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1: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Sanus AFA Audio Rack (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2016-12-05, 10:56:23 (192.55.54.38)
I haven't noticed acoustic feedback, but I tend to listen at low volumes. The turntable will pick up magnetic fields from the CRT monitor. I usually keep the CRT turned off. Ed .......
2: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Sanus AFA Audio Rack (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2016-12-05, 07:01:32 (134.134.139.78)
Thanks for the suggestion. The house has a concrete slab floor, and so the turntable tends not to receive vibrations. Ed .......
3: Planar Speaker Asylum, Sanus AFA Audio Rack (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2016-12-04, 17:39:09 (99.8.153.98)
Good Audio Defies Miniaturization Introduction After decades of audio as a hobby, I finally upgraded a component of my stereo system that had never received much attention - the furniture. The .......
4: General Asylum, The cost of digital has been plummeting (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2011-07-15, 23:14:37 (71.142.71.22)
for the past 60 years. Digital is now the least expensive way to do *many* things. Ed .......
5: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Microphones & op-amps (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2009-11-08, 11:35:22 (71.142.70.255)
Several years ago, I measured the acoustic response of the MG1.6 using a Panasonic WM-61A microphone element and a microphone preamplifer of my own design plugged into the line inputs of a desktop com .......
6: Planar Speaker Asylum, I don't think the MG1.6 or MG3.6 have changed in a decade (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2008-12-17, 14:55:11 (71.142.73.78)
We would hear about any changes. Of course, I don't have any factory information. Ed .......
7: Planar Speaker Asylum, speaker of the decade? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2008-12-17, 11:50:11 (71.142.73.78)
I have never seen a magazine give a "Product of the Year" award to a product that came out 10 years ago. That of course, says a lot. (;-) Ed .......
8: Planar Speaker Asylum, That's hilarious (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2008-04-20, 06:59:15 (71.142.76.24)
Poor guy, but it's funny to see Maggie folklore happen in real life. Ed .......
9: Planar Speaker Asylum, Very cool post (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2008-04-03, 20:09:27 (71.142.101.18)
That was the best April fools post I've read this year. 99.99% believable. We've all been eagerly awaiting for anything new from Magnepan. Ed .......
10: Planar Speaker Asylum, My MG1.6s are asymmetric (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-12-23, 16:14:29 (71.142.69.137)
I got out the flashlight and tape measure. I measured the following distances in inches from the top of the speaker to each tuning disk. MG1.6 left: 8.25, 19.25, 28.5 MG1.6 right: 8.25, 19.25, 31.5 On .......
11: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: And yet ... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-12-23, 15:23:17 (71.142.69.137)
IMO, what they are doing is anchoring the centre of the mylar to the metal plate, so the upper part of the bass panel has a different vibration pattern to the lower part? Yes, exactly. Making the le .......
12: Planar Speaker Asylum, Thanks! (nt) (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-12-23, 05:58:16 (71.142.69.137)
Ed .......
13: Planar Speaker Asylum, Not odd at all (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-12-23, 05:50:35 (71.142.69.137)
See the link below for an explanation of distributed resonance in Sound Labs speakers. Magnepan's tuning disks perform the same function (presumably without infringing on Sound Lab's patent). The left .......
14: Planar Speaker Asylum, Message for Mart (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-12-16, 16:07:38 (71.142.94.224)
Hi Mart, My emails appear not to be reaching you. I have a new web host and need my link updated on the MUG tweaks page. "Maggie 2 1/2dB midrange boost XO tweak from Ed G (28nov02)" OLD: http://memb .......
15: Planar Speaker Asylum, Interesting comparison (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-10-22, 05:48:58 (71.142.84.233)
We've both spent years re-engineering our Maggies. For the curious, I can explain the design of the stock Maggie as follows. Maggies are dipoles - they require a great deal of bass boost to overcome d .......
16: Planar Speaker Asylum, there are three factors (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-10-09, 18:29:50 (71.142.82.84)
Compare the measured frequency response of the MG1.6 and MG3.6 in the Stereophile reviews. http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/reviews/stereophile_mg16qr.htm http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/ .......
17: Planar Speaker Asylum, My experience (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-02-19, 08:30:15 (66.81.66.178)
A computer based analysis of sound emanating from the 1.6s' indicates that the offending frequencies are in the region of 10.1KHZ. Half-agree. My FFT measurement confirms that the QR tweeter is prett .......
18: Planar Speaker Asylum, Fresh Aire Interludes (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-02-14, 19:03:09 (66.81.66.3)
This is a compilation of piano interludes from Mannheim Steamroller's Fresh Aire series. Some environmental sounds are included. It's a remarkable recording. I have the 1981 LP. Ed .......
19: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: MAGNEPAN insignia-best place for it? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-01-27, 09:49:26 (66.81.67.96)
Knowing the general sonic paranoia of the inmates here, I'm surprised we're not discussing the deleterous sonic effects of placing a 1/2x1 inch badge in front of the panel. I too keep the badges in th .......
20: Planar Speaker Asylum, That's me (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-01-12, 08:53:34 (66.81.66.114)
My dad is Polish. About the photo: In addition to being an AA inmate, I'm also a member of the Men's Long Hair Hyperboard http://www.mlhh.org. I thought it odd that the article on the MG1.6 crossover .......
21: Planar Speaker Asylum, my MG1.6 mod (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2007-01-11, 18:00:11 (66.81.66.177)
I designed a mod for the MG1.6 that gives the crossover a fairly flat electrical response, similar in that regard to a series crossover. It's described in my article below. This kind of mod can be ap .......
22: Planar Speaker Asylum, This wouldn't seem like the Planar Asylum (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-08-26, 09:24:04 (66.81.67.178)
if the stock background color hadn't been tweaked! Ed .......
23: Computer Audio Asylum, pretty much any distribution (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-05-13, 08:04:46 (66.81.67.219)
I run Slackware Linux. I recommend Slackware for people who are used to Unix. Slackware includes a half-dozen audio players. I think these are pretty standard being parts of X11, KDE, and ALSA. You ca .......
24: Planar Speaker Asylum, Maggie engineering (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-04-26, 18:29:44 (66.81.66.46)
Hi Frank, If you like the results of the mid-boost, go with Mart's version. My version is intended for those that don't want to modify the crossover internals. Please keep in mind that the acoustic re .......
25: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: MMG Measurements and Responses (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-02-01, 17:33:09 (66.81.67.112)
Why would you want to measure 1m away from a panel (line or planar)loudspeaker. That would allow a comparison with measurements on other Maggies. I would expect the MMG bass panel resonance to be mor .......
26: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: MMG Measurements and Responses (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-01-30, 19:41:24 (66.81.66.133)
That is impressively flat. What do the measurements look like 3 feet away from the panel? Ed .......
27: Planar Speaker Asylum, bass EQ (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-01-25, 18:18:19 (66.81.115.129)
I'll clarify: the bass panel resonance, driver efficiency, and crossover are together designed to produce a bass boost. The actual boost comes from the first two; the crossover helps control its shape .......
28: Planar Speaker Asylum, I'm not a planar guru, but... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-01-24, 20:17:10 (66.81.121.208)
Having played around with different 3-way Maggie crossover schematics in lspCAD, I see the overall frequency response invariably has a hump in the 100-200Hz region. This is achieved by positioning th .......
29: Planar Speaker Asylum, Crossover design difference (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-01-22, 07:45:40 (66.81.123.232)
To produce deeper bass, the MG1.6 gets more electrical help from its crossover than the MG12 (in addition to the larger bass panel). The MG1.6 crossover attenuates the midrange by 3.4dB at 600Hz, comp .......
30: Planar Speaker Asylum, Output impedance (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-01-18, 19:05:31 (66.81.119.118)
Due to the design of the crossover, 2-way Maggies are very sensitive to an amplifier's output impedance. A SET amp can have a few ohms output impedance, and it takes only 2.2 ohms to boost the MG1.6's .......
31: Computer Audio Asylum, Hot spare (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-01-14, 16:43:11 (66.81.68.97)
I have two computers. Both have identical data disks (which I keep in sync through periodic mirroring) and run identical software. The newer PC is in my home office while the older PC is in my living .......
32: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: Audiophile quality ripping (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-01-13, 06:44:00 (66.81.67.69)
I transferred my entire CD collection (210 CDs) to the computer in 6 hours using cdda2wav, some shell scripts, Linux, and both DVD drives simultaneously. That's effectively under 2 minutes per CD. The .......
33: Computer Audio Asylum, Yes (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2006-01-12, 19:10:16 (66.81.112.157)
I run Slackware Linux on my living room PC. I use it to play music, view photos, watch short movies, and act as a FTP server. Linux supported the graphics and sound cards without problems. In fact, th .......
34: General Asylum, Re: Curious (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-12-29, 14:59:44 (66.81.119.148)
The midrange boost is a modification to the MG1.6 crossover described in the link below. I contributed this article to the planar asylum tweaks page a few years ago. The Maggies are bolted down to pre .......
35: General Asylum, Maggies (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-12-29, 08:06:48 (66.81.69.163)
New PC: some made-in-China but labeled "Altec Lansing" PC speakers. I leave them off because they hum noticeably. Old PC: moved to the living room and now gets the good stuff! Maggie 1.6s, my DIY amp, .......
36: Tweakers' Asylum, Jameco rotary switches (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-12-26, 11:01:42 (66.81.120.31)
I've been using Jameco 101565 and 101557 in audio projects since the 1980s. I've never had any problems with these switches. http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&st .......
37: Planar Speaker Asylum, grin (nt) (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-05-18, 17:56:16 (66.81.66.113)
Ed .......
38: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: EdG's Mid-Boost Mod for MG12? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-05-18, 07:42:34 (143.183.121.1)
I've read that the RS meter has a peak at ~5KHz. I used a Panasonic WM-61A microphone, which has impressively flat response but poor S/N ratio. It's good for measurement but unsuitable for recording. .......
39: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: EdG's Mid-Boost Mod for MG12? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-05-18, 06:11:27 (66.81.68.99)
Hey, that's a good question! The brightness/graininess is actually in the upper midrange/lower treble (~1 KHz). It is caused by the electrical gap in the crossover. Even through all the driver resonan .......
40: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: EdG's Mid-Boost Mod for MG12? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-05-17, 21:32:28 (66.81.114.20)
Yes, the tweeter is shelved down by ~6dB. That is what gives the MG1.6 its "soft on top" character. The dip at 140Hz is apparent in the Stereophile measurements as well as mine. There's also a dip at .......
41: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: EdG's Mid-Boost Mod for MG12? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-05-17, 20:16:45 (66.81.114.20)
I updated the article with the acoustic measurements (after writing a program to plot them!). Low frequencies aren't absorbed because the wavelengths are too long (50Hz has a wavelength of 20 feet!) .......
42: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: EdG's Mid-Boost Mod for MG12? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-05-17, 17:40:23 (66.81.121.223)
Yes, that's how the modded MG1.6 sounds too. The midrange dip in the stock crossover, along with the lower efficiency of the tweeter relative to the bass panel and the bass panel's natural resonance, .......
43: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: EdG's Mid-Boost Mod for MG12? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-05-17, 08:34:55 (143.183.121.1)
Sounds good. You may want to get several values of resistors to experiment with. The steel jumper has negligable resistance, but the inductor's DC resistance should be considered. Some time after I wr .......
44: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: EdG's Mid-Boost Mod for MG12? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-05-17, 06:03:20 (66.81.68.130)
I'm not aware of any MG12 owners who tried it. Ed .......
45: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: anyone ever considered- (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-05-12, 19:18:13 (66.81.125.243)
Since the MG1.6 tweeter is shelved down a few dB relative to the woofer, one could always add a series resistor to attenuate the woofer. It's sort of the opposite effect of the tweeter attenuation res .......
46: General Asylum, caused by DC on the AC line (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-04-07, 09:20:00 (143.183.121.1)
I've had toroidal transformers buzz loudly whenever a neighbor uses a hairdryer. It's caused by DC on the AC line. The hairdryer contains a diode and doesn't draw current evenly from the positive and .......
47: Planar Speaker Asylum, crossover (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-04-04, 20:23:19 (66.81.67.133)
The MG1.6 is a fine speaker, but it has a slightly grainy character due to the design of the crossover. The MG12 is better in this regard. It is possible to smooth out the MG1.6 midrange at the cost o .......
48: Planar Speaker Asylum, Use smaller values (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2005-03-13, 17:55:30 (66.81.122.47)
The stock 1.2 ohm resistors dull the highs too much. I used 0.39 ohm resistors when my MG1.6s were new. Ed .......
49: Planar Speaker Asylum, upgrades (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-12-15, 19:06:27 (66.81.66.40)
Wayne, I'm a MG1.6 owner, so I don't have specific recommendations for the MMG. I suggest first determining what it is about the MMG that you'd like to improve. My resistor mod has a specific purpose .......
50: Planar Speaker Asylum, most likely (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-12-14, 18:17:22 (66.81.123.86)
The change to a 1st order low pass filter was most likely due to cost reduction. The woofer shunt cap has only a small effect. A series crossover will have a midrange emphasis compared to the stock cr .......
51: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Maggie 3.6R Tweeter Attenuation (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-12-13, 18:33:59 (66.81.79.168)
On the MG3.6, the attenuation for a resistor of value R is given by: dB = 20*log10 (3.0/(3.0+R)) Ed .......
52: General Asylum, Re: Did Maxell ever have a famous spokesperson for there tapes? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-12-08, 19:31:32 (66.81.122.214)
The Maxell "Blown Away" guy was very famous. Link to artwork.barewalls.com Link to www.art.com Ed .......
53: General Asylum, I recommend (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-12-01, 19:17:34 (66.81.117.93)
I recommend "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill. While not specifically about audio, this book is likely the best introduction to electronics I've seen. Ed .......
54: Planar Speaker Asylum, Maggies are timeless (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-11-22, 07:49:54 (143.183.121.1)
Most of today's consumer electronics will look very dated in 10 years. On the other hand, Maggies will still look like cloth-covered monoliths 30 years from now. That's timeless! Ed .......
55: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Attenuator value (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-11-17, 18:08:42 (66.81.127.24)
Get a bunch of 10 watt, 5% wirewound resistors, say 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 ohms. These are available from DigiKey. On the MG1.6, the attenuation for a resistor of value R is given by: dB = 20*log10 (4.5/(4 .......
56: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: My Maggies Arrived - Logo Placement??? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-11-17, 07:58:36 (143.183.121.1)
I keep my MG1.6 badges in the bag along with the spacers, spare fuses, resistors, jumpers, allen wrench, and other extraneous stuff. It's cool that they come with a little kit. Ed .......
57: General Asylum, environment (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-09-12, 10:17:20 (66.81.75.208)
Batteries are bad for the environment. Even rechargeable batteries have a warning not to dispose of them in the trash. Ed EPA article Why Are Some Batteries Harmful For The Environment? .......
58: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Amp Specs (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-08-28, 11:34:27 (66.81.119.194)
Power is given by P = I^2 * R 10 amps (rms) into 4 ohms is 400 watts. Converting from RMS to peak gives 14 amps. Even after adding a guardband for poorly-behaved loads (which Maggies are not), nowhere .......
59: Planar Speaker Asylum, DIY, solid-state, bipolar transistor amplifier (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-08-28, 08:50:32 (66.81.64.111)
mainly because I can design a better amplifier with that technology than any other. Ed .......
60: General Asylum, Re: DC on the AC line? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-08-07, 19:58:46 (63.93.103.36)
DC on the AC line can result from appliances with solid-state controls that draw more current from one half of the AC sinewave than the other half. Heating appliances sometimes implement a half-power .......
61: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Bay Area Vinyl Store to Visit (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-07-22, 18:21:26 (66.52.138.222)
Rasputin Music Streetlight Records Ed .......
62: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Bay Area Vinyl Store to Visit (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-07-22, 01:18:31 (63.93.103.35)
The two stores I go to are Rasputin's and Streetlight records, both on Bascom avenue in San Jose. They have some used vinyl, but it's a small part of their business. Ed .......
63: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Update on Tubes on Magnepan MG1.6 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-07-14, 06:08:27 (66.52.138.222)
The variable is the amplifier's output impedance. Due to its crossover design, the MG1.6 is extremely sensitive to amplifier output impedance. Non-zero output impedance has the effect of boosting the .......
64: General Asylum, Re: What have you done with unsold audio equipment? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-07-11, 07:48:34 (66.52.138.217)
For several years, I used my old stereo speakers and amp as computer speakers. I figured, why settle for computer speakers when one can have real speakers! This trade works both ways: presently, I'm u .......
65: Tape Trail, I bought a new Walkman a few months ago (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-06-29, 20:17:33 (63.93.103.25)
A Sony WM-FX495, $50 from Sonystyle.com. This is the third Walkman I've owned. It has amazing features (logic-controlled transport in a Walkman?), is very small and light, but has one serious omission .......
66: Speaker Asylum, Re: Infinity Studio Monitor 100 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-06-19, 07:03:25 (66.42.16.253)
From Infinity's website: SM100 PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Response: 59Hz - 22kHz (+/-3dB) Crossover Frequency(ies): 2.5kHz Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms Recommended Power Amplifier Range: 10 -15 .......
67: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Re-biasing an SS Amp (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-06-18, 06:08:29 (66.42.16.251)
Quiescent current may be computed by measuring the voltage across the emitter resistors on the output devices and dividing by the amount of resistance. DC offset may be measured at the speaker termina .......
68: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Attenuating the MG1.6QR quasi ribbons (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-06-17, 19:57:43 (66.42.16.250)
The power dissipated in a resistor is given by P = I^2 * R. With the stock 3A tweeter fuse and a 1 ohm resistor, the maximum power dissipation will be 9 watts. Yes, I'm an electrical engineer... Ed : .......
69: Tape Trail, Sony TC-KE400S purchased in 1997 (nt) (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-06-12, 21:01:21 (66.42.16.249)
Ed .......
70: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Addendum: possible soundcard freq.response (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-06-10, 16:48:05 (63.93.103.37)
I encountered the same problem when I tried to measure the MG1.6. Inexpensive condenser microphones have a lot of low-frequency noise, so the sound card's mic input has a built-in high-pass filter. No .......
71: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: New Maggies 1.6QR help (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-06-03, 05:50:12 (66.42.16.248)
Congratulations! Here's a link to the manual. Ed .......
72: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Is it me or does this LP just sound bad? (ELO) (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-05-20, 18:15:17 (66.81.69.101)
All of my ELO records sound like they used too many multi-track tape recorders, overdubs, and strange tape effects. Great music, though! Ed .......
73: Planar Speaker Asylum, The page is still there (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-05-20, 06:00:30 (66.81.68.189)
But the link was removed. An oversight in updating the site perhaps? Ed .......
74: Vinyl Asylum, I've had that happen (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-05-18, 22:01:45 (66.81.113.19)
One track on a collection LP has very noticable wow, whereas the other tracks are fine. Most likely the problem was in putting together the collection. Ed .......
75: General Asylum, Reinstall Windows (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-05-01, 20:12:16 (66.81.76.251)
There's only one sure way to remove unwanted software: back up your data files, reformat the hard disk, reinstall Windows and all apps, and restore your data. Total time: about 3 hours on my computer. .......
76: Planar Speaker Asylum, amplifier output impedance (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-04-22, 08:39:04 (143.183.121.1)
Due to the crossover design, the MG1.6 is very sensitive to amplifier output impedance. Impedances of 1-2 ohms will have the effect of emphasizing the midrange. My article in the tweaks section explai .......
77: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Ex-Speakers (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-04-04, 20:34:52 (66.81.121.63)
Here's my speaker history in chronological order. Electrovoice Leyton. These were hand-me-downs from my dad that I had up through college. With a 10" woofer and 5" cone "tweeter", they were truly horr .......
78: Planar Speaker Asylum, measuring output impedance (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-04-03, 20:26:00 (66.81.74.180)
An approximate measurement may be made with an AC voltmeter and a steady-state sine wave CD. Play a 100Hz sine wave and measure the voltage across the Maggie (closed-circuit voltage). Then, disconnect .......
79: Planar Speaker Asylum, Mid-boost mod - One More Time! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-04-03, 08:40:08 (66.81.119.103)
I've written enough about the effects of output impedance on the MG1.6 crossover. Two-way Maggies will sound smoother with a small amount of output impedance (1-2 ohms) due to shifts in the crossover .......
80: General Asylum, Re: Quiet amp fan? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-03-30, 17:31:02 (66.81.75.108)
Use a 4.68 inch 12VDC brushless fan. Run it at 5-8 volts. Ed .......
81: General Asylum, my scientific method (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-03-24, 20:23:44 (66.81.65.84)
I take the purchase price and divide it by the length of time I'm likely to own the product (measured in days). I then compare the ratio against a few yardsticks - how much I spend on eating out, for .......
82: General Asylum, try finding a quality cassette (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-03-21, 08:30:13 (66.81.68.20)
I still have a drawer full of Maxell XLII-S and TDK SA-X. These were very good tapes in their day. The big retail stores stopped selling high-bias tapes some time ago. They now carry only crummy norma .......
83: General Asylum, not expensive to find out (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-03-19, 06:43:17 (66.81.118.219)
Ten years ago, I bought Radio Shack's then top-of-the-line shortwave (DX-390) just out of curiousity. Shortwave is a strange mix of government broadcasters, religious evangelists, Ham radio operators, .......
84: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: no mystery at all (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-03-05, 08:11:09 (143.183.121.1)
I think the amp's output impedence is the biggest variable. On the MG1.6 it takes only 0.2 ohms to emphasize the midrange by 0.5dB relative to the bass and treble. I now better understand the Maggie .......
85: Planar Speaker Asylum, no mystery at all (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-03-05, 06:10:02 (66.81.79.86)
The change in sound is mainly due to the interaction between the amp and speakers. Due to the crossover design, 2-way Maggies are unusually sensitive to an amp's output impedence: higher impedence (as .......
86: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: RF interferance with 1.6 and Classe (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-02-29, 09:07:08 (66.81.117.41)
Radio Shack sells a ferrite bead (catalog number 273-105) that can be placed around the speaker cables where they connect to the amp to block RFI. Ed .......
87: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Magnepan updates (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-02-20, 08:17:51 (143.183.121.1)
Magnepan's MG1.6 wiring diagram lists some minor changes in the mechanical layout of the crossover. Magnepan also eliminated the 0.1uF tweeter cap early on in the production run. These are minor engi .......
88: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: mg2b XO point "gap" not overlapped? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-02-15, 07:40:24 (66.81.71.56)
The crossover has a gap by design. Newer Maggies (i.e. MG1.6) are designed the same way. Despite the electrical gap, the acoustic response is approximately flat in the crossover region. The electrica .......
89: Tweakers' Asylum, 137GB barrier (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-02-08, 10:31:43 (66.81.115.41)
Tim, There's a known limitation at 137GB in the IDE interface. I discovered this when I put a 200GB drive in my old Win2K PC. The fix is to edit the registry. See the link. Ed .......
90: Planar Speaker Asylum, I think I'll postpone this decision (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-02-04, 17:52:03 (66.81.127.230)
For another few months/years. Ed .......
91: Planar Speaker Asylum, Should I keep the box? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-02-02, 20:01:51 (66.81.115.76)
I've had my MG1.6s for three years now and still have the box in the closet. Its taking up a lot of space. I usually get rid of boxes when the warranty expires. I'm not likely to move. I usually keep .......
92: Vintage Asylum, Re: Another Analog RIP (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-26, 20:22:21 (66.81.122.222)
I still listen to records and thought that a cassette Walkman would be a safe bet. Then, I encounted the problem with high-bias tapes. The industry is determined to sell me a MP3 player. Ed ::: TOPIC: .......
93: Vintage Asylum, recent cassette experiences (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-25, 20:46:46 (66.81.65.226)
It won't be long before there won't be any premium cassette tape made and the cassette will go back to its origins of being a portable recorder for dictation and for recording student lectures. Its a .......
94: Digital Drive, Re: That was close! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-23, 07:31:03 (143.183.121.1)
I estimate that 6-12dB attenuation could cure the clipping. I have to give the disclaimer that I haven't tried it because I subsequently decided not to use the Montego II for recording. Ed ::: TOPIC:: .......
95: Digital Drive, Re: That was close! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-23, 07:31:03 (143.183.121.1)
I estimate that 6-12dB attenuation could cure the clipping. I have to give the disclaimer that I haven't tried it because I subsequently decided not to use the Montego II for recording. Ed ::: TOPIC: .......
96: Digital Drive, I've had the same problem (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-22, 19:01:05 (66.81.116.230)
I own a Turtle Beach Montego II. The line-in is too sensitive so the A/D clips on loud passages. The Windows record level control can't cure this problem because its digital. The only solution is to t .......
97: Digital Drive, I've had the same problem (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-22, 19:01:05 (66.81.116.230)
I own a Turtle Beach Montego II. The line-in is too sensitive so the A/D clips on loud passages. The Windows record level control can't cure this problem because its digital. The only solution is to t .......
98: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: my experience (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-21, 08:34:32 (143.183.121.1)
There's multiple ways to shift the crossover points... whatever is easiest for you. Have fun! Ed .......
99: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: my experience (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-21, 08:34:32 (143.183.121.1)
There's multiple ways to shift the crossover points... whatever is easiest for you. Have fun! Ed .......
100: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: my experience (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-21, 06:08:52 (66.81.72.245)
Really thin speaker cables could also be used to add resistance, but one would need the right gauge/length to get the resistance within reasonable tolerance. I think its much easier to buy 2.2 ohm res .......
101: Planar Speaker Asylum, my experience (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-20, 18:00:03 (66.81.114.177)
I wrote an article in the tweaks section on how to narrow the electrical gap in the MG1.6 crossover using external resistors. Subsequent acoustic measurements showed that the stock crossover is flatte .......
102: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Maggies as computer speakers (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-11, 20:15:13 (66.81.68.215)
Thanks. I'm quite happy with my old PC as a source, and also about how much I didn't have to spend on it (;-). Ed .......
103: Planar Speaker Asylum, PC music server (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-10, 12:34:26 (66.81.119.165)
Hard disks have recently become very cheap, and since I couldn't give away my old computer when I got a new one, I put a 200GB hard disk in my old computer and now use it as a music server. Playing un .......
104: Planar Speaker Asylum, Maggies as computer speakers (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2004-01-10, 09:36:50 (66.81.112.184)
I once used my old Infinity speakers as computer speakers. With Maggies, the situation is reversed: its easier to bring an old computer to the Maggies. My "Quarter Century in the Making" system. Ed .......
105: Amp/Preamp Asylum, ever look at consumer electronics? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-09-21, 11:00:51 (209.86.255.233)
Curved plastic blobs that look as though they had been left out in the sun for too long. Designers that couldn't create a 90 degree angle if their jobs depended on it. Its trendy but will look very da .......
106: Tweakers' Asylum, I've also used Sescom enclosures (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-09-17, 18:49:06 (165.247.202.64)
The larger rack chassis have 4 small "L" brackets that hold the top, bottom, and sides together, in addition to the 4 extrusions. The "L" brackets prevent the top and bottom from drooping. I agree tha .......
107: Tweakers' Asylum, not very (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-09-03, 18:42:30 (165.247.216.155)
The bias changes with temperature. It will be different after the amp has been playing loudly. Ed .......
108: Planar Speaker Asylum, check for DC (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-08-29, 07:25:07 (143.183.121.2)
Check for DC at the outputs of the amp. Then, check the preamp outputs. If you measure more than about 0.1 volts, something is broken. Ed .......
109: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Recipe for a Bad Amplifier (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-08-22, 20:35:31 (209.86.243.16)
I've been an amateur amp designer for long enough to have seen a lot of design mistakes, mostly in DIY amp projects in magazines and on the Internet. Problems like instability in thermals, biasing, an .......
110: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Test Tone /SPL Measurements for Phasing- Puzzling (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-08-20, 20:59:56 (209.86.5.105)
Phase becomes less important as the bass and midrange panels are a significant fraction of a wavelength apart. A few years ago, I measured a null around 500Hz on my previous cone speakers that was ver .......
111: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Test Tone /SPL Measurements for Phasing- Puzzling (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-08-20, 18:12:03 (209.86.254.193)
You need a continuously-variable frequency source, or a very slowly swept sine wave, to detect the null. Then, 250-400Hz corresponds to wavelengths of 4.4-2.7 feet, and with the bass/midrange panels 1 .......
112: Planar Speaker Asylum, Here are some links to the famous Hamm paper (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-08-09, 06:59:16 (165.247.204.72)
Tubes Versus Transistors - Is There an Audible Difference? Tubes Versus Transistors - Is There an Audible Difference? Tubes Versus Transistors - Is There an Audible Difference? Its excellent readin .......
113: Vinyl Asylum, Dual reappears (sort of) (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-08-07, 18:47:51 (209.86.253.193)
I was browsing a Circuit City advertisement and came across a pair of "Dual" bookshelf speakers. I thought surely this can't be the same company that made my Dual turntable in 1976. A web search later .......
114: Planar Speaker Asylum, An inductor will alleviate the spikes (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-07-26, 12:08:59 (209.86.6.106)
in addition to the snubber caps. Ed .......
115: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Brownout effect on system sound? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-07-26, 12:04:20 (209.86.6.106)
A frequently-cited effect of brownouts is that amplifiers won't deliver their rated power, i.e. the amp will clip sooner. Another effect is that below a certain AC line voltage, voltage regulators in .......
116: Planar Speaker Asylum, bigger filter capacitors (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-07-26, 11:41:33 (209.86.6.106)
The problem with making the filter capacitors bigger is that the rectifier diodes conduct for a shorter period of time with increased peak current. Although 120Hz ripple ("hum") is reduced, higher har .......
117: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Panel/ribbon damping, continued (long) (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-07-24, 21:47:01 (165.247.207.81)
A line-level crossover has a lot of advantages over a speaker-level crossover: small, tight-tolerance components, virtually ideal electrical behavior, and no degradation of the amplifier's damping fac .......
118: Planar Speaker Asylum, Probably to reduce costs a little <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-07-22, 20:26:33 (165.121.169.157)
Ed .......
119: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Panel/ribbon damping, continued (long) (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-07-19, 07:50:00 (209.86.1.50)
While the Maggie panel is nearly a constant resistance, the crossover introduces significant reactance. Amplifier damping affects the electrical behavior of the crossover, causing the frequency respon .......
120: Planar Speaker Asylum, Recordings are getting better (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-07-02, 20:21:33 (165.121.163.99)
Most of the LPs I have are from the 70s, whereas my CDs are from the 80s and 90s. While both CDs and LPs can sound very good, I find that on average, the sound quality of a 1995 CD is noticably better .......
121: Planar Speaker Asylum, Welcome back! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-06-20, 06:36:21 (209.86.5.28)
It seems that a number of inmates who sell their Maggies eventually buy them back, while others stay with boxes. This may be why they're called "dipoles" (;-) Ed .......
122: Planar Speaker Asylum, Sometimes when the birds start chirping outside... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-06-16, 20:00:48 (165.247.200.236)
... I pause the CD just to make sure! The sound is *that real*. Ed .......
123: Planar Speaker Asylum, amplifier's output impedence (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-06-09, 09:22:34 (143.183.121.2)
As Leisure7 and mkmelt noted, the problem is due to the tube amplifier's output impedence. I would like to add that the biggest factor is the 2-way Magnepans have a large impedence rise in the crossov .......
124: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: What to look for when buying used 1.6s (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-06-08, 07:24:07 (165.247.221.150)
I'd look for how well they've been cared for. Any damage from pets, kids, smoking? Is the frame okay (do they show signs of having been knocked over?) Have they been kept out of direct sunlight? Can t .......
125: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Maggie and dust (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-05-31, 20:07:24 (165.247.208.245)
Yes, Maggies don't attract dust. Ed .......
126: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Maggie and dust (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-05-31, 18:34:12 (209.86.242.206)
Maggies aren't affected by dust. I gently vacuum the socks every once in awhile. Ed .......
127: General Asylum, Just say no! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-05-30, 18:00:31 (209.86.0.223)
Over the last 5 years, my television had fallen into disuse. When I bought my Maggies 2.5 years ago, I had to make some room so I got rid of the TV. I haven't missed it. I now get my news from the Int .......
128: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Atten. resistors and Xover (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-05-25, 11:30:34 (165.247.203.207)
1, 2, and 3 ohm resistors lower the tweeter level by 1.7dB, 3.2dB, and 4.4dB, respectively. The -3dB point of the high-pass filter moves downward from 1.6KHz to 960Hz as resistance is increased from 0 .......
129: Planar Speaker Asylum, signal ground (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-05-21, 17:45:32 (209.86.254.24)
I should add to my previous post: connecting the enclosure to the signal ground is necessary only for a line-level crossover. A speaker-level crossover shouldn't pick up too much RFI (unless one lives .......
130: Planar Speaker Asylum, aluminum is good (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-05-20, 20:54:43 (209.86.248.53)
Audio electronics are housed in aluminum enclosures because its non-magnetic. Connect the enclosure to the signal ground so that the enclosure will act as a shield. Ed .......
131: Planar Speaker Asylum, I went back to 1977 this evening (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-05-13, 20:19:37 (165.247.222.58)
Maggies are a time machine... Ed .......
132: Planar Speaker Asylum, The problem with rock music (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-05-09, 08:33:36 (143.183.121.1)
... is that its almost always poorly-recorded. Rock and pop music are recorded in such a way as to achieve a certain sound. This is done through the use of compression, equalization, mixing, electroni .......
133: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Clipping (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-04-01, 08:47:45 (143.183.121.1)
To determine if your amp is clipping, back down on the volume and see if the problem goes away. Solid-state amp clipping is very harsh sounding - its not subtle. I don't think you're experiencing clip .......
134: Planar Speaker Asylum, I found an unlikely source for music (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-03-30, 17:49:10 (165.247.206.92)
Its the local farmer's market. Every week I go there to buy produce (Blossom Hill Farmer's Market for those in the Bay Area). Usually there's not much to expect musically, but today I bought a 2 CD s .......
135: Planar Speaker Asylum, I'll revise my article one of these days (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-03-30, 07:04:44 (165.247.219.112)
Based on the feedback I've received and the one year of experience I've had listening to the modded MG1.6. Ed .......
136: Planar Speaker Asylum, soft-midrange voicing (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-03-19, 18:16:49 (209.86.2.30)
The MG1.6 has a shallow depression in the midrange that you and your wife readily identified. This voicing bothered me enough to develop my mid-boost mod , which improves the midrange at the expense o .......
137: Planar Speaker Asylum, I used to (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-03-16, 07:54:56 (165.247.221.124)
You know a post from me has to be about my mid-boost mod . What does that have to do with channel imbalance? In my experience, the MG1.6 soft-midrange voicing tends to accentuate channel imbalances - .......
138: Planar Speaker Asylum, I recommend (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-03-10, 19:01:30 (165.247.216.138)
I recommend "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill. While not specifically about audio, this book is likely the best introduction to electronics I've seen. Ed .......
139: Planar Speaker Asylum, no (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-03-10, 05:43:02 (209.86.4.140)
The fuse, resistor, and tweeter are all in series, so the same amount of current flows through each one. The fuse rating is set by the maximum amount of current that the tweeter can safely handle. The .......
140: Planar Speaker Asylum, Welcome to the club! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-03-08, 10:02:49 (165.247.208.167)
You've just purchased extraordinary speakers... enjoy! Ed .......
141: Planar Speaker Asylum, OK, thanks. <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-02-28, 17:52:01 (209.86.2.142)
Ed .......
142: Planar Speaker Asylum, MG1.5 mod (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-02-28, 05:33:03 (165.247.221.136)
Magmann, We talked about this last month. Follow the directions for my mid-boost mod , except use 3.3 ohm resistors in the bass section and 2.7 ohms in the treble. Also try reversing the polarity of t .......
143: Planar Speaker Asylum, crossovers (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-02-27, 19:04:32 (165.247.203.1)
Davey, Mart, The MG1.5 has a much bigger electrical dip in the midrange compared to the MG1.6 (-6.4dB at 700Hz for the former versus -3.4dB at 600Hz for the latter). This assumes that the MG1.5 has th .......
144: Planar Speaker Asylum, answers (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-02-21, 06:42:27 (209.86.1.91)
Wow, let me try to answer your questions one at a time. The schematics for most models can be found by clicking on the [Tweaks] link at the top of the page. Mart has an Excel spreadsheet that computes .......
145: Planar Speaker Asylum, Its not a hole (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-02-19, 20:25:52 (209.86.5.54)
Its more of a shallow depression in the midrange, too small to be apparent on the Stereophile measurements , but its the reason why the MG1.6 can sound brighter and bassier than real life. Most people .......
146: Planar Speaker Asylum, Are you still using the mid-boost mod? <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-02-19, 16:48:59 (165.247.219.37)
Ed .......
147: Digital Drive, thanks (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-02-03, 20:34:37 (209.86.244.246)
Late 1990s CDs sound much more accurate to me. Interestingly enough, I also notice the 1980s brightness on vinyl from that era. It must have been an 80s thing. Ed .......
148: Digital Drive, Are CDs getting warmer? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-02-02, 11:42:30 (165.247.207.124)
Here's something I wonder if others have noticed. Most of the CDs I have from the 1980s tend to be bright, sometimes to the point of being unlistenable. Then around the mid-1990s, something changed, a .......
149: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: mid boost (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-30, 17:12:36 (165.247.213.74)
Here's the link. MG1.6 Mid-Boost Mod The article gets an average of 5 hits per day; I assumed everyone had read it. Ed .......
150: Planar Speaker Asylum, sigh (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-29, 18:30:54 (209.86.2.96)
I agree that Maggie owners should listen to the stock speaker for at least a year before attempting upgrades. That being said, I've been on this board long enough to have watched several inmates go th .......
151: Planar Speaker Asylum, you called? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-27, 07:38:24 (143.183.121.1)
I would get a handful of resistors from Digikey. Say, 0.1, 0.22, 0.47, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.2 ohms. 5%, 10W sandcast types are very inexpensive. L-pads and stepped attenuators would also work, but L-pads s .......
152: Planar Speaker Asylum, mid-boost for 1.5 and 2.6 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-25, 11:10:00 (209.86.1.132)
The 1.5 crossover is similar enough to the 1.6 that the same kind of mod should work. I did a quick analysis and would start with 3.3 ohms in the bass section and 2.7 ohms in the treble. You'll likely .......
153: Planar Speaker Asylum, subtle humor alert! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-23, 06:02:13 (165.247.219.43)
Lifted is a slang term for stolen. Now, re-read this thread. Its very funny. Ed .......
154: Planar Speaker Asylum, filament winding (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-21, 07:21:23 (143.183.121.1)
A resistor isn't practical for the filament since the resistor would dissipate several thousand times the power supplied to the filament. Tube television sets had a specially-insulated winding on the .......
155: Planar Speaker Asylum, yes there are! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-21, 06:06:37 (209.86.0.213)
Of tubes used in old color televisions, the high-voltage rectifier is suitable for an ESL. These things were rated at 20-30kV and 1-2 milliamps. A damper diode or B+ rectifier won't do. One considera .......
156: Planar Speaker Asylum, low volumes (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-19, 01:04:39 (165.247.219.52)
My system spends most of its time at background music levels to conversation levels. I estimate 50-70dB. This is because I usually have it playing for several hours a day. Contrary to the conventional .......
157: Tweakers' Asylum, www.jameco.com (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-18, 17:28:32 (209.86.5.73)
Jameco has some nice aluminum knobs. You want Jameco #138510. #138501 and #138481 are the same style, but smaller. Ed .......
158: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Test CD (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-16, 07:14:54 (143.183.121.1)
I don't need the CD because my neighbor's dog barks enough already (;-) Ed .......
159: Planar Speaker Asylum, resistance (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-13, 19:48:51 (165.247.200.200)
A 3A fuse has a cold resistance of 0.042 ohms, whereas 20 feet (=10 feet times 2) of 12 AWG wire has a resistance of 0.032 ohms. So, longer wires must be thicker. BTW, both these values are small rel .......
160: Planar Speaker Asylum, what a deal! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-09, 18:03:46 (165.247.206.66)
Charging 15% of the price of a new model to turn an older model into "like new". Now if only car manufacturers could do the same! Ed .......
161: Planar Speaker Asylum, SoundStage is a little late... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-08, 18:07:31 (165.247.205.70)
... considering for "Best Product of 2002" a product introduced in 1998! Of course, the MG1.6 will still be a great product 20 years from now. Ed .......
162: Planar Speaker Asylum, in general, no (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-04, 07:18:31 (165.247.205.15)
The power dissipated in an amplifier depends strongly on the current being delivered, so a 4 ohm load like a Maggie will cause an amp to run hotter. The maximum temperature ratings for most electronic .......
163: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Slight Dent in 1.6QR tweeter ribbon (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-02, 07:47:44 (209.86.4.114)
One of my QR tweeters has a small crease, as though it were folded during manufacturing. This is not a problem. Ed .......
164: Planar Speaker Asylum, I dug out my two Spyro Gyra LPs this morning (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2003-01-01, 10:48:39 (165.247.221.171)
"Morning Dance" (1979): generally well recorded, except the saxophone is louder than the drum kit! "Breakout" (1986): way too bright, typical 1980s early-digital sound. BTW, congratulations on the 1.6 .......
165: Planar Speaker Asylum, Happy New Year! <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-31, 10:51:08 (165.247.203.175)
Ed .......
166: Planar Speaker Asylum, yes, they are (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-28, 12:03:50 (165.247.200.55)
As a general rule, any electronic equipment that consumes >25W will have a fan. Rack-mounted electronic instruments and computers are good examples: there's simply too much heat produced in too little .......
167: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: speaker controls the man (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-28, 07:46:48 (165.247.205.42)
Awhile ago I was making a cassette compilation of 70s rock/pop songs and observed that songs in which the VU meters barely moved were very unenjoyable to listen to. The amount of compression varied wi .......
168: Planar Speaker Asylum, Windham Hill "Summer Solstice" (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-27, 18:33:30 (165.247.218.8)
A new age collection (I had earlier played the "Winter Solstice" series!) Ed .......
169: Planar Speaker Asylum, That's where I bought my Maggies (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-27, 15:32:33 (209.86.0.46)
The Audible Difference has a year-end sale every year. Of course I didn't know that when I bought my MG1.6s two years ago, and I'm surprised the sale applies to Maggies. Hmmm... must resist the tempta .......
170: Speaker Asylum, post this in the planar asylum (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-25, 16:48:18 (209.86.5.130)
That's where the Maggie fans hang out. Okay, I'm one. Ed .......
171: Planar Speaker Asylum, okay, have fun! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-24, 08:34:56 (209.86.1.62)
Ed .......
172: Planar Speaker Asylum, fans (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-23, 07:47:58 (209.86.2.113)
I'd avoid any equipment with a fan. Whirring fans, vibrating motors, buzzing transformers, etc. may be acceptable in computers and other electronics, but not in audio equipment. The latter's goal is t .......
173: Planar Speaker Asylum, headphones are hard to beat (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-22, 18:31:40 (165.247.212.105)
Single full-range driver, no crossover, small relative to the wavelength of sound, doesn't need to move a lot of air... its tough to beat headphones for accuracy. The only problem is headphones don't .......
174: Rocky Road, Time 5:05 <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-21, 18:07:56 (165.247.208.65)
Ed .......
175: Planar Speaker Asylum, thanks! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-19, 18:06:15 (209.86.255.132)
Ron, I'm glad you like the mod. You're the second inmate who has tried it (not counting myself). I have to caution other Maggie owners that the resistor values were specifically chosen for the MG1.6 a .......
176: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: magnepan durability (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-14, 08:04:49 (209.86.4.206)
They're durable, but a few precautions may help. I built a pair of bases for my MG1.6s that makes them very unlikely to get knocked over. I also put them in a location where they're not exposed to dir .......
177: Planar Speaker Asylum, Maggies and tubes (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-07, 09:22:02 (209.86.1.59)
Please read my article . Much of the difference in sound between a solid-state amp and a tube amp is due to the latter's output impedance shifting the MG1.6's crossover points. The effect is to alter .......
178: Planar Speaker Asylum, planars tend to be louder than one would expect (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-12-02, 18:39:52 (209.86.3.85)
One of the first things I learned as a Maggie owner was that because the SPL doesn't increase nearly as quickly as with cone speakers at close distances, the natural tendency is to turn it up. However .......
179: Planar Speaker Asylum, impedance (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-11-26, 18:47:49 (209.86.1.235)
The reason why electrostatics can be hard to drive is that they present a very low impedence ( While impedance isn't important to the listener, frequency response is. The Stereophile MG1.6 measurement .......
180: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Magnepan amplifier generalization (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-11-26, 06:28:07 (209.86.4.133)
You're right in that an amplifier playing music will deliver less power into a MG1.6 than into a 4.5 ohm resistor due to the impedance peak. The speaker sensitivity is rated in dB per 2.83 volts (rath .......
181: Speaker Asylum, Re: Magnepan (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-11-24, 08:15:08 (165.247.219.25)
I own MG1.6s, and they present a different set of strengths and weaknesses compared to cone speakers. The planar asylum inmates are fanatical about Maggies because of what they do well, they do *extre .......
182: Speaker Asylum, MG1.6 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-11-02, 07:54:23 (209.86.252.182)
Ray, The MG1.6 is voiced with a slightly soft midrange. I posted to the planar asylum a simple modification that boosts the output by 2.5dB at the crossover point (600Hz). This voicing sounds more neu .......
183: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Gimme more power! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-10-29, 07:00:26 (209.162.48.116)
decibels = 10 * log10 (power) A 10x increase in power gives 10 more decibels. This holds true up until the Maggies start to compress. Popular music recordings tend to be compressed, resulting in a hig .......
184: Planar Speaker Asylum, amplifier stability (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-10-24, 18:43:22 (209.162.49.18)
Here's a quick explanation. The speaker cables add capacitance at the amplifier output. The capacitance creates a "pole" which causes the signal to lag. Too much lag, and the amplifier's negative feed .......
185: Planar Speaker Asylum, a few more things... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-10-24, 08:49:07 (143.183.121.1)
Did you buy new or used? If used, check that the biwire jumpers are in place and that the tweeter fuses aren't blown. The MG1.6 isn't dark sounding. As Arbelos mentioned and I've documented in the arc .......
186: Planar Speaker Asylum, amplifier (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-10-20, 07:30:19 (209.162.48.25)
Click on the (A) and follow the links to see a description. I've been designing and building my own amplifiers as a hobby for a long time. All have been solid-state, bipolar transistor, integrated am .......
187: Planar Speaker Asylum, probably none (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-10-19, 18:28:24 (209.162.49.136)
I upgraded my amplifier and speakers in 2000 and 2001. Since I design and build my own amplifiers, I upgrade only after I've learned enough to significantly improve the design. My present amp replaced .......
188: Planar Speaker Asylum, I remember SWTPC (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-09-28, 08:26:29 (209.162.48.77)
They were better known for their computers. Ed .......
189: Tweakers' Asylum, www.sescom.com (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-09-09, 19:33:20 (209.162.49.9)
I use Sescom's rack chassis for all of my recent projects. They're aluminum, easy to work with, and much better looking than the previous enclosures I've used. The only drawback is they're not quite a .......
190: Planar Speaker Asylum, The problem is in the recordings (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-30, 07:39:47 (209.162.48.218)
I have a few minimally-miked recordings in which two microphones are placed some distance away from the orchestra, and what gets captured is the natural sound of the orchestra and a lot of room reverb .......
191: Tweakers' Asylum, switch contacts are stuck (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-25, 08:36:16 (209.162.48.21)
The power switch contacts are stuck together. In high-power electronics, the surge current at turn-on can be large enough to weld the contacts together. You may be able to unstick the switch by flippi .......
192: Planar Speaker Asylum, they're still electrolytics... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-22, 07:35:53 (143.183.121.1)
... to be avoided unless absolutely necessary (i.e. in the power supply). Ed .......
193: Planar Speaker Asylum, microphonics? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-16, 17:14:05 (209.162.48.21)
Arbelos, I didn't intend to sound insulting, but I find it hard to understand why the volume control makes more difference than other series resistances in the signal path (such as global feedback and .......
194: Planar Speaker Asylum, but yes (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-16, 10:50:04 (143.183.121.1)
I haven't listened to different volume control resistors. My electrical theory supports your observation that 10K sounds better than 100K. Below that, other components within the amp are likely to hav .......
195: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: optimal load impedance (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-16, 06:31:34 (209.162.48.216)
While lower impedence is better from the point of view of current noise in the following stage and stray capacitance, it might not be better for the driver stage. A driver for a 100 ohm resistor needs .......
196: Planar Speaker Asylum, resistance (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-15, 19:54:05 (209.162.49.210)
10K to 25K is probably about right. The two problems that become worse with higher resistance are current noise (assuming that the amp has a bipolar transistor input), and high-frequency rolloff due t .......
197: Planar Speaker Asylum, Infinity (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-11, 08:01:18 (209.162.48.231)
Before upgrading to the Magnepan 1.6, I used Infinity SM120s (which I believe are only cosmetically different from your SM125s). The MG1.6 and SM120 sound completely different. See my comments about t .......
198: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: my MUGshot (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-10, 11:22:09 (209.162.48.227)
The Dual was made in Germany and the bases are prefinished MDF shelves. At one time the system also had a television, VCR, FM tuner, and minidisc deck, but I've since simplified it. Ed .......
199: Planar Speaker Asylum, In California, the ground sometimes moves (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-02, 18:04:21 (209.162.48.141)
I was worried the Maggies might fall over during an earthquake. We had a magnitude 5.2 about two months ago - strong enough to knock items off shelves in stores. The Maggies are very stable bolted to .......
200: Planar Speaker Asylum, Room is 26ft by 15ft (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-02, 05:45:20 (209.162.48.135)
Its a combination living room and dining area. The Maggies are located along the short wall. You have a very nice set up... the lighting makes the Maggies look even more dramatic. Ed .......
201: Planar Speaker Asylum, my MUGshot (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-08-01, 20:56:59 (209.162.52.114)
Just got a digital camera and need to amortize its cost by taking lots of pictures. So, here it is, my "Quarter Century in the Making" system. Starting from the top left, there's my integrated amplifi .......
202: Planar Speaker Asylum, cost (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-24, 07:25:01 (143.183.121.2)
The small capacitors in a line-level crossover are much less expensive than the big capacitors in a speaker crossover. Also, DigiKey prices their components for equipment manufacturers, not audiophile .......
203: Planar Speaker Asylum, Polypropylene (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-23, 18:34:41 (209.162.49.99)
I've had good results with Panasonic P-series polypropylene capacitors from DigiKey. Ed .......
204: Planar Speaker Asylum, haven't tried the capacitor (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-20, 12:52:15 (209.162.48.15)
It could help overcome the softness in the top octave due to the inductance of the 2.0 ohm resistor. Our calculations are in agreement: the resistors reduce the midrange depression from -3.4dB to -1.2 .......
205: Planar Speaker Asylum, yes (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-20, 10:48:42 (209.162.48.141)
I'm now up to revision 4 which has 2.0 ohm resistors in the tweeter section and 1.5 ohm resistors in the woofer section. From revs 1 to 4, I've been putting back some of the midrange dip and adjusting .......
206: Planar Speaker Asylum, I had similar thoughts about the MG1.6 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-19, 19:43:45 (209.162.48.193)
documented here and here . I concluded that the crossover points on the MG1.6 were chosen to compensate for a tweeter resonance and also to give the speaker a slightly emphasized bass/treble voicing. .......
207: Tweakers' Asylum, you're determined to blow things up... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-15, 07:35:24 (143.183.121.1)
If you're sure its connected to the amp ground then OK, but why not go with a sure thing like the input terminals? Ed .......
208: Tweakers' Asylum, use the ground at the amp's inputs (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-14, 18:01:39 (209.162.49.238)
The outside ring of the RCA sockets. That's always safe. The speaker ground and low level input's ground are almost always chasis ground, so measuring anything of low level will have the floating grou .......
209: Tweakers' Asylum, amp's ground may not be connected to earth ground (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-14, 07:27:39 (209.162.48.112)
The center tap on the transformer secondary is pretty much always connected to the amp's ground. Depending on the design, the amp's ground may or may not be connected to the chassis ground, which in t .......
210: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: HF supplies = bad (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-12, 20:10:01 (209.162.48.5)
Arbelos, A linear regulator is essentially an amplifier which can have bandwidth beyond the audio range. A switching supply can respond no faster than several clocks (at 20-50KHz). Practical linear su .......
211: Planar Speaker Asylum, DIY (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-10, 17:49:57 (209.162.48.112)
One can make very good speaker cables by soldering or crimping banana plugs and spades onto speaker wire. Cost is embarassingly low. Ed .......
212: Planar Speaker Asylum, Get both! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-08, 18:09:25 (209.162.48.248)
Planars for home use and PA speakers for performances. Ed .......
213: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: please explain magnepan XO frequencies to novice... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-04, 13:01:32 (209.162.48.97)
300Hz is the turnover frequency for the woofer section and 2500Hz is the turnover frequency for the tweeter section. The turnover frequency is the frequency at which the output is 0.7 or -3dB relative .......
214: Speaker Asylum, Go to the planar asylum now! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-04, 12:29:41 (209.162.48.97)
Where you'll find panels measured in feet, not inches. Ed .......
215: Planar Speaker Asylum, Both true and not true! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-03, 19:56:02 (209.162.48.153)
How's that for an answer? About 85% of the rock recordings I have sound bad on my Maggies due to excessive equalization, mixing, compression, and distortion in the recordings. The recording engineer's .......
216: Planar Speaker Asylum, Its it live or is it Magnepan? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-07-03, 09:54:35 (143.183.121.1)
Last night I was listening to Mannheim Steamroller's "Fresh Air Interludes" on digitally-recorded LP (1981). Along with the piano, there are various nature sounds: rain (I know its not raining outside .......
217: General Asylum, Re: its excess (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-29, 15:19:45 (209.162.48.111)
The 5V/uS I computed was for an amplifier without global feedback (say a SET amp). As I stated, the use of global feedback will increase the required slew rate. 50V/uS is a reasonable value. BTW, aud .......
218: General Asylum, its excess (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-29, 14:51:11 (209.162.48.81)
Here's an example. Let's assume a 100W/ch amp. This amp delivers 40V peak across an 8 ohm load. To reproduce a 20KHz sine wave at full power, a slew rate of 40*2*pi*20e3 = 5V/uS is all that's needed. .......
219: Planar Speaker Asylum, experiment (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-27, 18:38:06 (209.162.48.189)
I went through a handful of inexpensive resistors to find values that sounded right. You may want to do the same. Then get high-quality resistors, or even better, adjust the crossover L and C values t .......
220: Planar Speaker Asylum, this has been the subject of a lot of my posts (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-27, 09:06:07 (143.183.121.1)
First, some recordings are just plain bright. Its rare to find vocal recordings that haven't been equalized (by emphasizing the treble and/or cutting the bass). Secondly, the RS meter has been observe .......
221: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: maggie base/platforms (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-26, 18:36:52 (209.162.48.132)
I built a pair of bases for my MG1.6s using prefinished fiberboard shelving. I didn't notice any differences in the sound, but they no longer wobble on the carpet and are much less likely to fall over .......
222: Planar Speaker Asylum, can you say what the caps values and voltages were? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-26, 07:31:41 (143.183.121.1)
Or is that classified? I'm curious how much energy they stored. Ed .......
223: Planar Speaker Asylum, transients (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-25, 09:43:15 (143.183.121.1)
Steady-state DC indicates an amplifier problem. Assuming no malfunction, an amplifier may (by design) generate transients during power-on, power-off, and input switching. These are low-frequency, pote .......
224: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Sorry, I meant "bi-wired" with the resistor in. I have mine (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-21, 08:40:32 (143.183.121.1)
The MG1.6 reuses two of the biwire sockets for the tweeter resistor, so as designed one can use either the biwire connection or the tweeter resistor, but not both. However, it is possible to use both .......
225: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: wouldn't a biamper want a line level XO (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-21, 07:52:51 (143.183.121.1)
Of course, bi-amping with a line level crossover is better. My point was that to duplicate the effects of the resistor, the line-level crossover would need to adjust both gain and crossover frequency. .......
226: Planar Speaker Asylum, I know why (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-21, 07:22:29 (143.183.121.1)
The tweeter resistor does two things. In addition to lowering the level, the resistor shifts the crossover's -3dB point down (causing the tweeter to deliver more midrange). Adjusting the gain on a bi- .......
227: Planar Speaker Asylum, measure bad, sound good (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-18, 08:16:40 (143.183.121.1)
The MG1.6 sounds a lot better than the measurements imply. I had a lot of difficulty measuring a planar due to comb-filter effects. Search the archives for my attempts at measurement. The MG1.6 doesn .......
228: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: SMG had series crossover (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-16, 20:10:49 (209.162.48.41)
No, I didn't look at the DiAural patent because audio is only a hobby of mine. The series crossover does sound rather clever, but the inductor's DCR makes it impossible to attenuate bass going to the .......
229: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: tweeter freq. resp. (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-16, 19:40:58 (209.162.49.200)
Agreed, there's no sign of a midrange depression in the Stereophile measurements. But the electrical dip is only 3.5dB at 600Hz, possibly too small to detect on the Stereophile graph. Also the graph d .......
230: Planar Speaker Asylum, SMG had series crossover (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-15, 21:26:44 (209.162.48.66)
according to the schematic on the tweaks page. Interesting articles. I assume Magnepan moved away from the series crossover because of its drawbacks (very limited options for voicing, leakage of bass .......
231: Planar Speaker Asylum, Stereophile MG1.6 review is online! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-14, 21:52:03 (209.162.48.196)
This is the full review, including measurements. Okay, you've already bought a pair. .......
232: Planar Speaker Asylum, thanks <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-10, 07:29:17 (143.183.121.1)
Ed .......
233: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: output impedance (aka 'damping factor') (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-09, 06:38:28 (209.162.48.207)
If we assume that the bass panel has a resonance at 40Hz and the tension in the bass and tweeter sections is the same, then for the tweeter resonance to be 600Hz would require that the tweeter mass be .......
234: Planar Speaker Asylum, alignment (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-08, 08:55:34 (209.162.48.170)
The speaker's sensitivity is critically dependent on the alignment of the wires and magnets, and also the distance between the wires/panel and the magnets. After checking the soldering, check the alig .......
235: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: output impedance (aka 'damping factor') (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-07, 18:32:58 (209.162.49.29)
I don't have the proper equipment to measure the acoustic response, so I must rely on listening. The QR tweeter does not sound like it has a resonance around the crossover point (600 Hz). I can't thin .......
236: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: output impedance (aka 'damping factor') (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-07, 08:32:26 (143.183.121.1)
I documented my crossover mod in a series of posts a few months ago. The purpose of adding resistors was to increase the MG1.6's acoustic output in the crossover region. I was fortunate in that the de .......
237: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: output impedance (aka 'damping factor') (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-06, 15:36:50 (143.183.121.1)
The experiment is only half unpredictable: the electrical response is easily simulated whereas the driver acoustic response is unknown. The latter reason is why I had to tune the resistor values by ea .......
238: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: output impedance (aka 'damping factor') (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-06-06, 08:01:11 (143.183.121.1)
As I previously posted, I found the sound of the MG1.6 improved when 2.2 ohm resistors were added in series to the biwire terminals. I added separate resistors to both the woofer and tweeter sections .......
239: Planar Speaker Asylum, television horizontal scan rate is 15.75 KHz (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-25, 09:15:50 (209.162.49.2)
and is audible to many people. Ed .......
240: Planar Speaker Asylum, suckout (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-19, 08:37:37 (209.162.48.230)
At the crossover frequency of 600Hz, the tweeter section phase leads by +69 degrees and the woofer section phase lags by -92 degrees. Reversing the polarity on the tweeter is necessary to put both dri .......
241: Planar Speaker Asylum, the voicing is due to the crossover design (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-18, 03:48:38 (209.162.48.178)
Awhile ago I posted a crossover mod to give the MG1.6 a more prominant midrange. The same idea may be applied to the MG12 using 1.5 ohm resistors rather than 2.2 ohms. Unfortunately, while the MG1.6 d .......
242: Planar Speaker Asylum, fuses (again!) (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-13, 20:02:14 (209.162.48.179)
My MG1.6s were shipped with 3A fuses even though the max rating is 4A. This is quite conservative since heating goes as I^2*R. The 3A fuse will blow at 9/16 the power of a 4A fuse. You should avoid re .......
243: Planar Speaker Asylum, need oscilloscope (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-11, 20:10:51 (209.162.48.221)
Connect an oscilloscope to the driver terminals. The driver is being used as a microphone. The output may be very small... a microphone preamplifer may also be needed. This is very clever method. I'm .......
244: Planar Speaker Asylum, me too (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-08, 13:28:49 (143.183.121.1)
I see Travis has a tube amplifier, whose output transformer protects against the DC-at-the-output fault that can occur in solid-state amplifiers. Ed .......
245: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Fuse Trivia (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-08, 10:52:08 (143.183.121.1)
Sorry to hear about your 3.6s. Maggie owners with high-power amplifiers should be aware of the disaster potential if a fault in the amp causes the output to get stuck at a supply rail. A 100W/ch/8ohm .......
246: Planar Speaker Asylum, see related thread (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-08, 07:22:10 (143.183.121.1)
Check out a similar post in the Speaker Asylum about a peak in the RS meter's response. Ed .......
247: Vinyl Asylum, RadioShack #64-2342 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-05, 19:33:54 (209.162.50.70)
or Digikey also has them. Ed .......
248: Planar Speaker Asylum, not everyone says that (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-02, 18:54:35 (209.162.49.8)
I listen to my Maggies and my amp is putting out much less than 1 watt average power. The peak power is likely less than a few watts. Anything more is too loud for me. Ed .......
249: Planar Speaker Asylum, I've been following this thread with great interest... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-05-01, 08:05:11 (143.183.121.1)
... since the effects of s.hum's double inductor mod, combined with tube amplification, are similar to my MG1.6 crossover redesign . That is, the midrange gets emphasized. So, the question is: is the .......
250: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: phase (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-27, 11:00:11 (209.162.48.8)
I'm varying the phase strictly with mathematics (i.e. by rotating the vectors). There's no change to the crossover; the phase shifts are due to distance. I think of a triangle with the listener, woofe .......
251: Planar Speaker Asylum, phase (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-27, 08:01:04 (209.162.48.150)
Beluga, You may want to check the effects of adding phase shifts between the different crossover sections. The phase shifts simulate the effects of off-axis response (and undoubtedly there's some phas .......
252: General Asylum, Re: SS Amplifier performance change over years (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-25, 19:04:42 (209.162.49.161)
Here's one change I've observed: the accumulation of dust/dirt/salts from the environment can lead to small leakage currents. This can cause problems at high-impedence/high gain points in the circuit. .......
253: Planar Speaker Asylum, amplifier output impedence or damping factor? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-18, 08:14:28 (143.183.152.17)
Do the Rogue 88s specs include an output impedence or damping factor? Is it different in triode and linear modes? I'm starting to believe that part of magic of tubes is the amplifier's output impedenc .......
254: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: LOOKS, LOOKS, LOOKS (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-17, 08:15:21 (143.183.152.17)
I like the way Maggies look... simple, functional, timeless. I much prefer this look over today's trendy, over-stylized consumer electronics. Ed .......
255: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Crossover upgrade - maximum/ideal driver frequency ranges? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-15, 07:57:06 (143.183.152.17)
The upper frequency limit of the bass panel is determined by its width. The Maggie panel is supposed to approximate a line-source, meaning that the width is small and height is large compared to the w .......
256: Planar Speaker Asylum, try A/B'ing with headphones (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-14, 09:41:06 (209.162.49.233)
I use an inexpensive pair of headphones to do A/B comparisons. While listening through headphones doesn't create quite the same sensation as listening to speakers, headphones tend to be very neutral d .......
257: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Crossover design theory - planar speakers special? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-11, 07:57:52 (143.183.152.17)
I learned two things from my recent work on the MG1.6 electrically flat crossover . First, the crossover didn't sound right until it had both flat on-axis response (considering phase) and flat power r .......
258: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: DC at output: Why is it bad, and how to check? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-06, 07:12:56 (209.162.48.240)
Use the multimeter check as described in the other posts to determine if DC is present at the output all the time, or only when tuning. A DC offset greater than a few tenths of a volt that's present a .......
259: Planar Speaker Asylum, all the raving posts on this website! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-04-04, 18:20:57 (209.162.48.133)
I bought my 1.6s after reading all the raving posts on this website. I had to understand why these people were raving. After owning the 1.6s for a year, I now understand. Magnepan couldn't have a bett .......
260: Planar Speaker Asylum, thanks for the comments (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-25, 18:03:52 (209.162.48.196)
Making a proper acoustic measurement is beyond the means of a hobbyist (well, this hobbyist anyway). I did observe that the comb filter effects ceased above ~2 KHz, with the level reduced compared to .......
261: Planar Speaker Asylum, how to measure a planar? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-25, 12:14:03 (143.183.152.17)
I'm curious as to what is the correct method to measure the acoustic output of a planar. I tried the simple method of using a sine-wave tone and found that all I could measure was comb filtering below .......
262: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Driver acoustic response?? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-25, 05:50:52 (209.162.48.63)
My test equipment was not capable of measuring a planar, so I can't make any claims about the acoustic response. I'm going by what I hear. The real test is whether I'm still listening to the revision .......
263: Planar Speaker Asylum, MG1.6 electrically-flat crossover, revision 3 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-24, 19:41:08 (209.162.48.54)
MG1.6 electrically-flat crossover, revision 3 After listening to the revision 1 crossover for two days, and the revision 2 crossover for a week, I concluded that the revision 2 crossover had an emp .......
264: Planar Speaker Asylum, measurements not conclusive (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-21, 19:43:10 (209.162.49.28)
Mart, I set up my test equipment, which consisted of a sine-wave generator, amplifier, Maggie 1.6, cheap microphone, preamplifier, and oscilloscope. The microphone was placed about 2 feet in front of .......
265: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Beginner..Maggies MG12?? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-20, 11:54:16 (143.183.152.17)
The 4 ohm load will place a greater burden on your amp, making it run hotter. You may want to avoid high volumes. Otherwise, don't worry! Some of the posts here are more a reflection of why this place .......
266: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: What is "horizontal lobing"? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-18, 20:17:59 (209.162.49.159)
Lobing is a variation in the amplitude of a pure tone with listening location. Its caused by addition or cancellation of the woofer and tweeter outputs. Ed .......
267: Planar Speaker Asylum, update (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-18, 19:53:26 (209.162.49.159)
Addendum to MG1.6 electrically-flat crossover Here's an updated design for the resistor network. I removed the downward tilt which was responsible for the softness I heard. Its now very flat (electr .......
268: Planar Speaker Asylum, art vs science (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-17, 21:42:57 (209.162.48.13)
I don't claim to have much speaker design expertise. However, speaker design is an art as well as a science... it involves judgement. My ears tell me that the modified crossover is more accurate on vo .......
269: Planar Speaker Asylum, measurements forthcoming (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-17, 18:21:05 (209.162.48.21)
I'll dig out my equipment soon. Measuring is not as fun as listening! Ed .......
270: Planar Speaker Asylum, Thanks Davey and Mart (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-17, 07:20:53 (209.162.48.72)
I limited my experiment to what I could do from outside the speaker. I'm happy that I can shift the -3dB points only by adding resistance. Its more of an experiment rather than a permanent change. On .......
271: Planar Speaker Asylum, MG1.6 electrically-flat crossover (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-16, 16:18:03 (209.162.48.32)
MG1.6 electrically-flat crossover One thing that perplexes me about the stock 1.6 crossover is the gap between the electrical response of the woofer and tweeter sections. This gap is shown below (g .......
272: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: How do I install those resistors to reduce the highs on my 1.6's (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-14, 19:31:09 (209.162.49.15)
Remove the jumper on the "+" biwire terminals and substitute the resistor. The owner's manual doesn't include a schematic, but you can find it here . BTW, I found the factory-supplied 1.2 ohm resistor .......
273: Tweakers' Asylum, search for RIAA on National Semiconductor's website www.national.com (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-09, 14:03:51 (209.162.49.162)
There's a good discussion in the app note below, but I prefer to avoid op-amps and RIAA equalization via feedback. Ed .......
274: Planar Speaker Asylum, you've come to the right place (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-08, 02:53:34 (209.162.48.242)
The inmates are experts on crossover rebuilds. You can find photos of what the crossover is supposed to look like here , here , and here . (These are from Ed Hsu and Mart). It sounds like the factory .......
275: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: 1.6-QR 1/2 D.O.A. (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-07, 07:35:18 (143.183.152.17)
See if you can get either the woofer or tweeter sections to work by connecting the amp to the biwire terminals. If you have a multimeter, you can test the resistance on the *external* speaker terminal .......
276: Vinyl Asylum, AT440ML (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-02, 08:16:37 (209.162.48.14)
I use the popular AT440ML on my Dual 1237. Its true that it tracks great and never has inner groove distortion. The tonal balance leans more towards bright than warm, though. I'm wondering if this is .......
277: Planar Speaker Asylum, source material (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-03-02, 07:43:00 (209.162.48.14)
The Maggies were telling you the quality of the source material. Phil Collins's voice was usually equalized to the point where it could peel paint off the walls. The Beatles had 1960s recording techno .......
278: Vinyl Asylum, shortwave (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-02-24, 17:38:55 (209.162.49.204)
Its a shortwave radio station. Shortwave signals can travel around the world (sometimes there are repeaters in friendly countries). If you're curious, get a shortwave receiver to help identify the sta .......
279: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Theater speakers? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-02-23, 07:00:30 (209.162.48.83)
I've received the same comment. I think its due to the Maggie's size which makes an unknowing visitor assume that they'd be used in a really large room like a theater. And then there's the reasoning ( .......
280: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Even better solution! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-02-18, 13:40:21 (209.162.49.208)
Up until reading Sam's post, I thought vinyl was potentially more hazardous to one's speakers. Apparently CDs have caught up... Ed .......
281: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: What ruins long term Maggie bliss? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-02-15, 18:35:32 (209.162.48.59)
Oh, I'm certain the 3.6 can better the 1.6 in a number of ways. I'm not like most audiophiles in that I tend to keep the same equipment for many years. I think I'll be happy with the 1.6 for a long ti .......
282: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: What ruins long term Maggie bliss? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-02-14, 08:20:05 (143.183.152.17)
I've owned 1.6s for a year now, long enough to understand their strengths and weaknesses. This is my first planar. I can see two reasons why people become dissatisfied: 1) Pop and rock music generally .......
283: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Odor from Maggies (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-02-08, 11:19:28 (143.183.152.17)
I think the odor may be coming from the adhesive or UV protectant as it cures. I too noticed it after playing music. The odor disappeared after 6 months. Ed .......
284: Speaker Asylum, its the design (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-01-28, 17:07:39 (209.162.49.102)
For many years I owned the SM120, the next speaker up in that line. Its a 3 way system with 12" woofer. I found the SM120's bass to be deficient in two aspects. The SM120 had a pronounced midbass hump .......
285: Planar Speaker Asylum, or maybe some white socks with cherry trim... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-01-27, 06:45:09 (209.162.48.236)
Or gray or black socks with oak trim... (;-) Ed .......
286: General Asylum, Re: A Maggie conundrum (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-01-25, 18:09:33 (209.162.49.150)
I think the reason why Maggies don't sound good at low volumes is simply that the ear becomes less sensitive to the frequency extremes as documented by the Fletcher-Munsen curves. The effect is pronou .......
287: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: used to ... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-01-21, 18:02:31 (209.162.49.127)
OK, thanks guys. It seems the tweeter resistors are not a popular route to go. It is a very easy way to change the sound of one's Maggies. Ed .......
288: Planar Speaker Asylum, what a difference 0.7dB makes! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-01-20, 08:32:10 (209.162.48.44)
I've been running my 1.6's with 0.39 ohm tweeter resistors left over from my amp project. This attenuates the tweeter by ~8% or -0.7dB. So to recalibrate myself, I spent a week listening without the r .......
289: Planar Speaker Asylum, I've never bottomed out the 1.6 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-01-19, 07:38:23 (209.162.48.105)
The 1.6 can play very loud without running out of excursion. I can't imagine bottoming out the 1.6 in an average livingroom. Ed .......
290: General Asylum, experiment with tweeter resistors (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2002-01-16, 19:03:11 (209.162.49.212)
You can get values smaller than the 1.2 ohm resistors that came with the MG1.6 from Digikey. Over the past year, I've gone from 1.2 ohms (very laid back) to 0.39 ohms (just takes the edge off), to no .......
291: Planar Speaker Asylum, Fletcher-Munsen (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-12-27, 19:03:01 (209.162.49.171)
The ear becomes less sensitive to bass at low volumes. See the link. There's not much one can do about this unless one's willing to resort to tone controls, equalizers, or loudness compensation. For .......
292: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Channel imbalances... possible causes? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-12-27, 16:32:29 (209.162.49.195)
This may sound obvious, but have you tried cleaning the stylus? Ed .......
293: General Asylum, Re: how do you guys keep your system clean and neat? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-12-23, 03:59:45 (209.162.48.137)
I use a slightly damp wash cloth to remove dust and fingerprints. Unplug the system and be careful not to scratch soft plastics. Ed .......
294: General Asylum, not so easy (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-12-14, 08:29:59 (209.162.48.31)
While tubes are more linear than transistors, tubes present many more problems when building an amplifier. Tubes require coupling capacitors and an output transformer which can be problematic at the f .......
295: Vinyl Asylum, Boston self-titled (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-12-10, 20:15:21 (209.162.50.12)
Great music, poor recording. Ed .......
296: Hi-Rez Highway, Byrds Greatest Hits (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-12-09, 07:02:42 (209.162.48.55)
My Columbia LP of the Byrds Greatest Hits is harsh and noticably distorted. I assume the original recordings were not very good. Ed .......
297: Planar Speaker Asylum, are you referring to the aluminum wire and foil on the panel? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-12-05, 17:07:31 (209.162.49.130)
The aluminum wire and foil need to be thin for low mass. You don't want anything heavy on the panel. Also, the resistance of both woofer wire and tweeter foil is tightly controlled to 4 ohms. If they .......
298: Planar Speaker Asylum, 1.6 white cloth/cherry trim (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-12-04, 18:56:23 (209.162.48.249)
Since my livingroom is light colored, the white 1.6s blend in better (or at least, don't stand out as much). Ed .......
299: Vinyl Asylum, Re: AT-150 ML / 150 MLX/150 OCC: What's the difference?? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-11-25, 18:31:01 (209.162.49.218)
The AT150ML seems to be discontinued. See the below link for a list of current models. The AT440ML is readily available on the web for $99 USD. I have one and find it leans more towards detailed than .......
300: Tweakers' Asylum, power surge (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-11-25, 18:17:30 (209.162.49.218)
The power surge may have caused a filter capacitor to short, which in turn damaged the rectifiers and transformer. Measure the resistance between each supply rail and ground. If its not a dead short, .......
301: General Asylum, very understanding neighbors... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-11-24, 19:44:50 (209.162.48.220)
... or neighbors that are never home. Ed .......
302: Vinyl Asylum, the infamous, intermittent Dual headshell (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-11-21, 18:21:00 (209.162.49.110)
My Dual 1237 also has an intermittent headshell connection. Before replacing the headshell, press the headshell contacts against a hard surface a few times to exercise the springs and remove corrosion .......
303: Planar Speaker Asylum, its the recording (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-11-18, 04:54:56 (209.162.48.71)
I have a number of recordings in which the vocalist has had the treble emphasized while the instruments around him/her sound natural. The effect is very strange and there's not much one can do about i .......
304: Planar Speaker Asylum, I've tried different ways of doing this (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-11-17, 17:07:36 (209.162.48.68)
I've tried sitting off to the left or right, and also changing the height of one's ears. For slightly bright recordings, I lie down on the sofa so that my ears are at a height around the bottom of the .......
305: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Can you give more of a description... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-11-17, 01:42:10 (209.162.48.223)
Some recordings are so bright that I can only listen to them when sitting off-axis. Ed .......
306: General Asylum, turn them off (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-11-16, 19:41:34 (209.162.48.240)
Its better for the planet. And California. Ed .......
307: Planar Speaker Asylum, no tilt (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-11-02, 19:19:06 (209.162.49.219)
Ed .......
308: Vinyl Asylum, possible explanation (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-10-28, 06:21:29 (209.162.48.140)
Prior to dome tweeters becoming common in the 1970s, most speakers didn't make it out to 20KHz. So recording engineers didn't pay attention to the very top-end because most speakers couldn't reproduce .......
309: Speaker Asylum, check this link (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-10-26, 19:16:41 (209.162.49.53)
Ed .......
310: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Survey: And What Was Your First Turntable? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-10-22, 19:32:33 (209.162.48.182)
As a child I had a "Vanity Fair" record player. I just checked eBay and there are four of these for sale right now. Judging from the prices, they don't appear to have become collectable... Then my par .......
311: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Opinions on DUAL turntables please ?? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-10-20, 17:32:38 (209.162.49.2)
Dual made many different models over the years. Check the Dual museum for info on a particular model. While opinions on Dual turntables vary, I think most people will agree they were much better built .......
312: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Rega P3 upgrade worth it? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-10-19, 19:00:52 (209.162.48.230)
You may want to find some way to adjust the VTA. I have an AT440ML and find that its sound can change from very bright to very smooth as VTA is changed. Regards, Ed .......
313: General Asylum, Re: how many of you... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-10-14, 20:24:36 (209.162.50.76)
I haven't gotten to the refrigerator yet, but I do remove the battery from the livingroom wall clock... what good is 96dB S/N ratio with a tick-tock-tick-tock in the background? Ed .......
314: Speaker Asylum, Wharfedale Diamond 7.2s (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-10-13, 04:27:33 (209.162.48.54)
I bought a pair for use with a musical keyboard. I paid $100 for the pair including shipping from Ubid. Wharfedale may have corrected the tonal balance since the below review was written. I find the D .......
315: Planar Speaker Asylum, some recordings are just thin sounding (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-10-05, 20:23:25 (209.162.49.213)
particularly rock/pop that's been mixed for radio play. The tweeter resistors can make thin recordings more listenable at the expense of making good recordings sound dull. Ed .......
316: Planar Speaker Asylum, some thoughts (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-09-18, 20:31:45 (209.162.50.77)
One possibility is the music is too loud. If you listen to pop/rock, it is usually compressed and this can lead to fatigue. Another possibility is the Magnepan, being a dipole, radiates more high-freq .......
317: Planar Speaker Asylum, My Maggies tell me... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-09-05, 19:44:08 (209.179.193.65)
... how poorly recorded rock music generally is. Most of the rock I listen to is from the 70s when one can blame poor technology, but to me most rock music sounds like its been been equalized, compres .......
318: Vinyl Asylum, Dual vario-belt (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-09-01, 20:45:50 (209.179.194.115)
The motor shaft has a number of sections that expand/contract as the pitch control is turned, in effect changing the shaft's diameter. On my Dual 1237, turning the pitch control causes the metal brack .......
319: Planar Speaker Asylum, Its a myth that Maggies require gobs of power (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-09-01, 07:14:04 (209.179.250.96)
They are slightly less efficient than most speakers, and do require an amplifier that can comfortably drive 4 ohms, but at normal home listening levels, a few watts are all that's needed. Ed ::: TOPIC .......
320: Planar Speaker Asylum, less inductance (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-09-01, 07:03:06 (209.179.250.96)
Capacitors have an effective series resistance and inductance. Small capacitors have less resistance/inductance than large ones because there's less foil. Ed .......
321: Planar Speaker Asylum, I did something similar (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-27, 18:35:19 (209.179.252.147)
My 1.6QRs used to wobble on the carpet, so I got four 1ft x 2ft x 1/2in MDF shelves and slipped them under the Maggie legs. I also found a good way to fasten them down with small metal brackets used t .......
322: Vinyl Asylum, don't know yet, but the middle shelf is very thick <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-27, 18:14:29 (209.179.252.147)
Ed .......
323: Vinyl Asylum, $60 including shipping but not sales tax <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-27, 18:13:21 (209.179.252.147)
Ed .......
324: Vinyl Asylum, Bush Universal bookcases for LP storage (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-26, 20:11:42 (209.179.193.2)
Per the suggestion of an inmate, I ordered some two-shelf Bush Universal bookcases from Office Depot. They work great for LP storage! There is a little overhang in the front, but not too bad. Much bet .......
325: Speaker Asylum, you already have very good speakers (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-25, 07:19:26 (209.179.250.189)
Maybe sliding them into the corner when not in use could solve the SAF issue. Ed .......
326: General Asylum, Re: VARIAC: How big for beginner? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-25, 07:01:38 (209.179.250.189)
If you just want to make sure a suspicious piece of equipment won't blow up, put a light bulb or power resistor in series with the AC line. Ed .......
327: Planar Speaker Asylum, 1 hour 50 minutes between ordering and arrival... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-24, 19:04:40 (209.179.194.112)
... that's gotta be a new record (;-) Enjoy them... Ed .......
328: Planar Speaker Asylum, interesting (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-24, 18:48:00 (209.179.193.30)
maybe the similarity is motivated by the desire to have only one inductor... Ed .......
329: Vinyl Asylum, its the recording (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-23, 20:05:12 (209.162.49.105)
I listen to pop/rock music from the 70s and there seems to be two problems. The tape recorders of that era weren't capable of producing tight bass - the bass that's there is usually flabby, mushy, poo .......
330: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Marchand didn't think the best is to copy the stock XO on MG1.6. ??? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-23, 18:22:32 (209.179.254.156)
The 1.6 crossover is a somewhat strange design in that, in addition to the slopes being different, the -6dB points of the woofer and tweeter sections are at 400Hz and 1KHz respectively. I think the ga .......
331: Vinyl Asylum, record wear (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-21, 18:05:56 (209.179.254.14)
Records eventually wear out due to friction between the stylus and groove. A worn-out record will have distortion during loud passages and in the inner grooves. Badly worn records will have dull, gray .......
332: Tweakers' Asylum, clipping (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-19, 10:47:05 (209.179.194.247)
There are two forms of clipping: voltage clipping and current clipping. I'll discuss voltage clipping first. Any amplifier is designed to deliver a certain peak voltage across the speaker. If a music .......
333: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Planar Sweet Spot question (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-19, 07:27:19 (209.179.250.165)
Listen to the Magnepan 1.6 and compare the size of the sweet spot. Since the tweeter approximates a line source over most of its frequency range, the dispersion is large horizontally and limited to t .......
334: Tweakers' Asylum, one example (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-18, 14:17:11 (209.179.251.126)
The only example I've seen of an electronic component that changed behavior during burn-in was a pair of toroidal transformers. In the first 3 months of use, the transformer's mechanical buzz disappea .......
335: Tweakers' Asylum, RS dual 100K pot by Alps (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-16, 18:04:39 (209.179.195.90)
The RS dual 100K pot by Alps is good. I've used several of them over the years and they've never become scratchy (unlike other RS pots). Ed .......
336: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Frequency Generator vs. MG IIIa's (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-15, 19:27:57 (209.179.251.132)
I did the same measurements with my 1.6QR. As I recall, the bass output started to appear around 38Hz. By 42Hz, there was a strong room resonance. BTW, test tones won't hurt the tweeter as long as the .......
337: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: How can I tame my BUF634s? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-14, 18:13:13 (209.179.252.231)
I suspect its reason #1. Check the input current specs for the BUF634. It only takes 1uA of current to produce 100mV across a 100K resistor. Ed .......
338: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: E/I vs Toroidal for SS Preamp (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-14, 17:53:50 (209.179.252.231)
Its much easier to filter out the HF that can pass through a toroid than it is to shield the magnetic field generated by an EI transformer. The former requires only one or two capacitors. Ed ::: TOPIC .......
339: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Escaped the Seductive Embrace of Magneplanars for now. . (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-13, 18:27:36 (209.179.253.164)
Very good post. I think reliability problems tend to be exaggerated by the nature of the bulletin board. People post when their equipment breaks down. The archives are full of posts on foam rot with c .......
340: Tweakers' Asylum, op-amps (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-12, 08:26:48 (209.179.251.107)
A typical op-amp has enormous open-loop gain (110dB). In order to make it stable when feedback is applied, a pole is purposely introduced at a very low frequency (usually ~10Hz). The op-amp's open-loo .......
341: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Electrolytic Cap Before the Input of an Op-amp? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-11, 21:34:54 (209.179.253.207)
The 1uF cap is for DC blocking. It prevents the preamp from amplifying DC offsets. The gain of a non-inverting op-amp circuit is R1/R2+1. R1 is between the output and (-) input; R2 is between the (-) .......
342: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Delivery time 1.6 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-11, 08:30:11 (209.179.251.46)
The backlog had cleared around the beginning of this year. Ed .......
343: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Are most audio op-amps still three poles devices that start rolling off at 10 Hz ? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-11, 08:06:10 (209.179.251.46)
Can you give an example of an op-amp that has its dominant pole much above 10Hz? Ed .......
344: Planar Speaker Asylum, no (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-11, 07:25:03 (209.179.251.46)
The 1.6 connector accepts only banana plugs or bare wire. There is an adaptor for spades available at extra cost. Ed .......
345: Speaker Asylum, cone breakup is bad (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-09, 21:44:19 (209.179.193.60)
Hi Mart! When testing my previous cone speakers I discovered that when the 12in woofer broke up (at frequencies from about 400Hz up to the crossover point of 750Hz), not only did the frequency respons .......
346: Vinyl Asylum, AudioAsylum is the high-end of the audio websites! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-07, 19:34:59 (209.179.252.188)
AudioAsylum makes those other audio websites seem so, well... mid-fi! Ed .......
347: Vinyl Asylum, shielding versus dynamics (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-07, 19:30:53 (209.179.252.188)
The explanation doesn't make sense to me. Great dynamics require that the quiet passages be quiet, and that means reducing hum as much as possible. Was there any more explanation? Ed .......
348: Vinyl Asylum, Re: OK, have turntable, what now (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-05, 08:30:08 (209.179.251.105)
Unfortunately, you need to spend a little more money. You need a phono preamp between the turntable and your amp. The phono preamp provides gain as well as RIAA equalization. You can also use an exist .......
349: Vinyl Asylum, power fluctuations (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-04, 14:16:22 (209.179.194.209)
I'm not sure if this question was addressed to me, but here's an answer. A turntable with an AC motor, such as my Dual, has only inertia to keep the platter turning during a momentary loss of electric .......
350: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Watts Explained (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-04, 08:47:35 (209.179.192.226)
You can usually distingish 1/4W, 1/2W, and 1W resistors by size - the latter are bigger. Ed .......
351: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Battle of the Turntables -- Linn vs. Rega vs. Dual (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-04, 08:17:14 (209.179.192.226)
As a Dual owner, I'm glad the Dual didn't get demolished. I once attended a CD player listening party. Everyone brought their CD players and we compared them in a blind test. The host played a joke on .......
352: Speaker Asylum, two theories (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-04, 05:36:20 (209.179.192.14)
The first is that the speakers are bright, so placing the tweeter next to the carpet, off-axis from the listener reduces the brightness. The second theory is that moving the woofer away from the floor .......
353: Speaker Asylum, with that many votes, its got to be Magnepan 1.6 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-08-04, 05:15:00 (209.179.192.14)
Maggie 1.6 gets my vote too... Ed .......
354: Planar Speaker Asylum, Thanks Rod! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-31, 20:08:52 (209.179.254.204)
Two thoughts came to mind as I was receiving the offline pages: The inmates are getting restless! - and - I want my AudioAsylum! (said in the same tone as "I want my MTV!" which copied the line fro .......
355: Tweakers' Asylum, I would put the transformer as far away from the amp as possible (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-31, 19:54:58 (209.179.254.204)
Even with a toroidal transformer, I've detected hum pick up 6 inches away. Ed .......
356: General Asylum, I just discovered "Tubular Bells" (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-31, 00:21:01 (216.244.6.62)
on vinyl on my old Dual. Wow! After seeing "Tubular Bells" mentioned in several posts, I bought a copy and now understand why it is a classic. Ed .......
357: General Asylum, Re: This Old House's wiring - Is high performance possible? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-30, 21:28:08 (209.179.250.246)
My house was built in the 1950s, and the problems I've had were due to bad connections in the outlets, light fixtures, and circuit breakers. Replacing bad outlets is easy. I've had outlets so loose th .......
358: Vinyl Asylum, thanks everyone! <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-30, 20:31:59 (209.179.250.246)
Ed .......
359: Vinyl Asylum, whoever you will your LP collection to... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-29, 22:17:13 (209.179.196.115)
... is one lucky guy! Unless of course, they're all country (;-) Thanks for the idea. Ed .......
360: Vinyl Asylum, LP storage (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-29, 21:35:14 (209.179.196.115)
What do you use to store LPs? I have about 200 LPs and am adding a few new ones each week, so storing them vertically on the floor is getting to be less of an option. I would like a storage unit that .......
361: Vinyl Asylum, yes (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-29, 05:10:51 (209.179.250.75)
One of the first things I noticed when I got my MG1.6 was the amazing coherency with which they could reproduce, well, ticks and pops. A dust speck on a record will sound like a sharp "pop" on the MG1 .......
362: Tweakers' Asylum, check this post (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-28, 19:23:42 (209.179.252.214)
Here's an Adcom owner who found a thermistor detached from the heatsink. Ed fix it, these are keepers .......
363: Planar Speaker Asylum, upgrade speakers first (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-28, 18:30:44 (209.179.253.189)
and electronics second. The speakers will make the greatest difference in the sound. Ed .......
364: General Asylum, buzz is not typical (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-28, 18:27:25 (209.179.253.189)
As others have pointed out, the buzz may be due to a ground loop or bad interconnect. Good audio equipment should be *absolutely* silent when there's no signal. If the usual remedies don't cure the bu .......
365: General Asylum, please clarify (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-27, 09:11:25 (209.179.250.209)
ESR stands for effective series resistance. Leakage is unwanted current flow. Ed .......
366: Tweakers' Asylum, congratulations! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-27, 00:54:52 (209.179.251.245)
I've seen fuses light up when they blow, so that would explain the flash. Ed .......
367: General Asylum, decibels may be a factor (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-27, 00:49:54 (209.179.251.245)
I think a major contributor to fatigue is too much loudness, particularly with music that's been compressed (rock and popular). The ear wasn't meant to be exposed to high or even medium decibels on a .......
368: Tweakers' Asylum, believe it or not (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-26, 23:22:12 (209.179.254.216)
www.radioshack.com has the MJ15024, MJ15025, and 2N3773. I don't know if these transistors are available from the manufacturer in matched pairs; you may have to match them yourself. Ed .......
369: General Asylum, thanks (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-26, 23:10:40 (209.179.254.216)
I just wanted to see if anyone here remembered that place. I remember listening to AR speakers at Sound Odyssey in the late 70s. And I still think they had the coolest name of all audio stores! Ed :: .......
370: General Asylum, Does anyone remember Sound Odyssey in Poughkeepsie New York? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-24, 22:57:59 (209.179.192.161)
I remember my dad taking me there when I was a teenager to buy a Dual turntable (that I still use!) Sound Odyssey was, as I recall, a high-end store. Last time I was in the area (1994) I drove by and .......
371: Tweakers' Asylum, VA rating (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-24, 22:54:18 (209.179.192.161)
I think core saturation limits the voltage. The VA rating is simply the product of the maximum voltage and current. Ed .......
372: Tweakers' Asylum, the maximum output current won't change (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-24, 21:06:24 (209.179.252.188)
even though the voltage is cut in half. This is because the current is limited by (I^2)*R heating in the windings. Ed .......
373: General Asylum, measure AC voltage across the speaker terminals (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-24, 20:54:33 (209.179.252.188)
using a test CD if possible. You should measure about one volt at moderate loudness to several volts for loud tones. Avoid using the current settings on your meter if you're unsure how to use them. Th .......
374: Tweakers' Asylum, to flatten on-axis response (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-21, 20:08:11 (209.179.252.11)
Since the tweeter "beams" at high frequencies, it is necessary to reduce the level to flatten on-axis response. See below. Ed Room acoustics .......
375: Planar Speaker Asylum, my favorites (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-20, 22:56:47 (209.179.196.60)
I have two New Age collection CDs that are good at showing off one's system: "Summer Solstice" (Windham Hill) and "Tranquility" (Real Music), both from 1997. They're the kind of music that Maggies do .......
376: Planar Speaker Asylum, but AR still allows reviews on equipment just recently unboxed! (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-20, 18:49:12 (209.179.251.230)
It amazes me how many reviews are written by people who purchased something only yesterday. Don't these people realize it takes time to discover a product's strengths and weaknesses? I think Audiorevi .......
377: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: trailing edge technology (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-19, 09:46:29 (209.179.250.31)
I didn't mean "trailing edge" in a negative sense, only in the sense of a technology that's no longer as widely used as it once was. As audio technologies go, "newer" doesn't necessarily imply "better .......
378: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Cable recommendation for maggies 1.6 (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-18, 20:52:41 (209.179.250.197)
If you can crimp and/or solder, you can build pretty good cables with speaker wire, banana plugs, and spades. Ed .......
379: Planar Speaker Asylum, turntable (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-18, 20:27:10 (209.179.250.197)
If you don't mind slightly higher maintenance, get a turntable. You might be amazed by how good trailing-edge technology can sound. Ed .......
380: Planar Speaker Asylum, don't have to register to post (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-14, 22:07:20 (209.179.254.6)
Anyone can post using any unregistered moniker. It does leave the door open to getting overrun. Ed .......
381: Tweakers' Asylum, switching power supply (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-14, 11:50:46 (209.179.251.100)
A switching power supply would require extraordinary filtering and shielding to make it acceptably quiet for use in a preamp. I'm not saying this can't be done, but why bother? The benefits of switchi .......
382: Tweakers' Asylum, its true (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-13, 22:32:35 (209.179.252.234)
A switching power supply is the last thing you want near a sensitive thing like a phono preamp. Switching power supplies are notorious for spewing out EMI. I'd go with a nice quiet linear supply. Ther .......
383: Planar Speaker Asylum, it appears there are no certainties in life... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-13, 12:02:19 (143.183.152.17)
... other than death and taxes. I like Javier's comment "nurse my pills please". Ed Re: 1.6's for sale, gosh, that means..... .......
384: Tweakers' Asylum, www.onsemi.com or www.fairchildsemi.com <nt> (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-12, 22:44:42 (165.247.207.63)
Ed .......
385: Planar Speaker Asylum, swap left and right speakers (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-11, 09:07:51 (209.179.250.232)
Swap the left and right speakers to see if the problem moves along with the speaker. Ed .......
386: Planar Speaker Asylum, EEs and violins (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-10, 21:43:15 (209.179.255.1)
I think our main difference is that it is not satisfying to me to read reports of audible improvements in this and that with no attempt made to measure the effects in order to understand why one sound .......
387: Planar Speaker Asylum, measurement and hearing (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-10, 12:47:34 (143.183.152.10)
As an EE, I have to believe that any faults I can hear should also be measurable with proper equipment (note that this doesn't imply that a component that measures good must sound good - more likely t .......
388: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: being optimistic... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-10, 09:28:48 (209.179.251.58)
My measurements on the 3A fuse showed that it was easy to get 0.01 ohms resistance in just alligator clips, test leads, and banana plugs, so I believe there's merit in bypassing the connectors particu .......
389: Planar Speaker Asylum, fuse measurements (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-09, 23:54:58 (209.179.197.34)
Okay fellow inmates, I did a quick measurement of two fuses. The first was a 3A 3AG fast-blow fuse of the type used in the MG1.6QR. Its resistance was about 0.065 ohms and I could not detect nonlinear .......
390: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: fuse non-linearity, audibility threshold (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-09, 21:19:32 (209.179.254.164)
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who still has the fuses in (;-) I pointed out awhile ago that the cold resistance of a 3A type 3AG fuse is 0.0424 ohms according to the Littelfuse datasheet. Arbel .......
391: Planar Speaker Asylum, its a guess (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-03, 09:40:44 (165.247.200.164)
The rate of the beating would periodically go from slow to fast as the sine wave was swept. I made sure it wasn't due to quantization error, and it didn't sound like plain old distortion, so filters s .......
392: Planar Speaker Asylum, Minidisc does something similar (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-03, 09:09:12 (165.247.200.164)
I once read an article about Minidisc that said that two compression algorithms were used - one that preserved transients better and another that preserved frequencies better - and the system would dy .......
393: Planar Speaker Asylum, steep filters and CD (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-02, 10:54:35 (143.183.152.17)
Yes, the beating was audible on headphones. I was surprised the midrange was affected; I had expected the problems to be in the treble. Unfortunately I couldn't detect any anomalies on my oscilloscope .......
394: Planar Speaker Asylum, DSP filters (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-01, 20:57:50 (165.247.208.171)
I haven't had the opportunity to listen to a digital crossover, so I can't comment on how well they work. It would seem to me that symmetrical impulse response is highly desirable - no subwoofer lag - .......
395: Planar Speaker Asylum, sample rates, jitter, and digital XO (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-07-01, 10:12:03 (165.247.202.226)
I skimmed through Tripath's application notes and there's no hint as to sample rate or sample size. The documentation is rather vague; they consider the details proprietary. The cancellation of jitter .......
396: Planar Speaker Asylum, yes (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-06-30, 06:49:51 (209.86.2.15)
I'm not an expert in this area, but it seems unavoidable that a digital amp must resample its analog input. The strength of the digital approach comes when the entire chain is made digital (right up t .......
397: Planar Speaker Asylum, noise shaping and 1-bit converter (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-06-30, 06:32:33 (209.86.2.15)
Oh I never said noise shaping was desirable, but since a digital amp is a 1-bit converter, it is mandatory. I believe that some (most?) digital amps also use PWM in order to perform better than a 1-bi .......
398: Planar Speaker Asylum, higher switching frequency = better (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-06-29, 15:58:47 (143.183.152.17)
Granted higher switching frequencies are always better. My point about noise shaping is that it enables the designer to move non-harmonic distortion (noise) from inside the audio band to outside the a .......
399: Planar Speaker Asylum, no (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-06-29, 10:43:10 (143.183.152.17)
Digital amps and class-D amps have in common the fact that they use the output transistors as a switch and require a low-pass filter afterwards. Traditional class-D amps use pulse-width modulation, wh .......
400: Planar Speaker Asylum, funniest planar comment by a non-audiophile (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-06-24, 16:31:12 (209.86.5.38)
Gentlemen, What's the funniest comment you've ever received about your planars from a non-audiophile? The other day my girlfriend remarked about my MG1.6s "they look like they should have doorknobs." .......
401: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: volume control tracking (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-06-23, 18:34:54 (165.247.217.115)
Have you tried swapping left and right channels at all points in the system (i.e. between DAC and preamp, between preamp and amp, and between amp and speakers)? With this technique you can diagnose an .......
402: Planar Speaker Asylum, thanks for the info... (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-06-22, 20:17:20 (165.247.214.156)
and yes, I do remember your "insider" post from a few months ago. Regards, Ed .......
403: Planar Speaker Asylum, blame the economy? (0.00)
Posted by EdG on 2001-06-22, 19:06:47 (165.247.214.156)
Interesting. Magnepan went from being backordered (last year) to no waiting time (Jan'01) to the factory closing for a week (today)? I'd expect that a lot fewer people are buying high-end audio right .......
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