kenwstr

I am having trouble finding correctly sized replacement headphone pads online. I have 3 light weight headphones that I tend to use when I don't want to wear heavier better quality ones. This includes mixing PA which I still do occasionally, but not professionally. The headphones I have are: Sennheiser PX100 Sennheiser PX100-II Sharp HP-40 (Vintage) The 2 PX100 versions seem to be the same cup size (40mm dia below the flange) & I have in the past used Diachi HEP50 pads. I have not been able to find a source for those now. In any case, they may not be the correct size as they tend to stretch a bit over a few years & will then fall off too easily. The Sharp ones are smaller, about 30 mm dia below the flange. From memory, all of the original pads were about 10mm thick foam. Any ideas where I can source replacements preferably within Australia please?

Hi, I own both the A400 & A400X The X version is setup for Bi-wiring but the binding posts are not true 5 way and do not support banana connections. Personally, I consider such posts as "fake" but perhaps I'm harsh. Also some people are of the opinion that the X version phono preamp is not as good quality as the original version. I don't think I have ever directly compared them though. I have teamed My A400 with Proac EBT speakers in a spare room. I think they work very nicely together now, since connecting with Centrance Reserve Series Cables 2.5m 12ga. A 1m test cable I used initially sounded exciting, punchy, precise but a bit harsh on the nerves over time. Ken

The best repairer I know of is Bill Crampton ACT. http://www.thefactoryaudio.com/ He is sometimes in high demand and can be hard to get hold of, persistence required. Ken

I did a little surgery on that Antsig cable from Bunnings. See Image: I am surprised to find a loosely braided shield over foil, I would expect EMI/RFI rejection to be pretty decent. The core is twisted strands amounting to 0.52mm dia when twisted together. The dielectric is 3.22 mm dia & seems quite soft and spongy, I'd say it's foamed. The Jacket is 5.7mm dia, so would fit most plugs. All in all it seems quite a reasonable coax construction that has some potential. I have to say though that the shield is trimmed a bit long IMO and I found a stray strand within a gnats whisker of shorting ground to signal. As this cable is 1.8m, I'm going to make up 2 shorter interconnects with it, remeasure to see if the DC resistance is still weird and do some listening comparisons between existing cables I have. I can't see any brand of model on the cable itself. Does it look familiar to anyone? Not sure exactly why I'm doing this, just interested I guess. Yes I had already came to the conclusion that Mogami is basically unobtanium.

You ignored my sarcasm well! The DMM consistently reads capacitance noticeably lower than published specs values, it seems to offer reasonable comparisons though. I'm considering performing surgery to find out more about the Antsig cable construction. It may be a while before I can get back to that.

With all this talk of capacitance I did some measurements of my existing interconnects and had a little looking around. A lot of people seem keen on Mogami interconnects, a lot of them are using quad core, but quad always has higher capacitance than a pair or single core, simply because there are more conductors closer together. It's also designed to help a balanced connection (XLR, TRS mono) reject RFI & EMI better in high interference environments. It's not designed for unbalanced application. There are only 2 cables that Mogami list under HiFi in their document that I found online https://mogamicable.com/pdf/Mogami_Tech_cat2014.pdf. 2803 : 3.6 mm OD 108 pF/m 2497 : 8.0mm OD 67 pF/m For curiosity sake, I took a trip to Bunnings and bought an Antsig premium audio cable just to see how it measures, 17 pF/m. That seems quite low, maybe we should all just use that...... OK, these measurement are with a DMM so are not lab accurate but all of my measurements are from the same device so indicate valid comparisons. The GS-6 instrument cable measures 121 pF/m which is a little lower than the product spec but is still a high value. So I think my DMM gives reasonably meaningful comparisons. Getting back to the topic of connectors though: I have now had a close look at Neutrik NYS373 & NYS352BG RCA's using a 10x hand lens really up close. It seems to me that the ground tab is rolled into a short tube that is pressed into the rear or the ground contact shell and then the rear edge of the shell is rolled over the cylindrical rear edge of the ground tab, riveting it in place, leaving only the solder tab itself not rolled in. Well, I still don't know for sure, it just looks that way to me. I'd have to destroy a plug to find out for sure. Anyway, my conclusion is that, even if I am correct that it isn't a 1 piece shield to contact. I think it's a very sturdy construction, certainly a lot more secure that those little riveted on tabs that rely on you not melting insulation when you solder. In any case it would be simple enough to solder the tab to the shell, if I felt so inclined. Ken

Agree shielding matters. Of course surface area isn't the only factor but mentioning only one aspect implies that all other factors are held to be equal without explicitly saying so. I agree with all you have said here. It's just that I am objecting to the idea that only 1 thing matters and being a little extreme to demonstrate the problem with that approach. So thankyou for confirming my point. Regards, Ken

Yes, I did find that figure on one site, where the formatting was really messed up so I couldn't tell with certainty which heading 160 belonged too as pF/m was part of the heading. Maybe that's the capacitance value and maybe it isn't. I could not find it on Canare's site as I don't read Japanese and the cable isn't listed on the US site. So I don't have manufacturer confirmation. It may be true, probably is, so what, it's a half metre run (80 pF total) & I'm allowed to try out whatever I want. If capacitance is the only spec that matters, all signal cables would minimise surface area and therefore be the thinnest hair like conductor that could be made. I only see that in earbuds and lapel or ear worn mics, not interconnects. I guess minimal surface is what has driven you towards a single solid strand. Unusual choice but that up to you as my choice is up to me.

No doubt you are correct in a theoretical sense where all other parameters are kept constant & only the one under discussion is variable. This is the only way to test & analyse effects in a scientific or engineering sense, but capacitance is only one of 3 co-dependent properties of cable impedance. Impedance is known to cause frequency dependant attenuation. The cable you suggest has low capacitance but high DC resistance. The one I chose primarily for an instrument cable (for recording purposes), as well as testing as interconnects appears to be the opposite way around. Though I have seen it advertised as low capacitance (figures not stated). So far today, I have made a pair or 55cm interconnects. The low end does not seem affected but the top end is delightfully clear & musically expressive compared to what I had before. Initially I would agree, it's not a warm cable, but I think it complements Loreena Mckennitt's magnificent voice with astonishing subtle detail that I had previously missed. Though I haven't done much varied listening time on it yet. Seems to me, objective HiFi interconnect reviews tend to score certain aspects of audio performance higher or lower, with no clear winner in every aspect. The final choice is ultimately a preferences driven compromise. I need to do a lot more critical listening before deciding how successful the choice was. Most of what I purchased will be made into instrument cable. I only have about 2-3m assigned for interconnect testing.

Oh Hi, I'm loving that GS6 cable, so expressive and detailed. Top end is crystal! Was listening to Loreena McKennitt over it today. Really nice! OK Gary, email me what you have in mind exactly.

Ta I appreciate the suggestion to go compact.

Ta, perhaps I should buy just some & see for myself.

Correct, 1 piece connection is what I am looking for. I have been reading replies and considering all comments. For the actual patch between the HiFi and recording system (computed desk on wheels), it's likely I'll be plugging & unplugging more frequently. Maybe the Pro ones are appropriate just for this 1.5m patch cable. It may be kinder to the equipment at each end. Expensive though! Ken

Having some 30 years managing and maintaining a church PA, I have made up more than a few of pro interconnect cables. By "PRO" I mean balanced. A basic criteria I look for in connectors is that the cable solders directly the the contact pin or socket, so there are not riveted or pressed surface that can come loose, oxidise, corrode etc to cause intermittent & reliability issues. This is usually the case with XLR connectors where I usually use either Neutrik or Amphenol, but not so with Phone TRS, except for Neutrik alone as far as I know. However, I am currently setting up to do some recording at home using a PreSonus interface. For recording from SE analogue, I am taking RCA into an existing Essence HDACC and XLR from there to the interface, because the interface doesn't support SE connection. So, this is a way of using what I already have to cleanly convert from SE to MP signal. Both devices set on 0 dB brings the signal through clean and at an unaltered level so, I can maintain unity gain structure right from the source through the signal chain, minimising S/N. I bought some Canare GS6 for the interconnect cables and some Amphenol ACPR connectors. However, I am not totally happy with these connectors. While the signal connects directly to the RCA pin (good) the shield does not connect directly to the RCA ground contacts. It's obviously a separate solder tab and of different metal type, so possible galvanic issues leading to future reliability issues. Alternatively, the Neutrik NYS series initially seem much better in this regard, when I zoom in on online images, I can clearly see that the solder tab is not the same piece of metal as the actual ground contacts. It is however at least the same type of plating. Image can be zoomed on the Element 14 website. https://au.element14.com/neutrik/nys373-9/plug-phono-white/dp/5008505?st=neutrik rca I do not know if the Neutrik Pro series are any better in this regard as they appear to have a telescopic function to ensure the ground connects first to prevent pops when plugging/unplugging while live (who would do that at home?). That telescopic movement suggests there is not a direct connection. Of course these (PRO) plugs cost 10 times more. That's over $100 (bulk price) per stereo channel just for the plugs. That's the biggest domestic to pro mark-up I've ever seen. I think it's pretty rude & I'm not inclined to support that sort or attitude, especially if I can't verify that both shield and signal solder directly to the actual contacts because that is really the simplest and most basic criteria for reliability. So, that's my rant (sorry) but can anyone help me out by identifying an RCA connector that does actually fulfil this criteria? Ta, Ken

Yes, That's what I meant. Thanks for the link, I must follow it up sometime.

Hi, I am looking for advice on a lossless USB Wifi audio link. Basically, I have ripped my CD collection onto a large SD card as well as an external drive (backup). All ripping using EAC into WAV. So, this is all good accurate lossless source files. Currently my main stereo is packed away during renovations. However, I have a spare room stereo, Pioneer A400amp and ProAc EBTs connected with CEntrance reserve Series Speaker Cables 2.5m of 12 AWG purchased from Massdrop which is all giving very pleasing performance results. For sources, I can use an AMC CD8A CD Player or play the SD card files on a laptop through via USB to an Essence HDACC (DAC) via RCA to the amplifier. However, this means draping a long RCA across the room from the DAC to the amp. What I'd like to do is place the HDACC close to the amp and use a Wi-Fi link from the laptop to a Wi-Fi receiver that connects to the HDACC via USB. However, I don't know the market in this, what is good, what is poor, what is exceptional. Obviously, I am aiming high audio quality here and I don't want that nobbled by poor Wi-Fi. I know that some will say bits are bits but, in my experience, this is not all there is. There is self-noise and interference etc in all electronics and yes, these things do cross infect devices and it takes a lot of intentional isolation and filtering to prevent that. It’s much better if components are clean from the get go. I want to keep the signal path clean without going stupid on price. So, I'd like some specific product suggestions please? Additionally, our iiNet model has a USB port. I did try connecting a hard drive to this to use as a media server. This kind of worked but the deteriorated to the point that most devices can only see a small fraction of the media files on that drive now. I had wondered if that modem could serve as a Wi-Fi audio link to USB as in the above scenario. However, given the technical complexity I found getting media drive to work and its consequent difficulties, I tend to think the probability of success with that is pretty low. So, I am tending toward a simple dedicated Wi-Fi link so the laptop and HDACC just act as if there is a USB cable connection in much the same way as a Wi-Fi mouse or keyboard. Any thoughts on that?

Not from the system folder no. It temporarily disappears from the display but opening the folder again shows it actually never deleted. The explanation I found is that the folder is in constant system use so the logged in user(even admin) can't get a look in. Funny how I was able to the files there though!

OH I'm stupid! Somehow I put the music under the system folder from which I can't move or delete. Fortunatly, there was enough capacity to reload the entire MP3 libruary correctly and it works now. Unfortunatly, there is not a whole lot of capacity left for future music rips. Any ideas about deleting the duplicates as I can't reformat to FAT32? Listening to : James MacMillan, The Lost Songs of St. Kilda right now.

The flash drive is not partitioned. There is a folder structure like the previous flash drive. It's the way I store music files by Resolution/genre/artist/album. I may not have had the lossy folder though. not sure as I can't access the faild drive. I just tried moving the genre folders 1 level up to reduce the folder levels but they wouldn't move. Suggests a permissions issue, but what I don't know.

I think the reason for the XOs being where they are is one of practicality and cost. In an analogue system, the performance ideal would be a system XO placed between integrated amp and power amps. However, the power amp would need as many channels as there are speaker cabinets times frequency bands. In stereo this generally would require 4 or 6 channels of power amp. The system XO would have to match the speaker’s cross points and therefore be designed specifically for those speakers. Also, you have to manage the power amps output across the spectrum to maintain tonal balance. If you knew the total system, this could be designed into the system XO. This is kind of expensive as well as complex and inconvenient where people like to mix and match components. Not a very marketable thing. The system XO here is basically a programable DSP these days and it is a solution adopted in performance spaces depending on budget etc of the venue. It is simply a more marketable solution for domestic passive speaker manufacturers to put the XO in passive boxes. It also gives the manufacturer control of the products performance and their reputation would seriously suffer if ham fisted consumers got the balance wrong which inevitability would be the norm with an external XO feeding unknown components. For, active speakers, is becomes much more attractive to place DSP upstream of the inbuilt amp and placing it in the cabinet minimises the signal wiring for customers. Ken

Well, you can run a high rejection ballanced signal level interconnect up to about 100m with no significant audio signal deterioration. The same simply cannot be said for passivce speaker cables.

Hi, Although I rip CDs into, WAV for home listening and FLAC for DAP, the car media player will only read MP3 or WMA. So, I put everything on a flash drive as MP3 at the highest resolution the player can read. All was working OK for several years, until the flash drive failed while I was updating some metadata on it via a laptop. Drive was a bit warm. Anyway, I bought another 64 GB 2.0 flash drive (same size) came as FAT32 so I loaded all the MP3s on ot. All this so far is supposed to be compatible with the player according to then manual. As far as I know it is setup the same as the original flash drive, except something must be different as the car media player does not detect any media files on the drive. I though mayebe permissions so as a test I have ensured that part of the file structure right down to some MP3s is Full Change Read for admin and myself and Everyone Read and for a few albums Everyone is Full Change and Read. Still no go on the player finding any medea files. The media player manual specifically states MP3 or WMA up to 320 kbps and FAT32. I am complying with this , the same as the origina drive and the card is drive is FAT32. I can not reformatt the flash drive as my laptop's only option gives me exFAT. Probably because it's a 64 GB drive. Original drive: SanDisc Cruzer Facet 64GB New flash drive: SanDisc Cruzer Blade 64GB Car is Kia Cerato, 2015 (I think) Any ideas please? Ken

In the post you responded too, I made a mistake, the 14 AWG I referred to is Studio Acoustic, not Audio Acustic. You put a great deal of effort into you response which I appreciate. I just want to say, I have read that a shielded speaker cable construction will significantly raise, either capacitance or inductance (I don't recall which) to a seriously low pass threshold. For this reason, a twisted or braided construction will perform better. Twisted pair construction was originally developed for long signal level (>2V) cable where RF ingress is proportionately significant. However, passive speaker cable carries a much higher voltages, sometimes even lethal levels. For this reason, induced noise ingress is proportionally much smaller and twisted pairs attenuate it further. However, there is no harm trying anything you like to satisfy curiosity.

Yes, This is a major argument in favor of active speakers as the whole design could be integrated synergistically. The problem is that manufacturers know most customers will not pay for everything they can't see in the box (it still just looks like a speaker). This of course leads to too many corners being cut for the potential to become reality.