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Post by whiteghost on Sept 7, 2011 11:06:42 GMT
For the alim i've tried with the Wallwart supplied adapter, and now i'm using a slightly modded old Apple Powerbook g4 PSU (round) like this one:  Why ? Just for fun lol |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 7, 2011 13:10:49 GMT
Mke's put one together for me as well so I'll have one by the weekend too. The funny thing was, he sent me his to try and I had this really small (unmarked) power supply sent with it. My first thought was that the power supply might not be that good. However, turned it on and started to listen and just couldn't believe where the dynamics were coming from. It sounded enormous and for a little while, Mike didn't let on. Eventually, when I started rambling about sticking a Pinkie on it because I could imagine the dynamics getting much bigger, he told me that it was in fact quite a good supply with it!!! I felt so relieved. Thought I was hearing things.  Mike's done some minor changes to mine with extra cooling (to say the least!!) so I'm really looking forward to hearing it. I think I'm in quite a noisy electrical environment here so he's also done some little tricks to lower noise pickup. It looks quite industrial what with a tube isolator, 3 coolers on top of each other and earthing on the volume knob plus other noise lessening devices!! In fact, mine looks a bit like the New York skyline!!  Ian I just couldn't resist fitting a conrod to the heatsinks Ians... basically a few standoffs tightly screwed together (to form the rod) and secured to both sinks (both sides) with screws.... coated with heat tubing... for maintenance simply remove the two screws and lift the conrod upwards to disconnect.... this is handy as it also dissipates heat through the rod and doubles up as a handy "carrying" handle Pics to follow. With all these fins we could rename it Finsbury Park  PS: we could get three conrods in there but I have run out of standoffs. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2011 13:56:38 GMT
I just couldn't resist fitting a conrod to the heatsinks IanJeez, I'll be exercising on it next.  Maybe we could call this one 'Con Air, Sunrise in New York' version? It certainly looks industrial!! So we have the 'twin towers' in the Neco and 'Con Air' conditioning in the Sunrise. Not to mention the 'Extra Bombers' (eb's) in the V2 and V1 and V8. And a poofy gold knob on the Panda!!! (and my Neco) Oh - I forgot, your box should arrive as well, hopefully. The 661 hasn't arrived yet. Presumably Royal Mail..... unusual for them. Ian
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Post by 55dsl on Sept 7, 2011 17:19:21 GMT
Whiteghost you can tell me where you bought the filter for the psu wallwart?
Thanks
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Post by whiteghost on Sept 7, 2011 17:45:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2011 18:30:06 GMT
'un parafoudre' is a lightening surge protector.
Ian
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 7, 2011 19:34:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2011 20:09:12 GMT
Not at all, Mike. If the rod takes more heat away, then that's great. The cooler, the better!!
It's unique, that's for sure. Many thanks for all the little tweaks that you've done for me to quieten her down. As you know, I'm OCD about noises, hisses, buzzes, whooshing, fizzling, crackling, etc. I really find noises hard to live with and I know that you've done your best to knock it all on the head.
All of these tweaks could become standard practice for the Sunrise should anyone experience what I was getting.
To give you an idea of how bad my OCD with noise is ..... in my front room, I have a direct door to the kitchen where there is a fridge and a freezer. When I sit in a certain chair, the wall reflects a high pitch only from the fridge. (like a harmonic) It drives me nuts.
I once lost a watch and I found it by listening for the ticks and homed in on it. I got there as well!!
I'm really looking forward to hearing it after borrowing yours!!
Ian
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2011 21:11:43 GMT
Hi Ian,
All I can say to that is your watch must have a very loud tick or you lost it in your sideburns ;D .
Seriously though, I can't make my mind up whether your super-acute hearing is a blessing or a curse in terms of enjoying music playback. Hearing the good things that you are supoposed to hear but which others don't hear must have some advantages I'm sure but hearing bad things that you're not supposed to hear and that others can't hear must have it's problems, as your fridge story illustrates.
Of course, I can see the advantages when you are making music or putting music together but in 'audio listening land' I'm less sure.
Cheers,
Dave.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2011 21:27:59 GMT
You're right Dave. I'm hyper critical because of it. Over the years, I have developed pet hates - a) Noisy volume pots b) mains hum however slight. c) Hiss. d) Poor volume tracking!!! (I hate that) e) Depending on what type - distortion. If those are present in an amp, I can't use it. My mind just won't focus on the music and I just listen to the noise instead. Poor Mike sent me my V2 a while back and I could hear some kind of hiss. It was really low and Mike said he could make it silent. It was so low in volume, I thought he might not even hear it and maybe I was being a bit OCD. When it came back - it was truly black. No noise whatsoever. Power supplies are also another bugbear to me. That's partially why I like the Little Pinkies. (Plus the greater dynamics they offer) Many cheaper amps have been moved on because of transformer noise. Even good cheap amps. One that comes to mind was the bigger brother of the NAD 3020. (3140?) A great amp in terms of sound and power and could be bridged into mono so you could have two driving a speaker each. Unfortunately, mine hummed so it went!! I also find TV's annoying. The screens of flat TV's can be noisy and they are prone to buzzes as well. It's low, so most people don't notice or bother. Once I know it's there, I can't stop focusing on it. So yes, it is a problem to me. The other problem is that non believing salesmen/specialists often think I'm nuts which is why I actually find it embarrassing if I mention it to people who repair/sell gear. In fact, the only person who heard and sorted it for me has been Mike on the V2. I was convinced he wouldn't hear or notice but on his insistence, after I mentioned it I sent it off to him thinking..... nah, he won't find that and blow me, he did!!! I often don't mention noise when I review things because I know it's my own problem in a way!! To find the watch, I had to keep turning my head and hold my breath so I could hear. My own breathing drowned it out and we had to turn the electricity off so that nothing was buzzing. Some computers and hoovers are extra annoying to me because they produce more than one noise and they often kind of clash with each other producing a kind of distortion sound. Now you think I've gone off my rocker!!! These two in particular, can sound quite sour so I have to get out of the house when the wife hoovers!! Don't mention fridges..... Ian |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 7, 2011 21:40:57 GMT
Not at all, Mike. If the rod takes more heat away, then that's great. The cooler, the better!! It's unique, that's for sure. Many thanks for all the little tweaks that you've done for me to quieten her down. As you know, I'm OCD about noises, hisses, buzzes, whooshing, fizzling, crackling, etc. I really find noises hard to live with and I know that you've done your best to knock it all on the head. All of these tweaks could become standard practice for the Sunrise should anyone experience what I was getting. To give you an idea of how bad my OCD with noise is ..... in my front room, I have a direct door to the kitchen where there is a fridge and a freezer. When I sit in a certain chair, the wall reflects a high pitch only from the fridge. (like a harmonic) It drives me nuts. I once lost a watch and I found it by listening for the ticks and homed in on it. I got there as well!! I'm really looking forward to hearing it after borrowing yours!! Ian Inferior LED lighting can cause HAVOC.... it may be bright but the "noise" from a poorly designed LED lamp can drive you mad! My "recently" installed new kitchen performed very badly and I traced it down to the LED lighting, swapped them out for a different "brand" and, VOILA!, total silence The amp is not the PROBLEM... you have to find the source of interference and eliminate it. Any amp will "amplify" music but it will also amplify any interference (open frame amps moreso than than shielded types) so it's more a case (these days) of suppressing the interference than isolating / conditioning the amp. Garbage in / garbage out.... the old addage still applies..... if your amp "amplifies" any crap in the air then it is doing it's job.... your job is to make sure all it amplifies is the MUSIC and I'm afraid that is becomming harder and harder to achieve these days with all the crap that is floating about in the air Open frame "looks" good (and also sounds good) but is more prone to "attack" from nasties than a fully shielded / enclosed design. I like to eat my fish and chips outdoors..... I prefer to eat mine inside...... Both have advantages / disadvantages |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2011 21:53:22 GMT
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis?? -"Hyperacusis (also spelled hyperacousis) is a health condition characterized by an over-sensitivity to certain frequency ranges of sound (a collapsed tolerance to normal environmental sound). A person with severe hyperacusis has difficulty tolerating everyday sounds, some of which may seem unpleasantly loud to that person but not to others."- PS. Mike you have PM.!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 7, 2011 22:12:25 GMT
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis?? -"Hyperacusis (also spelled hyperacousis) is a health condition characterized by an over-sensitivity to certain frequency ranges of sound (a collapsed tolerance to normal environmental sound). A person with severe hyperacusis has difficulty tolerating everyday sounds, some of which may seem unpleasantly loud to that person but not to others."- PS. Mike you have PM.! Hi Javier, Your HD-661 were shipped at the same time as the rest (standard air mail / no signature required etc.) I am sure they will be with you soon Mike. Just double checked and, yes, it's in transit  I didn't bother with the "signed for" postage as I trust you guys and, Hell, even if one package went missing what the hell... shit happens Anyhoo, faster to show you when it was posted than type it  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2011 22:16:30 GMT
Thx Mike! I'm just a lttle envyous CJ got his and mine haven't shown up. Shite, he is even further away from you!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2011 22:58:04 GMT
Thx Mike! I'm just a lttle envyous CJ got his and mine haven't shown up. Shite, he is even further away from you! Don't worry Javier, they'll show up, it's just manana (no "enya" on my keyboard) syndrome  . I've never had a total no-show via Royal Mail, couriers YES! If the worst should happen you'll get a nice run in set from the Costa Chris |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 7, 2011 23:03:59 GMT
Royal Mail Rocks |
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Post by Garage1217 on Sept 8, 2011 1:40:09 GMT
Awesome! That is great to hear  Just tried the Project Sunrise directly connected to my DAC 19-DSP And Waooow i must incline myself in front of a such Sound !!! Definitively "Tubey" and powerful ! Now my K340 is drived with authority when volume pot is around to 12h, volume is tremendous, much more powerfull than on my Audio-GD C-2 ! At the start i was suffering from annoying noise, and now i have installed a 10$ filter on my Wallwart PSU and it's silent ! Now i'm ready to began my review in excellent conditions ! |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 8, 2011 20:03:55 GMT
Ian, she was shipped at midday today (Royal Mail Special Delivery) so will be with you tomorrow. Remember to check the packaging 'coz everything is in the box! 1 x Project Sunrise Amp 1 x Project Sunrise Manual 1 x 2500mA (top quality) swiched power supply 1 x sachet of silica gel (please don't eat it or stir it into your tea!) There is also a bit of foam stuffing (which I have carved) incase the amp ever needs to be shipped back. Your package arrived today, thank you ever so much, that will keep me going for ages! I already have 2 cartons sitting waiting to be "consumed" so I reckon I'm good to go for about 20 weeks now Ian, I cannot guarantee that the occasional "random" noise will not enter the Sunrise as it is an open frame design and, therefore, more prone to picking up airborne gremlins than an enclosed / shielded type but I can say that only one mobile signal came through on it in the three days I was listening to it. Everything's a compromise... wanna see the guts displayed in front of you? Put up with the occasional "can you pick up Mrs Jones outside Tesco" type gremlin If I were you I would shield my entire house inside a gigantic Faraday cage and I would also wear a faraday cage on my head.... line your rooms with zinc / copper etc. etc..... This guy was so pissed off with buzzes and hum that he went to extensive measures to make his headphone listening a noise free experience.... you can see him here (sporting his Yellow headphones) enjoying Mahler's 5th symphony (fourth movement).....  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2011 20:31:42 GMT
;D ;D ;D
That's probably what I need. A Faraday space suit!!
The original noises I was getting were electrical rather than airborn. Hums coming through at high volume so I think it was going via the volume pot. Moving it elsewhere in the house did change it but maybe I need some serious mains filtering.
Glad the parcel arrived. Helena was worried about postmen sniffers sussing it out and nicking it!!
Thanks for all your work on it, Mike. It's always really appreciated and I never take all the effort that you go to for granted.
Ian
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Post by xerxes on Sept 8, 2011 20:37:58 GMT
I see he's also wearing his sonic trilby, no aspiring audiophile should be without one, baseball caps just don't cut it. I can't help thinking that his faraday cage looks very open at the back, if that goes wrong it's going to sting a bit. |
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Post by gommer on Sept 8, 2011 20:54:24 GMT
Damn Ian,
Your noise experience brings some resemblances to my own experience. In the old tube TV days i could hear if it was turned on with the sound off, from the next room (produced a very high pitched noise). I once traveled to Paris for a Harry Connick Jr. Concert in the 'Olympia' concert hall. The PA had such a loud 50Hz hum that i couldn't fully enjoy the concert. Bad PA tuning in general makes me mad (boomy bass, shouting treble, hell it's often done wrong these days). I could ramble on for hours about this.
OTOH, when everything's right it's such a blessing to hear 'everything' (which is much more than anyone else in my real life environment can hear).
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2011 20:59:51 GMT
@ Mike, Frans, Jeremy and Ian, Sorry guys if I'm boring you by repetition but I I'll ask once more and then shut up . I have some small sheets of very fine st/st welded mesh - when I say fine I am talking micron size, its original purpose was for the filtration of fuel and hydraulics in military and commercial aero applications so think 'fine' and 'thin'. I keep reading of extraneous noise pick up being unavoidable with 'open' amps and wondered if this might help. The sheets I have (very few) are a little wider than a G2 is high and perhaps long enough to completely go round the outside of the G2 - it can be easily cut with scissors. If earthed to the main chassis is it likely to cut out any of this pick up that 'Owl Ears' Ian is getting? It might also find an application in shielding the G2 valve to do what Mikes 'monkey-metal(?) shield does? Would anyone like a sheet to try experimenting? The only problem I foresee is that if it should prove beneficial it ain't going to be easy or cheap to obtain commercially. Only tryin' to contribute . Over to you, Dave. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2011 21:14:03 GMT
;D ;D ;D
Let me hear the one Mike sends Dave. I personally don't think it was airborne but varied in strength depending on which plug I used in the house.
If people did get airborn stuff, then it would actually be easy to go around the frame and shut it in.
Mind you, look at what Mike's done to mine!!! The tube is perfectly safe (well 99% safe) with a condom and it's surrounded by New York. He's also done some earthing on the volume pot 'cos I noticed a little bit of pick up there when my hand got anywhere near the knob (!!) and he's put suppression on the mains leads. (as he normally does)
I think he knows how finicky I am with noise!!!
I'm not sure if it's noise or just me being OCD. I mean, to be fair to the amp, it's open frame and I do think that many wouldn't worry about what I describe.
The thing is, on RG, there is such an 'open' policy with no malice in what I'm (or anyone else) says. The Sunrise is a really lovely sounding amp for people who like a tubey sound and I'm a neurotic nit picker.
Mike seems to have a knack with slapping noises on the head which is quite amazing so wait until I hear it!!
Ian
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 8, 2011 22:09:41 GMT
@ Mike, Frans, Jeremy and Ian, Sorry guys if I'm boring you by repetition but I I'll ask once more and then shut up . I have some small sheets of very fine st/st welded mesh - when I say fine I am talking micron size, its original purpose was for the filtration of fuel and hydraulics in military and commercial aero applications so think 'fine' and 'thin'. I keep reading of extraneous noise pick up being unavoidable with 'open' amps and wondered if this might help. The sheets I have (very few) are a little wider than a G2 is high and perhaps long enough to completely go round the outside of the G2 - it can be easily cut with scissors. If earthed to the main chassis is it likely to cut out any of this pick up that 'Owl Ears' Ian is getting? It might also find an application in shielding the G2 valve to do what Mikes 'monkey-metal(?) shield does? Would anyone like a sheet to try experimenting? The only problem I foresee is that if it should prove beneficial it ain't going to be easy or cheap to obtain commercially. Only tryin' to contribute . Over to you, Dave. Put me down for an ACRE please. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2011 16:11:24 GMT
Mike, It's here and you've hit it!!!!! I put it on and started to use the K601. No buzzes or hiss whatsoever. Whatever you've done, it has gone totally. I am so chuffed but not only that, the sound seems more transparent than I remember. First listen just got the hairs up. It's absolutely amazing. I now wonder whether the noise I was getting on the first one was mixing at low level with the signal because what I'm getting now is crystal. Tracking is right down to the bottom. No hums on contact with the volume control. No buzzes or hiss on high volume with no music playing and the control it has over the headphones is stunning. I'm not sure how many changes you made with regards to noise suppression and to the capacitance, but it has changed slightly from my memory to something quite amazing. The noise stuff is perhaps something that is needed wherever you are. To me it's cleaned the sound up as well. This is a wonderful design with a gorgeous 'rubber band' bass and a real clarity in the inner detail. Seriously. It's transformed. Many thanks, Mike. It really affected me listening on this. It grabs you by the throat and really communicates music well. So, the noises have gone completely and it looks drop dead gorgeous with it's green light shining through the bottom of the condom. In RL, it looks fantastic. Better than the photos actually but the sound ............. Whatever you've done has lifted it, Mike. Many many thanks. The last time I felt like this, it was the V2 when it came back deadly silent. You've done it again. You guys considering a Sunrise, stop considering. This is a bloody good amp. Stunning and punches out of its price. However, there has been some real care and attention put in by Mike on the noise and there (I suspect) is also one of the keys to lifting this amp into 'Special'. The sound is fantastic as is, but getting the noise away has taken it to a higher level and although I couldn't hear it, I'm now wondering whether what I was getting was mixed in with the music because this amp is now fat and clean sounding. Mike you're a genius. Didn't think you'd get it to this degree; seriously!!  Ian |
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I didn't bother with the "signed for" postage as I trust you guys and, Hell, even if one package went missing what the hell... shit happens 
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