Alpha Labs - Your amp might be struggling! Influence of noise on an amplifier
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- čas přidán 12. 10. 2023
- We have an AC Generator in our lab to test power conditioners and regenerators. But you can also test amplifiers with it to investigate the influence of noise on the grid on sound quality. And so we did! Want to know the outcome? Well... check out the video!
- Věda a technologie
You are more audio science then audo science review! This is a great demonstration!
Thanks
Thank you for your never ending effort to bring out good content and make minor hifi mysteries clearer.
Thank you!
I always learn something from your videos. Thanks for sharing.
That means a lot!
I'm surprised that your channel hasn't exponentially grown since it's debut. Your colab with Hans Beekhuyzen on the measurable effects of noise on clocks was amazing. Your content and methods are above and beyond what we currently know and see.
Spread the word! :-)
Like it, thanks as usual, those measurements are really helpful to think about where to pay attention in the hifi chain! Keep going !
Thanks!
Great video as usual. 👍
Thank you! Perfect test for a DC blocker device.
Yes. It is.
I just updated an old thread (November 2017) in which I commented on the process.
Audiocircle / Power Conditioning
-> How to clean the DC at mains. And ripple too.
Most of the images were lost because they were hosted on an old FTP server that closed, sorry.
Great review and please review grounding boxes
We will!
What is the model of the AC generator? Maybe already said it before.
Very interesting as always. Are you going to noir et blanc this weekend guys? This where I know you from.
Great video Jaap,, 👍🌟👍
Thanks!
@@TheAlphaAudio 💖
Yep maybe we should just get DC power ( Battery) for High-end Audio. elimination of the A/C or SMPS noise
That could work.
@alphaaudio thank you for investing time and money to share this for free with the world. Whether one may or may not agree with your line of thought we move forward by questioning things. Despite not being the object of the video, will you be reviewing that particular amp? thanks. Enjoy your weekend
Thanks! And yes... We will review this amp.
Would it be better, to prevent as much network pollution as possible, to create a separate group for the audio installation?
Really interesting to me since I just bought a (used) set of Kinki Studio EX-B7 monoblock amplifiers. On set-up, I had noise contamination in one channel from my source, a 12 y.o. iMac, which was plugged into the same AV power conditioner (APC brand) as one of the amps; the other amp had its own power conditioner and had no noise. The noise went away when I plugged the mac into a regular wall socket. Do you think the monoblocks use the same ‘low feedback’ design as the Choco and so experience this problem? I note that the NAD M22 amp I have has no audible problems being plugged into the same p.conditioner as the mac. Also, my Benchmark DAC3 HGC does not produce audible noise, despite being plugged into the same p.cond. as one amp.
Are there good one or two socket power conditioners one could use, say, behind each mono amp, to avoid cross contamination?
btw. I enjoy your vid.s. Thanks. Keep it up.
The M22 uses a switch mode power supply. That is very different. I dont know the EX-B7. Maybe they also use little feedback. But that has nothing to do with being influenced by noise... That has to do with the design of the power supply and layout of the amp.
We have a lot of tests on power conditioners. Check our website.
Thanks, I’ll look at that.
Kinki Studio EX-B7 monoblocks are described in the manual as direct DC coupler amplifiers. Be very, very careful what you connect to it, as DC offset/voltage potential can easily damage your loudspeakers. I have an M7 and that one really doesn't like any of that. When stuff is connected and operating properly, it works really well.
Choko Emei is a somewhat stripped budget variant compared to your monoblocks - I am not sure how many concessions were made with the power supply. The only thing that seems obvious to me is that interior shielding is better in the monoblocks.
A review of the Choko would be very nice, as occupies a fairly strange spot in the market imo, and could potentially be very interesting, especially if the gear that will go alongside it is interesting too.
Thanks for your input. My Benchmark dac and speakers (Cube Audio, Spendor) seem to get along fine with the Kinki Studio monos. I connect my REL subs to the dac, not to the amps; although the latter may be possible, I haven’t checked with Kinki or REL.
Japp! Great showing us something, we mini audiophiles didn’t know. How are your grid and in house, 3 phase or what? In Sweden almost all newer homes, 1970 forwards have 3 phase (25 amps) . I’m now I Spain and apartment from 1985 and it’s 1 phase (40 amps) and how does noice compare in the phases?
In the Netherlands it differs. Some houses have 1 phase, others have 3. I am not sure what I have at the office. Sorry.
@@TheAlphaAudio Thanks for answering. Don’t be sorry, in all countries there are different power distribution solutions and they all affect the power and you aren’t able to try them all and come up with a answer. But other viewers and patrons may help us all with their experience. Twisting the cable in the 3 phase might something. My son installs chargers for electric cars all day long and they do by standard install a load-balance- device (balancing the load on the 3fases) to assist the charger and house. Would a load balancer smear or clear a signal? You got so much to investigate before you get to audio nirvana….😉
@@rikardekvall3433 yes. True... There is a lot to find out. But I noticed power is everything. If the energy supply is not good... Nothing will be good.
Yep.
My new NAD C298 amp (>800 damping factor, and similar to the NAD M23) sounds even better than my already great Parasound 2125V2 (150 damping factor) with Apple Music: czcams.com/video/ncwCopnHJqA/video.html
Stop sharing your link in all your comments please.
It is better to draw and show the schematic of your experiment before starting the experiment
Ok
What a bad amplifier design. Harmonics do not really fall with higher order. Never seen such a mess.
Send in your design. We can check it out.
I can check it for myself :) @@TheAlphaAudio
Sorry to bother you again, but are you really sure, that your choko EMEI amplifier is in good shape? It seems to have a problem, because the manufacturer promise 0,002% THD&N in the specs. Manufacturer measuring conditions are unknown, but the amplifier´s behavior is not ok, even with low nfb.
@@jellybelly2234 this is just noise floor. Not THD...
But you call them "harmonics" in 2:39 yourself. Cursor is set on K2 (with 1 kHz stimulus), and what we see below in the meters is THD 0,03%, 70 dB SINAD . You named it "low negative feedback design", but this is not ok, even in a low NFB design. This looks to me as a faulty bias circuit or something else. If your measurement is correct, the amp must be faulty.
Not all amps behave as bad as this.This is an overhyped underdesigned and cheaply made amp with most costs sunk into the case and eye candy. I won't even comment on the 'low feedback' high distortion design. Please compare with something decent.
I think I have terrible noise on power grid or maybe someone is using a ham radio nearby . Is there any way to find this out without an oscilloscope ?
Not really. A spectrum analyzer is the tool you need. Although there are some simple devices that give you a number... But how and in what spectrum these devices work... No idea.