Recent content by atmasphere

The tricky bit is they like to let go of their load while you're carrying the equipment. Even though it looks much better, I'd consider it decorative rather than functional!

I thought there was in the old days. The cheaper stuff seemed to have the more exaggerated claims.

You can run multiple drivers if the amps are dedicated to their service. By that I mean that the amp is set up in such a way that it does not play out of band for the driver its meant for. This can be done doing things like changing out a coupling cap for one that is much smaller, so the amp...

The problems with a single driver are they don't play deep bass, high frequencies are beamy (tiny sweet spot) and at higher volume levels they become congested due to Doppler Effect distortion. At low levels they can work quite well, especially if a subwoofer is used and something is done to...

The most common problem that takes out one channel is a wire breaking off of the tape head. If the rubber seems good, its a good bet it will not be that way long if pressed into service. Most cassette machines are so old you have to replace every rubber part in sight.

There will be a lot of electrolytic capacitors to replace! These days anyone working on electronics from the 1970s should expect to replace every one in sight. I do not use tantalum capacitors; if I find them I replace them with good quality electrolytics. Tantalum caps had a way of shorting...

Just to be clear, a GaNFET is unlikely to be used in a non-switching application, on account of their construction. They would rapidly overheat if operated in the 'linear' region. So if its in an amplifier, that amp will be a switching amp.

Make sure to clean the record/play switch! Best to do that with spray Deoxit in the green and black can. It leaves a non-volatile lubricant behind which is vital for the switch to work after cleaning.

Super cute! If a tube tester can be cute...

It can affect the slope of the transient. Greater bandwidth will allow the slope to rise and fall in a more vertical fashion. Obviously square wave response will say a lot about transient response in this regard.

Looks like a Hickok to me. Nice!

Room modes are caused by standing waves, so 'yes' to that bit. In my room despite my speakers being flat to 20Hz bass is weak at the listening position, but strong elsewhere in the room (near the walls) and elsewhere in the house. By adding two subs, one to my left and the other behind me, this...

Bass is often the one thing DSP cannot fix. For that you need a Distributed Bass Array, since standing waves are the primary reason DSP can't fix bass. If a standing wave is cancelling bass energy at the listening position, the DSP will make the amp put out more power, which will simply be...

No worries. 90% of room problems have to do with bass and can be corrected with a Distributed Bass Array. But glass is a different matter... I don't think we're in disagreement on this point! I spent a year looking for my next house simply because I wanted the room to work.

The room is a pretty big deal- half of the success story at least. I've seen a lot of people fall in love with a certain kind of speaker, and then struggle to find the right kind of amp to play them, because they don't like solid state or tubes or whatever. So I've been of the opinion for a...