cables for my set up
Hallo, I am pretty new to the DIY world. It is undoubtedly exciting, but I am tremendously confused by the infinite range of possible choices and opinions.
I have just built a poweramp based on two hypex ucd180st (dual mono). The cd player is a Marantz cd 6002 and I am considering to buy a Rotel rc 06 preamp. My speakers are homemade, even though they sound very well, I think I will buy a new pair in the next months.
My point is:
- would anyone please suggest me appropriate signal and speakers cables for my set up?
- any suggestion about speakers?
Please consider that I usually listen to a broad spectrum of music: from rock to electronic to classical, and I am not searching for exotic or very expensing solutions, at least for the moment ;-)
Thank you very much for your help!
Hallo, I am pretty new to the DIY world. It is undoubtedly exciting, but I am tremendously confused by the infinite range of possible choices and opinions.
I have just built a poweramp based on two hypex ucd180st (dual mono). The cd player is a Marantz cd 6002 and I am considering to buy a Rotel rc 06 preamp. My speakers are homemade, even though they sound very well, I think I will buy a new pair in the next months.
My point is:
- would anyone please suggest me appropriate signal and speakers cables for my set up?
- any suggestion about speakers?
Please consider that I usually listen to a broad spectrum of music: from rock to electronic to classical, and I am not searching for exotic or very expensing solutions, at least for the moment ;-)
Thank you very much for your help!
Problems with one UcD180 Std module
Hi!
I just swapped my two P3A boards (which have run for about four years now) for two UcD 180 Standard boards.
The supply is made of a 500 VA 30 - 0 - 30 toroid, two seperate supply boards consisting of four fast rectifier diodes and two 10000 uF Slitfoil caps.
The rails immediately go up to 42 V +- after turning on the amp.
The two UcD modules also light up (blue LED is working), and one of them works flawlessly, without any hum / noise whatsoever.
But the other one does not produce any sound at all. I've switched all cables / both supplies, but there is not output at all; still the LED is working all right.
Any ideas? Or does it seem that the module is broken (which would be a small problem since I have a party on saturday evening. OK, I could substitute the amp with an old gainclone, but that is not what I intended to do...)
Kind regards,
Arndt Pohlmann
Dortmund
Germany
Hi!
I just swapped my two P3A boards (which have run for about four years now) for two UcD 180 Standard boards.
The supply is made of a 500 VA 30 - 0 - 30 toroid, two seperate supply boards consisting of four fast rectifier diodes and two 10000 uF Slitfoil caps.
The rails immediately go up to 42 V +- after turning on the amp.
The two UcD modules also light up (blue LED is working), and one of them works flawlessly, without any hum / noise whatsoever.
But the other one does not produce any sound at all. I've switched all cables / both supplies, but there is not output at all; still the LED is working all right.
Any ideas? Or does it seem that the module is broken (which would be a small problem since I have a party on saturday evening. OK, I could substitute the amp with an old gainclone, but that is not what I intended to do...)
Kind regards,
Arndt Pohlmann
Dortmund
Germany
Re: Problems with one UcD180 Std module
Hi Arndt,
I have forward your email yesterday to our support department. They will reply today direct to you.
Regards,
Jan-Peter
Cradle22 said:
Hi Arndt,
I have forward your email yesterday to our support department. They will reply today direct to you.
Regards,
Jan-Peter
Re: Re: Problems with one UcD180 Std module
Hi!
Thank you for your prompt reaction. That is something I am not used to nowadays. Thumbs up for that!
Kind regards,
Arndt Pohlmann
Dortmund
Germany
Hi!
Jan-Peter said:
Thank you for your prompt reaction. That is something I am not used to nowadays. Thumbs up for that!
Kind regards,
Arndt Pohlmann
Dortmund
Germany
Pre-amps for UcD 180
Hello,
In response to effettoventuri: Before you go and buy a pre-amp, you may want to consider some great valve pre-amps that are either kit or diy. www.TranscendentSound.com has a nice kit called the grounded grid preamp. They also have a diy forum and you can get the schematics and instructions and build from scratch. I scratch built one that I use with the Hypex UCD 180 and it sounds great! The grounded grid design is quiet, neutral, fast, and has a low output impedance. I highly recommend it with the class-D amps. Also you can look at the www.tubecad.com for the Aikido preamp designs. He has some very nice PCB's you can buy and build off of at reasonable prices.
As for cables, since you're building your own amp, you may as well make your own cables. I made the CAT-5 (networking cable) Version 5 speaker cables (http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/cables/diy-speaker-cable-faceoff) look on the audioholics site for more on these. They are fabulous! I even made a pair for a guy down the street that has some very expensive MIT speaker cables to go along with his CJ gear. He's now using the DIY cables I made and has put the MIT's away.... and that was two years ago and he's still using them. A few of us did a blind test of the cables at is place and they beat the snake oil cables...
The reason they work so well is that using solid core, individually insulated, twisted pair CAT 5 cable you are able to reduce inductance and capacitance. By using several cables braided, you reduce resistance and finally, the twisted pair and braiding gives you common mode noise reduction through cancellation.
You can make decent interconnects with shielded microphone wire or CAT 6 shielded networking cable.
Have fun!
Cheers,
Stefan.
Hello,
In response to effettoventuri: Before you go and buy a pre-amp, you may want to consider some great valve pre-amps that are either kit or diy. www.TranscendentSound.com has a nice kit called the grounded grid preamp. They also have a diy forum and you can get the schematics and instructions and build from scratch. I scratch built one that I use with the Hypex UCD 180 and it sounds great! The grounded grid design is quiet, neutral, fast, and has a low output impedance. I highly recommend it with the class-D amps. Also you can look at the www.tubecad.com for the Aikido preamp designs. He has some very nice PCB's you can buy and build off of at reasonable prices.
As for cables, since you're building your own amp, you may as well make your own cables. I made the CAT-5 (networking cable) Version 5 speaker cables (http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/cables/diy-speaker-cable-faceoff) look on the audioholics site for more on these. They are fabulous! I even made a pair for a guy down the street that has some very expensive MIT speaker cables to go along with his CJ gear. He's now using the DIY cables I made and has put the MIT's away.... and that was two years ago and he's still using them. A few of us did a blind test of the cables at is place and they beat the snake oil cables...
The reason they work so well is that using solid core, individually insulated, twisted pair CAT 5 cable you are able to reduce inductance and capacitance. By using several cables braided, you reduce resistance and finally, the twisted pair and braiding gives you common mode noise reduction through cancellation.
You can make decent interconnects with shielded microphone wire or CAT 6 shielded networking cable.
Have fun!
Cheers,
Stefan.
Just to mention great support provided by Hypex to DIY world.
Many thanks to Jan-Peter and Franck.
My UcD modules are back today, hope to test them next week.
I've got unwanted "Schhhh" without input signal or 0 level.
Many thanks to Jan-Peter and Franck.
My UcD modules are back today, hope to test them next week.
I've got unwanted "Schhhh" without input signal or 0 level.
Pre-amps for UcD 180
Thank you Stefan for your exstensive reply! I will carefully consider your suggestions.
Anyway, what do you think about Dantrimax pre-amp kits (RemPre and TRemPre)http://electronics.dantimax.dk/Kits/Preamps_-_poweramps/index.html ?
They seem to be appreciated by some DIYers and they have interesting prices.
Best,
Lorenzo
Thank you Stefan for your exstensive reply! I will carefully consider your suggestions.
Anyway, what do you think about Dantrimax pre-amp kits (RemPre and TRemPre)http://electronics.dantimax.dk/Kits/Preamps_-_poweramps/index.html ?
They seem to be appreciated by some DIYers and they have interesting prices.
Best,
Lorenzo
Re: Re: Re: Problems with one UcD180 Std module
Hi!
I just wanted to tell you that a shorted fuse in the negative rail of the not working module was the culprit for the malfunction.
After replacing both modules have been running perfect for nearly two weeks now.
So notice: The blue LED on the module will turn on with only the positive rail applied... working LED does not necessarily mean working module with an UcD...
Thanks for the support,
Arndt Pohlmann
Dortmund
Hi!
Cradle22 said:
I just wanted to tell you that a shorted fuse in the negative rail of the not working module was the culprit for the malfunction.
After replacing both modules have been running perfect for nearly two weeks now.
So notice: The blue LED on the module will turn on with only the positive rail applied... working LED does not necessarily mean working module with an UcD...
Thanks for the support,
Arndt Pohlmann
Dortmund
Pre-amps
Lorenzo,
The Dantimax TRemPre looks very interesting for the price. I have no idea how it will be, but the worst case is that you don't like it and build another design but using the case, volume, selector, remote, etc. of the kit. Also, you'll find that trying different manufacturers of tubes of the same type can improve the sound if you're not happy.
Cheers,
Stefan
Lorenzo,
The Dantimax TRemPre looks very interesting for the price. I have no idea how it will be, but the worst case is that you don't like it and build another design but using the case, volume, selector, remote, etc. of the kit. Also, you'll find that trying different manufacturers of tubes of the same type can improve the sound if you're not happy.
Cheers,
Stefan
This thread is such a behemoth, that I looked for an answers for 10 or so pages, but my eyes started hurting -
Do I need to run a chassis ground from a 180 amp module or ST power supply? I ask because I finished a UcD 180 ST and I have the slightest bit of hum - it may be the power since I believe I read these are power sensitive for noises - any clues/suggestions?
Do I need to run a chassis ground from a 180 amp module or ST power supply? I ask because I finished a UcD 180 ST and I have the slightest bit of hum - it may be the power since I believe I read these are power sensitive for noises - any clues/suggestions?
WJMIII
Run the grounds as shown on the diagram at the Hypex web page. My only connection to the chassis is at the XLR-connector (signal ground). I hear absolutely no hum, even with my ear directly at the speaker.
Run the grounds as shown on the diagram at the Hypex web page. My only connection to the chassis is at the XLR-connector (signal ground). I hear absolutely no hum, even with my ear directly at the speaker.
Thanks for the input
I did have the grounds run as suggested, but as it turns out, it was the power - I plugged the amp in at my normal listening position and not in my work bench area, and it was black quiet - disturbingly so, actually!
It is a tad bright, but I am sure that will tone down with repeated listening/break-in
I did have the grounds run as suggested, but as it turns out, it was the power - I plugged the amp in at my normal listening position and not in my work bench area, and it was black quiet - disturbingly so, actually!
It is a tad bright, but I am sure that will tone down with repeated listening/break-in
Hi Jan / Bruno,
I have a pair of UCD108st. May be one of my UCD has short circuit inside. When I turn power on, only one UCD has the light the other blind and when I touched at the back of the blind UCD there is a spot (below RO51 area) which was too hot.
Please advice.
Thanks and best regards
I have a pair of UCD108st. May be one of my UCD has short circuit inside. When I turn power on, only one UCD has the light the other blind and when I touched at the back of the blind UCD there is a spot (below RO51 area) which was too hot.
Please advice.
Thanks and best regards
One more question please, what is the purpose of the chopper between "Supply Ground" and "/on"? Can I bypass this chopper (direct line form "Supply Ground" to "/on")?
Finally I found that when I turn power on just in few second, the R60 and R61 became too hot. I thought these resistors were burned because them color were all brown and I changed them by Vishay 1K but no use.jackup said:
How can I do now? May I order new one?
Best Regards
You're not doing your modules or your warranty any good Jack.
Swapping parts at random with random parts is not going to help you, for example the resistors you changed do run hot, this is normal, and you might put them back in case those you replaced them with aren't as well rated for high temp operation.
Further, probing the PCB with your finger while it's powered could prove problematic as well, especially if it was operational at the time, the resulting damage could be tremendous, and it's possible the LED just died while the circuit remained operational. Never feel around the PCB like that, it begs for trouble.
You should have contacted Hypex directly before posting with such a problem here, they just can't monitor every public forum for support issues, that's what they have an email address for.
You can find information on their warranty by going to their FAQ website here, and click on warranty:
http://www.diyclassd.com/
Optionally you could of course purchase a new one and potentially take advantage of a newer revision. I found the HG line to be exceptional, though I find it unlikely that with the high quality of their service you'll be required to go to such an expense. I recommend you email them and find out for youself.
Swapping parts at random with random parts is not going to help you, for example the resistors you changed do run hot, this is normal, and you might put them back in case those you replaced them with aren't as well rated for high temp operation.
Further, probing the PCB with your finger while it's powered could prove problematic as well, especially if it was operational at the time, the resulting damage could be tremendous, and it's possible the LED just died while the circuit remained operational. Never feel around the PCB like that, it begs for trouble.
You should have contacted Hypex directly before posting with such a problem here, they just can't monitor every public forum for support issues, that's what they have an email address for.
You can find information on their warranty by going to their FAQ website here, and click on warranty:
http://www.diyclassd.com/
Optionally you could of course purchase a new one and potentially take advantage of a newer revision. I found the HG line to be exceptional, though I find it unlikely that with the high quality of their service you'll be required to go to such an expense. I recommend you email them and find out for youself.
supply
Does anybody successfully tried a battery power supply for UCD ?
Hypex claims that UcD runs on unregulated rails but does it work even better on a perfect DC supply ?
Does anybody successfully tried a battery power supply for UCD ?
Hypex claims that UcD runs on unregulated rails but does it work even better on a perfect DC supply ?
Sorry if this information has already been posted (I couldn't find the answer if it has).
On the UCD180HG module, are the two coupling caps the silver electrolytics beside the opamp? I assumed they were, as the other two electrolytics look like they are local PSU caps for the transistors.
Can anyone confirm?
Thanks!
On the UCD180HG module, are the two coupling caps the silver electrolytics beside the opamp? I assumed they were, as the other two electrolytics look like they are local PSU caps for the transistors.
Can anyone confirm?
Thanks!
sharpi31 said:
Can't confirm it, but I will refute it, you assumed poorly.
The HG's do not use electrolytic coupling caps.
On the UcD180HG, I believe the input coupling caps are the two red-brown 0.68 uF caps near the input connector. No guarantee, though.
If you bridge these caps with a piece of wire (dc-coupling), you may have to readjust the offset via the small Burns pot. I intend to do the dc-coupling at some time, but have not found time yet.
Another question to the UcD180HG owners: I found bass response to be quite weak, certainly a lot weaker than with any of my transistor amps and even weaker than with the older UcD180. And yes, I double checked the polarity of the speaker connections and input connections; everything is ok and in phase. What is your experience?
If you bridge these caps with a piece of wire (dc-coupling), you may have to readjust the offset via the small Burns pot. I intend to do the dc-coupling at some time, but have not found time yet.
Another question to the UcD180HG owners: I found bass response to be quite weak, certainly a lot weaker than with any of my transistor amps and even weaker than with the older UcD180. And yes, I double checked the polarity of the speaker connections and input connections; everything is ok and in phase. What is your experience?