VU Meters: Let's See 'Em!!

[Doodski]

The San Quentin gas chamber in California is the same color.

Nice a lovely organic green color.

 

[KaLam1ty]

With how much "novelty" hifi has popped off in recent years, I'm kind of surprised stuff like VU Meters (especially more analog-like displays) haven't taken off as much.

The only consumer oriented things that really come to mind are NobSound's VUs, which are neither accurate nor particularly attractive. Not that I care too much about having professional-grade specs for this stuff, but I'd really love for more style options that are less DIY and more "Buy this on Amazon".

I can't image it'd be too difficult for someone to throw together a nice metal or wooden enclosure and inputs with varying sensitivity.

Anyways, here's my AKAI GX-625. I totally didn't get into R2R cause of the looks. Nope definitely not..... !

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Nice a lovely organic green color.

And in a less morbid vein, US Forest Service trucks are green too!

 

[Count Arthur]

The internet is a wonderful place isn't it.

20 pages about VU meters that includes reference to a gas chamber and what I assume is a lethal injection room.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

The internet is a wonderful place isn't it.

20 pages about VU meters that includes reference to a gas chamber and what I assume is a lethal injection room.

Not really - it was reference to the color choice of said gas chamber and lethal injection room. Aesthetics are important in other fields than HiFi after all.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

So, you can now get VU meters in your Jeep, lol. Big, blue McIntosh VU meters….

Jeep's McIntosh Audio Systems, Explained

Audiophiles may be unable to resist those iconic blue power meters.

www.motortrend.com

 

[Doodski]

View attachment 195560So, you can now get VU meters in your Jeep, lol. Big, blue McIntosh VU meters….

Jeep's McIntosh Audio Systems, Explained

Audiophiles may be unable to resist those iconic blue power meters.

www.motortrend.com

Yeah baby! SRT Cherokee with VU meters.

 

[TheBatsEar]

Yeah baby! SRT Cherokee with VU meters.

Fake VU meters it seems, it's just a display.
Waiting for the McIntosh amp with ads in it for Android

 

[dualazmak]

As a follow up of my post #365, I am testing/evaluating Nishizawa R-65 VU meter kit;

The large glass-face (face size W100 x H40 mm) Nishizawa R-65 VU meters with high-grade orange LEDs are very nice looking (at least for me!) and behave really nicely for any RCA line level input including the "high-to-low converted signal" branched at amp's SP terminals using the High-to-Low converter AudioTechnica AT-HLC130 (20 Hz - 40 kHz, plus/minus 1dB precision), as shown in above photo. The VU sensitivity can be widely adjusted by the two tiny VRs on the VU circuit board, and it can be also precisely adjusted by the L & R VRs on the back panel as you can see.

I really like the movement behavior of the VUs fine tuned by the manufacturer; it really best fit for my tastes, especially with guitar and lute solo as well as harpsichord music.

In case if I would decide to use these VUs (DIY in multiple-VU array cabinet) for monitoring SP high level signals (actually stereo 5-way 10-channel 10-VUs) in my present multichannel multi-driver multi-amplifier system, I will of course not to use the "through RCA" signals.

 

[Doodski]

As a follow up of my post #365, I am testing/evaluating Nishizawa R-65 VU meter kit;
View attachment 196698

The large glass-face (face size W100 x H40 mm) Nishizawa R-65 VU meters with high-grade orange LEDs are very nice looking (at least for me!) and behave really nicely for any RCA line level input including the "high-to-low converted signal" branched at amp's SP terminals using the High-to-Low converter AudioTechnica AT-HLC130 (20 Hz - 40 kHz, plus/minus 1dB precision), as shown in above photo. The VU sensitivity can be widely adjusted by the two tiny VRs on the VU circuit board, and it can be also precisely adjusted by the L & R VRs on the back panel as you can see.

I really like the movement behavior of the VUs fine tuned by the manufacturer; it really best fit for my tastes, especially with guitar and lute solo as well as harpsichord music.

In case if I would decide to use these VUs (DIY in multiple-VU array cabinet) for monitoring SP high level signals (actually stereo 5-way 10-channel 10-VUs) in my present multichannel multi-driver multi-amplifier system, I will of course not use the "through RCA" signals.

Those new meters are very nice. They look awesome.

 

[KaLam1ty]

As a follow up of my post #365, I am testing/evaluating Nishizawa R-65 VU meter kit;
View attachment 196698

The large glass-face (face size W100 x H40 mm) Nishizawa R-65 VU meters with high-grade orange LEDs are very nice looking (at least for me!) and behave really nicely for any RCA line level input including the "high-to-low converted signal" branched at amp's SP terminals using the High-to-Low converter AudioTechnica AT-HLC130 (20 Hz - 40 kHz, plus/minus 1dB precision), as shown in above photo. The VU sensitivity can be widely adjusted by the two tiny VRs on the VU circuit board, and it can be also precisely adjusted by the L & R VRs on the back panel as you can see.

I really like the movement behavior of the VUs fine tuned by the manufacturer; it really best fit for my tastes, especially with guitar and lute solo as well as harpsichord music.

In case if I would decide to use these VUs (DIY in multiple-VU array cabinet) for monitoring SP high level signals (actually stereo 5-way 10-channel 10-VUs) in my present multichannel multi-driver multi-amplifier system, I will of course not to use the "through RCA" signals.

That is very nice! Do you happen to know the exact range of input that can be tuned?
I might just pick one up if they ship internationally.

 

[dualazmak]

That is very nice! Do you happen to know the exact range of input that can be tuned?
I might just pick one up if they ship internationally.

Hello @KaLam1ty,

According to their web page here, the VU amp circuit board ATV205 is compatible with standard VU specification; 3,600 Ohm, AC1.228 V0 - VU 600 Ohm, and they are indicating that the input level can be adjusted by the small VRs on the board for wide range of 30 mV to 10 V, and the back panel VRs can adjust plus/minus 10 dB or more. The actual current consumption by the VU amp circuit board is 20 to 30 mA.

Also according to their page here, they also have voltage limiter circuit on the board protecting the nice VU meter R-65 from overshoot load, i.e. higher than 1.22V 0VU value at the internal 3,600 Ohm resistance.

Their standard VU kit (which I am now testing and evaluating) is powered by AC 12V 0.5 A (AC-AC adaptor), and not DC 12V. I have discussed with them about why not by DC 12V, and they said that, for beginners DIY construction, AC 12V should be better than DC 12V avoiding the possible polarity mis-connection in case of DC 12V power supply. On the board, however, they also have DC 12V power supply terminals next to the yellow-cable AC 12V terminals.

As you can see, the kit board also has protection fuse chip in the AC 12V power supply yellow lines.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

I have discussed with them about why not by DC 12V, and they said that, for beginners DIY construction, AC 12V should be better than DC 12V avoiding the possible polarity mis-connection in case of DC 12V power supply.

They could have had a bridge rectifier on the power input and it wouldn't matter if the board was supplied with AC or DC.

 

[Zoomer]

Here's a guy who managed to hack his windscreen wipers as VU meters (sortof)

 

[dualazmak]

Here's a guy who managed to hack his windscreen wipers as VU meters (sortof)

It would be better for him (and for the surface of the front windshield glass) if he could have windshield washer spray also synchronizing with the music!

 

[dualazmak]

As a follow-up of my posts here and here, I completed my DIY of 12-VU-Meter Array using the nice NISHIZAWA R-65 VU meter with large glass-face (face size 100Wx40H mm) and high-grade 2700K LED illumination;

If you would be interested, please visit my post here on my project thread for the details;
- My nostalgia and preference for large glass-face VU meters: DIY of 12-VU-Meter Array in multichannel multi-driver multi-way multi-amplifier stereo audio system: #535 on the project thread.

Edit: also please visit my post here:
- NISHIZAWA R-65 VU meter plus ATV205EXT VU amp board is compatible with IEC 60268-17 VU meter specification/standard: #545

Edit: also please visit my post here:
- The latest system setup of my DSP-based multichannel multi-SP-driver multi-amplifier fully active audio rig, including updated startup/ignition sequences and shutdown sequences: as of June 26, 2024: #931

Edit:
- Dancing video of my IEC 60268-17 compatible large glass-face DIY 12-VU-Meter Array
_____Part-1: with "High Frequency Linearity Check Track" of Sony Super audio Check CD: #750
_____Part-2: with typical "Full Orchestra Music"-1: #751
_____Part-3: with typical "Full Orchestra Music"-2: #752
_____Part-4: with typical "Jazz Piano Trio Music": #753

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

As a follow-up of mypost here and here, I completed my DIY of 12-VU-Meter Array using the nice NISHIZAWA R-65 VU meter with large glass-phase (face size 100Wx40H mm) and high-grade 2700K LED illumination;
View attachment 209792

View attachment 209793

If you would be interested, please visit my post here in my project thread for the details;
- My nostalgia and preference for large glass-face VU meters: DIY of 12-VU-Meter Array in multichannel multi-driver multi-way multi-amplifier stereo audio system: #535 in the project thread.

Looks like somebody was inspired by the Ampex MM-1200 multi-track studio machine.

 

[restorer-john]

Looks like somebody was inspired by the Ampex MM-1200 multi-track studio machine.

Totally!

 

[dualazmak]

Looks like somebody was inspired by the Ampex MM-1200 multi-track studio machine.

View attachment 209794

Oh, this is my very first time to see Ampex MM-1200!
It looks as if Ampex has been retrospectively inspired by my DIY 12-VU-Meter Array; I am just joking

The VU meter unit seems to be quite similar to NISHIZAWA's R-65. Can you find enlarged photo(s) of MM-1200 for identification of the VU meter manufacturer?

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Oh, this is my very first time to see Ampex MM-1200!
It looks as if Ampex has been retrospectively inspired by my DIY 12-VU-Meter Array; I am just joking

The VU meter unit seems to be quite similar to NISHIZAWA's R-65. Can you find enlarged photo(s) of MM-1200 for identification of the VU meter manufacturer?

Ampex used Modutec, Dixon, Simpson, Tripplite and probably some other US manufacturers of meters; its safe to say that none of these manufacturers copied NISHIZAWA or anyone else. All of these are probably long gone. The Ampex MM-1200 was from the early 70s, and is of course long gone, and Ampex hasn't made analog tape machines in decades. Toward the end of Ampex's existance, they contracted with TEAC in Japan to design and build some of their machines, and of course these had Japanese parts and meters.