Discussion
Magnum 475 said:
A lot of decent audio kit needs a sensible input voltage. You'd expect the internal regulators to cope, but a lot of the kit I've had doesn't. A lot of it is marked with 110V - 220V as the acceptable range. The fact that UK mains regularly strays above 250V doesn't help at all.
If it's a preamplifier with a typical regulated power supply, the voltage will be regulated to specification, so long as the mains doesn't drop too low.Too high, and all that happens if that power dissipation rises in the regulators, but nothing else magical happens (within reason of course).
The same applies to most (if not all) mains powered DACs etc. etc.
Power amplifiers are generally equally tolerant of high mains - most good designers will factor this in during the design phase , and usually high mains will result in higher output power and a warmer running amp.
I have amplifiers that will run on stupidly low voltages right up to stupidly high voltages, all with no change to the distortion specifications (just the power).
Valve amplifiers on the other hand, can find things a little more stressful. This is because the (usually unregulated) heater supply rises above the nominal 6.3v and the HT will also rise to values possibly higher than the valves can withstand - all of this can contribute to flashover within the valve in some designs.
Chinese designs tend to be optimised for the US market, and although the various voltages will usually be optimal with a US spec 110v transformer, this is rarely the case with european specced kit, because they use 220v transformers (instead of 240v).
There are usually other issues with the Chinese amps, such as underrated suppression capacitors on the mains switch, which in some cases expire immediately when connected to even a 220v supply - but will often last for some time and then expire spectacularly.
For UK kit (or even US kit) they should be using class 'X' or class 'Y' capacitors however these are costly, so they fit ordinary capacitors, usually with a 250v (DC) rating, which are grossly inadequate for connection to UK mains supplies.
Slightly off topic but are there any recommendations for a simple record player+speaker setup? We'd like to give our old LPs a long-overdue airing but we don't want to go down the big separates rabbit hole again. Don't want pre-amps, don't need big volume, it's just for a small sitting room. Speakers can be either separate (ie active) or integrated, don't mind old-fashioned looks.
Blackpuddin said:
Slightly off topic but are there any recommendations for a simple record player+speaker setup? We'd like to give our old LPs a long-overdue airing but we don't want to go down the big separates rabbit hole again. Don't want pre-amps, don't need big volume, it's just for a small sitting room. Speakers can be either separate (ie active) or integrated, don't mind old-fashioned looks.
Do you have any audio system?I bought a Rega Planar P1 with a pre-amp built in
1 cable and plugs into a Play 5 on our Sonos system - can't get much simpler, but we already had the Sonos system!
Deranged Rover said:
If a piece of hi-fi equipment has undergone full CE testing, then it will have been required to maintain its intended operating parameters over a mains voltage input range of approximately 210 - 253V IIRC.
I would be reluctant to trust the Yaquin to meet this requirement.
My Meridian 557 Power Amp starts to complain (transformer hum) much over 240V. Anything over 252, and one of the cut-outs in the amp trips out. Having said that, it was one of the very first 557s, built in 1997.I would be reluctant to trust the Yaquin to meet this requirement.
Deranged Rover said:
If a piece of hi-fi equipment has undergone full CE testing, then it will have been required to maintain its intended operating parameters over a mains voltage input range of approximately 210 - 253V IIRC.
I would be reluctant to trust the Yaquin to meet this requirement.
I'm not sure how they would do that with a pure valve amp? I would be reluctant to trust the Yaquin to meet this requirement.
I mean it's usually mains>power transformer>driver stage and so on.
akirk said:
Blackpuddin said:
Slightly off topic but are there any recommendations for a simple record player+speaker setup? We'd like to give our old LPs a long-overdue airing but we don't want to go down the big separates rabbit hole again. Don't want pre-amps, don't need big volume, it's just for a small sitting room. Speakers can be either separate (ie active) or integrated, don't mind old-fashioned looks.
Do you have any audio system?I bought a Rega Planar P1 with a pre-amp built in
1 cable and plugs into a Play 5 on our Sonos system - can't get much simpler, but we already had the Sonos system!
OldSkoolRS said:
I think there might be some turntables on Richersounds that just plug straight into existing amplifier or even a sound bar.
Thanks, I'll take a look, I don't have an amp now. To keep the hardware down to the absolute minimum I guess I'm looking at active speakers and a turntable. Blackpuddin said:
Slightly off topic but are there any recommendations for a simple record player+speaker setup? We'd like to give our old LPs a long-overdue airing but we don't want to go down the big separates rabbit hole again. Don't want pre-amps, don't need big volume, it's just for a small sitting room. Speakers can be either separate (ie active) or integrated, don't mind old-fashioned looks.
Sony do a turntable with bluetooth.https://www.sony.com.au/electronics/audio-componen...
Bibbs said:
Blackpuddin said:
Slightly off topic but are there any recommendations for a simple record player+speaker setup? We'd like to give our old LPs a long-overdue airing but we don't want to go down the big separates rabbit hole again. Don't want pre-amps, don't need big volume, it's just for a small sitting room. Speakers can be either separate (ie active) or integrated, don't mind old-fashioned looks.
Sony do a turntable with bluetooth.https://www.sony.com.au/electronics/audio-componen...
Timothy Bucktu said:
I'm not sure how they would do that with a pure valve amp?
I mean it's usually mains>power transformer>driver stage and so on.
I do remember one 'quirky' gentleman within the hi-fi industry regularly sounding off that no valve amplifier could ever meet CE regulations for various reasons.I mean it's usually mains>power transformer>driver stage and so on.
He did talk a great deal of s
te generally but maybe he had a point on this one; who knows?!Deranged Rover said:
I do remember one 'quirky' gentleman within the hi-fi industry regularly sounding off that no valve amplifier could ever meet CE regulations for various reasons.
He did talk a great deal of ste generally but maybe he had a point on this one; who knows?!
I guess he was talking sHe did talk a great deal of s
te generally but maybe he had a point on this one; who knows?!te then. While this isn't a hifi amp, my Marshall guitar amp has a pair of EL34s (and various 12AX7s) and has the CE mark shown on the back panel as below:
EDIT: Just to add the turntables on Richersounds have either USB or Bluetooth capability as well as a built in phono pre amp. Not the last word in style, but they would do the job I guess, even straight into a soundbar or a Bluetooth speaker if you had one.
Just bought one of these, I know its not high end but we had one when I was a kid, got it in 82 and it lasted for years, I think I binned it when the tape stopped working.
Set it up, it sounds ok on FM, the tape sounds a little bit weird, any tips on sorting that ?
Also, going to connect a Bluetooth receiver to it so can use my phone on it, its in my garage but the only input is phono, any suggestions as to what I need to plug normal line level inputs in, is it "Attenuators"
Might get some better speakers or put some better drivers in.
Set it up, it sounds ok on FM, the tape sounds a little bit weird, any tips on sorting that ?
Also, going to connect a Bluetooth receiver to it so can use my phone on it, its in my garage but the only input is phono, any suggestions as to what I need to plug normal line level inputs in, is it "Attenuators"
Might get some better speakers or put some better drivers in.
Some Isopropyl alcohol and cotton buds to clean the tape head(s) and the pinch roller might help if the sound is muffled and/or warbling. I have adjusted the head azimuth on tape decks in the past, but just by ear: I turned the screw while playing back a pre-recorded tape until I hit the sweet spot of clearest sound. Some decks allow you to remove the front cover to give access to the screws, or may even have small holes in the front cover.
Any recordings made on that deck before the azimuth is adjusted would then play back muffled though, so it depends on what tapes you've got and what they were recorded on.
Any recordings made on that deck before the azimuth is adjusted would then play back muffled though, so it depends on what tapes you've got and what they were recorded on.
OldSkoolRS said:
Some Isopropyl alcohol and cotton buds to clean the tape head(s) and the pinch roller might help if the sound is muffled and/or warbling. I have adjusted the head azimuth on tape decks in the past, but just by ear: I turned the screw while playing back a pre-recorded tape until I hit the sweet spot of clearest sound. Some decks allow you to remove the front cover to give access to the screws, or may even have small holes in the front cover.
Any recordings made on that deck before the azimuth is adjusted would then play back muffled though, so it depends on what tapes you've got and what they were recorded on.
Just got all my old ones, it may be the one tape I had in the garage but was ok when it was last played in the late 1980s's Any recordings made on that deck before the azimuth is adjusted would then play back muffled though, so it depends on what tapes you've got and what they were recorded on.
Suspect its adjustment, sounds a little warbly, maybe higher pitched and sort of closed in, FM sounds really pretty good so the amp side is fine.
Amazed it still works at all as it arrived with a smashed plug so obviously been thrown about, Hermes.....
If you haven't played a tape for a while it's worth fast forwarding it to the end and then rewinding it back to the begining again before playing it. That will settle the tape on the little reels and re-tension it.
To be fair tape can sound a bit muffled, especially with Dolby on as the levels for Dolby aren't always set properly (it takes treble off to reduce hiss, but this is dependent on signal level, so if it's out, then it takes more treble off than it should). Also if you have the 'chrome' tape button on for a standard ferric tape as that will also take some high end off.
I've got a tape deck, but can't find my cassettes, apart from some that I recorded on a 4 track Fostex machine, so they aren't compatible with a standard stereo cassette deck...
To be fair tape can sound a bit muffled, especially with Dolby on as the levels for Dolby aren't always set properly (it takes treble off to reduce hiss, but this is dependent on signal level, so if it's out, then it takes more treble off than it should). Also if you have the 'chrome' tape button on for a standard ferric tape as that will also take some high end off.
I've got a tape deck, but can't find my cassettes, apart from some that I recorded on a 4 track Fostex machine, so they aren't compatible with a standard stereo cassette deck...
J4CKO said:
Just bought one of these, I know its not high end but we had one when I was a kid, got it in 82 and it lasted for years, I think I binned it when the tape stopped working.
Set it up, it sounds ok on FM, the tape sounds a little bit weird, any tips on sorting that ?
Also, going to connect a Bluetooth receiver to it so can use my phone on it, its in my garage but the only input is phono, any suggestions as to what I need to plug normal line level inputs in, is it "Attenuators"
Might get some better speakers or put some better drivers in.
We had exact same on early 80s too! Always thought it was great looking bit of kit. Speakers were rather pleasing design too I think. They were pretty heavy at least! Set it up, it sounds ok on FM, the tape sounds a little bit weird, any tips on sorting that ?
Also, going to connect a Bluetooth receiver to it so can use my phone on it, its in my garage but the only input is phono, any suggestions as to what I need to plug normal line level inputs in, is it "Attenuators"
Might get some better speakers or put some better drivers in.
Turns out the one tape luring in the garage hadn’t survived, got some more from the loft and it’s fine.
Found one of my brothers band from about 1993, videos it playing on this and sent it to him and my dad.
Best sixty quid I have spent in ages.
Normally I play music off the pc in there but that’s a bit of a faff, my DAB radio tends to struggle with signal so this works well, just sat on Radio 2 and will see about Bluetooth to it.
Tapes are a bit crap though aren’t they after streaming but god it’s nostalgic playing tapes that you last played in your first car back in about 1989.
Found one of my brothers band from about 1993, videos it playing on this and sent it to him and my dad.
Best sixty quid I have spent in ages.
Normally I play music off the pc in there but that’s a bit of a faff, my DAB radio tends to struggle with signal so this works well, just sat on Radio 2 and will see about Bluetooth to it.
Tapes are a bit crap though aren’t they after streaming but god it’s nostalgic playing tapes that you last played in your first car back in about 1989.
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