state of the art relays

[Berki]

Hi!

I want to make a high end preamp and i want to use relays for input switching and volume control. So i want to know which relay is the best for audio purpose?

Are reed relays better than other ones? Can I use cheapest ones I get, or are there differences? If yes, which do you recommend?

What are about HF-Relays which are designed for very high frequency? Are the good for audio signals? For example the Omron G6Y-1?

Please give me some recommendations. And please give me exact type names.

I have searched the forum, but have not found concrete information. So please help me, i am searching for THE best relay you can buy...

Thanks very much for your help!!!

Daniel

 

[Zoran]

For the input selector the best solution is to use
bistabile relay switcher.
relay:
Siemens V23042-B2203-B101
I think that this relays are gold plated...
And you need a digital trigger circuit to drive the relays...

 

[till]

You could ask Dieter Wochnik, he had very good Meisei relays for small money, his adress you can find on my relay volume control homepage: http://home.tu-clausthal.de/~tpa/relais/index.html

alternatively schuro.de has signal switching relays.

 

[Berki]

What is the advantage of the bistabile relay? Is this Siemens relay really one of the best relays for audio purpose? If yes, could you explain me why?

Does someone know some other very good relays? Have someone answers to my other questions?

Thanks for all your help!

Daniel

 

[till]

You need relays wich closes with very low Imin of the signal switched.

I suspect you are able to read german: http://www.schuro.de/preisl-relais.htm
http://www.schuro.de/takami-dat.htm

exact type names.

Takamisawa RY12WK

as stated on my hompage linked above.

 

[peranders]

One of ther best relays comes from SDS which has changed it's name to NAIS.

The DS type is really good at very low currents. I had a bunch of those but not any longer.

 

[UrSv]

No longer...

True, because I've got them now...

 

[peranders]

Do you have any of them "in duty" or are them still in the original box?

 

[Peter Daniel]

Here's the close up of relays used in top of the line Madrigal preamp ML32 and a link to a similar thread: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16129&highlight=

 

[UrSv]

Do you have any of them "in duty" or are them still in the original box?

Uhrmmm, actually they are still in the box but I have never been closer to using them than today...

 

[BrianL]

When I first noticed that various high-end manufactures
uses Aromat/NAIS, I was quite surprised. I have had mucho
quality problems with them in (non-audio) instrumentation
applications. If you want to use an Aromat/NAIS relay, I'd
suggest the SX series (p/n's are ASX....). Just watch the
maximum current rating.

 

[Berki]

Hello!

Thx for you input. I am confused, some recommend teh NAIS DS Relay, someone the SX Relay, an other one a Takamisawa relay and some one recommend a bistabile Siemensrelay, so what is the best and why?

Please help me!

Thx very much
Daniel

 

[till]

I suspect the bistabile relay is superior for those following the philosphie magnetic flux does harm the signals sonic quality. However, in this case we better should´nt transmit the signal electronically.

Else, read the datasheets behind the links above.

 

[Berki]

Hi,

so what are the most important paramters for audio quality? When this parameters are good, does this always ensure very good sound, or is there an other factor to take care of?

Thanks
Daniel

 

[peranders]

One of the most important parameter is "minimum current" and "minimum voltage" for the contacts. SDS/NAIS had extremely low values of those parameters but I would say that any good signal relay will do a good job. AVOID power relays, over 2 A current.

 

[peranders]

I suspect the bistabile relay is superior for those following the philosphie magnetic flux does harm the signals sonic quality. However, in this case we better should´nt transmit the signal electronically.

Else, read the datasheets behind the links above.

Bistable relays have permanent magnets inside. What is the differens between a permanent magnet and an elctro magnet?

 

[till]

don´t know, ask those voodoo- audiophiles. they might kow the sonic difference between different kinds of magnetic field...

i can´t see any advantage in bistabile relays.

 

[Berki]

Hi,

what about reed-relays, nobody said something about them, are the better, why / why not? Do you know a good reed relay?

Thanks
Daniel

 

[Berki]

Nobody?

Thanks
Daniel

 

[BrianL]

OK, you want a reed relay recommendation. Mine is
Coto (www.cotorelay.com , I believe). I've use a number
of different types in precision instrumentation application
(DC as well as high dynamic range 100kHz AC). Very
good. If you want to get really fancy, look at mercury-
wetted reeds. Coto and most others are sensitive to
physical orientation (the Hg needs to stay in the proper
place), though Pickering (not my favorite relay vendor)
has a mercury-wetted low thermal EMF reed that claims
not to be sensitive to orientation.

Given my poor results with some Aromats in the past
few years, I'm avoiding them for all my work-related
applications. However, for DIY audio projects where
you could "buzz" them for a while and then verify goodness,
I'd consider an Aromat SX series.

Note that the SX series comes in normal as well as latching
(aka "bistable") configurations. You can get them
from Digi-Key.