finely stranded wire and twisted wire shields, so they would not be my first choice in an audio circuit. (See! Regardless of which connector you choose, someone won't like it. 🙂)
Heh. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with that neurosis. 🙂
I would further establish my geekdom by pointing out that the plural 's' and the capital initial are dropped on the units named after some old white guy. So it's one ampere or 1000 ampere. Not 1000 Amperes. Same with hertz. It's 100 hertz ... and one hertz. Not one hert (which is surprisingly common in North America).
Tom
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Nah... The units are still ampere and volt. The variables representing voltages are commonly upper case for DC values and lower case for AC values, but that's different.
Tom
Tom
You have confused the unit with the variables used to describe a circuit, these are not the same thing at all.
When you write a concrete measurement (or prediction of a measurement) down of any physical quantity, you use a numeric value and a unit, optionally with a prefix, like 3.4nV or -7.3A, but this is nothing to do with mathematical variables in a circuit network description which are abstract variables used in algebra (you are free to choose any variable names you like!). The V in V=IR is not a volt, its a variable standing in for a potential difference (*). Neither is the R a röntgen, its a variable representing electrical resistance!
Its common for current variables to be i, I, and potential difference variables to be either v, V or u, U or e, E. That one possible ambiguity of the variable V being confused for a unit has to be lived with alas - context usually solves this, but it can catch you out, as in "V2 = 3 V". Is that 3 volts or three times the variable V?
The units/prefixes have their capitalization explicitly defined, (with only two common deviations from the rules that I know of, namely "amp" short for "ampere", and "u" instead of "µ".)
(*) voltage is a common colloquilism for either "(electrical) potential difference" or sometimes "(electrical) potential". Sometimes you see p.d. written for the former.
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Balanced and rca outputs simultaneously! Thank you. That is exactly the info I was looking for.
Tom, would it be ok to have balanced and two pairs of rca outputs? I’m currently using two pairs of se monoblocks. One for main speakers and the other for stereo subs.
There’s a pair of balanced monoblocks I’ve been eyeballing as an alternative to my tube amps.
Tom, would it be ok to have balanced and two pairs of rca outputs? I’m currently using two pairs of se monoblocks. One for main speakers and the other for stereo subs.
There’s a pair of balanced monoblocks I’ve been eyeballing as an alternative to my tube amps.