KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Aug 3, 2022 10:19:04 GMT -5
I have seen values listed for the caps in some descriptions... I believe the small primary filter cap is 2 uF and the three larger secondary ones are 180 uF... (Note that there are other important specifications in this case...) Here's a detailed explanation of what a snubber is and does: www.arrow.com/en/research-and-events/articles/what-is-a-snubberBasically, an inductor acts sort of like a flywheel for electrical current, and "opposes sudden changes in current flow". As a result, if you attempt to suddenly interrupt the current flowing through an inductor, you can get a significant voltage spike across the switch. (This is how flyback transformers and buck regulators work.) A snubber circuit prevents this voltage buildup by providing a path for the resulting short pulse of current. Snubbers are almost always used when switching inductive loads - like electric motors and relay coils. (It's usually a small value high voltage capacitor - for example 0.1 / 1000v - although some circuits use diodes - or both.) In the case of a surge suppressor the significant specification for the inductor is going to be VOLTAGE. The inductors used in a speaker crossover never see much voltage - and probably actually carry a 300V or 600V or lower insulation rating. A BrickWall surge suppressor is expected to block surges of UP TO 6,000v... So that inductor must tolerate up to 6,000 V across it or between it and the surrounding metalwork. I'm assuming it's a special order item - with high voltage insulation - and probably potted in a block of rubber or epoxy. No values for inductor OR the caps. And I'm unclear on just what a 'snubber' IS? Which is not to say I've never been snubbed..... |
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,256
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Post by KeithL on Aug 3, 2022 10:37:45 GMT -5
As an entertaining aside... and a demonstration of why snubbers are useful... A few decades ago one would often see small neon beer signs in bars... They were also sold for home use and often turned up in thrift shops... These plug into the wall and the neon tube is powered by a small step -up transformer delivering 3,000 to 6,000 volts... However, it is a simple "parlor trick" to light one reasonably brightly using a 6V lantern battery and a 3V mechanical "doorbell/buzzer". These buzzers are a simple solenoid... Current flows through the coil, pulling the lever toward the coil, and sometimes pulling a clapper against a bell. As the lever moves forward, the contacts open, the current stops, and the lever falls back. This simply repeats over and over - causing the lever to smack against the stop and buzz (or causing the clapper to repeatedly hit the bell and ring). However, by putting one of these in series with a 6V battery, and the primary side of the transformer for the sign... Each time the contacts close and then open you are passing DC current through the primary of the transformer on the sign and then interrupting it... And, each time the contacts open, as the current attempts to continue flowing, it arcs across the opening contacts, sending a short but very powerful pulse of current through the circuit. (The transformer has a lot of inductance and so is acting as the primary power storage element.) The result is that the output of the transformer can easily reach the several thousand volts necessary to light the sign. And, at the same time, you will see a very impressive arc jumping across the interruptor contacts of the buzzer. That arc tends to be bright green - the color caused by copper burning off the contacts. This would destroy a semiconductor switch instantly... but the mechanical contacts can survive it... for a while. (This is an extreme example of what a snubber circuit is intended to prevent.) There are small ignition coils that now use a version of this effect to generate arcs up to several hundred kilovolts... I have seen values listed for the caps in some descriptions... I believe the small primary filter cap is 2 uF and the three larger secondary ones are 180 uF... (Note that there are other important specifications in this case...) Here's a detailed explanation of what a snubber is and does: www.arrow.com/en/research-and-events/articles/what-is-a-snubberBasically, an inductor acts sort of like a flywheel for electrical current, and "opposes sudden changes in current flow". As a result, if you attempt to suddenly interrupt the current flowing through an inductor, you can get a significant voltage spike across the switch. (This is how flyback transformers and buck regulators work.) A snubber circuit prevents this voltage buildup by providing a path for the resulting short pulse of current. Snubbers are almost always used when switching inductive loads - like electric motors and relay coils. (It's usually a small value high voltage capacitor - for example 0.1 / 1000v - although some circuits use diodes - or both.) In the case of a surge suppressor the significant specification for the inductor is going to be VOLTAGE. The inductors used in a speaker crossover never see much voltage - and probably actually carry a 300V or 600V or lower insulation rating. A BrickWall surge suppressor is expected to block surges of UP TO 6,000v... So that inductor must tolerate up to 6,000 V across it or between it and the surrounding metalwork. I'm assuming it's a special order item - with high voltage insulation - and probably potted in a block of rubber or epoxy. No values for inductor OR the caps. And I'm unclear on just what a 'snubber' IS? Which is not to say I've never been snubbed..... |
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Post by marcl on Aug 3, 2022 10:43:05 GMT -5
As an entertaining aside... and a demonstration of why snubbers are useful... A few decades ago one would often see small neon beer signs in bars... They were also sold for home use and often turned up in thrift shops... These plug into the wall and the neon tube is powered by a small step -up transformer delivering 3,000 to 6,000 volts... However, it is a simple "parlor trick" to light one reasonably brightly using a 6V lantern battery and a 3V mechanical "doorbell/buzzer". These buzzers are a simple solenoid... Current flows through the coil, pulling the lever toward the coil, and sometimes pulling a clapper against a bell. As the lever moves forward, the contacts open, the current stops, and the lever falls back. This simply repeats over and over - causing the lever to smack against the stop and buzz (or causing the clapper to repeatedly hit the bell and ring). However, by putting one of these in series with a 6V battery, and the primary side of the transformer for the sign... Each time the contacts close and then open you are passing DC current through the primary of the transformer on the sign and then interrupting it... And, each time the contacts open, as the current attempts to continue flowing, it arcs across the opening contacts, sending a short but very powerful pulse of current through the circuit. (The transformer has a lot of inductance and so is acting as the primary power storage element.) The result is that the output of the transformer can easily reach the several thousand volts necessary to light the sign. And, at the same time, you will see a very impressive arc jumping across the interruptor contacts of the buzzer. That arc tends to be bright green - the color caused by copper burning off the contacts. This would destroy a semiconductor switch instantly... but the mechanical contacts can survive it... for a while. (This is an extreme example of what a snubber circuit is intended to prevent.) There are small ignition coils that now use a version of this effect to generate arcs up to several hundred kilovolts... I have seen values listed for the caps in some descriptions... I believe the small primary filter cap is 2 uF and the three larger secondary ones are 180 uF... (Note that there are other important specifications in this case...) Here's a detailed explanation of what a snubber is and does: www.arrow.com/en/research-and-events/articles/what-is-a-snubberBasically, an inductor acts sort of like a flywheel for electrical current, and "opposes sudden changes in current flow". As a result, if you attempt to suddenly interrupt the current flowing through an inductor, you can get a significant voltage spike across the switch. (This is how flyback transformers and buck regulators work.) A snubber circuit prevents this voltage buildup by providing a path for the resulting short pulse of current. Snubbers are almost always used when switching inductive loads - like electric motors and relay coils. (It's usually a small value high voltage capacitor - for example 0.1 / 1000v - although some circuits use diodes - or both.) In the case of a surge suppressor the significant specification for the inductor is going to be VOLTAGE. The inductors used in a speaker crossover never see much voltage - and probably actually carry a 300V or 600V or lower insulation rating. A BrickWall surge suppressor is expected to block surges of UP TO 6,000v... So that inductor must tolerate up to 6,000 V across it or between it and the surrounding metalwork. I'm assuming it's a special order item - with high voltage insulation - and probably potted in a block of rubber or epoxy. Reminds me of the 70's when we used to get a little "NE2" neon bulb ... and in the winter time you could hold one lead while touching the other to a wall plate, rub your foot on a carpet, and light the bulb with the static electricity! |
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,256
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Post by KeithL on Aug 3, 2022 11:37:59 GMT -5
Yes, things were much simpler, and in some ways more fun, back then... As an entertaining aside... and a demonstration of why snubbers are useful... A few decades ago one would often see small neon beer signs in bars... They were also sold for home use and often turned up in thrift shops... These plug into the wall and the neon tube is powered by a small step -up transformer delivering 3,000 to 6,000 volts... However, it is a simple "parlor trick" to light one reasonably brightly using a 6V lantern battery and a 3V mechanical "doorbell/buzzer". These buzzers are a simple solenoid... Current flows through the coil, pulling the lever toward the coil, and sometimes pulling a clapper against a bell. As the lever moves forward, the contacts open, the current stops, and the lever falls back. This simply repeats over and over - causing the lever to smack against the stop and buzz (or causing the clapper to repeatedly hit the bell and ring). However, by putting one of these in series with a 6V battery, and the primary side of the transformer for the sign... Each time the contacts close and then open you are passing DC current through the primary of the transformer on the sign and then interrupting it... And, each time the contacts open, as the current attempts to continue flowing, it arcs across the opening contacts, sending a short but very powerful pulse of current through the circuit. (The transformer has a lot of inductance and so is acting as the primary power storage element.) The result is that the output of the transformer can easily reach the several thousand volts necessary to light the sign. And, at the same time, you will see a very impressive arc jumping across the interruptor contacts of the buzzer. That arc tends to be bright green - the color caused by copper burning off the contacts. This would destroy a semiconductor switch instantly... but the mechanical contacts can survive it... for a while. (This is an extreme example of what a snubber circuit is intended to prevent.) There are small ignition coils that now use a version of this effect to generate arcs up to several hundred kilovolts... Reminds me of the 70's when we used to get a little "NE2" neon bulb ... and in the winter time you could hold one lead while touching the other to a wall plate, rub your foot on a carpet, and light the bulb with the static electricity! |
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 4, 2022 13:12:22 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be nice if Emotiva offered Loungers a "repeat offender discount" on purchases? We do a great deal to increase awareness of the brand and have purchased numerous products in the past. Just sayin...
I know of a couple of amigos who have Emotiva amps & speakers who knew nothing about the brand before I told them.
OTOH, the trivial discount probably wouldn't affect my buying choices anyway, so maybe it's more trouble than it's worth.
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Post by leonski on Aug 4, 2022 15:10:06 GMT -5
I want EMO to make a COMPLETE 'box' system. Small amp of 20x2 or 30x2 only. A 'chip' amp would be fine.
Small, 4" 2-way box speakers, like my Minimus 7 of old. Input (1/8" and/or USB) for a phone.
Maybe another input or 2, for the overachiever who would add a phono preamp. No fancy stuff like tone controls. Make speakers wall-mountable (kit for mounting 20$ additional)
Other input for a DAC? That's a little much, however....
Since this is a near-field or even a Garage system? Most could skip the remote, too.
Include 10 or 15 feet of 16ga speaker wire. Fixed power cord is fine at this level.....or even perhaps wall-wart power?
I wonder what kind of pricing could be arrived at for such a system?
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Post by garbulky on Aug 4, 2022 16:39:06 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be nice if Emotiva offered Loungers a "repeat offender discount" on purchases? We do a great deal to increase awareness of the brand and have purchased numerous products in the past. Just sayin... I know of a couple of amigos who have Emotiva amps & speakers who knew nothing about the brand before I told them. OTOH, the trivial discount probably wouldn't affect my buying choices anyway, so maybe it's more trouble than it's worth. They did - for certain products. If you bought an Emotiva processor - at one time they gave you 40% off the next processor. Later it became 25% off the next processor for life. But now I don't think it is offered. |
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Post by leonski on Aug 4, 2022 17:04:13 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be nice if Emotiva offered Loungers a "repeat offender discount" on purchases? We do a great deal to increase awareness of the brand and have purchased numerous products in the past. Just sayin... I know of a couple of amigos who have Emotiva amps & speakers who knew nothing about the brand before I told them. OTOH, the trivial discount probably wouldn't affect my buying choices anyway, so maybe it's more trouble than it's worth. They did - for certain products. If you bought an Emotiva processor - at one time they gave you 40% off the next processor. Later it became 25% off the next processor for life. But now I don't think it is offered. It's all bottom line / business model driven. |
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 5, 2022 15:18:04 GMT -5
ALL the following pertains to drives attached to a Mac:
I have two music drives. One is (mostly) a subset of the other, but for the past year or so, I've been ripping new music to the "subset" drive.
Merging the two drives is difficult because I've (radically) changed the directory structure on the "subset" drive. So even though I might have two movements of a three-movement symphony on the subset drive, they're likely to be in a differently-named directory than they came from on the source drive.
I want to merge the two drives so that I'll have not only identical files but also an identical directory structure on both drives. Since there is more music on the source drive than the subset one, I'm thinking that the source drive's directory structure is the one I should keep. But for "new music" on the subset drive, I'll want to recreate both the files and directories from the subset back to the source drive.
I know that there are software products that can compare two drives and identify differences, but they seem to be very crude tools. They won't (at least, I think) be able to tell me that the two files (A & B) in the "Classical-Bach" directory of the subset drive are the same as the two (named C & D) in the Bach, J.S. directory on the source drive.
What's the best software tool for doing what I need?
Thanks - Boomzilla
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,256
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Post by KeithL on Aug 5, 2022 15:55:29 GMT -5
I use this one.... www.easyduplicatefinder.com/And it will analyze all of the files in two or more places and tell you which are duplicates. It uses checksums for absolute comparison... And you can optionally have it delete duplicates... thus leaving you with only one copy of each file. However I'm pretty sure it only exists for Windows. I DO have one suggestion.... Since you have two drives - neither of which necessarily has the files or structure you want. Get a new third drive... Sort / sift the files from both of the others onto the new one... Then make at least one copy from that... This way every file gets copied at least once... And you can be sure to play each as you copy it to verify that it's a good copy... That way you can also start fresh with the structure you want - without being tied to either of the original ones. ALL the following pertains to drives attached to a Mac: I have two music drives. One is (mostly) a subset of the other, but for the past year or so, I've been ripping new music to the "subset" drive. Merging the two drives is difficult because I've (radically) changed the directory structure on the "subset" drive. So even though I might have two movements of a three-movement symphony on the subset drive, they're likely to be in a differently-named directory than they came from on the source drive. I want to merge the two drives so that I'll have not only identical files but also an identical directory structure on both drives. Since there is more music on the source drive than the subset one, I'm thinking that the source drive's directory structure is the one I should keep. But for "new music" on the subset drive, I'll want to recreate both the files and directories from the subset back to the source drive. I know that there are software products that can compare two drives and identify differences, but they seem to be very crude tools. They won't (at least, I think) be able to tell me that the two files (A & B) in the "Classical-Bach" directory of the subset drive are the same as the two (named C & D) in the Bach, J.S. directory on the source drive. What's the best software tool for doing what I need? Thanks - Boomzilla |
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 5, 2022 16:08:58 GMT -5
Sounds like a plan. Thanks!
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Post by jbrunwa on Aug 5, 2022 16:33:32 GMT -5
I use this one.... www.easyduplicatefinder.com/And it will analyze all of the files in two or more places and tell you which are duplicates. It uses checksums for absolute comparison... And you can optionally have it delete duplicates... thus leaving you with only one copy of each file. However I'm pretty sure it only exists for Windows. I DO have one suggestion.... Since you have two drives - neither of which necessarily has the files or structure you want. Get a new third drive... Sort / sift the files from both of the others onto the new one... Then make at least one copy from that... This way every file gets copied at least once... And you can be sure to play each as you copy it to verify that it's a good copy... That way you can also start fresh with the structure you want - without being tied to either of the original ones. ALL the following pertains to drives attached to a Mac: I have two music drives. One is (mostly) a subset of the other, but for the past year or so, I've been ripping new music to the "subset" drive. Merging the two drives is difficult because I've (radically) changed the directory structure on the "subset" drive. So even though I might have two movements of a three-movement symphony on the subset drive, they're likely to be in a differently-named directory than they came from on the source drive. I want to merge the two drives so that I'll have not only identical files but also an identical directory structure on both drives. Since there is more music on the source drive than the subset one, I'm thinking that the source drive's directory structure is the one I should keep. But for "new music" on the subset drive, I'll want to recreate both the files and directories from the subset back to the source drive. I know that there are software products that can compare two drives and identify differences, but they seem to be very crude tools. They won't (at least, I think) be able to tell me that the two files (A & B) in the "Classical-Bach" directory of the subset drive are the same as the two (named C & D) in the Bach, J.S. directory on the source drive. What's the best software tool for doing what I need? Thanks - Boomzilla If you are willing to dive into the command line tool, the tool 'md5' computes a hash of the file contents. If the hashes of two files are the same, the file contents are identical. I'm too rusty, but someone swifter could probably whip up a script to recursively hash all files, sort them by hash along with full pathnames, and either list or delete the duplicates. |
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 5, 2022 17:11:06 GMT -5
Not willing to climb the learning curve for command line work, thanks. A user-friendly, WYSIWIG graphic interface would help me get the right files to the right directories. I’m thinking that an artist name - album name - orchestra name - conductor name structure would work best. However, I’m not sure about how to organize compilation albums (Best of the ‘70s, for example. Ideas?
I’d just use the ripping program structure except for the fact that I use multiple ripping programs ( dB Poweramp, Exact Audio Copy, and jRiver) all of which default to slightly different directory structures.
Boom
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Post by leonski on Aug 6, 2022 0:01:22 GMT -5
Not willing to climb the learning curve for command line work, thanks. A user-friendly, WYSIWIG graphic interface would help me get the right files to the right directories. I’m thinking that an artist name - album name - orchestra name - conductor name structure would work best. However, I’m not sure about how to organize compilation albums (Best of the ‘70s, for example. Ideas? I’d just use the ripping program structure except for the fact that I use multiple ripping programs ( dB Poweramp, Exact Audio Copy, and jRiver) all of which default to slightly different directory structures. Boom I remember a while ago trying to learn a little DOS...... When you startted with very early windows, getting stuff to work required a little of that. But that was Win95 and earlier...... Is it still buried in the OS somewhere? I have no idea..... |
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 6, 2022 4:36:13 GMT -5
Mac OS used to be (and may still be) based on a highly modified form of Linux. Some Linux commands would work from the Mac OS command line, but others not. The command line is still there, but how it works these days, I've no idea. I suspect that the Mac OS was modified mightily when Apple got away from Intel CPUs and began running their own M series chips.
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 10, 2022 16:10:21 GMT -5
Audio amigo claims he gets different tone when ripping CDs with jRiver, dB Poweramp, and Exact Audio Copy. Is he nuts?
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 10, 2022 17:02:21 GMT -5
I found the tool I needed for comparing and synchronizing drives on a Mac. The program is called DirEqual. I had to pay for it, but it was worth the cost. It is very quick and scanned two drives (each with four terabytes of data) in minutes. You can flag duplicates & delete them from the program, compare directory structure between the drives, and harmonize either drive's directory to match the other's. It does everything I needed, and I'm happy with the program.
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,256
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Post by KeithL on Aug 10, 2022 17:02:53 GMT -5
Assuming that the RIPs are all being done properly they should all be identical. Particularly the ones done with dBPowerAmp and EAC - if you're using AccurateRIP to verify both. If he hears differences, on two identical files, then yes he is in fact nuts (or suffering from confirmation bias). There is no point of discussion to be had here... if two files are identical then they are identical... There is no magical way in which two files with identical bits can have "different tones"... It's also possible that some rippers may actually produce files that are functionally identical but which may not compare as identical... (For example, if one or another pads a few bytes at the beginning or end of the file, but you don't see that much with modern rippers... and it would show up on AccurateRIP.) It also might be interesting to see if your buddy could hear those differences in a real double-blind test. Audio amigo claims he gets different tone when ripping CDs with jRiver, dB Poweramp, and Exact Audio Copy. Is he nuts? |
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 10, 2022 17:08:04 GMT -5
I think a double blind test would be a good idea too, but I'm convinced that the additional hardware needed to do the ABX test would affect the sound more than any potential difference in the copies.
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Post by Boomzilla on Aug 12, 2022 12:51:15 GMT -5
I've spent the last 36 hours synchronizing my main music drive and my RAID backup, combining directories and deleting empty ones, deleting duplicates, defragmenting the discs, correcting artwork and tags, and weeding out corrupt files. Twas a tedious business, but now that it's done, I'm hoping that Roon will be less crash-happy. We shall see... I also have about a half dozen more discs to rip.
I'm not too impressed with the ripping capabilities of jRiver, and I think I'll try either EAC or dB Poweramp this time - Unless someone has another Mac ripper that I'm not yet aware of? (Please don't recommend iTunes - although some love it, I've had nothing but trouble with it over the years).
Thanks - Boomzilla
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This appears to be a very old link... and explains how the circuit inside the BrickWall units work in some detail...
