Search results

True in principle, but the surge protector's rating should be based on a realistic length of wire, not zero wire. My Siemens unit is rated at 600v let-through voltage on all three poles, with 12" leads. You only have to think about the voltage going up for length beyond that. You should still...

The industry recommendation seems to be doing both: a class-1 or class-2 protector at the panel, and class-3 protectors at outlets where you have sensitive electronics. There are a couple of reasons for this, but a big one is that the "let-through" voltage of the big whole-house protectors is...

Reviving an old thread to share a few things I've learned while researching this. We bought an old house in Philadelphia and had the logic boards go out on a couple of appliances, and started to realize the sheer number of electronic things that are at risk, including big expensive stuff. I'm...

They should remove the strings from the logo! Seriously, is this any good? I have a friend who only drinks non-alcoholic beer and I'd bring him this if you give it the thumbs up.

Back in my audiophilia days, I briefly listened to a tiny pair of Totems and was blown away. Looks like that would have been a short-lived impression. Luckily, I couldn't afford them.

Why not? You'd just need a 1/4" in and a speakon out. I'm waiting to see if the bass amp makers start using these newer generation modules in their heads. They tend come out with new models (using new modules) at more or less the same time. IcePower has been the most popular since the beginning...

The guitarist in my old band used to play through a plain old Fender Twin Reverb (~80 watts? A couple of 12s?) To get the tone he liked, he had to crank it loud enough to make enemies of every sound man below 14th St. in Manhattan. As if being a crappy band weren't enough to make enemies. It...

Clean boost pedals exist, but I'm pretty sure that's not what most guitarists are talking about. The ones people covet and hoard and argue about are distortion sources, all somewhere on the spectrum of "overdrive," "distortion," and "fuzz." Tube versions do exist ... but they're the minority...

Another place that mumbo-jumbo creeps into the guitar world: the fetishization of everything being original. The idea that any "vintage" instrument (hilarious when we're talking about stuff that's younger than half the members of this board) will be devalued by any attempt at refinishing or...

Thing that seems funny about the tube amp religion among guitar players, is that when they need more than just a touch of distortion, they use a pedal. And almost all the favorite distortion pedals use transistors.

Anyone notice that he uses the same rhetorical device as Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer?

Very interesting stuff. Can you recommend a source that discusses this in more detail?

This is something that many artists are hesitant to talk about for some reason. I've noticed in photography that most arguments about the superiority of analog materials are based on nonsense ... but if you really press the person, you realize that they just prefer the workflow and the feel of...

I brought it out of storage 2 months ago and have been using it since then. The humming just happened for the first time (that I noticed) today.

Yes, that's the one. The review shows the guts. I'll definitely reach in and see if the transformer needs tightening.

The thing has a giant toroidal transformer, made by the amp manufacturer. Would this be the power supply transformer? Seems unlikely I'd be able to replace this. What are likely sources of DC on the line?

Not through the speakers ... the box itself started making a ~60 cycle, kind of ragged sounding hum. Loud enough to be audible over quiet music. I unplugged it and started it back up again, and the hum immediately came back ... and then vanished. Background: it's a 20-year-old Unison Research...

Thanks. I've tested with one of those, and it doesn't show any faults. But I don't know if it's still able to absorb a surge, or if it could create a hazard if it tries to. I don't know if it's significant that the light in the power switch flickers like a dying neon sign in a film-noir hotel...

Is there any simple way to check for this faulty design? I have a couple of very old surge suppressors that I've kept because they're a good brand (Isobar) and seem unusually solidly made. Is this a mistake?

I just got one and very much like the features and the design. Probably the highest performing thing in my whole system, by orders of magnitude, so no point in commenting on the sound. My one annoyance is the supposed incompatibility with usb c-to-c cables. But at least one person in this...