AC to AC supply
Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: And the rest
Forum Name: Power Sources
Forum Description: Where the power comes from has always been a hot topic - even more so now with new World legislation
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4419
Printed Date: 27 Mar 2026 at 2:14am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: AC to AC supply
Posted By: rantalot
Subject: AC to AC supply
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2018 at 5:33pm
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During the winter months our supply voltage varies sufficient to stop my Leak Troughline tuner from working. What I am looking for is something that will give a constant AC voltage out regardless of mains I/p voltage. ------------- Norman |
Replies:
Posted By: ICL1P
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2018 at 10:18pm
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Is this what you need? http://www.powerinspired.com/store/ag1500-ac-regenerator-1500w-psu-p-1742.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.powerinspired.com/store/ag1500-ac-regenerator-1500w-psu-p-1742.html ------------- Ifor ===== Reflex M & ACCESSION M, CuSat50, Majestic DAC, a Proprius pair. |
Posted By: rantalot
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2018 at 3:13pm
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It is exactly what I want so I've bought the 500W version. Thank you for your assistance. ------------- Norman |
Posted By: rantalot
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 8:02pm
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The sound difference between raw mails and the AC regenerator is immense, sounds are much crisper and more detailed. I can tell the difference listening in an adjoining room and that through an ageing Leak Troughline. To say I'm delighted with the result is a vast understatement, ecstatic is much nearer the mark. This all happened because I asked a question and ICLP1 (Ifor) Responded. I'm eternally grateful. rantalot ------------- Norman |
Posted By: ICL1P
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 8:10pm
đź‘Ť ------------- Ifor ===== Reflex M & ACCESSION M, CuSat50, Majestic DAC, a Proprius pair. |
rantalot wrote:Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2018 at 10:21pm
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Heart warming and ear pleasing. Another great example of how good this forum is. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2018 at 1:35pm
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I'm intrigued. I'm pretty sure I have a very ropey mains power supply
here (light bulbs never last very long, for example), and I seem to have
been reading numerous extremely enthusiastic claims lately to the
effect that massive improvements in sound quality can be achieved simply
by using a perfectly stable AC power supply. Is this really, really
true?! I can't think of any obvious reason why it should make much or
any difference (and my knowledge of electronics wouldn't cope with a
very technical explanation). But there are definitely some experts on
this forum so... (!)... Assuming that it really can make a huge difference, several questions spring to mind: 1. If I got (say) the AG500 regulator ( https://www.powerinspired.com/store/ag500-ac-regenerator-500w-with-pwm-fan-control-p-1811.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.powerinspired.com/store/ag500-ac-regenerator-500w-with-pwm-fan-control-p-1811.html ), would I be able safely to plug an extension/multi-socket cable into it to then feed 'clean' AC power to all the 'vital' hi-fi stuff: turntable, amplifier, Slee GramAmp Communicator with standard power supply, CD transport, Minidisk player, cassette player, laptop computer (for HD digital files)? 2. Assuming I can go ahead as above, which items would show a noticeable audio improvement? (And really, really, how great would it be?!) 3. For vinyl reproduction, would the Slee PSU1 deliver a greater improvement? 4. Since the cost of the AG500 is definitely not negligible, does anyone know how I could get an in-home trial? Gratitude for guidance would be forthcoming! |
Posted By: Drewan77
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2018 at 4:24pm
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Hi Lawrence 1. I had an AG1500 for several years & used an extension lead with multiple devices attached. The current draw was well within the capabilities of that unit - you will need to check against the 500w model. 2. Yes, there was an improvement but not huge with my system (see below). Voltage was rock steady though. 3. From my own experience I would take the PSU1 over the regenerator, especially if you listen to a lot of vinyl. I preferred to keep turntables/phono stages running on the main house circuit and away from amps and digital gear via the regenerator. The system sounded significantly smoother this way. 4. I don't believe a home trial is possible, however the guy who purchased my old unit also lives in Leeds and is a friend so I could ask him if you would be able to listen to his system. (I stopped using the power regenerator when we installed a Solar PV system with inverter/battery backup so voltage became stable throughout the house) ------------- Older than I once was, younger than I'll be ............................. Andrew |
Posted By: Richardl60
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2018 at 4:31pm
| As suggested I have found digital sources tend to benefit more than analogue (vinyl anyway) from improved mains quality. |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2018 at 7:58pm
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Hi rantalot! I'm hoping you still monitor this forum. You were very enthusiastic about the improvement gained by installing the AC Regenerator. I'm on the brink of taking the plunge and buying the 500W version that you bought! Your post at the time was based (I think) on FM tuner listening. But what I'm most anxious about is getting improvement in the CD reproduction. Can you comment on that from your experience? Much obliged if you can offer some feedback! |
Posted By: rantalot
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2018 at 8:23pm
 I didn't listen to cd much as I always thought the sound was inferior to vinyl but after installing the ac/ac converter and listening to cd I can see that my original judgement was more influenced by poor mains quality rather than the ability of cd. The sound quality improvement is across all mediums.------------- Norman |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2018 at 10:26pm
Remarkable. Thanks. No escaping it - I've really got to get this piece of equipment...!  |
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2018 at 10:35am
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Hi Baflar, I'd just add my recommendation for the PowerInspired regenerators.
I've had an AG1500 for several years & it has been completely reliable. It looks a little 'industrial' but is nevertheless well made & supplies a rock steady 230V AC. It makes the system sound consistent throughout the day - before I sometimes felt it sounded slightly 'off' in the early evening. ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2018 at 1:22pm
Thanks, Rich for your extra 'nudge' to the purchase. I'm convinced that the power supply in this house is distinctly ropey: light bulbs last a small fraction of the advertised time; dimmable bulbs spontaneously brighten, or dim; the stroboscopic speed checker on the turntable shows a slightly different speed every time I check it. There have been several small indicators towards convincing me that an AC regenerator would be worthwhile - not least the comments on this forum! (Not to mention the fact that Graham Slee is critical of standard AC power: an opinion worth quite a lot.) Anyway - hot news - I have actually ordered a PowerInspired 500W regenerator, a couple of hours ago! I'll report back at some point... You might be interested that it was my buying a Slee Gram Amp Communicator phono stage that indirectly prompted this investigation into power regenerators. The Slee phono pre-amp made such a great improvement to the vinyl reproduction that I began to question whether my CDs could really be so obviously inferior. And given that they didn't sound so good, I started to wonder about the other sources too. Fingers crossed - I'm hoping that this purchase will get the whole shebang performing as well as it can! |
Posted By: Aussie Mick
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2018 at 1:29pm
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Hi All, The $64,000 question! Elevator, Reflex, Majestic and Proprii all have dedicated power supplies. Does that mean they’ll not benefit from power regeneration? My only other gear is the RP8 with a dedicated power supply, and my CD transport from Japan, for which I use a separate step down transformer. So, is there any mileage in me thinking about this? Should I just be quiet and listen to music? Mick. ------------- Rega RP8 - Apheta 2 - Accession MC Enigma PS -Solo ULDE (Focal Utopia) - PS Audio M700 - Fical Kanta No2 |
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2018 at 8:32am
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Hi Mick, Whether or not your system will benefit from mains regeneration depends on how good your incoming mains is & how many appliances share the mains circuit. Some people insist that regenerators are never necessary - these people are often the ones who sometimes state on certain forums that nearly all equipment sounds the same...  People like Laurence above, with variable mains quality, may well benefit & hopefully the AG500 will sort out his problem. ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |
Posted By: Aussie Mick
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2018 at 9:07am
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Cheers. I suppose there’s only one way to really find out. ------------- Rega RP8 - Apheta 2 - Accession MC Enigma PS -Solo ULDE (Focal Utopia) - PS Audio M700 - Fical Kanta No2 |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2018 at 9:52am
Hi All. Just quick thanks for your continued interest in my (mildly neurotic) attempt to control my ingrained disbelief in the improvements expected from investing in 'clean' AC! I have been notified that the AC Regenerator will be delivered by 10:40 a.m. today  ... Stay tuned for an eventual bulletin. Fingers, toes and knees crossed...Lawrence. |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 11 Apr 2018 at 10:16am
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Is mains electricity really all that bad? It is noisy, or can be, but its harmonic (distortion) content has to be controlled within limits or some appliances could malfunction. Nevertheless, a difference can be detected between mains AC and regenerated AC. Regenerated AC requires the mains to be transformed and rectified to produce DC; then that DC is made to do an AC voltage, and a number of means are used. The AC is applied to a transformer and out comes 230V (115V in such as the US). Still, the regenerated AC relies on the mains AC. No getting away from it. To make the regenerated AC really clean means having a low distortion oscillator to produce the right frequency (50 or 60Hz). It then needs a low distortion power amplifier followed by a transformer. To do sufficient to power a hi-fi rig you'd want around 100 - 500 watts. Say your amp is 100 WPC you will need 200 watts just for that. I recently made a turntable regenerator to supply a 3.5 watt motor using a pure AC waveform and transformer. The case, Era Gold size, gets hot. Now think how much heat will be generated to do 100 times that (350 watts)? Obviously this is a problem, but if you use PWM (pulse width modulation) the output transistors can be made to switch rather than amplify, and in doing so will run appreciably cooler. The emerging waveform is still a nice sinusoidal AC because the transformer "ignores" the high speed switching required for PWM. However, the transformer primary is handling the high speed switching, and producing lots of spurious noise, and that noise is induced into the secondary (the output), and will be in the MHz region, rather than the lower frequency noise sometimes seen with mains (on an osciloscope). Some of that noise goes back into the mains, and some is emitted as airborne noise, and some is induced into other items. Basically you have a switched mode power supply. Then there are the much more rugged (and cheaper) type that just switch a 50 or 60 Hz square wave into the transformer. And I doubt they will pass any EMC test. Now, I don't want to try and dictate what people should use. My purpose as a member here is simply to inform others about things I know or have experienced. But, unless you can find a pure sinewave regenerator, and a true one will be expensive, big, heavy, and will run hot; then you will be using switched mode. And switched mode in my opinion doesn't bring an improvement. It will bring about a difference, as most things do. If your mains is so bad as to cause malfunctions then obviously anything is better. ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 13 Apr 2018 at 11:28am
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For those still interested (!) - here's my early verdict on installing the PowerInspired 500w AC Regenerator. Headline: Does it bring an improvement? Yes, it does. ...not a wham-bam-make-you-shout-wow! improvement, but several subtle improvements. Only serious tests so far have been listening to CDs, with a couple of checks against vinyl copies of the same music. For some reason beyond my understanding, there is a clear improvement in channel separation/ sound stage, which is very nice. Beyond that, there is an improved clarity and presence to bass instruments. I listen mostly to classical and old pop (when I'm in that sort of mood). The massed double basses in the final movement of Janacek's Sinfonietta sound great: up to the standard of the famously exemplary Decca vinyl copy of the same. There is a slight improvement in detail on Tell Him by Billie Davis on CD, which previously fell well short of the vinyl copy. Vinyl still wins overall for sweeter treble sounds. I've played one piece of classical from minidisc, and couldn't really confirm any improvement: jury still out on that. On vinyl, the really big improvement was installing the Slee phono pre-amp last year. I'm not convinced that the Regenerator has added to that. Verdict: An expensive way to bring an improvement, essentially to CD reproduction, but probably justifiable in opening up renewed pleasure in listening to music via that source, and given that this is definitely a once in a lifetime purchase. If you're curious about the Output from the Regenerator, mine fluctuates moment by moment between about 229.7v and 230.6v; PowerInspired promise a pure sinusoidal wave output; the equipment is heavy; it doesn't run hot and the fan is silent. Cheers! |
Posted By: ICL1P
Date Posted: 13 Apr 2018 at 5:33pm
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Interesting. Thank you. I only very occasionally think that mains quality might be messing things up of an evening, so I won’t be rushing out, but it’s interesting to hear the experiences of others. ------------- Ifor ===== Reflex M & ACCESSION M, CuSat50, Majestic DAC, a Proprius pair. |
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2018 at 10:32am
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Thanks for coming back with your opinion on the AG500 Lawrence. Glad it has improved CD listening. ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2018 at 1:29pm
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A final verdict... perhaps surprising. Summary - there were two improvements, both slight, involving better sound stage and bass reproduction. I decided that I had to explore this feeling (mentioned in my initial feedback) that treble was much 'sweeter' on vinyl; and pin down whether that was intrinsically due to vinyl superiority or whether the CD reproduction was adversely affected by the re-generator. After several comparisons, (involving a lot of unplugging and plugging-in again!) I reluctantly had to come to the conclusion that the regenerator was actually introducing a relative lack of focus at the treble end, and the CD reproduction of simultaneously-playing treble sources was preferable without the regenerator. Conclusion - I don't mind paying £275 + mains cable for a small improvement that comes without any detrimental effect, but I can't convince myself that, overall, I can justify the expenditure when I know I shall forever be aware of the less-good treble reproduction. So, reluctantly, I'm now arranging to return the unit for a refund. So I haven't yet achieved the objective of (unreservedly) improving the CD reproduction  ... |
Posted By: rantalot
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2018 at 1:04pm
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Hi Baflar, maybe I should have described my CD then things might have been more meaningful. In the distant days of fourfold oversampling my CD was well respected but much water has gone under the bridge since then. The improvement on mine was quite dramatic, maybe your ac is cleaner than mine as I live close to the winter hill transmitter (line of sight). Sorry if I gave you false hope and put you through a lot trials only to discover a negative improvement. ------------- Norman |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2018 at 5:10pm
Not to worry. This seems a mysterious field. While I can't explain why I had the results described, I trust my ears, which have had many years of practice on high 'mid-range' equipment (the stuff where you have to spend hundreds (or thousands) more to get any genuine improvement!) to know that it turned out in that rather odd way. I was wondering whether your AG500 Regenerator puts out a rock-steady 230v? Mine changed every second or half-second, usually at points between 229.6 and 230.7v. I'm now wondering if that phenomenon had more effect on higher-pitch sounds than on bass... but if so, I've no idea how that could be! I'm now trying to think of a Plan B (or C really). I still have, packed away, an old Micromega Stage 2 (which was later re-launched as Stage 5) CD player, but it developed an awful noise when the drawer opened/closed, and an increasing fussiness on which CDs it would deign to play! But I remember the sound being excellent. I now wonder if it's possible to get it fully repaired so that I can feed it into my Mojo DAC... If that raises my CD sound to new heights, it should turn out cheaper than the AG500! |
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2018 at 8:43am
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After recommending a piece of kit it is disappointing when it doesn't deliver the improvement hoped. Sorry it didn't work for you but at least you had the chance to try it. I do think CD will always struggle to match well reproduced vinyl - & not only for a sweet treble quality. Hopefully the Micromega CD player repair will help. ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2018 at 12:20pm
I'm still grateful for the recommendations. At least I learnt something - and as someone observed in this thread - it was always going to be one of those 'suck it and see' cases, having established that there was no way to get a free trial. The crucial discovery was that the treble end on CDs had clearer focus without the regenerator than with it, for some unknown reason! I tend to agree with the thought that "CD will always struggle to match well reproduced vinyl" My vinyl set up, including Ortofon 2M Bronze and a Slee phono pre-amp is clearly better than my CD playing. But it does strike me that there may be a gap in the market for a separate CD Upscaler. After all, it seems to work for TV. People (like me!) who are using a CD transport and a separate DAC might benefit from a CD Upscaler between the two - or am I fundamentally misguided?! In passing, I note that the new, and ludicrously expensive Chord Blu CD player has gone for a built-in upscaler. Wonder if Graham thinks there might be an opportunity for new product development here...?..! |
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2018 at 12:56pm
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Doesn't the Chord upscaler use bespoke programmed FPGAs for its processing? Apologies if I'm wrong but I don't think that is Graham's thing. ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2018 at 1:41pm
You're probably right. Chord certainly use their own programming in their DACs, and since the Blu is intended to feed into their DACs, I'd infer that they would probably continue the same philosophy. I think I see what you mean about Graham's electronics 'thing' - probably more hardware-based solutions than software-based? It's my compliment to Graham's past product development that I'd anticipate that anything he puts out would be good! My thought that there might well be a gap in the market for an affordable CD Upscaler still remains. This may reflect my years in Market Research, and later, teaching Marketing at Leeds Business School! Of course, plugging the market gap with a new product only works if the product is as good as it claims to be...  ! |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 19 Apr 2018 at 3:51pm
Since you asked... I have a few CDs (shhhh  ) and they sound splendid to me. They sound extremely coloured on any CD drive I've tried (but that was not an exhaustive test), but if the data is taken from them using Exact Audio Copy (ripped in otherwords) the resulting file is good enough for my ears. Quite enjoyable played back using Foobar2000 as it comes on my 'everyday' PC.As regards all these highly technical alternative solutions, they will never interest me, but don't let me put you off spending. Vinyl is so good yet occupies 12 to 13 bits of total dynamic range if compared. And often sounds better (to some) using a MM cartridge. Maths prove MMs peak at roughly 11.2kHz and then start to roll-off - but the highs are assisted by cantilever tuning (can't be anything else? Could be green Kryptonite I suppose) - and vinyl only ever does 25kHz (of audio that is) if you're really lucky. CD does a total dynamic range of 16 bits, and does frequencies up to 22kHz absolutely perfectly (I used to try and argue differently to sell more phono stages, but as they say "the truth will out"). Now, if the 'new music' contains dog whistles and you want to have fun with the local dog population, then whatever turns you on... Plus I know somebody has £2.5m of stock to turnover so has to try (I suppose by any means) and convince as many as it takes, to shell-out... (I suppose I would too if I believed in all that tripe enough to have convinced myself to risk all. Been there, got the tee shirt, it shrank in the wash!) ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 2:11pm
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In what way do your CDs sound coloured Graham? I used to think CD sound was horrible when it was introduced & for many years after. I sold my record player & most of my records & bought into the 'perfect' CD sound.. My mate bought most of my old stuff & I well remember a night listening to my old records on my old turntable & wondering what the hell I'd done... I used to get very very frustrated with CD sound & more than once threw a jewel case at the wall in anger ... It sounded hard, bright & flat with no emotional communication whatsoever. Of course part of the blame should have been pointed at the amp & speakers. I thought at the time that it was the way hifi sound was supposed to be & that my ears needed educating - one lives & learns. CD sound has matured now - but perhaps it's too late for the physical format. ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 4:49pm
Better than the CD player I suppose (better for the wall) But I'm with you on this, and I developed a theory which is put into play in both the Bitzie and the Majestic. It goes back to a development - a rough and ready prototype - which was tried out on DVV (ex of TNT Audio). It shifted the phase at high audible frequencies without altering amplitude. It had some limited success. DVV liked it. The theory goes, if you alter the phase then the brain expects a difference in amplitude. Like I say, it is only a theory. But early CD analogue anti-aliasing filters gave a large phase difference without a corresponding attenuation of the signal. The theory explains that the brain will be subconsciously puzzled by this, which might result in frustration. The test development shifted the phase even further, and with a particular popular CD player's analogue filter, rotated the phase back to "flat". But not all CD players use the same filter idea, so I knew it wasn't saleable. But it helped the theory along. Oversampling digital filters have moved the Nyquist frequency upwards, and so today's analogue filters don't have to be so steep, or they don't have to act so early. With the help of SPICE modelling it was easy to see where the phase started shifting with respect to frequency, and also see how much attenuation each filter idea would provide at the oversampled Nyquist frequency. I decided as my (and most adults) hearing started to cut at 13kHz, I would arrange for the phase shift to reach -45 degrees - which in "natural analogue" is -3dB amplitude, to be a little up from 13kHz. As I could not hear much above that, I reasoned that the phase shift would appear "normal". With most data sheet filters the phase shift is much lower than 13kHz and far more than 45 degrees. In fact, there is a phase test on most audio analysers and it has to be for more than testing absolute phase, one would think. In broadcast audio I recall it was often stated that 12 degrees throughout the audible range, was acceptable for most applications. In which way do my CDs sound coloured? I would say as in not natural sounding. A kind of added sound thing, similar to how I've explained heterodyning, or beat frequencies putting sounds or colorations in where I simply know they should not be. I am pretty sure it is the method used to produce the S/PDIF output that has something to do with it. This is why I now take a data copy using EAC (of the CDs I have bought) and play them using Foobar2000 (seeing I use Windows). The bit depth and sampling frequency is the same, but I can now listen and enjoy. ------------- That none should be able to park up and enjoy the view without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: morris_minor
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 6:05pm
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I've been convinced for a long time that CDs ripped and played back by a Squeezebox player into the Majestic sound better than the CDs ever did straight from a player. ------------- Bob Majestic DAC/pre-amp Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50 2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links |
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2018 at 6:28pm
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I did always wonder how the integrity of the analogue o/p of an early CD player (or any other) could survive the brick wall analogue filtering without compromise to phase - it didn't. ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |
Posted By: Baflar
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 11:33am
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I confess that I only have a sketchy idea of what this high-level electronics stuff really means, but hey - I'm a psychologist by background, and I can happily treat the entire electronics as a 'black box', as long as what comes out of the speakers sounds right! Psychoacoustics is a field full of strange phenomena. I'm definitely in the 'trust my ears' camp. Which introduces the interesting question of what kind of sound is right for the individual listener. I go for 'reality'. It slightly annoys me when I read a review that rejects some piece of equipment (a phono cartridge, say) for being too 'analytical': you have to be analytical to get close to reality. I listen to classical music quite a lot, and I'd recommend going to a range of classical concerts in an acoustically 'clean' auditorium (Birmingham's Symphony Hall is excellent). The experience of hearing music created right in front of you, by scraping, blowing and banging things - with no intervening electronics at all - is very special. (And so I know when the hi-fi system is getting close...) Of course, it is much more a question of preference when electronic instruments are involved, since the starting point for the music is already in the electronic domain. Finally... I have become increasingly aware that once the hi-fi equipment has got up to a certain level, it's the ability, skill and 'good ears' of the sound recordists that matters most. Deutsche Grammophon went for a system they called '4D', which basically meant equipping every instrument with a microphone and every microphone with an ADC, so that the entire process could be handled digitally... and it just sounds dead, and 'unreal'. Compare the excellent sound recordists at Decca in the UK, and Mercury in the USA, way back in the late '50s/ early '60s, using very few microphones, but very strategically placed... |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 9:25pm
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You're right Lawrence, it is all about the sound of a concert in a real hall in front of you. Close miking in studios has a similar effect of being artificial as non-one has their ears right next to a guitar, a drum, or a cello. Instead we hear it in a room. Jumping back to the CD versus streamer bit above, I found my expensive CD player sounded hard and unnatural even via a Cusat50 uinto my Majestic. The same tracks via my PC and Squeezebox Touch sounded much better in the ways described above. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: RichW
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2018 at 12:54pm
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Referring back to the Powerinspired mains regenerator discussed in this thread. Recently my AG1500 oddly went into a fault condition & shut down - it was during a storm & I can only guess that it received a transient up it which it didn't like. With the AG1500 removed & using wall mains the sound was a touch more 'grainy' & just lacked a bit of the clarity that had been taken for granted. It is now thankfully working again & will stay, although it may get switched off during the next storm.... ------------- Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC. |