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Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details. |
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16th Jan 2019, 11:58 pm | #101 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
The perfect loudspeaker has no dimensions and no mass. In practical terms, this means that it absorbs no power from the circuit driving it. With such speakers, all the power consumed by the system is loss, which is not quite as critical of power quality. Thus, given perfect speakers, you may use imperfect mains supplies, unless you are concerned about noisy heat.
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17th Jan 2019, 12:28 am | #102 | |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
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Sorry, I'll get my coat.
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17th Jan 2019, 11:43 am | #103 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI
This thread reminds me of the Cilla Black session when Burt Bacharach ran her into the ground with twenty-plus takes of the same song. When time was finally called, George Martin said "I thought take two was the one..."
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17th Jan 2019, 1:21 pm | #104 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
All the above totally misses the point. About 10 Years ago one of the HI FI 'bibles' stated that it was known that round pin mains sockets were more musical than than modern rectangular pin sockets. As round pin sockets cannot be fitted to a ring main ( legaly) the HI FI fraternity are on a hiding to nothing.
Regards, John. P.S. How do the electrons know which way to turn on entering the ring main when they exit the consumer unit anyway, and what about the effect of smart meters? Poor Audiofools, they can't win! Last edited by govjohn; 17th Jan 2019 at 1:30 pm. Reason: To add P.S.. |
17th Jan 2019, 3:00 pm | #105 | |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
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17th Jan 2019, 3:08 pm | #106 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
One of these is what you want...
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17th Jan 2019, 3:23 pm | #107 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
No! There are far too many gauges there! Everyone knows making a measurement has an influence on the thing being measured. Even a simple "power on" indicator could potentially ruin the power supply to your amplifier.
What about if you wired the unfused socket via a suitable fused connection unit, as commonly used for fixed appliances? Then there would be a fuse protecting the appliance's power lead.
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17th Jan 2019, 3:31 pm | #108 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
I suppose you could fit round pin sockets to a ring if it was fused at the sockets rating. There is no need to install electrics to the IEE(E) regs. it only has to be safe.
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17th Jan 2019, 5:24 pm | #109 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
Now, do round pin plugs sound different to square pin ones?
My home is no good for listening tests. There are so many scopes, spectrum analysers, power meters etc etc that all the electrons circulating in the mains system must have been through measurement equipment many times, and will therefore be ruined for high-end hifi purposes. I've probably spoiled the electrons circulating through every house downstream of our substation - maybe only the ones on the same colour phase?` Perhaps audiophiles need isolating transformers to control what can enter their equipment? David
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17th Jan 2019, 5:31 pm | #110 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
Richard Feynman said that there could be only one electron in the whole universe sharing it'self among all things. Out of courtesy we should be careful with it, I am going back to oil lamps (damn, they use electrons too) so do I arrghhhhhh!!!
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17th Jan 2019, 8:56 pm | #111 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
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17th Jan 2019, 9:38 pm | #112 | |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
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17th Jan 2019, 10:56 pm | #113 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
.... because the electrons can't hide in the corners
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17th Jan 2019, 11:11 pm | #114 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
Ah, I can see that now, some electrons could get left in the corners and go stale. Round pins must act like an egg-shaped sewer and the flow keeps them clear.
If the isolating transformer doesn't make the electrons dizzy, the one in the substation will do it anyway. At least the isolating transformer stops your electrons getting mixed with others from outside your control. Someone might have measured them and that will ruin them for ever.
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18th Jan 2019, 12:20 am | #115 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
I sometimes think I could make a killing from the hifi-types by selling them 32A BS4343 CEE17 Commando Plugs: These are of course capable of handling the same current as the upstream fusing on UK ring-circuits; it would be up to the user to ensure that the cable from socket-to-appliance was suitably rated to handle this and that the appliance was in turn suitably fused within.
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18th Jan 2019, 10:13 am | #116 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
I wonder if solar generated electrons give the music a warmer sound then coal/gas/oil fired generated electrons
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18th Jan 2019, 10:32 am | #117 | |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI
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Intrinsically safe power connectors, such as would be used in an oil refinery, are a very specific design such that if disconnected they can not initiate an explosion. ATEX is the relevant standard. A regular domestic mains plug and socket, switched or not, is definitely not intrinsically safe. |
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18th Jan 2019, 11:07 am | #118 |
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI?
I have round-pin sockets at home.
I wondered why my HMV Model 57 sounded so good! |
18th Jan 2019, 11:40 am | #119 | ||
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI
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1. When concentrating on listening to music (such as during an ABX test) humans process the sound on the side of the brain that related to left or right handedness. When listening in a relaxed way, the tendency is in the opposite hemisphere. So whether you are left or right handed impacts on subjective judgement. (Davis et al, Sound system engineering, 2nd ed, p9, Focal Press 1997) 2. Where you are born, can effect musical perception (Deutsch, Sci Am, Vol 267(2) pp70-75). The median pitch of the language and accent with which we first learn to speak affects musical perception, and skew perception of whether tone sequences are perceived as rising or falling. 3. Even recording engineers, because of inbuilt differences in musical perception typically introduce 3dB humps. This was found during tests on a new studio, setting the monitor loudspeaker EQ as compared to a live cello. 4. Or different mood between the listeners, which definitely skews results. Does your audio system sound better if you have had a positive and constructive day at work, or when have been carpeted by you boss? Given differences in musical perception between a selection of people, any ABX test on audio equipment is doomed to random results. It always does, and leads to the conclusion that there is no difference in sound quality between audio equipment, that 1950's valve gear sounds exactly the same as a 2018 high end amp. That a 1970's Wharfedale speaker is indistinguishable from a 2015 KEF. That a coat hook sounds as good as a copper cable (I know someone who did precisely that as an AB test demonstration) The only true ABX test is if all the listeners were clones, raised in an identical place and were never separated, and who by definition would have identical perception. It is like doing an ABX test on any other of the senses. Look at TV-A, then at TV-B, and then shown one and deciding which TV it is. Or food. Or wine, or whiskey. I like single malts - and have taken part in a blind tasting to see if it was possible to decide which three of ten single malts were in a blend. Completely random results from 50 Scotch-knowledgeable testers. Now sure you could measure that one by putting the single malt samples and the blend through a mass spectrometer, or chromatography testing. But that tells you noting about human perception. So how do you decide that a change to your audio system has made a positive difference? Make the change and listen for a week or two to get used to it. Then change back. If there was indeed a difference, which you will have got used to, a quick change back will show whether - to your perception profile - the original or the change was preferable. Last edited by Craig Sawyers; 18th Jan 2019 at 11:48 am. |
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18th Jan 2019, 12:39 pm | #120 | ||
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Re: Switched or Unswitched Sockets for HI-FI
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The socket is £526.80 and the plug is £115.28. It is all a bit moot, because the whole system has to be ATEX approvable - and your house wiring is not, and cannot be. |
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