Best Of
Re: You’re doing it wrong…
mhardy6647 wrote: »
All of y'all in the "DC Metro Area" know this spot, and the sign... read it carefully.
That's in PG county where a large percentage can't even spell their name.
F1nut
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Re: What did you do to your stereo rig today?
After a listening session last night was interrupted by the sound of some very slight distortion in my left channel (at very high volumes, >90dB), I started to do some troubleshooting today. 1st thought was mostly likely a bad amp module in the ST-500. They are 15+ years old now.
At one point, you could buy replacements from PartsExpress, but they no longer stock them. B&O still sells them directly though at the price of $329. I was initially just going to swap left/right speaker cables to see if the problem followed the amp channel, and then reverse the cables from the preamp to further test, but I decided to take the amp out, pull off the cover (which requires removal of 26 screws) and verify which amp modules mine had since there was some production variation by W4S.
After pulling the cover and confirming my amp has the original 500ASP ICEpower boards, I decided it would be be more useful, for troubleshooting, if I swapped the boards from one side to the other. That would also tell me if one of the input buffer boards might have gone bad or if it was the amp module. If the distortion stayed in the left, it could be the buffer board, the preamp, or the speaker, but not the amp module.
Swapped the boards, reassembled, and partially screwed the cover back on. Put it back in for testing and dang it, but I could not reproduce the distortion I was hearing last night, even with the same tracks playing at the same volume level. Bizarre and frustrating. Hopefully it was just from a somewhat oxidized connection somewhere in the circuit, and me swapping boards/cables cured it for now. The amplifier had been sitting without any cables being attached/reattached for more than 2 years, so who knows. I suspect my next few listening sessions will be more analytical and stressful until I rule out any remaining issue. Gotta love the hobby.
In hindsight, listening to one of the same recordings on a different system, this is actually a recording that has all kinds of strange artifacts sounds that come across as distortion if you are really listening closely. This what got me second guessing if there was a problem.
It is a great recording with superb dynamics, but it might also have you saying "what was that? Did I heard something that sounded like a blown speaker or amp?"
billbillw
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Re: Weather at Your House?
Flurries on my commute home from work this morning. Snow in the forecast for tomorrow night. 
HzTweaker
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Re: Time to replace the old Yamaha avr
Do you have any experience buying from that website? The website seems a bit thin on information as the the seller, location, etc. Performance Audio is a well known store in Utah, that gives free shipping at $49+. It might equal out in cost just adding some extra length...for a 2nd project if you know what I mean.
Also, if you think OFC wire makes a difference, there is this for about 60c per foot more.
https://www.performanceaudio.com/products/canare-4s11g-ofc-oxygen-free-copper-star-quad-speaker-cable-14awg-grey-by-the-foot-1
I've bought hundreds of feet of Canare 4s11 and hundreds of dollars in other Canare coax and RCA's from Have inc. It is a very reputable company. They have matched prices, gave me deals for a returning customer. TOP Teir Bill.
Here's another excellent cable.
https://www.markertek.com/product/w3104/mogami-w3104-4-conductor-12-awg-superflexible-high-definition-speaker-wire-per-foot
pitdogg2
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Re: You’re doing it wrong…
^^^^ Yeah, there's some messed up stuff in that pic, F-bomb then Jesus then KKK and then illiteracy. I reckon they're driving the diversity point home LOL. Would like to take a gander at the guitar behind the poster.
Geoff4rfc
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Re: Emotiva Airmotiv Speakers vs. Polk Speakers
I would have and fully intended to return my emotivas but the loss made me say screw it , living in canada , the shipping cost to return wasnt worth it. So now I have a pair of speakers I could use in the garage I guess.
stevenbeeven
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Re: Emotiva Airmotiv Speakers vs. Polk Speakers
I bought a pair of polk and they sound amazing, very balanced, not harsh in any area , andvthey sound like this on every system I have... the emotiva I own are the complete opposite. They sound very unbalanced, harsh in areas and boom when you try to get bass . They are super picky to which amp they need and pre amp. I've tried them on almost everything and they seem to go best with a cheap yamaha. No good with nad, pioneer, aiyima, fosi, vintage and new harmon kardon.....I can only tolerate them on my cheapest yamaha for some reason, and even then id rather listen to the polks that are half the cost.
stevenbeeven
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Re: What did you do to your stereo rig today?
Did a another make-shift SDA test. Think I've found my next build.
xschop
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Re: Oppo UDP-203 noise on analog outputs
Have you used the Aux inputs on the preamp with another source component to test those using the same RCA cables?
I've never used the analog outputs on any of my Oppo products going back to the original generation, except for the balanced outputs on a 105 and 205, but I've also never had a problem with one. On the 203 the analog RCA outputs are for 7.1 channels and packed close together. It's possible that the FR or FL outputs have developed a wiring or short issue but unlikely.
Does the Oppo still power up and play discs with just the power connected to it?
I see a few comments online over the years about the 203 exhibiting a ground loop hum when connected to some systems but that's usually not going to cause a fuse to blow in another component and is sometimes caused by a cable TV box not being properly grounded.
I've never used the analog outputs on any of my Oppo products going back to the original generation, except for the balanced outputs on a 105 and 205, but I've also never had a problem with one. On the 203 the analog RCA outputs are for 7.1 channels and packed close together. It's possible that the FR or FL outputs have developed a wiring or short issue but unlikely.
Does the Oppo still power up and play discs with just the power connected to it?
I see a few comments online over the years about the 203 exhibiting a ground loop hum when connected to some systems but that's usually not going to cause a fuse to blow in another component and is sometimes caused by a cable TV box not being properly grounded.
Emlyn
1 ·