HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: electron@waikato.ac.nz
Subject: the ol mains story
News-Moderator: Approval required for posting to rec.audio.high-end
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 13:09:36 GMT

Power conditioners, UPS's the list goes on
if you look at your mains supply, you will find that it is a very low impedance
source. ie- it is capable if mega- current (hang a screwdriver accross it!)
The supply inside your amplifier is not capable of drawing that ammount of
current ( on start up when V is at a min, the transformers inductive
reactance draws large ammounts of current on top of the inrush current of the
charging filter caps).  My point is that the amps power supply is "REGULATED"
and is immune to mains born interference.  The ammount of current that an
amplifier draws will not 'load' the line down.  after all you are not trying to
heat the Whole house up.  If you can 'hear' the difference in the sound when
running on a UPS there must be a big problem in your home wiring.
Here in NZ we have the bonous of 230v mains.  ie better regulation due to
higher voltage.

Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: ss@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Srinivasan Seshan)
Subject: Re: Software-based AD-Converters
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: Utter Chaos
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 13:04:40 GMT


   A few days ago I found a brochure of a company named "Theta". They claimed to
   be one of three companies to offer software-based AD-Converters and the only
   one to do it right in every respect ( frequency, phase, time.. ) ( the two
   others being Wadia and Krell, I guess ). Is this claim unfounded or is the
   Theta Generation 3 DA-converter really the best sounding unit around, better
   than Wadia, Krell, Accuphase etc.? Anybody any listening experiences?
								   M.H.



Actually, I'd rather have the Levinson #30, but since it costs over $13k,
it's not all that practical.  I have had a chance to listen to both the
Theta and Levinson, as well as several others, and I'd have to say that
Theta does make some of the better processors on the market (IMHO).

Question is do you want to spend $5-8k on a processor that may be "out of
date" in less than 2 years?  Theta's original Pro Basic was released 2 years
ago, and I find that the Pro Prime, released 1.5 years later, is as good,
and in some cases better than the Basic, on top of being $750 less.

Ken

Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: DPierce@world.std.com
Subject: The Stereo 70: Those transformers!
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 13:15:34 GMT


"Scott" writes:

>I can't comment on the Panor copy of the old Dynaco ST-70.  I can, however
>comment on the original ST-70, and I can say that frankly the ST-70 wasn't
>that good an amplifier.  That's why some of the audio magazines may not be
>terribly gung-ho about the thing.
>
>The ST-70 was inexpensive, and had good output transformers.  For this
>reason it was a popular starting point for homebrew amps and modified
>versions, some of which sounded excellent.  The original, unmodified ST-70
>wasn't terribly hot, though (and frankly I don't think much of the 7199
>anyway, and wouldn't even if it were readily obtainable).
>
>If you want an ST-70, there are plenty of them out there and they aren't
>expensive.  I've got a couple of them holding up a stack of books somewhere;
>I keep meaning to sell them while the prices are rising.

There is a prevailing myth the the output transformers on the Stereo 70 are
somehow wonderful, or at least "good".

I can probably lay legitimate claim to the fact that I was the first to have
enganged in the extensive modification of the Stereo 70. That was in 1970!
At the time, I worked as a technician for a custom transformer company. I
picked up a used ST70 for about $25. It worked OK, I adjusted bias and so on,
then listened to it (I also had tube and solid state Marantz equipment
available) and was thoroughly disatisfied with the way it sounded: compressed,
muddy, indistinct, etc. I started on the path of putting in good quality parts,
including film capacitors, low ESR power supply caps, etc. etc. I selected from
piles of tubes to find the closest matched, quietest versions that were
suitable. All these changes made minimal differences.

For the hell of it, I asked my employer to make the best possible output
transformers for the beast. They first evaluated the originals. Their opinion
was that they were barely acceptable as filament transformers! They were very
lossy, poorly wound, high capacitance, narrow bandwidth high distortion using
cheap core material. Other than that, they weren't bad.

They then proceeded to design and wind for me a set of very nice toroidal
output transformers based on the requirements of the amp. They would have, at
the time, cost in the neighborhood of $200 a piece! Indeed they made a 
sunstantial difference in the sound (I replaced only one of them, so I could
make comparisons with the old transformers). There was a rather spectacular
improvement in the low end, the overal sound was significantly more detailed
and consistant across the band.

Well, I played with my ST70 for a couple of years after, and later sold it
for about $250 based on the new transformers. I wish I had kept it. I 
probably could have sold it in the Far East for $2500!

|                Dick Pierce                |
|    Loudspeaker and Software Consulting    |
| 17 Sartelle Street   Pepperell, MA  01463 |
|       (508) 433-9183 (Voice and FAX)      |
From: bill@verdix.com (William Spencer)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: What ever happened with Stereophile?
Date: 4 Sep 92 14:08:45 GMT
Organization: Verdix Corp.
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

In article <PHILG.92Sep1185725@zug.ai.mit.edu> philg@martigny.ai.mit.edu writes:
>
>They told people to Armor-All their records and they in turned out
>that the stuff ate away at the plastic or gummed up the stylus or
>something. 

That was CDs...
>From what I heard as a result of the fiasco/uproar, I would avoid using it on
anything. Apparently it has an aging effect on all plastics if not reapplied 
regularly.

Bill s
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: aj008@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Aaron M. Barnes)
Subject: 8MM Digital Audio
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 13:17:48 GMT


I would like to here some of your experiances with using the 8mm
 videotape digital format.
First,what is the word size for this format?I know the sampling 
rate is 32kHz,but is the word rate 14 bit or 16 bit?
Also,is the dynamic range as great as the CD?How about S/N?

The most attractive thing to me is the 24 hours audio only mode 
on the Sony machines.

Do the sony machines have digital inputs and outputs like DAT's 
do?

Just curious,since I am using VHS Hi-Fi as my main recording for
mat,and my machine lacks input level controls,so I am an expert 
on pumping,of course.

Is the overall quality of reproduction using the 8MM digital for
mat higher then the VHS Hi-Fi?

All this came up since I have an oppertunity to buy one used for
$475.

Might anyone know where to get a new Sony 8mm with the 24 hour au
dio mode at a more attractive price?

As an aside,Camera World of Oregon sells the VHS Hi-Fi Sony 696HF
VCR for $399.Anyone know where to find one for less?

Thanks for reading all the way through my boring post.

-- 
Aaron Barnes
aj008@cleveland.freenet.edu
Part 15 will take over broadcasting one frequency at a time!
Howard Phillips for President!

Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: rchau@news.atitech.ca (Ray Chau)
Subject: Re: Power conditioners, e.g. Tice, PowerWedge,...
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: ATI Technologies Inc.
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 13:03:06 GMT
	id <9208261959.AA11066@sun1.atitech.ca>; Wed, 26 Aug 92 19: 59:29 GMT

SJKlyne@exua.ex.ac.uk (S.J.Klyne) writes:


>When I bought my Naim Nait about 5 years ago a tweak i was recommended
>Wto try was to replace the internal 1A fuse with a 10A, which after
>Winstallation and listening for a few days I did and yes it was
>Wbetter...

Simon,
	Some of the better high-end electronics actually bypass the 
	fuse with a high quality film capacitors.             

/Ray
__________________
|                 |Ray Chau                        
|      /||||||    |IC Design
|     //||||||O   |ATI Technologies Inc.
|    ///  ||  I   |---------------------
|   /// O ||  I   |
|  (//    ||  I   |
|                 |
|TECHNOLOGIES INC.|email: rchau@atitech.ca
|_________________|


Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: zarthac@camelot.bradley.edu (Matthew Simmons)
Subject: What ever happened with Stereophile?
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: Bradley University
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 13:15:48 GMT
  (5.65b/IDA-1.4.3 for rec-audio-high-end@uunet.uu.net); Sun, 30 Aug 92 15: 29:59 -0500

I keep hearing references to some kind of Armor-All incident.... What happened?
(I must have missed that/those issue(s)....


Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: KLUDGE@AGCB1.LARC.NASA.GOV
Subject: Philips CD Chipset
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 12:59:02 GMT


Is there anyone out there familiar with the first generation Phillips CD
player chipset?  I am considering trying to get AES/EBU output from one
of the creatures (a pre-production Magnavox 1051... probably equivalent
to the 1041 in most respects).  Unfortunately the chipset doesn't appear
to have the encoding logic onboard, but I can still use the Crystal
Semi stuff.  More surprisingly, though, the signals appear all to be
different from those of the second generation stuff that I am familiar
with; for example the subcode signals are listed as "UDEC" instead of
subcode (and this took me an afternoon with a scope to figure out, in
fact).

   This is more of an exercise to learn about how the creatures work
than an attempt to produce a marketable product, so no flames about how
the effort isn't worth it.  I'm enjoying myself and that's what high end
audio is all about.
--scott


P.S.   I would like to correct the esteemed Dick Pierce... there are a
  couple of tubes that have been designed specifically for audio work
  since the Hitachi device mentioned.  The most obvious one is the KT90
  which is more than just a redesign of the old KT88 tube.

Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: tcheung@gandalf.rutgers.edu (Tak Cheung)
Subject: Re: Replacing Fuses
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 14:06:44 GMT

Dear Mr. Krueger, Moderator, rec.audio.high-end

I realized that my recent posting has stirred up some hot discussions in
rec.audio.high-end, and I have been called names I haven't heard of since
highschool but with that aside, maybe some remarks from me are in order.  

I posted that article from the results of my own experiments, and I admit
that I did not put big warning signs with the posting but the warnings
are stated in my posting.  I trust that people reading r.a.high-end are
reasonable people and would not jump to the conclusion that changing
fuses is the thing to do in high-end audio.  I hope my presumption is
correct.

The findings in my posting still stand and I am the first to admit I don't
know why I heard what I heard even with my technical degrees in tow.  
There are speculations as to why fuses have such audible effects but
the same goes with the audible effects of fancy speaker cables and other
tweaks.

Having been in the hobby for a while, it never fails to amaze me how
sensitive our hearings are and how much as an art (rather than science
or engineering) it remains in some areas of audio reproduction.

Mr. Krueger, I saw your posting about cleaning the fuse end-caps, that 
was exactly what I did before my toying with larger fuses.  Again, the 
findings in my post stand.

I think a message from Mr. C. Rabe sums up my intention fairly well, in
essence, I did this fuse changing experiment out of my own curiosity, and
as Mr. Rabe puts it as a "scientific" experiment and the results are as
posted.

I do not question the wisdom of using properly fused equipment.  On the
other hand, do allow the latitude for people to differ from stone
engraved norms.  I am not advocating "dangerous", "stupid" practices but
in many instances, progress has been made because of these so-called
"stupid" experimentations, Ben Franklin's kite flying in the thunder
storm comes to mind.  I am not equating my experimental results are
as important as Mr. Franklin's but to me, the results are as 
interesting no less.

I can only suggest to people who differ from my views to post
follow-ups to my original posting and hopefully devoid of any personal 
comments and just state the facts or known consequences of such
"dangerous and stupid" practice.

Lastly, this is rec.audio.high-end, please, lighten up and use your
judgement.  Just because someone says using Armor-All on CD works
doesn't mean you have to do it.  BTW I did, and yes it made a difference,
but did clean the CD  afterwards :) :).  Oh, I used green pen to
paint my CD's too.  No, I don't use a Tice clock, just a Denon tuner :).
One more thing, turn off all your computers and modems before listerning
to your system.

			  Tak Cheung
		          Have you made your audio dealer rich lately ??




Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: levitin@waldron.Stanford.EDU (Daniel Levitin)
Subject: Re: paranoid recording rates
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: Music Department, Stanford University
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 13:16:02 GMT

>
>	has anyone heard of hardware that can do 96kHz samples?

The Mitsubishi digital two-tracks and multi-tracks can record at 96K.
Mits is one of the popular machines in high-end recording studios.

Dan Levitin
Music Production Editor, Recording Engineering and Production Magazine
Former staff producer/engineer for C.B.S. Records.



Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: mfm0@ellis.uchicago.edu (martin frederic melhus)
Subject: AVA Fet-Valve CD Player
Keywords: Audio by Van Alstyne, CD
Reply-To: mfm0@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Distribution: il
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 08:30:26 GMT

I am interested in comparing the AVA Fet-Valve CD Player with
the Creek CD-60.  I own the Creek unit, and would like to
avoid the 10% restocking fee if the AVA unit isn't up to 
snuff.  Is there anyone in the Chicago area with their own
(or someone else's) AVA Fet-Valve CD player?  I would be
happy to go to you, or have you come to me; whatever is easiest
for you.  Please contact me via e-mail at
mfm0@midway.uchicago.edu if you are interested.

Naturally, I will post a review if I get to do the comparison,
so if you are interested in this and know somebody with the
AVA player, please contact them with this offer.
-- 
                          | You have all the time from when you remove the |
     Martin F. Melhus     | card(s) from your hand until you put it (them) |
 mfm0@midway.uchicago.edu | on the pile to say "Last Card".  If you don't, |
                          | take your two. - Hidden texts, Book of MauMau. |
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: DPierce@world.std.com
Subject: The Yamaha NS-10
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 13:15:41 GMT


Scott Fisher writes:
>
>>NS10's!
>
>>I believe that the popularity of the NS10's was initally based on the
>>mystic and esoteric nature of the recording engineer.  If one produced
>>did a string of hits using the NS10 with tissue paper over the tweeter
>>then *everybody* can....
>
>You seem to forget one other factor...PRICE...for the cost of 1 pair
>of "esoteric" studio monitors you can get 20 pairs of NS10's.  They
>were/are so cheap everyone can afford them so...why not?
>
>When I was setting up my home studio the first thing I thought of buying for
>monitoring was a set of NS10s because "everybody" had/has them and they
>so cheap it would not preclude me form getting "better" monitors
>later or indeed at the same time.  

You all seem to "forget" (but, really, probably never knew to begin with) THE
factor behind the NS10 poPularity

When Yamaha introduced the NS-10, the unabashedly gave a bunch of them to a
whole pile of recording studios, producers, musicians, etc, absolutely free,
no charge, take away as our gift, etc., with the full and (in my view) cynical
attempt at buying the professional and therefore by extension the semi-pro
and amateur home recording market simply by graft. The speaker have no
techincal or sonic merit. The woofer is a God-awful cheap seamed paper cone
jobby that has a frequency response modeled on the Swiss Alps, the tweeter
has rididulously poor response and dispersion. The speaker as an entity, is
an abomination. Yamaha knows it and they don't care.

|                Dick Pierce                |
|    Loudspeaker and Software Consulting    |
| 17 Sartelle Street   Pepperell, MA  01463 |
|       (508) 433-9183 (Voice and FAX)      |

Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: peterca@ento.csiro.au
Subject: Record cleaning solutions
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 13:17:36 GMT

As promised recently here is a record cleaning fluid recipe.  It comes from
an article by D.C.Nicholls in Australian HiFi which acknowledges B.Skilton
of the National Film and Sound Archive for advice on the this solution. 
The recomemded method was to remove as much dust as possible first by
pushing the dust around the grooves with a velvet or carbon fibre brush
until there is a line which may be picked up with a slightly damp velvet
brush.  Then use the cleaning solution brushed in well into the grooves,
rinse off with tap water the rinse off the tap water with
distilled/deionised water.  Wipie with clean pad and air dry (if you have a
cleaning machine this bit is less labourious because you just vacuum off
the solution-I have the basic Nitty-gritty machine which I recommend
strongly).  The recipe is 1ml teepol (a laboratory detergent):3ml isopropyl
alcohol:50ml distilled water.  Don't use non-pure detergent such as
dishwashing detergent which often has additves such as lanoline which you
don't want on your records.

NB. I'm still looking for a non-aqueous solvent as an alternative to
Freon113/Last/First.  I think that this removes stuff the detergent mix
doesn't and vice-versa.  Suggestions please!

----------------------------------------
Peter Campbell
C/O Div. Entomology, C.S.I.R.O.
Box 1700 Canberra A.C.T. 2601
Australia  (peterca@ento.csiro.au)
Ph.61-6-2464158 (w), 61-6-2516213 (h)
----------------------------------------


Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: redfreak@ecn.purdue.edu (Thomas Lobonc)
Subject: Leaking Cap and Dirty Pot
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 13:02:59 GMT

Last night I was looking inside my Counterpoint SA-1 (old!) preamp,
and I discovered a whiteish crystalline lump growing out of the end
of one of my capacitors. The capacitor said: Sprague Atom TVA-1716
80uF-450VDC 85(deg)C 7904L USA 5205. The cap is bypassed by two 
Rel-Caps (3 in parallel), of .10uF and .001uF. There are two of these
cap units in the preamp, located near the power supply regulation and
caps on the PCB.

If anyone could answer my questions, I would appreciate it.

1. What is leaking?
2. Where can I find a replacement cap?
3. Could this have caused any damage to other parts?
4. Should the bypass caps still be OK?
5. Would it be worth it to replace with a higher grade cap?
6. Is anyone familiar with this circuit (what do these caps do)?

My volume pot is noisy and loose. I was thinking about cleaning or
replacing it. The pot says: A.B Nod Pot A-100k 70P1N0485104A.

7. Is this a good pot?
8. How can I clean it?
9. Where can I get a replacement?

10. Does anybody know of any mods other than the 2 factory updates that
    can be done to this preamp?

Thanks for any and all responses,

Tom
redfreak@softcopy.ecn.purdue.edu



Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: hafner@ifi.unizh.ch (Michel Hafner)
Subject: Software-based AD-Converters
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Zurich, Department of Computer Science
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 12:51:18 GMT

A few days ago I found a brochure of a company named "Theta". They claimed to
be one of three companies to offer software-based AD-Converters and the only
one to do it right in every respect ( frequency, phase, time.. ) ( the two
others being Wadia and Krell, I guess ). Is this claim unfounded or is the
Theta Generation 3 DA-converter really the best sounding unit around, better
than Wadia, Krell, Accuphase etc.? Anybody any listening experiences?
								M.H.

Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
From: peterca@ento.csiro.au
Subject: Re: fuse replacement
Originator: tjk@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 13:05:12 GMT


>So, knowing full well that this is risky business about changing fuses
>in the equipment, I tried it anyway.

>Here are some interesting results:
>
>(1) Not all fuses sound the same, yes, this is odd but on the other hand
>if you think power cords sound different, this should be surprising.
>
>(2) Replacing original fuses with much higher amp ratings, such as 
>replacing the 1A fuse in my Classe' preamp with a 8A one improves the
>BASS and DEPTH perception  (I have already replaced the 18 gauge Belden 
>power cord with a 14 gauge Belden cord).  Some fuses can introduce brightness,
>some don't.  I use some Radio Shack fuses I had and sound better than the
>1A slow-blow stock fuse.
>    These results are absolutely mind boggling, I mean just the fuses.
>If you don't believe me, just go to Radio Shack and get some 8A or 10A or
>15A or even god forbid 20A in line fuses and try them out !!
>
>    Yes, it sure is risky to do that kind of things to over 10K's worth of
>equipment, say in a thunder storm or shorting the speaker cables, but if
>you are careful, you can HEAR the difference.
>
More deleted....

I wonder whether there is a third way beside risk and the claimed benefit
or no risk and less than the best sound.  I have heard of a solidstate
device often used as a speaker protection device which is regarded as less
harmfull to sound than fuses.  They have a low resistance untill the
current through the device causes them to heat and then the resistance
becomes high.  On cooling they return to low resistance.  Their switch off
time is similar to a slow blow fuse.  These are sold variously as
"polyswitches" or multifuses or resettable fuses.  My question to the
technicians among you is:  Do any of these devices offer a safer
alternative to the proposed use of high current fuses?  They would offer a
simple replacement for a fuse.  A more complex protection arrangement might
involve a current sensing circuit and a high current relay.  Finally, I
don't know what the laws are elsewhere but here all new houses are to be
fitted with earth leakage detectors in the power points which should
provide a higher standard of safety to the tweaker and his children.  
PS I assume that the fuses we are talking about are on the primary of the
main transformer.  For speaker fuses it would not be hard to imagine why a
bypass capacitor (as someone mentioned) might improve the sound!

----------------------------------------
Peter Campbell
C/O Div. Entomology, C.S.I.R.O.
Box 1700 Canberra A.C.T. 2601
Australia  (peterca@ento.csiro.au)
Ph.61-6-2464158 (w), 61-6-2516213 (h)
----------------------------------------