Hi everyone,
I have just finished another project. A pair of single ended valve amps. These things are absolutely fatastic. I never thought speakers could sound as sweet as this. Anyway...I am just debating on weather to build an AC power line condtioner or not to bother at all. What do you think?
Also. If I do build one. Where is a good web site to get some schematics from as I dont wish to pay those over the top prices just to filter AC ??
Thanks agian
andrewe1
I have just finished another project. A pair of single ended valve amps. These things are absolutely fatastic. I never thought speakers could sound as sweet as this. Anyway...I am just debating on weather to build an AC power line condtioner or not to bother at all. What do you think?
Also. If I do build one. Where is a good web site to get some schematics from as I dont wish to pay those over the top prices just to filter AC ??
Thanks agian
andrewe1
Plitron recently put out a balanced toroid transformer for filtering AC and is offering it at a pretty reasonable price.
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_3/feature-article-isolation-transformer-8-2003.html
This article and others (pretty good stuff) are listed under the "news" section of the plitron site.
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_3/feature-article-isolation-transformer-8-2003.html
This article and others (pretty good stuff) are listed under the "news" section of the plitron site.
andrewe1 said:
Suggest you seek out the local equivalent of a surplus powervar - on OZ e-bay or industrial surplus.
Filtering of AC is routinely done by medical labs and numerous industrial concerns.
You can usually pick these up as surplus for somewhere around or less than ten percent of original cost
To see what I'm talking about go to www.powervar.com
click on products
then Standard
go to Powervar 12 - I picked up two of these on E-bay for roughly 7 per cent of retail -(including freight) retail is over $1000 each. Powervar is just one brand, there are a number of others.
A powervar 12 is up to $153.00 on e-bay US with over a day left - Seems high to me.
Be careful on freight charges - these suckers are heavy. The standard powervars are essentially a toroidal isolation transformer in a box with a grounding scheme.
I did a search of OZ ebay and found nothing so I'm guessing that you will have different brands there by an Oz manufacturer. There are ten different Powervar models on E-bay here right now - I would be very surprised if there are not several different brand equivalents readily available locally as industrial surplus in some manner.
HTH
Regards
Ken L
andrewe1 said:
Well, since you asked,
I'd say your power supply must be lower-than-a-snake'-sbelly grade F crap to allow any power line noise through and make it audible. Since I presume it isn't (think about it, you have the DC filtered to a lower frequency than you can do AC), I doubt you'll notice a difference. Mind you, psychoacoustic improvement is proportional to effort or money spent on a mod.Tim
Well, some people build their own stuff to save money, others do it just because it's fun. Others want to build stuff that isn't available at any price. Everyone has their own reasons, and they're not necessarily the same as yours.
Line noise can be a real PITA, especially if you live in an apartment building like myself. In a perfect world, power supplies in audio equipment would filter all of this crap out, but it doesn't. Maybe in some of the well filtered tube gear you see here, but not in mass produced products like CD players.
In all fairness, I think your original post was good natured, so let's leave it at a difference of opinion...
Line noise can be a real PITA, especially if you live in an apartment building like myself. In a perfect world, power supplies in audio equipment would filter all of this crap out, but it doesn't. Maybe in some of the well filtered tube gear you see here, but not in mass produced products like CD players.
In all fairness, I think your original post was good natured, so let's leave it at a difference of opinion...
Banned
Joined 2002
So i was in A&B sound yesterday where they had the monster line conditioner / stabelizer i am now wondering how hard it would be to make one.. HUmm a active servo that mesures the incoming vltage to keep the output at the same say 110 or 115 humm im going to have to look into this now..
Any one got any idea's ? im thinking a pair or just one 1kva varaic with a digital servo that moves the armiture humm now my mind is wondering ...
Any one got any idea's ? im thinking a pair or just one 1kva varaic with a digital servo that moves the armiture humm now my mind is wondering ...
*cough*Some companies should feel ashamed...Most certianly this one.
*It gets worse*
I'm sure they're glad to take your millions off of you, I'm sure as hell glad to shun them on a global website as personal opinion
What worries me about this company, is that a search on google australia brings up these freaks as the first hit for "Isolation transformer"...
I'm not one to promote cheap chinese electronic component pushers which are most likely now prominent in Australia *DSE* *Cough* *DSE* *Cough* but I think a prominent source of /quality/ electronic components would be a god-send to us DIYers down here, I for one have to import the majority of my components just to get one with proper ratings.
Personally, I'd go for one of these fancy things =)
240v Mains Filtering (Silicon Chip Magazine)
Oh word of warning, you're mucking with mains so....meh Don't go filtering your oil heater anytime soon and such.
Those guys make Audio Note look like objectivists.
Silver wire, C37 lacquer, wood everything... the very epitome of fanatic.
They have, however, used the Raven R3.1 ribbon driver, even going as far as to wind a special transformer to couple a 300B SE amp directly to the ribbon, bypassing the one in the driver. I'd love to hear that.
Or maybe I wouldn't.
Hi,
That's easy enough to do with a spiderlisting...
However, if ever your unbiased opinion would fall of that part of the Earth and land in the Swiss mountains, maybe you'd pop over over at Audio Consulting instead of being Insulting?
I can assure you that it's well worth the trip and the proprietor is also well worth exchanging some ideas with.
By bo means am I implying anyone has to swallow all these seemingly off the wall products but some of the goods he makes is downright amazing. I, for one, admire a company with balls.
Cheers,
That's easy enough to do with a spiderlisting...
However, if ever your unbiased opinion would fall of that part of the Earth and land in the Swiss mountains, maybe you'd pop over over at Audio Consulting instead of being Insulting?
I can assure you that it's well worth the trip and the proprietor is also well worth exchanging some ideas with.
By bo means am I implying anyone has to swallow all these seemingly off the wall products but some of the goods he makes is downright amazing. I, for one, admire a company with balls.
Cheers,
So start your own company, Labyrinthius.
I have a feeling that you'll find it's a bit difficult to sell high quality products at reasonable cost and make a living. Why? Mainly becuase the large customer base that would be necessary just isn't there. Unfortunately, people line up to buy crap all the time - as evidenced by all the suckers getting ripped off by Handwound Transformers.
Lots of shoddy but pretty looking stuff coming out of China these days.
Oh, and getting back to the topic, there's an interesting PLC design by Mike Vans Evers in Sound Practices #4
I have a feeling that you'll find it's a bit difficult to sell high quality products at reasonable cost and make a living. Why? Mainly becuase the large customer base that would be necessary just isn't there. Unfortunately, people line up to buy crap all the time - as evidenced by all the suckers getting ripped off by Handwound Transformers.
Lots of shoddy but pretty looking stuff coming out of China these days.
Oh, and getting back to the topic, there's an interesting PLC design by Mike Vans Evers in Sound Practices #4
Hi,
Yes...Absolutely fabolous...Break that piggy bank and go for it, it's a keeper.
But I did already...Think it was in one of Arnold_C's threads as an example diagram.
Why don't you start a thread explaining your expectations etc.?
Never rely on a single opinion, certainly not mine alone anyway.
I know what you mean and regret the situation as much as you do but hey, I'm glad someone's at least still doing something.
Built quality is absolutely flawless, the silver is the best money can buy (it's been cryoed but I don't think we told Serge that already) and some of the other stuff he sells is just an awful lot of work.
In Europe that means VAT on top of manhours, etc., etc., so you see where that all ends, right?
I don't know about OZ but here you can still find a few companies capable of making xformers the way they should be made. They're invariably more expensive than off the shelf crap but worth it anyway.
Cheers,
Yes...Absolutely fabolous...Break that piggy bank and go for it, it's a keeper.
But I did already...Think it was in one of Arnold_C's threads as an example diagram.
Why don't you start a thread explaining your expectations etc.?
Never rely on a single opinion, certainly not mine alone anyway.
I know what you mean and regret the situation as much as you do but hey, I'm glad someone's at least still doing something.
Built quality is absolutely flawless, the silver is the best money can buy (it's been cryoed but I don't think we told Serge that already) and some of the other stuff he sells is just an awful lot of work.
In Europe that means VAT on top of manhours, etc., etc., so you see where that all ends, right?
I don't know about OZ but here you can still find a few companies capable of making xformers the way they should be made. They're invariably more expensive than off the shelf crap but worth it anyway.
Cheers,
Save money on labor, overhead, and mark-up. I use parts in my amps that almost no manufacturer uses, except maybe at the highest end. Don't get me wrong, I believe the best equipment is still overpriced and if one has the ability he can do better on his own, pricewise.
However, your attitude towards people you perceive as "audiophools" stinks and is a poison to this forum.
I for one am sick and tired of seeing a thread begun by someone in earnest (I saw this schematic and would like to try it...etc. or Has anyone compared these capacitors...etc.) only to have you ridicule them, based on NO EXPERIENCE OF YOUR OWN.
John
Labyrinthius' post disappeared...
Hmmm... I looked for your PP2A3 amp but couldn't find it. I guess I'll just have to look harder.
Mainly, I just want a PP2A3 amp that doesn't use the ubiquitous Williamson input/driver circuit. Not that there's anything wrong with it, (My WM-4's sound schweet on my Tannoy 15DMTII's) but I want something a bit different. And like it or not, you're a guru...
Thanks for the info on the Raven. I've always feared taking the plunge, because I figured it'd be really difficult to get a dynamic driver fast enough to integrate well with the ribbon driver. I had visions in my head of an Altec A5 or A7 and an active X-over...
Meanwhile, I'm working on a 300B SE amp (breadboard stage) 'cos I've never heard one. Next amp I'm curious about but have never heard is a DHT PP amp.
Hmmm... I looked for your PP2A3 amp but couldn't find it. I guess I'll just have to look harder.
Mainly, I just want a PP2A3 amp that doesn't use the ubiquitous Williamson input/driver circuit. Not that there's anything wrong with it, (My WM-4's sound schweet on my Tannoy 15DMTII's) but I want something a bit different. And like it or not, you're a guru...
Thanks for the info on the Raven. I've always feared taking the plunge, because I figured it'd be really difficult to get a dynamic driver fast enough to integrate well with the ribbon driver. I had visions in my head of an Altec A5 or A7 and an active X-over...
Meanwhile, I'm working on a 300B SE amp (breadboard stage) 'cos I've never heard one. Next amp I'm curious about but have never heard is a DHT PP amp.
I deleted my post because I thought it was too early in my life (20 years) to begin counting my marbles...
I agree that there are cheap and there are expensive of everything and in a perfect world with no taxes, no need for computers or no "need" for mass produced labour we'd all have tube amps with wittle hawiaan dancers ontop and Hammond transformers would not be the only tube-amp related transformer manufacturer in Oz.
I could make my own company but I doubt I'd get far on a students allowance.
What ever happened to the ability of a company to exist without tax, fees, fines, EXPENSIVE buisness insurance on the premise that Benjamin Franklin would walk through my door and ask for a pair of output-trannys only once a year?
I agree that there are cheap and there are expensive of everything and in a perfect world with no taxes, no need for computers or no "need" for mass produced labour we'd all have tube amps with wittle hawiaan dancers ontop and Hammond transformers would not be the only tube-amp related transformer manufacturer in Oz.
I could make my own company but I doubt I'd get far on a students allowance.
What ever happened to the ability of a company to exist without tax, fees, fines, EXPENSIVE buisness insurance on the premise that Benjamin Franklin would walk through my door and ask for a pair of output-trannys only once a year?
Hi,
Has anyone built that one?
Yes.
Seriously though...I'll try to find it for you but I don't think we should threadjack this topic.
It is. Nevertheless the Onken is a good match; fast and dry bass, just don't expect too much of it in terms of LF extension. You rarely have it both ways.
To paraphrase an author/article from SP: I never heard a 2A3 amp I didn't like.
Besides, you can buy 4 * 2A3s for the price of one single 300B.
Cheers,
Has anyone built that one?
Yes.
Seriously though...I'll try to find it for you but I don't think we should threadjack this topic.
It is. Nevertheless the Onken is a good match; fast and dry bass, just don't expect too much of it in terms of LF extension. You rarely have it both ways.
To paraphrase an author/article from SP: I never heard a 2A3 amp I didn't like.
Besides, you can buy 4 * 2A3s for the price of one single 300B.
Cheers,
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