My experience with mains.

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]
[quote user="Keith McAlpine"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]I mean a constant 50hz sine wave unaffected by any other appliance connected to the mains in my house.[/quote]

Do you have any appliances that could affect the 50Hz sine wave of the mains?[/quote]

Since my speakers go pop every time I turn the lights out, I'd say yes.

[/quote]

Correction - *used* to go pop (until I fitted a mains filter).
[/quote]

It's not really affecting the 50Hz sine wave and an amp that pops when lights are turned off is poorly designed.Still, at least it proves that mains filters can work in some cases.

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="Keith McAlpine"]Still, at least it proves that mains filters can work in some cases.[/quote]

 

[Clare Newsome]

See that - that's all over my monitor now....

 

[Anton90125]

[quote user="Keith McAlpine"]Since my speakers go pop every time I turn the lights out, I'd say yes.[/quote]

This is a spike. If it is corrected by a mains filter then it would be safe to assume the spike is mostly mains born in nature and transmission.

Since this is a spike then it will have harmonics (by doing some Fourier analysis which I have forgotten how to do given that it was 20 + years ago since I last did any!) . These harmonics will be different to the 50hz sine wave and will be superpositioned on it.

[quote user="Keith McAlpine"]It's not really affecting the 50Hz sine wave[/quote]

Clearly this is not true (superpositioned spike harmonics)

[quote user="Keith McAlpine"]an amp that pops when lights are turned off is poorly designed[/quote]

All mains powered amplifiers will suffer from this to a varying degree depending on cost and design.

[quote user="Keith McAlpine"]Still, at least it proves that mains filters can work in some cases.[/quote]

Because no amplifer will 100% reject a mains spike, all mains filters will work to a varying degree.

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]



[/quote]

So was this some sort of test for a newbie?

Did I pass?

Is the wicked witch dead?

Do I get one of your sub-£1k integrateds that you just have lying around as a prize?

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]

Do I get one of your sub-£1k integrateds that you just have lying around as a prize?

[/quote]

To replace my 'poorly-designed' Arcam, I mean

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]
Do I get one of your sub-£1k integrateds that you just have lying around as a prize?

[/quote]

You see, you blew it by your insistence on a sub-£1k integrated. We're all out of those.

Lots of very expensive amps, but unfortunately you only get the one chance...

 

[John Duncan]

Tell you what - a beer in the King's Head, the admiration of my peers and a Moon i3?

That's my final offer.

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]a beer in the King's Head[/quote]

((((Shudder!))))

 

[John Duncan]

Well the Adelaide's gone downhill since you did a Reader's Rescue on them. 'Brothers In Arms' 24 hours a day.

 

[Andrew Everard]

What makes you think we have time for pubs? We're always on these forums...

 

[John Duncan]

Pick one with wifi then

 

[Clare Newsome]

Wi-fi in pubs? But they're the last refuge of escape! (Mind you, I thought they were the last refuge of escape from the baby-buggy brigade, but since the smoking ban the little ankle-biters seem to have invaded....)

 

[Andrew Everard]

Ban wi-fi, 'pub grub' and buggies, I say, and bring back smoking, sawdust on the floor, old men in cloth caps playing dominoes and an ancient wrinkled lady in twinset and pearls playing an ill-tuned upright joanna on Saturday nights...

 

[John Duncan]

Rules out the Angler's then. Even the Railway has turned into some gastropub called The B-ggered Goat or something.

Adelaide it is then (as long as the piano's still there, and we get to choose the music). All together now - "roooollll ooouuutttt the barrelllllll"

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
[quote user="Keith McAlpine"]Still, at least it proves that mains filters can work in some cases.[/quote]


[/quote]

Not a change of tune but the same old song I'm afraid. My stance has always been that if you don't actually experience interference you don't need one. That amplifier that picks up the tiny amount of interference from a light switch would probably suffer breakthrough near a high powered transmitter like, say, a ham radio rig, mains filter or no mains filter.

Now, let's have a look in What Hi*fi and see which filter is the best for RFI rejection shall we? Er...can't see it mentioned, there only seems to be a list of verbally creative placebo effects.

Oh dear. :O)

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
Ban wi-fi, 'pub grub' and buggies, I say, and bring back smoking, sawdust on the floor, old men in cloth caps playing dominoes and an ancient wrinkled lady in twinset and pearls playing an ill-tuned upright joanna on Saturday nights...
[/quote]

Pubs are so much nicer without smokers but I agree with the rest.

 

[Anonymous]

Nothing like a topic being treated seriously, is there?

I found the differences made by adding a mains filter and good quality cables were readily apparent. The former very much added to the depth of soundstage (as well as improving most aspects of the sound to lesser degrees), and the cabling gave a very definite 'snap' that was missing before.

I'm sure that some people delude themselves, but on the other hand there are plenty of determined naysayers. I agree with you about trusting your own ears. Your assertion that your mains conditioner was much better than any commercially available design would appear to be suspect, to say the least.

Feel free to sneer at my delusions, I couldn't care less.

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="Keith McAlpine"][quote user="Andrew Everard"]

Ban wi-fi, 'pub grub' and buggies, I say, and bring back smoking, sawdust on the floor, old men in cloth caps playing dominoes and an ancient wrinkled lady in twinset and pearls playing an ill-tuned upright joanna on Saturday nights...

[/quote] Pubs are so much nicer without smokers but I agree with the rest.[/quote]

I don't mind them as long as they use filters

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="Keith McAlpine"]verbally creative placebo effects[/quote]

Point taken about the same old song...

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]I don't mind them as long as they use filters[/quote]

That's an excellent tip.

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="12th"]Nothing like a topic being treated seriously, is there?[/quote]
Oh, this is nothing like a topic being treated seriously...

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]Point taken about the same old song... [/quote]

Glad to hear it. :O)

 

[laserman16]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
[quote user="laserman16"]No I'm getting awful interference on them[/quote]

Nothing worse than being interfered with on a moraine.

BTW is that the moraine in Spain seen mainly from the plane?
[/quote]
"Nothing worse than being interfered with on a moraine." Do you speak from personal experience?????

 

[laserman16]

Of course thereis all differant types of moraine just to confuse the issue,and dont forget the erratics. B4 anyone says anything perhaps thats what I am being now.