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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 15, 2024 16:34:56 GMT -5
Actually, I've solved this problem already. Amazon offers a variety of "microphone isolators" for recording studio use in many sizes. Their insulation that will keep sound out will also keep noise in. Don't like the sizes or prices? These would be SIMPLE to make at minimal cost.
Since I don't have to worry about weatherproofing, a very simple design would work just fine.
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KeithL
Administrator 
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Post by KeithL on Sept 16, 2024 11:21:28 GMT -5
Someone famous said a long time ago: "Things should be made as simple as possible... but NOT simpler." The problem is that, in this case, the SIMPLE answer is a potentially very BAD answer. If you connect the two outputs from a preamp together with a simple Y-adapter any one of several things MIGHT happen: 1. It MIGHT work perfectly, and do just what you want, with no problems. 2. It MIGHT combine the two channels successfully, but might also force the other outputs on the preamp to be mono, or simply reduce their separation somewhat. 3. It MIGHT combine the two channels, but result in extra noise or distortion, on either that output alone, or on both it and the main outputs. (If it causes #2 or #3 then things will probably go back to normal when you disconnect it.) 4. It MIGHT draw too much current from the output devices on those two channels... which MIGHT cause them to fail immediately or later. (If it causes #4 then you will probably be in the market for a hardware repair... or a new unit... and, if anyone finds out, you will have voided your warranty.) Without knowing some details about the internal circuitry in the preamp THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW WHICH OF THESE WILL HAPPEN. Using two separate line-level inputs on a sub that has them... Or using a y-cable that includes "mixing and isolation resistors"... Or using a purpose-built "mixer"... Will eliminate the "bad possibilities" from that list... Another alternative is to find out, from the manufacturer of the preamp you're using, whether their particular device will allow this or not. Otherwise you are "rolling da bones"... ( It's really not that big a deal to make up a Y-cable with some resistors in it and a bit of heat shrink... or just buy something like the one MarcL posted...) Such a simple question yields so many potential misunderstandings…. I’m familiar with the “put some resistors in series to maintain channel separation” idea. In fact, Paul Klipsch offered several such schematics in his “Dope From Hope” newsletters. But I don’t want those complications if I can avoid them. I DON’T want stereo feeds to the subwoofer (neither by interconnects nor by speaker wires). To avoid such wiring, I have an Emotiva Virtual Copper transmitter / receiver pair - BUT - this set delivers MONO subwoofer signals only. Therefore, I need to sum the (volume-controlled) preamp outputs to mono before transmitting to the sub. If a simple Y-adapter will suffice, that’s what I’ll use! |
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 16, 2024 12:11:49 GMT -5
Yamaha says it’s OK to use a simple Y adapter. Of course, the entry-level tech who told me that may or may not know what he was talking about…. On the positive side, I have a 4-to-1 mixer sitting in the closet that has spring-clips to add resistors (or caps) in series for any input.
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Post by leonski on Sept 19, 2024 19:42:14 GMT -5
We had a surveyor for new land we bought a couple years ago and paid $800. Thought that was high…what do I know. My ma sold some land in Idaho. Part of requirement was recent survey..... Sales guy 'offered' to get it done and would deduct the 2000$ fee at settlement. So I made a few calls and got it done for Less Than Half. Call it about 8 acres and maybe 10 stakes in the ground..... Watch those guys like HAWKS. Quite a learning experience for me, dealing with Evil types and cons...... |
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 20, 2024 23:29:05 GMT -5
I recently bought two 14-TB drives from Amazon ($100 each). I’ve named them Godzilla & Kong. While one is connected to my Roon Nucleus, the other will reside at an audio amigo’s home. Once per month, I’ll synchronize the two (to duplicate all new music files). Then I’ll swap the drives, to equalize wear. The unused one will, again, be stored at audio amigo’s. Once per year, I’ll replace one of the two with a new drive to reduce the likelihood of them both failing simultaneously.
Should work…
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Post by novisnick on Sept 21, 2024 11:08:15 GMT -5
I recently bought two 14-TB drives from Amazon ($100 each). I’ve named them Godzilla & Kong. While one is connected to my Roon Nucleus, the other will reside at an audio amigo’s home. Once per month, I’ll synchronize the two (to duplicate all new music files). Then I’ll swap the drives, to equalize wear. The unused one will, again, be stored at audio amigo’s. Once per year, I’ll replace one of the two with a new drive to reduce the likelihood of them both failing simultaneously. Should work… Should, but even the best laid plans,,,,,, Good luck! 🤞 |
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 21, 2024 12:39:08 GMT -5
Thanks novisnick - I think I’ve already exhausted my share of bad luck, so I’m optimistic about this plan! garbulky - did you ever use (or give away) the Heathkit mono blocks? |
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 22, 2024 12:39:55 GMT -5
An audio amigo asked me why the Avolution drives were so inexpensive.
I strongly suspect (don't know, but very strongly suspect) that the Avolution drives are from Amazon's own servers. Amazon knows about when a drive will fail, based on their experience. Therefore, if a drive is expected to fail after four years of service, Amazon replaces it after TWO years. They then use their in-house company (Avolution) to check the drives coming out of their racks. Any with noise, bad sectors, or that are running hot are wiped & discarded.
The remainder are sold through Amazon's Avolution company with a two-year warranty (covers EVERYTHING). So you're basically getting a used drive from Avolution. They call them "refurbished," but honestly, there's no way to actually refurbish a hard drive - it either works or it doesn't. If any of the Avolution drives fail during the warranty period, they just send you another (after all, there are more coming in every day).
For the average consumer, the Avolution drive should probably last for a full four years, because (unlike in Amazon rack service), the consumer only uses the drive occasionally. That's why Amazon offers their full two-year, no-questions guarantee. The drive was expected to last a full four years in continuous server duty, so two years of server and four years of consumer service seems credible as a likely service life.
Yes, I'm taking a chance buying a used Avolusion drive, but with the two year warranty, I'm not too worried. After all, if I change out one of my two drives every year, my longest serving drive will still be in warranty when I replace it. I have no way of knowing what brand of drive is in the Avolution container (the container is sealed, and if you remove the seal, your warranty is voided), but I'd suspect that they are Hitachi HGST drives. Those drives are most common in big server applications.
Further, even at the price that they're selling the Avolution drives for, I'd bet that Amazon gets such a discount on new drives that they're at least breaking even and maybe even earning a profit on what once was considered business overhead. Their loss - my gain. I'm satisfied with the deal I got.
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Post by leonski on Sept 22, 2024 14:07:10 GMT -5
Good News? Bad News?
Well, Oceansie sure has changed in the 30+ years I've been here. You could once park on the dirt within a block of the beach FOR FREE.
Now? A line of Hotels or Condos are strung along that section of beach near the pier. Some high dollar resort living!
Yesterday? SuperGirl Surfing Contest. Some real talented surfers and a giant crowd. About 1830, CeeLo Green took the stage at the little
shell by the beach. Huge crowd with no place remaining to sit. 50 'tents' with everthing usually sold at these mobile flea markets. Nissan
had pride of place, since they were the 'name' sponser. Fishing on pier was going full blast but some areas were taken by PHOTOGRAPHERS
of the contest. I had my 70-200 which would have been fine, but NO Action.
One problem? Well? If you want to surf, you darn well better have some WAVES. As rank amateur, I didn't see anything which I would have
not wanted to try in my Kayak. Nothing over maybe 2 feet.....
Guys on the pier? Catching some THRESHER Shark.
At least as far as Waves go? Better Luck Next Year! I wanted to go this morning to catch the FINALS, but upon checking the Oceanside Cams?
No deal. It was calm enough to teach your CAT how to surf.
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Post by garbulky on Sept 23, 2024 5:16:03 GMT -5
Thanks novisnick - I think I’ve already exhausted my share of bad luck, so I’m optimistic about this plan! garbulky - did you ever use (or give away) the Heathkit mono blocks? I still have them and haven't used them. Want em back? just lmk  |
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 25, 2024 10:24:25 GMT -5
THE BEST SUBWOOFER(s) I’VE EVER HEARD:
…belong to one of my audio amigos. He started with two bass cabinets from a pair of Crown electrostatic speakers, that are about the size and shape of Klipsch Cornwalls (each). Each cabinet has two 10” paper-cone drivers. Amigo has replaced and modified both the surrounds and suspensions of each driver to tune them to the boxes they’re in.
The crossover is a modified Dahlquist LP-1 that rolls off the subs at 100Hz. at a rate of 18dB / octave. The main speakers are rolled off at 100Hz. at a rate of6dB / octave. This results in a phase-coherent crossover.
The subs are powered by an Iverson Eagle 7A stereo power amplifier (although Amigo claims that the Crown DC-300a works just as well).
What makes these subs “the best?” I’ve heard these subs paired with a variety of speakers including:
* Thiel 5.1a
* Thiel 3.0
* Stacked Dahlquist DQ-10a
* KEF speakers (various)
With every one of the speakers shown above, the transition from the main speakers to the subs is completely inaudible. The bass detail is better than any other sub I’ve ever heard, and the frequency response (in room and without electronic correction) is flat to subsonic frequencies.
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Post by brubacca on Sept 25, 2024 20:45:47 GMT -5
What were the dimensions of those Heathkits? Would they fit in a 13x13" ikea kallax shelf?
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Post by leonski on Sept 26, 2024 2:22:05 GMT -5
What were the dimensions of those Heathkits? Would they fit in a 13x13" ikea kallax shelf? You need plenty of 'overhead' when dealing with tubes...... |
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Post by Boomzilla on Sept 26, 2024 10:02:37 GMT -5
What were the dimensions of those Heathkits? Would they fit in a 13x13" ikea kallax shelf? If I remember right, maybe 12" wide x 5" tall x 10" deep? |
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,273
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Post by KeithL on Sept 26, 2024 16:21:36 GMT -5
There are a bunch of programs that will tell you all sorts of interesting details about your computer... Including the brands and models of all the drives... And the specs of your processor... And the serial number of your motherboard... And all of the software you have installed... And all of the updates you have installed... And everything you've used recently... And so on... Here's one really nice free one: www.belarc.com/products/belarc-advisor This one even tells you the last date you ran each of the programs you have installed... Yeah... it's amazing how much stuff your computer keeps track of...  An audio amigo asked me why the Avolution drives were so inexpensive. I strongly suspect (don't know, but very strongly suspect) that the Avolution drives are from Amazon's own servers. Amazon knows about when a drive will fail, based on their experience. Therefore, if a drive is expected to fail after four years of service, Amazon replaces it after TWO years. They then use their in-house company (Avolution) to check the drives coming out of their racks. Any with noise, bad sectors, or that are running hot are wiped & discarded. The remainder are sold through Amazon's Avolution company with a two-year warranty (covers EVERYTHING). So you're basically getting a used drive from Avolution. They call them "refurbished," but honestly, there's no way to actually refurbish a hard drive - it either works or it doesn't. If any of the Avolution drives fail during the warranty period, they just send you another (after all, there are more coming in every day). For the average consumer, the Avolution drive should probably last for a full four years, because (unlike in Amazon rack service), the consumer only uses the drive occasionally. That's why Amazon offers their full two-year, no-questions guarantee. The drive was expected to last a full four years in continuous server duty, so two years of server and four years of consumer service seems credible as a likely service life. Yes, I'm taking a chance buying a used Avolusion drive, but with the two year warranty, I'm not too worried. After all, if I change out one of my two drives every year, my longest serving drive will still be in warranty when I replace it. I have no way of knowing what brand of drive is in the Avolution container (the container is sealed, and if you remove the seal, your warranty is voided), but I'd suspect that they are Hitachi HGST drives. Those drives are most common in big server applications. Further, even at the price that they're selling the Avolution drives for, I'd bet that Amazon gets such a discount on new drives that they're at least breaking even and maybe even earning a profit on what once was considered business overhead. Their loss - my gain. I'm satisfied with the deal I got. |
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Post by leonski on Sept 27, 2024 16:34:12 GMT -5
And for MAC? OWC and a few others will provide huge detail and parts AND videos for those who wish to DIY a new hard drive.....
Wife tried to damage me the other day. I've been drinking TEA and zero coffee for several months.
Wife came home with a NEW teakettle. Problem? Well, it SHRIEKS at some pretty darn high frequency and LOUD.
Sounds like a Prison Break.....I may break out my DB meter and take a reading......Certainly in the 90s......
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Post by leonski on Oct 13, 2024 0:40:29 GMT -5
No recent news on Boom's generator project.
I was curious for myself and need only 2kw to 3k or so for my modest needs. Refrigeration and lighting.
TV would be nice, too.......
So I followed Boom's lead and went to the Generac site. Readers of these forums are accustomed to being able to
at least minimally peruse thru a Specification Sheet. But the spec sheets were very 'thin'. One thing I'd love to
know was SPL of the generator under specified conditions and load. NOT....
The Honda EU3000 is 57db at full load and only 50db at 1/4. Fuel consumption is listed in most specs but the Honda
has a large fuel tank and will go hours between fills......
Honda problem? $$$$. They are a LOT of money if you go full-tilt. Long term, it might be more economical to buy
a pair of 'strappable' generators so you can use only 1 or fire 'em both up as demand requires.....
I'm still not on board with a huge (12kw and UP for the home) system. I suspect that a PV system with Battery Backup would
be FINE. IF such a system would work when disconnected from the grid.....
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Post by Boomzilla on Oct 13, 2024 11:22:47 GMT -5
We've signed a contract with a local Kohler-authorized dealer/installer. But due to a backlog of other customers' jobs, our install won't start until December. Works fine for me -
We've got a Generac gas model until then if needed. We need to do prep work before install starts, including: Remove some chain-link fencing - Remove shrubs from around the area where the new generator slab will go - Have a plumber run a new iron, high-pressure gas pipe from my incoming meter to the generator location - Move the portable generator out of the way - Remove the manual transfer switch so a new automatic one can be installed. Since the electrical work for the new generator will cause 12 to 24 hours of power outage, doing the work during our Winter will allow us to better transition without needing air conditioning.
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Post by leonski on Oct 13, 2024 15:37:59 GMT -5
I haven't run my AC in 2 months at least. I 'manage' house temp by opening up when cool out and closing up in morning before it warms up.
70 in house right this second and only 74 outdoors. I had house at 66 this AM......By maybe 5pm or 6pm I'll open back UP and enjoy the evening.
I went to a solar 'seminar' (veiled sales pitch) last week and got some new information. Net metering 3, here in California is an obscene joke.
I'm inclined to think that a PV / Battery system is the real future of this. What might help? PV panels are currently hovering about 20% efficiency.
Battery tech has some interesting developments on the horizon. If they could get more power from same panel area AND have higher capacity
battery backup? Makes Off-Grid just look better and better.
All that Prep Work you are doing? Nothing but to the good......I had a patio cover installed. And the prep I did there was vital......and it went smoothly.
If I even Thought I'd need AC in December (northern hemisphere) I'd move somewhere else.....That's just ME....
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Post by Boomzilla on Oct 13, 2024 16:37:40 GMT -5
In Louisiana, air conditioning runs 11.5 months of the year. Had I my choice, I would move to higher elevation (and away from coastlines)!
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