peter_s

Responses from peter_s

I finally fixed my HUM! Halalulah, and thanks for tips
 Did you perform these individual fixes one by one and note the benefit of each, or did you do all at the same time. It would be nice to know which had the most effect. 
Looking for suggestions on a used amp or new. $2000/ budget
The aragons are great, though may be getting long in the tooth (cap replacements eventually).  There is an 8008 for sale on agon right now. 
High End Amp Price Collapse musings
The Aragon is a very impressive amp at its price point.  Loved it with Quad 988's 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
Another interesting observation about setting channel balance.  I'm looking at the meters on vinyl studio to judge channel balance.  I started with a 1khz -14db test tone on the Cardas Test Record.  It showed a weak left channel.  Antiskating didn... 
Tube Tester Mutual Conductance Falling - What it Means?
Thanks Ralph! This may be fear-based, but I want to minimize the chance of tubes failing while being played in my amp (afraid of blowing resistors and such).  My amp is a VAC Phi 200.  I know that your amps are relatively immune to tubes blowing, ... 
Grounding Metal Outlet Boxes and Isolated Ground Receptacles
I have the same situation as you, and used plastic washers and plastic screws, to keep the outlets isolated from the box. Worked fine. 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
 Wow! I think I just found a good way to electronically evaluate my cross talk. There is a free program called ispectrum available for the Mac, that provides an oscilloscope with a band pass. I can use my test record with test tones for left and r... 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
Thanks Al. I finally reached the manufacture via Skype. He told me that I could use a Y adapter, but only if I add some resistance to the output. For each channel,  I need to add a 500 or 1000 ohm resistor (0.6 W minimum)  to protect the circuitry... 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
Thanks again everyone.  I apologize for being away from this thread for a while...Lew - I also have a channel imbalance in my room, and a preamp (VAC) that has no balance control.  I've been struggling with that for a while.  I think it could be m... 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
Lew.  The fact that the meters register differently when I switch the leads to the phone a preamp shows that it is not the meters. As for the signal, it is a test tone on a analog test record, I would think it is good, and I noticed this with mult... 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
I haven't noticed it as audible, but it is visible on my recording meters.  It follows the cartridge leads, so it is upstream of the phono preamp. I'll have to look at the meters to see how many db off it is (they may be expressed as VU). 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
Thanks guys.  I get your point here. I think it's worth getting the azimuth right for its own sake.  If it solves the problem, great.  If not - hmmm - what ARE the other options?  This is definitely happening within the cartridge, as I can swap L&... 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
My immediate goal is to get equal output out of both channels.  Right now the right channel is a bit louder than the left, and I can see this on the meters for my recording device.  There is no issue with me using a single in phase test tone for b... 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
Al - what do you think of my suggestion #2 above?  If the signal is in phase (e.g. 1kz test tone), measuring the difference between channels with a voltmeter would give me an accurate zero, no??? 
Can I convert stereo to mono for a phono input
Thanks everyone so far.  I have the Hifi News test record, with the following track:Band 5: Cartridge alignment (azimuth) test (300Hz L+R +6dB)This track is designed for cartridge Azimuth adjustment. To check the stylus is absolutely vertical, pla...