Would you also like to know if your "AC treatments" are getting rid of the majority of noise ? Well, now you can : )
I'm going to set up a small "AC analysis kit" that will be available on a "borrow as needed" case. It will consist of an Audioprism AC Line Sniffer, an AC Polarity checker and a multimeter to verify "most proper" polarity of your components in terms of chassis ground / power cord orientation. To make things easy, i'll probably type up a brief set of instructions on how to use the Sniffer and the multimeter. The AC Polarity checker is a no-brainer, so no notes needed.
If you are interested in borrowing these, please respond here and i'll try to work out a schedule. This will only be going to people with positive Agon feedback and / or a very consistent history of posting here in the forums. I realize that some of the contributors here are not consistent buyers / sellers of gear and would not want to disregard them for that reason.
Obviously, this will be done on the "honour system", so i'm trusting in you to use them and return them in the condition that you received them AND do so on a timely basis. Borrowers of this "kit" will be responsible for insured return shipping. If there are enough people interested, i'll set up some type of rotation so that you can ship to someone relatively close. This will keep costs down to a bare minimum for all involved.
Almost forgot. I can include a "Kill A Watt" voltage & amperage measuring device and an Elfix device that checks for AC radiation. Both are handy devices and weigh next to nothing.
The Kill A Watt can show you how much current each device that you have is pulling individually and measure the voltage at the wall. If the device is shown to be rated for 35 watts by the manufacturer and it is only pulling 15 or 50+, you know that something is wrong and needs attention.
The Elfix can be used to check how much AC radiation you have coming out of various cords / components. It can also be used to orient your power cords / interconnects for reduced coupling. You might be amazed at how much AC radiation there is coming out of various power cords and components. Placing an interconnect within the AC field will actually modulate the AC signal into the signal path on the interconnect.
I may also include an adapter that would allow testing of a power cord by itself with the AC Sniffer. This would allow one to compare the results of plugging the Sniffer right into the outlet and then into that same outlet but fed via the "fancy" power cord. One could then literally hear if there was an audible reduction in noise using the "high dollar" power cord or not. My guess is that there will be a lot of "upset people" if i include this adapter and they check their "mega-dollar" power cords. Sean >
Sean, How do I sign up? I hope I meet your qualifications. I'm fairly new here, and only have one feedback, but it is positive. Let me know. Thanks, Brad
Sign me up! I have debated a number of times about buying an Audioprism Line Sniffer, but couldn't quite justify the expense for a 1-time analysis. If you don't mind sending your analysis kit to Seattle, I'd like to use it, and will certainly report back here on A-gon about my results.
Dear Audiogon Altruist of the Year, sign me up, too. Thanks for such an unselfish offer. Your audio penpal for life, Joel. ----- P.S. It's 3 AM in Connecticut, and I'm replying right now before this dream about getting something for nothing fades away.
Sign me up as well. Also, I'd be happy to chip in to help cover the cost. Maybe you could "rent" it to everyone along the way. Of course, we'll take your charity to :).
Sean- would you be willing to loan it out to a snot noised young punk like myself :) I'd enjoy testing my ac power and finding a possible better way of doing it. Thanks!
Sean, Where can I buy the "Elfix" to check out AC radiation coming from Power Cords ?
I purchased the KillaWATT on your heads up that they are going to be discontinued by Radio Shack. Paid $25 and had to go to 3 R/S before anybody knew what I was talking about.
I saw you post the other day on the excessive amount of equipment you own. Have you considered trying to get a hold of Page Davis on the TLC channel. Maybe you can do a episode of "Trading Places" with you brothers.
Is it just me, or does Page Davis look like "Reba McEntire" twin.
Sean, Would you provide everyone just the test procedures? I would certainly be glad to share a part of your expense given I can make your list for loaning the equipment. Thanks for the offer!!!
Many of us have polarity checkers and multimeters, I suspect. With this much interest, perhaps you would consider making the directions availlble. If you would, I for one will probably purchase the Audioprism sniffer and do this myself instead of waiting a year for the loaner set.
It goes beep beep when it detects current, and on my super DIY shielded power cords no beep beep...
Well since I have most of this I would love a copy of the directions...:) How much weight do you give to the AudioPrism Line Sniffer? I have a local dealer and of course with his power conditioner made no noise and a whole bunch of noise on my conditioners. I heard no improvement with his conditioner so I left things where they are at...
Dear Sean, I have always thought this forum is the great place for not only information but lending unused equipment to others. I am sure each of us has a box full of unused cables ,connectors, and equipment that just sits . I would like to take you up on your offer when the equipment becomes available. In turn I will lend my original tuntable to an Audiogon member with all positive feedback. The table is a stock Music Hall 2.1 all original. It can be borrowed for 4-6 weeks and is not for sale. I am sure that you will enjoy spinning records again but do not expect state of art performance. I could include an NAD phono stage which is on loan to a friend if needed. I hope SEAN's generosity catches on and know it is risky but if he is willing to take that risk so am I. Best to all , Dredster
Please put me on your list, also. I would be happy to contribute to any expenses incurred. If you do decide to give out directions for doing the test procedures, I would favor that as a backup, in case the list of interested people gets to be too long to deal with! Thanks in advance,
Thanks for the great offer! I would love to take you up on it.
Do you guys think that it would be a good idea to create an Excel spreadsheet showing everyone's results (if they are given in any statistical form)? And also, a spreadsheet would show who received it last and when; and where it was sent next.
Marty: As to the question about the Elfix, that tool appears to be similar. While the Elfix has a control to vary the sensitivity, it costs quite a bit more than the one shown on the Lowe's website. Then again, it is "audiophile approved". Thanks for pointing out an alternative that offers great "bang for the buck". I like those kind of deals : )
As to the instructions, this is something that i'll have to work on. I have no problem with making them available to the general public for those that already have the necessary tools. This may take me a few days though as i have nothing typed out at this point in time.
Since we have a quite a few people interested in this, how long of a "visit" should we allocate for each person to have these tools ? Bare in mind that performing all of this work will involve disconnected ALL of your cables from your system, so one should take this into account prior to the "kit" arriving at their house. If this means that you have to come up with some way to identify which interconnects go where, what direction they face, etc... having a plan of attack will speed things up.
How about if i start working on a list of directions and then post them when i get them done ? This would allow folks a chance to see what is involved and whether or not they are up to such an "audio challenge". While my guess is that most people that are posting / reading on this forum are pretty "avid fanatics" about their systems, some folks are not quite as eager to get their hands dirty or break a sweat. This may help reduce the number of folks on the list and save us all a lot of wasted time. Just be patient as it may take me a few days to come up with directions that i'm comfortable with and find a convenient way to package all of these goodies. Sean >
PS... I can include both an Audioprism Quiet Line and an Enacomm AC Filter so those that are interested in such devices can see how they work.
Sean: The Lowes special also has variable sensitivity . I've always scratched my head at reducing leakage because my "boxes" beep like crazy anyways...TV big time as one would expect. Another reason to not put a TV smack in the middle of ones audio circuit I guess.
Sean, Please count me in as well and thank you for your extreme altruism. I'm something of a techno-dope, so I'll need very detailed instructions. Also, if you're a wine drinker I'd love to send you a couple of good bottles by way of thanks, as I'm in the trade. Please let me know how to sign up and I will.
Listener57 called Sean " Audio Altruist of the Year". Give me a break . Sean is the "Audio Altruist of the millenium " as far as I am concerned. I have learned more about audio, electrical and acoustical properties following his threads and unselfish responses than I had the past 10 years of gathering misinformation from audio salespeople and magazines that have their own agendas. I propose we do something special for him. Any suggestions??
While building an "adapter" to convert a female IEC plug on the end of a power cord to accept a standard AC plug for this "kit", i screwed up. After completing it, i tested it to make sure that it was working properly and found out that i had the hot and neutral reversed, effectively wiring it out of phase. The problem here is that i built it like a tank and in a manner that i could not take it back apart. My motto is "no need to take things apart when you build them right the first time". Too bad i didn't do that with this !!!
I would encourage everyone to try it. I did a sweep of my apartment about 3 years ago when I installed some AP Quietlines. Surprisingly, even areas/outlets not used sometimes had some noise, so I recommend checking EVERYWHERE.
And you'll know AC noise when you hear it - "Honey, the bacon's frying!"
Sean, when everything makes it's rounds and things have settled I would like to give it a try. I work in Rosemont, so we can probably arrange an exchange.
I'm interested but just signed up here. I have a 100% eBay feedback rating on over 100 transactions and am an active member of Home Theater Forum. Let me know if I make the cut!
Seeing all of the interest, and feeling that it is appropriate for someone to help share the load besides you, I will volunteer.
I am on the left coast, and it would seem that if there were TWO kits from this purpose, things might just go a bit faster. I will provide this (as best I can).
I currently have most of the pieces in your list. I am missing the Enacom Filter and the AudioPrism Sniffer. The Enacom I can buy. With AudioPrism out of business, I will need to scramble for the Sniffer. I have a line on one and hopefully that will manifest.
I see you have not yet posted the instructions. If you wish, I can get them printed and plastic coated so that they will live with the kit.
Is this offer still actual ? I have Supratek/ClaytonM100, I used to by happy listener. I have moved to new apartment week ago. Something really bad happened. Claytons have strong hum (used to be quiet like grave). Do not even ask abut Supratek all kind of noises. Soundstaged collapsed. I'm in real pain. It is total disaster or mid-hifi. I suspect mains. But do not know what to do. So if offer is actual let me know. For me it could be sound saver.
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