DIY mains, oh dear :(

Originally posted by kermit
well it definately aint for shoes
good idea if its to fit power supplies , although he,ll be costrained by the size .

i wonder why most manufacturers use toroidal transformers in their kit , but the isolation transformer makers use frame type trannies .(as frame type are touted as better sounding)
is it just an issue of size in their designs ?
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Richard, I wouldn't say that is true in 100% of cases ;) 2 I know of, use a torrodial Transformer, and the Frame type is generaly regarded as inferior :eek: but are useful for small appications and size constraints, MAYBE a cost thing too :) with large torridal's, I has always replaced Frame mount types with torridals, when moddifying CDP's/DAC's Pre's (providing size isn't an issue), also maybe the way it radiates the magnetic flux lines
Torrodials are more efficent, frame trannys are of a lammimate multi core construction, and have a tendency to resonate (50HZ) with aging, where as torriodials don't being single core. hope that helps WM
 
hi wm , this is a quote from a website i read when i started to look into mains isolation .
and hence my perceptions .

Some might wish to use toroidal transformers instead of the recommended E-I core style transformers. DON'T! Toroidal transformers tightly couple the AC line to the secondary in a wideband manner, This means that more noise, not less, will get through to the secondary windings. Also, toroids tend to saturate much more abruptly than E-I core transformers, and need to be over rated by a much larger factor to avoid compressing the dynamic range of a power amp or other electronics
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i may be using the wrong name , when i say frame , but i had E-I transformer in mind when i asked the question .
another example is a guy on hifi choice who tried a 2kva torroidal and wasn,t very happy with the results .

ps , anyone who wants a link for the website, i,ll PM them as i,m not sure how i stand using his material .
 
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Having tried the RS units and other's in 2 seperate appilcations, I'm more than happy with the units I use Richard :)(may be something to do with there construction and they way the work) however it may not be the same for every one else. they need to try them for themselves
Also in an awful lot of cases of electrial isolation in instrmentations and circuits requiring 'vitrualy zip' mains interference, torriodial transformers are used due to the very nature, yes they couple better to ac than E-I core however E-I with pass through mains interference as well, though the torrodial being more sensitive will let interference through easier UNLESS it's dual wound opposite windings to cancel the interference out :)
Guess which one I use :)
 
cheers wm , i couldn,t find a smilie that shows "over my head":D
but it looks like a case of whichever floats your boat as in most things in hifi .:)
 
Interesting discussion guys. :)

So what type of transformers do the Trichord and Lynwood units respectively use?

Tempted to get a Lynwood Mega to try on my power amp. Although I have promised myself no more boxes this year, should be saving up for my trip away in December. :rolleyes:
 
tried the diy filter again after leaveing it turned on for a few hours, still not good. Think ill knock that one on the head;)

as an aside, would you expect speaker sound to get worse before better on the run in, dont know if its just me but they seem very thin today and somewhat confused when it get busy:confused:
 
Yes, when you run in speakers the sound seems to go on and off for quite a while. That is normal. It took WM's Shearwaters a good 200 hours of thrashing before they really came together, and boy was it worth the wait:MILD:

Th other possibility is that your mains is crappier than usual today!

Cheers, Robbo
 
cheers wm , i couldn,t find a smilie that shows "over my head"
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:confused:


Or WM to Kermit (note the SPEED of execution by WM and Kermy's struggle to maintain pace with the lighting brain transmissions of the speaker)

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disbalief.gif


nah, still don't get it..... ;)
 
penance , you still ain,t given it enough time .
plug it in a socket miles away from your kit and just leave it for a couple of weeks , then give it a whirl .
you haven,t got anything to lose .
:D
 
Ok, how about this, by having 2 sets of windings in the transformer, ie, in opposite directions, you cancel out the majority of the shit (common mode mains grunge), you will still some form of HF filtering to remove the high bandwidth crap as well.
How does it sound, ask anyone how's visit Rock 'n' Roll HQ
The shearwater's needed 200 hours to wake up and another 300 to come on song, but it was worth the wait. WM
 
Originally posted by kermit
penance , you still ain,t given it enough time .
plug it in a socket miles away from your kit and just leave it for a couple of weeks , then give it a whirl .
you haven,t got anything to lose .
:D
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okies

ill leave it under me desk as a footrest for a bit:D
 
Originally posted by Robbo
The valve guys always use Frame type transformers as they say they are the best:confused:
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Hi Robbo

Depends which set of compromises you're after. I can't remember it all off the top of my head now.

Cheers
 

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