To stack or not to stack?

I too can't say with any certainty that I've heard any difference between kit being cold or warmed up. If there is a difference it's very subtle and since there's necessarily an hour or so wait before you can do a comparison it's easy to imagine that something is better an hour later.

I usually leave my stuff on all the time but only out of a sort of paranoia that I might not possibly be getting the last 0.1% out of it from cold. I've certainly never played stuff from cold and thought: "jeez that sounds bad".

As with "running in" unless the difference really is dramatic it's hard to say you're not just imagining it. Speakers needing to be run in, sure, they are a mechanical device but electronics? I guess maybe some caps need some time to "settle down" but even that I don't really understand.

Michael.

 

Mine too, but at nighttime I switch to pyjamas

 

Tones,Hum I would guesstimate, between Ice maiden & mid artic winter
I have to say Tones, that you don't need magic ears to tell if the system has been off, It's Painfully obvious sir, however you must be sort of reversed blessed, in that, you can't the difference, and that is fortune in disguise I feel Wm

 

On that we can definitely agree!

 

It could possibly be that Linn equipment is designed to be practical for normal people?

I have no problem stacking my Linn amps, but they're not at the moment because it's more convenient to use a rack, and because one of the rubber feet fell off one so arranging them into a stack that doesn't wobble is tricky.

I'd be wary of putting power amps below source components though, due to heat and interference, especially if you have a turntable. OTOH if you can switch to phono and turn it up to 11 without significant hum or buzz then there's no problem.

LP12s absolutely definitely need proper mounting though. But this can be as simple as a stable light coffee table (or Ikea Lack for the cheapskates)

Paul

 

Careful, Michael, you're starting to sound like me (although, naturally nobody does it as well/badly ). I also don't believe in run-in, burn-in or any other of these things for gizmos that don't involve moving parts. Mechanical parts will always require time to bed in before they give of their best, but electrical wiring, I believe, does not. Having now used the same Russell Hobbs kettle to boil the water for my tea for 23 years (it was a wedding present), I can honestly say that the taste of my cup of Twinings Queen Mary hasn't improved one iota with the presumed burning in of its power cable. But then, perhaps my palate is as clapped as my hearing!

 

It occurred to me recently that 'proper' HiFi mains leads may actually be worse when it comes for use on kettles than regular ones, and this is as good a time as any to share this thought... If the mains leads successfully filter out higher frequency components, they are removing a small amount of the electrical power before reaching the element, where it would have been usefully generating heat otherwise. In fact presumeably the HiFi mains lead will be getting a little warmer instead?

 

Re: Re: Re: To stack or not to stack?

LYNN make FAN NOISE Hi-Fi

 

All but the very best capacitors ARE moving parts

 

What higher frequency component, Martin? I thought it was all 50 cycles AC with no higher frequency components. Or is this ignorance talking? Are other frequencies modulated on to the basic AC cycle?

 

The Radio Frequency Interference everyone talks about...

Actually, I'm planning to do some measurements of mains waveforms soon, possibly this weekend, I'll let you know if I do.

 

Humm, It'll be interesting this I feel.

 

Martin could be thinking about the claims by some of the after market power cable pushers who claim that their cables filter out high frequency interferences that get into mains supply.

Personally I use a double screened cable with 1.5mm dia cores and leave it at that.

 

Sounds like a riot

 

Just my idle musings. (I'm trying to compose an abstract for a conference at the mo. and am rather short on inspiration) I've just read a few comments about people suggesting sticking £1k mains leads on kettles to make really good tea...

BTW, irrespective of any opiniions on mains leads, surely no-one is going to claim that they get a pure, 50Hz sine wave out of their mains sockets?

 

I suspect it may be more enjoyable than the Christmas shopping I've got to do as well though...

 

I don't know - tell me... I plug in, I switch on, it works just fine (kettle and hi-fi). I therefore don't care whether it's 50Hz pure sine wave or pickled cabbage coming out.

 

I heard a story from a hifi dealer here (who's also a bit eccentric) about someone putting a sensitive microphone onto a big capacitor and being able to hear the "commutators" (a literal translation of the Portuguese word he used so I'm not sure what he meant) moving.

He tried the same with a very expensive paper in oil capacitor and.....silence

Michael.

 

Now how can you say that?! Didn't you ever do physics at school where you measure the resistance of a piece of wire, and then you find out that the resistance directly correlates with the heat?

Even Ohms law is only applicable if the conductor remains at a constant temperature!

Capacitors will work differently at different heat as they use chemicals, and everyone (I guess) knows that chemicals work better with heat.

 

I believe the usual technical term is 'plates' due to the fact that the original capacitors were just metal plates separated by air. If you open up an analogue tuner, you will see that the variable tuning capacitor still is composed of metal plates separated by air.