Leaderboard

I am looking to use a pair of subwoofers for both HT and Hi-Fi duty. Both systems have a 12V trigger output - a receiver and preamp. I decided to build a small circuit that isolates each trigger (amp has an aux supply to drive the relays) and toggles between an RCA input for the HT and a XLR input for Hi-Fi (depending on which remote trigger was asserted) and defers to a selectable input when both signals are sensed. Both triggers will come in on a single cable through a 3.5mm TRRS jack that will replace an existing toggle switch in each monoblock amp chassis, that currently is used for manual RCA or XLR input selection. One last feature is the board will keep the amp in standby whenever no trigger is asserted. Super custom use-case, but that’s what makes DIY fun!

Analog can be very frustrating. This week I finally took my second-hand AMG Viella TT to a dealer who also does setup work. It had never performed perfectly and typically the tonearm won't track and just slides across the entire record. The only way I could get it to play when I bought it three years ago was with a cheap moving magnet cartridge and that wasn't consistent. I gave up on it for a long time but tried to get it going again months ago only to be thwarted even worse. The distributor works with this guy who sets up a lot of tables so they recommended that I have him address the known issues, check out the table in general, and then dial everything in, assuming that is possible. He immediately found a potentially major problem with the tonearm, but then fixed it. After mounting my Airtight cartridge (that I told him I was worried had lost its stylus) and setting up the arm, he discovered an even bigger problem that forces the tonearm to shoot across the record that he cannot fix and doesn't even understand how it could be happening. He then discovered that not only my Airtight cartridge but also my Lyra cartridge were stylus-less. Fuck me. I think the Airtight was killed by my cleaning lady years ago on my VPI table. The Lyra stylus might have been lost when I was trying against the odds to get the table going more recently but I'm not sure it was even there at that time because it would not track the groove at all. Result? Bought a like-new used arm from the distributor and a used cartridge from the dealer. He showed me how jacked up the tonearm was, and I have never abused it and kept the cleaning lady away from this TT better than my last. So never buy anything from Stephane Prunet on audiogon because he had to know about the defects. I also bought cleaning fluid and fired up my Clearaudio Double Matrix cleaner. Now I'm going to listen to the beautiful, beautiful music...

Okay, moving on. Here's how I wired up the transformer: And here we see the unloaded secondary voltages: Here the PSU boards are mounted to the front plate for heatsinking. The power resistors (500R and 16k) will be used to load the PSU for testing: And finally, the moment of truth: One more view from above: So far, so good.

I can just about understand how mains power and line level cables can impact sound quality through management of RF ingress. But digital cables? Provided they are fed and loaded by the characteristic impedance of the cable, job done. There is some subtlety to the "fed and loaded", but that is outside the scope of a half way decent $15 cable. Incidentally, the way to get around the "fed and loaded" problem is to use long cables (~10-15 feet). In that way any termination reflections come back during the flat top of the waveform, and not during an edge, where it will impact jitter. But such simple pragmatism does not sell $5k digital cables.

It is a Chord product. They must have bought, or licensed, the copyright to use the EE logo on one of their designs. Which is not a design as such - it is a $30 8-port network switch with a different clock (perhaps) in a custom case. What is the term? A fool and their gold are easily parted?

smoked a tenderloin with cherry rum pellets. it’s tasty.

Depends on the person doing it. Some don't like to just replace the stylus because it is easier to put on a new cantilever with stylus.

I would finish with Wilsonart or if you really want to paint something on, Duratex or ExoHyde. This is a Duratex I did on my theater speakers. Incredibly easy to roll on in one or two coats.

There was too much to address in cutestory's query, but: Keeping (or getting) your knives sharp is a combination of metallurgy (alloy, heat treatment, etc.), edge geometry, and consistency. It's easy to wipe out a good factory edge with poor sharpening (I have done it) and harder to improve a poorly-executed edge by skillful re-profiling and sharpening. It's better to start with cheap knives. A harder steel will keep it's edge longer, but an overly-hard heat treatment will mean that it can also be more brittle. Each alloy of steel has an ideal hardness range, depending on your application. Softer steel will get dull more quickly but it may be tougher in abusive situations (e.g., camp work, chopping, swords/axes, etc.). Different sharpener grits for different jobs, just like in wood sanding. Coarse grit to remove lots of metal (unnecessary for most knives), medium grit for a less aggressive re-profiling or sharpening a completely dull knife, and fine to ultra-fine for edge maintenance or a finer, more polished edge. Some people prefer a slightly coarser edge for more biting cuts into tougher material like wood or rope (the microscopic teeth on the edge will be more aggressive) and others like a very smooth edge for sashimi cutting, for example. Some people like to use a leather strop to finish the edge on a knife or razor. Explained here: https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Understanding-Strops-W111.aspx Edge endurance can also depend on the bevel type and angle... having more steel at the edge will make it tougher, but a thinner edge will feel sharper and cut more easily through softer material. You can see in the list of edge geometries at the bottom that the V (flat grind) is the simplest to understand and to sharpen properly, which is why it is the most common. This popped up on YouTube... not a lot of "super-steels" in here: https://youtu.be/MKMG-FdCGtM

Apollo HVLP

In my experience a retip can’t be seen as anything near to the original - kinda like a Blue Bell banana pop. If you view it that way then I think it’s worth a try. For the Koetsu the main issue is they need nice heavy mass arm to sound good - whichever arm has the higher effective mass is your best bet. They sound pretty bad when not properly matched.

^ Also didn't know, though his newer store never felt the same and he certainly talked about his kids a lot. Also there went the Nottingham connection.

I knew he closed the shop but I didn't know that Brian moved. That was a fun place to spend an afternoon (if you didn't mind the cigars). He must've made a fortune selling his house in Los Gatos!

Sadly, Brian retired and closed the analog room this year. He moved to southern California to be closer to his kids and help his son in law start an audio dealership.

Congrats and nice T2 Al! Fond memories

Just listen to this! Mmmmmm

I just started playing Pillars of Eternity yesterday – what a great game! It's a spiritual successor to classic isometric party-based RPGs like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. It's a free download on the Epic Store until December 17.

I want to go to an automatics spraying solution, as brushes are shit. This was leftover deck stain that is definitely not a high end finish.

Worked a holiday event this morning and holiday music is now lodged in my brain so might as well begin the sentimental (in the best sense) outpouring. Starting with Tracey Thorn's Tinsel and Lights...

I like the Kreg Automaxx bench clamps.

So, here is the other side of the wall behind the TV - putting a receiver in a garage is either genius or the worst idea ever. I got a nice cover for it to attempt to keep it somewhat clean, but time will tell. Got the wiring as tidy as I could. with eARC I don’t think I really will need a remote. I am using two wires from an Ethernet run for a 12v trigger to switch over subs to HT duty and could use another pair to run an IR blaster if needed. there is a plate that can be installed on the Arlington box but I am not sure how I would get the wires out. I do imagine this will be a good source of A/C leaks during the summer time but not sure what I can do to make it any better than what I have. ... plus there is room for a garage turntable!

It fits!

RIP John le Carré. Wrote some amazing spy novels. One of the best in the genre.

RIP Charlie Pride. He became a huge Country Music star at a time when a Black Country singer was unheard of. He did it with a positive attitude and a bucket load of class. They wouldn't even put his picture on his first two albums. Covid-19 sucks ass!

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT! FUCK YOU, 2020! https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/cynic-bassist-sean-malone-dead-at-50/

RIP Chuck Yeager