Professor smith said:
The problem is everybody is gving out different answers, and then when I try to follow up a particular response, the person no longer replies.
Yes the caps are about 450v. To be honest if they were clearly marked, then I wouldnt have such trouble knowing what the values were.
I'm not accusing anyone, it's just that I really feel I'm not getting the right response which is why I questioned if I'm on the right site.
If ONE person could talk me through things and answer my questions one by one, that would be helpful to me.
The thing is, my question wasn't answered as to why star grounding should play any part in this. I'm not getting any humming anymore, just some hissing, and the real problem is the overall sound. The bass and the treble doesnt sound the same as before.
How can it be that poor quality connections or cold solder joints can play any part in bass response or dynamics?
That is a problem with such fora as this. Everyone can answer and one can also stop replying.
Maybe you should try to contact one knowledgeable person directly?
Good luck.
Best regds
RK
Professor smith said:
...the person no longer replies.
Yes the caps are about 450v. To be honest if they were clearly marked, then I wouldnt have such trouble knowing what the values were.
... just some hissing, and the real problem is the overall sound.
How can it be that poor quality connections or cold solder joints can play any part in bass response or dynamics?
--Okay, make you a deal...you scoot your behumpus over here and change my twin boys' diapers whilst I look at that circuit. I do what I can, when I can. I also happen to be rather busy surfing the stock market at the moment, trying to make a penny or two. In case you haven't noticed, surf's up over here. When the waves start moving, I grab my surfboard. For better or worse, those things take precedence over DIY. For that matter, I also like to get at least four or five hours or sleep per night, though I don't always manage (and yes, I've been known to get cranky when I'm short on sleep).
My willingness to make suggestions also depends on the attitude of the ask-er.
--About? Clearly marked? As Winne the Pooh says, "Oh, dearie, dearie me." They are clearly marked.
Just for the record, you don't need 450V parts for this circuit.
--Hissing? Mayday! Mayday! Oscillation alert!
--Quit arguing and fix the bloody thing, fer crying out loud. Jeez! People have offered possible answers and all you do is argue.
Oi!
Grey
There IS grounding to case actually, thats why I didnt bother to connect the ground to the RCA tab ground.
I don't claim to be an expert, but let me attempt to answer your question simply.But this is the thing I dont really see how star grounding as opposed to just connecting it any way, would make a difference in bass or treble harshness?
The contact ground through an RCA connector potentially forms a dissimilar metal diode at the input or your line stage. This could act as a detector for radio interference. This would magnify the tendency for the ultra-wide band FET's to oscillate many fold.
This would also add distortion, inject noise and generally lower the sound quality.
Because of the properties of aluminum, I would never consider using an aluminum chassis as a ground plane. Any exposed aluminum oxidises quickly. The voltage difference is almost 2V for an aluminum to copper. This can form a battery at reasonable levels of humidity and current and corrode quickly. In practice, I can't see a way to implement a gas tight connection.
HTH
Doug Lockwood
so you are using aluminium casing like me. Is the chassis connected to ground and is the casing of the volume pot connected to the ground?
I'm not sure if it should be or not.
I'm not sure if it should be or not.
How is the circuit board held in place? It looks like it could be pushed out of place since it appears that it is being held by the adjustable bars.
Hi Mr. Smith,
the Chassis is directly connected to circuit ground, the casing of the volume pot too as it is screwed to the chassis. The pcb cannot move, the bars are screwed to the aluminium profiles.
Regards, Jürgen
the Chassis is directly connected to circuit ground, the casing of the volume pot too as it is screwed to the chassis. The pcb cannot move, the bars are screwed to the aluminium profiles.
Regards, Jürgen
Prof. Smith,
look carefully at picture posted by pozo1992. You'll see that his RCA connectors are isolated from chassis and connected to circuit ground by wire (see the blue wires in upper row for example). So chassis is grounded by separate wire, but it is not carrying the circuit ground connection. That's the way you do it.
look carefully at picture posted by pozo1992. You'll see that his RCA connectors are isolated from chassis and connected to circuit ground by wire (see the blue wires in upper row for example). So chassis is grounded by separate wire, but it is not carrying the circuit ground connection. That's the way you do it.
Professor smith said:
Why are the tracks so thin and the traces of the holes so thin?
They look fragile.
And why did you choose to do double sided?
Will somebody please slip this guy a Quaalude?
Quit trying to argue!
If you don't want to buy the boards, then don't. It's that simple. If you do, then quit yer bitchin'.
Or you could devote a little time to researching the current carrying capabilities of copper traces, then consider the fact that this is a preamp, not a power amp.
Oi!
You're not doing your karma any good...
Grey
................... the professor behaves more like a spoilt student! 🙄
Some measure of humility might get him some answers...........but then again ............
Jam
Some measure of humility might get him some answers...........but then again ............
Jam
The style is the man himself.
Woe, Grey!
All of my respect yours, all than man, all than diy authentic!
I would not like to hurt you even accidentally.
Not misunderstand, but you did not have a headache just when you wrote this?
"Will somebody please slip this guy a Quaalude?
Quit trying to argue!
If you don't want to buy the boards, then don't. It's that simple. If you do, then quit yer *****in'.
Or you could devote a little time to researching the current carrying capabilities of copper traces, then consider the fact that this is a preamp, not a power amp.
Oi!
You're not doing your karma any good...
Grey"
I try to call the attention for this thing here just:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71189&perpage=25&pagenumber=381
Let a back ask unfortunate!
I do not believe even stranger impudence to be heard from his questions.
Gyuri
Woe, Grey!
All of my respect yours, all than man, all than diy authentic!
I would not like to hurt you even accidentally.
Not misunderstand, but you did not have a headache just when you wrote this?
"Will somebody please slip this guy a Quaalude?
Quit trying to argue!
If you don't want to buy the boards, then don't. It's that simple. If you do, then quit yer *****in'.
Or you could devote a little time to researching the current carrying capabilities of copper traces, then consider the fact that this is a preamp, not a power amp.
Oi!
You're not doing your karma any good...
Grey"
I try to call the attention for this thing here just:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71189&perpage=25&pagenumber=381
Let a back ask unfortunate!
I do not believe even stranger impudence to be heard from his questions.
Gyuri
Nelson Pass said:Here's a picture of both sides.
Professor smith said:
Why are the tracks so thin and the traces of the holes so thin?
They look fragile.
And why did you choose to do double sided?
Those track's actually looks very thick, considering the amount of current they will carry.
The proper question would be: Why do you use so thick traces, when they will only carry 10mA current? The thin traces to the solderpads is a concept called solder-releaf, simply meaning that the heat doesnt spread too much to E.G the groundplane when soldering. With the short length of those, track dissipation is next to insignificant. I dont mean to be rude, but maybe you should change your username to Mr. Smith?
🙂
This was at least a somewhat more delicate comment because of that.
I did not expect something else, my friend of you Steenoe!
I hope for it, I may call you it.
I do not expect anything else of somebody else.
And then everybody a small one feels better possibly.
Gyuri
I did not expect something else, my friend of you Steenoe!
I hope for it, I may call you it.
I do not expect anything else of somebody else.
And then everybody a small one feels better possibly.
Gyuri
Gyuri said:This was at least a somewhat more delicate comment because of that.
I did not expect something else, my friend of you Steenoe!
I hope for it, I may call you it.
I do not expect anything else of somebody else.
And then everybody a small one feels better possibly.
Gyuri
I hope that I have nothing but friends, here😉 Ofcourse when dealing with people, it is unavoidable that someone will grow some sort of dislike against you, for one reason or another. The comment I made above, will maybe, maybe not, make the guy dislike me.
The hope and intent, as always, was to correct the guy in a civilized manner, and at the same time give him the answers he needed. Sometimes this forum, is a balance on a knives edge😉
🙂
noelectrix said:
Yes. JT has approx 750 Ohms output imp. I would use it like source to little box with input select (i ´d have to dtudy how to manage the "divided input signal"), Joshua and than B1. This would be a quiet universal Buffer. And maybe for additional gain (for F5 for example) one could even put some tubegain after it?
or�Esit nonsense
![]()
stefan
P.S: I´m running the B1 with cheap 1€ 50kpot at the moment and maybe my phono pre would not have a problem to drive even Joshuas imp. But just to be shure and sleep tight, i would prefer a higher input imp (and not throwing joshi away)
I used to think the input impedance should be as high as you can get it but now I realise there is no reason for this.
Can anybody here provide evidence for this?
similarly for the output I thought it needs to be close to 0 but I have been told this is a fallacy.
high Zin allows a lower value of DC blocking capacitor, that in turn allows a higher quality capacitor. Eg. PP in lieu of electrolytic.
Professor smith said:
I used to think the input impedance should be as high as you can get it but now I realise there is no reason for this.
Can anybody here provide evidence for this?
similarly for the output I thought it needs to be close to 0 but I have been told this is a fallacy.
The problem is that you seek absolute answers in a relative world, just like people who want the "best" car/wine/woman. You have to take things in context. Best for what? Do you want a car that will carry you comfortably on a long trip or one that will win a quarter-mile race? Do you want that wine with steak or as an after-dinner treat where a dessert wine would be more appropriate? Do you want a woman to scrub your floors or for a night on the town?
Provide evidence for this?
Once again, I will suggest that you reread my earlier post wherein I suggested that you get a good electronics text and read it, but I fear that suggestion fell upon deaf ears.
There is no absolute answer to the high impedance/low impedance question. The fact that you seem to be seeking one is going to lead you to frustration and problems (which if your behavior so far is any indication, you will blame on others) as you forever run from one 'authority' to another. Learn some electronics and make your own decision based on your system requirements.
Sigh...
High Z pros:
--Less load on the source
--(As AndrewT correctly points out) It allows you to use a smaller value, higher quality cap if you're cap-coupling for whatever reason
--Approaches the 'ideal' amplifier more closely, although this is really only of importance to those who are running feedback into that node and can be engineered around if need be
Low Z pros:
--Less noise at the input, although this is arguably a small point for anything but phono stages and high gain preamps (which the B1 is not)
--Wider selection of parts available, possibly cheaper
The output impedance is subject to the same sort of relative considerations.
Etc. etc. etc...
Grey
...........or
IMPEDANCE FAQ
by Bruce Bartlett
Impedance is one of audio's more confusing concepts. To clarify this topic, I'll present a few questions and answers about impedance.
WHAT IS IMPEDANCE?
Impedance (Z) is the resistance of a circuit to alternating current, such as an audio signal. Technically, impedance is the total opposition (including resistance and reactance) that a circuit has to passing alternating current.
A high impedance circuit tends to have high voltage and low current. A low impedance circuit tends to have relatively low voltage and high current.
I'M CONNECTING TWO AUDIO DEVICES. IS IT IMPORTANT TO MATCH THEIR IMPEDANCES? WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T?
First some definitions. When you connect two devices, one is the source and one is the load. The source is the device that puts out a signal. The load is the device you are feeding the signal into. The source has a certain output impedance, and the load has a certain input impedance.
A few decades ago in the vacuum tube era, it was important to match the output impedance of the source to the input impedance of the load. Usually the source and load impedances were both 600 ohms. If the source impedance equals the load impedance, this is called "matching" impedances. It results in maximum POWER transfer from the source to the load. In contrast, suppose the source is low Z and the load is high Z. If the load impedance is 10 times or more the source impedance, it is called a "bridging" impedance. Bridging results in maximum VOLTAGE transfer from the source to the load.
Nowadays, nearly all devices are connected bridging -- low-Z out to high-Z in -- because we want the most voltage transferred between components.
If you connect a low-Z source to a high-Z load, there is no distortion or frequency-response change caused by this connection. But if you connect a high-Z source to a low-Z load, you might get distortion or altered response. For example, suppose you connect an electric bass guitar (a high-Z device) into an XLR-type mic input (a low-Z load). The low frequencies in the signal will roll off, so the bass will sound thin.
We want the bass guitar to be loaded by a high impedance, and we want the mic input to be fed by a low-impedance signal. A direct box or impedance-matching adapter does this. Such adapters are available from Radio Shack.
The adapter is a tube with a phone jack on one end and a male XLR connector on the other. Inside the tube is a transformer. Its primary winding is high Z, wired to the phone jack. The transformer's secondary winding is low Z, wired to the XLR.You plug the guitar cord into the phone jack, and plug the XLR into amic input in a snake or mixer. Use it with a bass guitar, electric guitar, or synth.
This impedance-matching adapter works, but is not ideal. The load it presents to the bass guitar might be 12 kilohms, which will slighly load down the high-Z guitar pickup, causing thin bass.
An active direct box solves this problem. In place of a transformer, the active DI usually has an FET (Field Effect Transistor). The FET has a very high input impedance that does not load down the bass guitar.
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT A MICROPHONE'S IMPEDANCE IS?
Check the impedance spec on the mic's data sheet. A microphone rated at 150 ohms to 300 ohms is considered low impedance. About 600 to 2000 ohms is medium impedance, and 10,000 ohms or more is high impedance. Most mics are low Z, and all mics with XLR (3-pin) connectors are low Z. A low-Z mic can be used with hundreds of feet of cable without picking up hum or losing high frequencies. A medium-Z mic cable is limited to about 40 feet without losses. A high-Z mic will lose highs and pick up hum if the cable exceeds about 10 feet.This high-frequency loss depends on the capacitance of the cable as well as the mic impedance.
I'M CONNECTING A MIC TO A MIXER. IS IMPEDANCE A CONSIDERATION?
Yes. If your mixer has phone-jack inputs, they are probably high Z. But most mics are low Z.When you plug a low-Z mic into a high-Z input you get a weak signal. That's because a high-Z mic input is designed to receive a relatively high voltage from a high-Z mic, and so the input is designed to have low gain. So you don't get much signal amplification.
Solution: Between the mic cable and the input jack, connect an impedance matching adapter. It steps up the voltage of the mic, giving it a stronger signal.The adapter is a tube with a female XLR input and a phone-plug output. Inside the tube is a transformer. Its primary winding is low Z, wired to the XLR. It secondary winding is high Z, wired to the phone plug. Connect the mic to the XLR; connect the phone plug to the mixer's phone jack.Then the mixer will receive a strong signal from the mic. If your mixer has XLR inputs, they are low-Z balanced. In this case, simply connect the mic to the mixer using a mic cable with a female XLR on the mic end and a male XLR on the mixer end. A low-Z mic input is typically about 1500 ohms, so it provides a bridging load to a mic that is 150 to 30 ohms.
HOW ABOUT SPEAKER IMPEDANCE?
Most loudspeakers are 4 or 8 ohms nominal. Actually the impedance varies with frequency. A speaker rated at 8 ohms impedance might range between 4 and 50 ohms, depending on the frequency of the signal. If you connect two identical speakers in parallel, the total impedance is half. For example, two 8-ohm speakers in parallel present a 4-ohm load to a power amplifier. If you connect two identical speakers in series, the total impedance is doubled. Two 8-ohm speakers in series present a 16-ohm load to a power amplifier.
Suppose you have a speaker connected to a power amplifier. Generally, the lower the speaker impedance, the more power you get from the power amp. Some amps can handle a 2-ohm load, but many will overheat. Try to keep the load 4 ohms or higher.
IS A 70-VOLT SYSTEM A HIGH-IMPEDANCE SYSTEM?
Yes. In a 70V system, a power amp is connected to a step-up transformer which raises the amplifier output voltage while decreasing its current. This high-voltage, low-current signal is sent on long cables to a distributed system of many loudspeakers throughout a venue. Since the power is distributed with low current, there is little power loss through the long cables. At each speaker, another transformer steps down the voltage and raises the current. That is, it brings the impedance down to 4 or 8 ohms to match the speaker.
SHOULD I CONSIDER IMPEDANCE WHEN I CONNECT TWO LINE-LEVEL DEVICES?
This is seldom a problem. In most audio devices, the impedance of the line output is low -- about 100 to 1000 ohms. The impedance of the line input is high -- about 10K to 1 Meg ohms. So every connection is bridging, and you get maximum voltage transfer. Some audio devices, such as passive equalizers, require a terminating resistor at the input or output for best performance.
CAN I CONNECT ONE SOURCE TO TWO OR MORE LOADS?
Usually yes.You can connect several devices in parallel across one line output. Suppose you connect a mixer output simultaneously to a recorder input, an amplifier input, and another mixer's input in parallel. The combined input impedance of those three loads might be 4000 ohms, which still presents a bridging load to the mixer's 100-ohm output impedance.
Mics are a different story. If you connect one mic to two or more mixers with a Y cable, the combined input impedance will be about 700 ohms or less. This can load down some microphones, reducing the bass in dynamic mics or causing distortion in condenser mics. One solution is to use a transformer mic splitter.
CAN I CONNECT TWO OR MORE SOURCES TO ONE INPUT?
Not recommended. If you combine two or more sources into a single load, the low output impedance of one source will load down the output of the other source, and vice versa. This can cause level loss and distortion. If you want to combine the signals from two devices into one input, you need to put a series resistor in line with each device before combining them. That prevents each device from loading down the other. A minimum resistor value might be 470 ohms per source. If the source is balanced, use one resistor on pin 2 and one on pin3 -- two resistors per source.
SUMMARY
* Impedance (Z) is the opposition to alternating current, measured in ohms.
* Microphones and line outputs are usually low Z.
* Electric guitars, synthesizers, and line inputs are usually high Z.
* XLR mic inputs are low impedance; phone jack mic inputs are high impedance.
* Speakers are usually 4 to 8 ohms.
* Equal impedances in parallel result in half the impedance.
* Equal impedances in series result in twice the impedance.
* Connect low-Z sources to low-Z inputs. (A low-Z input is usually 7 to 10 times the source impedance, but it's still called a low-Z input).
* Connect a low-Z source to a high-Z input through a step-up transformer (impedance matching adapter).
* Connect a high-Z source to a low-Z input through a step-down transformer (impedance matching adapter, or direct box).
APPENDIX FOR TECH HEADS
Impedance includes both resistance and reactance. The reactance part is inductive reactance and capacitive reactance. Both vary with frequency. The resistive part is constant with frequency. Impedance is measured in magnitude (ohms) and phase (degrees) at a certain frequency. Usually the magnitude part is all we are concerned with. The magnitude part of impedance is:
Z = SQR (R^2 + (XL - XC)^2))
Where SQR means "square root", R = resistance, XL = inductive reactance, and XC = capacitive reactance, all in ohms. Many devices don't have much reactance, so we often consider impedance to be the same as resistance.
Jam
IMPEDANCE FAQ
by Bruce Bartlett
Impedance is one of audio's more confusing concepts. To clarify this topic, I'll present a few questions and answers about impedance.
WHAT IS IMPEDANCE?
Impedance (Z) is the resistance of a circuit to alternating current, such as an audio signal. Technically, impedance is the total opposition (including resistance and reactance) that a circuit has to passing alternating current.
A high impedance circuit tends to have high voltage and low current. A low impedance circuit tends to have relatively low voltage and high current.
I'M CONNECTING TWO AUDIO DEVICES. IS IT IMPORTANT TO MATCH THEIR IMPEDANCES? WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T?
First some definitions. When you connect two devices, one is the source and one is the load. The source is the device that puts out a signal. The load is the device you are feeding the signal into. The source has a certain output impedance, and the load has a certain input impedance.
A few decades ago in the vacuum tube era, it was important to match the output impedance of the source to the input impedance of the load. Usually the source and load impedances were both 600 ohms. If the source impedance equals the load impedance, this is called "matching" impedances. It results in maximum POWER transfer from the source to the load. In contrast, suppose the source is low Z and the load is high Z. If the load impedance is 10 times or more the source impedance, it is called a "bridging" impedance. Bridging results in maximum VOLTAGE transfer from the source to the load.
Nowadays, nearly all devices are connected bridging -- low-Z out to high-Z in -- because we want the most voltage transferred between components.
If you connect a low-Z source to a high-Z load, there is no distortion or frequency-response change caused by this connection. But if you connect a high-Z source to a low-Z load, you might get distortion or altered response. For example, suppose you connect an electric bass guitar (a high-Z device) into an XLR-type mic input (a low-Z load). The low frequencies in the signal will roll off, so the bass will sound thin.
We want the bass guitar to be loaded by a high impedance, and we want the mic input to be fed by a low-impedance signal. A direct box or impedance-matching adapter does this. Such adapters are available from Radio Shack.
The adapter is a tube with a phone jack on one end and a male XLR connector on the other. Inside the tube is a transformer. Its primary winding is high Z, wired to the phone jack. The transformer's secondary winding is low Z, wired to the XLR.You plug the guitar cord into the phone jack, and plug the XLR into amic input in a snake or mixer. Use it with a bass guitar, electric guitar, or synth.
This impedance-matching adapter works, but is not ideal. The load it presents to the bass guitar might be 12 kilohms, which will slighly load down the high-Z guitar pickup, causing thin bass.
An active direct box solves this problem. In place of a transformer, the active DI usually has an FET (Field Effect Transistor). The FET has a very high input impedance that does not load down the bass guitar.
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT A MICROPHONE'S IMPEDANCE IS?
Check the impedance spec on the mic's data sheet. A microphone rated at 150 ohms to 300 ohms is considered low impedance. About 600 to 2000 ohms is medium impedance, and 10,000 ohms or more is high impedance. Most mics are low Z, and all mics with XLR (3-pin) connectors are low Z. A low-Z mic can be used with hundreds of feet of cable without picking up hum or losing high frequencies. A medium-Z mic cable is limited to about 40 feet without losses. A high-Z mic will lose highs and pick up hum if the cable exceeds about 10 feet.This high-frequency loss depends on the capacitance of the cable as well as the mic impedance.
I'M CONNECTING A MIC TO A MIXER. IS IMPEDANCE A CONSIDERATION?
Yes. If your mixer has phone-jack inputs, they are probably high Z. But most mics are low Z.When you plug a low-Z mic into a high-Z input you get a weak signal. That's because a high-Z mic input is designed to receive a relatively high voltage from a high-Z mic, and so the input is designed to have low gain. So you don't get much signal amplification.
Solution: Between the mic cable and the input jack, connect an impedance matching adapter. It steps up the voltage of the mic, giving it a stronger signal.The adapter is a tube with a female XLR input and a phone-plug output. Inside the tube is a transformer. Its primary winding is low Z, wired to the XLR. It secondary winding is high Z, wired to the phone plug. Connect the mic to the XLR; connect the phone plug to the mixer's phone jack.Then the mixer will receive a strong signal from the mic. If your mixer has XLR inputs, they are low-Z balanced. In this case, simply connect the mic to the mixer using a mic cable with a female XLR on the mic end and a male XLR on the mixer end. A low-Z mic input is typically about 1500 ohms, so it provides a bridging load to a mic that is 150 to 30 ohms.
HOW ABOUT SPEAKER IMPEDANCE?
Most loudspeakers are 4 or 8 ohms nominal. Actually the impedance varies with frequency. A speaker rated at 8 ohms impedance might range between 4 and 50 ohms, depending on the frequency of the signal. If you connect two identical speakers in parallel, the total impedance is half. For example, two 8-ohm speakers in parallel present a 4-ohm load to a power amplifier. If you connect two identical speakers in series, the total impedance is doubled. Two 8-ohm speakers in series present a 16-ohm load to a power amplifier.
Suppose you have a speaker connected to a power amplifier. Generally, the lower the speaker impedance, the more power you get from the power amp. Some amps can handle a 2-ohm load, but many will overheat. Try to keep the load 4 ohms or higher.
IS A 70-VOLT SYSTEM A HIGH-IMPEDANCE SYSTEM?
Yes. In a 70V system, a power amp is connected to a step-up transformer which raises the amplifier output voltage while decreasing its current. This high-voltage, low-current signal is sent on long cables to a distributed system of many loudspeakers throughout a venue. Since the power is distributed with low current, there is little power loss through the long cables. At each speaker, another transformer steps down the voltage and raises the current. That is, it brings the impedance down to 4 or 8 ohms to match the speaker.
SHOULD I CONSIDER IMPEDANCE WHEN I CONNECT TWO LINE-LEVEL DEVICES?
This is seldom a problem. In most audio devices, the impedance of the line output is low -- about 100 to 1000 ohms. The impedance of the line input is high -- about 10K to 1 Meg ohms. So every connection is bridging, and you get maximum voltage transfer. Some audio devices, such as passive equalizers, require a terminating resistor at the input or output for best performance.
CAN I CONNECT ONE SOURCE TO TWO OR MORE LOADS?
Usually yes.You can connect several devices in parallel across one line output. Suppose you connect a mixer output simultaneously to a recorder input, an amplifier input, and another mixer's input in parallel. The combined input impedance of those three loads might be 4000 ohms, which still presents a bridging load to the mixer's 100-ohm output impedance.
Mics are a different story. If you connect one mic to two or more mixers with a Y cable, the combined input impedance will be about 700 ohms or less. This can load down some microphones, reducing the bass in dynamic mics or causing distortion in condenser mics. One solution is to use a transformer mic splitter.
CAN I CONNECT TWO OR MORE SOURCES TO ONE INPUT?
Not recommended. If you combine two or more sources into a single load, the low output impedance of one source will load down the output of the other source, and vice versa. This can cause level loss and distortion. If you want to combine the signals from two devices into one input, you need to put a series resistor in line with each device before combining them. That prevents each device from loading down the other. A minimum resistor value might be 470 ohms per source. If the source is balanced, use one resistor on pin 2 and one on pin3 -- two resistors per source.
SUMMARY
* Impedance (Z) is the opposition to alternating current, measured in ohms.
* Microphones and line outputs are usually low Z.
* Electric guitars, synthesizers, and line inputs are usually high Z.
* XLR mic inputs are low impedance; phone jack mic inputs are high impedance.
* Speakers are usually 4 to 8 ohms.
* Equal impedances in parallel result in half the impedance.
* Equal impedances in series result in twice the impedance.
* Connect low-Z sources to low-Z inputs. (A low-Z input is usually 7 to 10 times the source impedance, but it's still called a low-Z input).
* Connect a low-Z source to a high-Z input through a step-up transformer (impedance matching adapter).
* Connect a high-Z source to a low-Z input through a step-down transformer (impedance matching adapter, or direct box).
APPENDIX FOR TECH HEADS
Impedance includes both resistance and reactance. The reactance part is inductive reactance and capacitive reactance. Both vary with frequency. The resistive part is constant with frequency. Impedance is measured in magnitude (ohms) and phase (degrees) at a certain frequency. Usually the magnitude part is all we are concerned with. The magnitude part of impedance is:
Z = SQR (R^2 + (XL - XC)^2))
Where SQR means "square root", R = resistance, XL = inductive reactance, and XC = capacitive reactance, all in ohms. Many devices don't have much reactance, so we often consider impedance to be the same as resistance.
Jam
GRollins said:
The problem is that you seek absolute answers in a relative world, just like people who want the "best" car/wine/woman. You have to take things in context. Best for what? Do you want a car that will carry you comfortably on a long trip or one that will win a quarter-mile race? Do you want that wine with steak or as an after-dinner treat where a dessert wine would be more appropriate? Do you want a woman to scrub your floors or for a night on the town?
Provide evidence for this?
Once again, I will suggest that you reread my earlier post wherein I suggested that you get a good electronics text and read it, but I fear that suggestion fell upon deaf ears.
There is no absolute answer to the high impedance/low impedance question. The fact that you seem to be seeking one is going to lead you to frustration and problems (which if your behavior so far is any indication, you will blame on others) as you forever run from one 'authority' to another. Learn some electronics and make your own decision based on your system requirements.
Sigh...
High Z pros:
--Less load on the source
--(As AndrewT correctly points out) It allows you to use a smaller value, higher quality cap if you're cap-coupling for whatever reason
--Approaches the 'ideal' amplifier more closely, although this is really only of importance to those who are running feedback into that node and can be engineered around if need be
Low Z pros:
--Less noise at the input, although this is arguably a small point for anything but phono stages and high gain preamps (which the B1 is not)
--Wider selection of parts available, possibly cheaper
The output impedance is subject to the same sort of relative considerations.
Etc. etc. etc...
Grey
its people like you who make me want to isolate myself from.
I dont know who you are but there is some arrogance about you that puts me off. I WANt to learn but its got to be on MY terms not on YOURS. Now I understand that may come as abit of a blow to the so called authorities egos, but that's the way I want things to be done.
Hence, why I tend to get into arguments and end up having to isolate myself from the world.
Also this problem with the bass is really making me angry.I want to kill myself partly because i dont have any music at the moment. Can someone try to explain what could possibly cause a lack of bass depth?
Everything else sounds fine. Imaging is not bad, so it must be something subtle which is causing these problems.
Everything else sounds fine. Imaging is not bad, so it must be something subtle which is causing these problems.
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