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Tesla's Curse

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Posted on October 27, 2016 at 13:34:51
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15168
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
 AC

Good documentary on PBS recently on the life of Nicola Tesla and his development of AC for power delivery.

Seems to me that this is one of the biggest factors in OPIMIZING a system. Perhaps, some of us gravitated towards tube electronics in order to mask the effect of bad AC. NO?

 

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No. Both benefit equally from clean AC power. nt, posted on October 27, 2016 at 13:40:07
Ralph
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Location: Minnesota
Joined: April 24, 2002
 -

 

Terrible documentary on Tesla, posted on October 27, 2016 at 14:43:40
Chip647
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Posts: 2653
Location: The South
Joined: December 24, 2012
 The tone was that he was a loser with one good idea for an AC motor at 28 then he was just a crazy hot mess until he died. Oh, yeah, posthumously he was credited with inventing radio, but since he was so bad for bilking JP Morgan out of so much money for the stupid nonfunctional Wardenclyffe tower, good riddance. Thanks PBS!

 

RE: Terrible documentary on Tesla, posted on October 27, 2016 at 15:21:08
jedrider
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Posts: 15168
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
 Come on now. It portrays Tesla as a bit too visionary, too impractical, a bit desperate for recognition in the end as well as tragic, but a genius nevertheless who contributed a lot to electrical technology, despite being so in the clouds (they actually stated that he had visions).

In the end, that last tower did him in because he failed to apply the inverse square law.

I'm sorry that I found that program so fascinating. So, it wasn't accurate in your viewpoint?

He seems a little like Donald Trump, liking to be in the limelight. I loved the program!

 

RE: That's how Smithsonian Insti. views him, posted on October 27, 2016 at 17:41:47
Eldragon
...or at least they used to, as pretty much "Marginal" inventor.

 

Tesla was one of the most important inventers of the 20th century, posted on October 27, 2016 at 18:54:56
Ralph
Manufacturer

Posts: 4779
Location: Minnesota
Joined: April 24, 2002
 lesse:
3 phase power
electric motors
AC power grid
AC grid substations
radio ten years before Marconi

pretty important stuff.

 

You might want to read up on him., posted on October 27, 2016 at 19:36:59
Chip647
Audiophile

Posts: 2653
Location: The South
Joined: December 24, 2012
 He is a lot more than what the show offered. The program may have been entertaining to you, but it was sensationalized tripe.

 

RE: That's how Smithsonian Insti. views him, posted on October 28, 2016 at 06:33:13
tesla
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Posts: 3180
Location: San Diego County, California
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 The Smithsonian's treatment of Nikola Tesla is shameful.




Proudly serving content-free posts since 1984.

 

"mask the effect of bad AC" - What do you mean?, posted on October 28, 2016 at 07:46:52
AbeCollins
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Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
 "Perhaps, some of us gravitated towards tube electronics in order to mask the effect of bad AC. NO?"

Please define "bad AC". And what do you mean by "mask the effect of bad AC"?

I enjoy tube electronics (and SS) but never considered either as a way of masking bad AC. I don't even know what that means and why you would make that comment. I'm not trying to stir anything up, just trying to understand. I didn't see the documentary so maybe I'm not getting the proper context.

Why do you think tube electronics can mask bad AC, and how does it do that? And why would SS electronics not be capable of the same?


 

RE: Tesla's Curse, posted on October 28, 2016 at 09:45:31
E-Stat
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  Since: April 5, 2002
 Perhaps, some of us gravitated towards tube electronics in order to mask the effect of bad AC. NO?

NO.

 

I've seen a couple of programs on the History Channel about him too, posted on October 28, 2016 at 10:05:07
Chris from Lafayette
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  Since: February 6, 2012
 I think they respect him more on the History Channel, not least because he was visited by Ancient Aliens!

 

+1 [nt] ;-), posted on October 28, 2016 at 10:07:15
Chris from Lafayette
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  Since: February 6, 2012

 

RE: "mask the effect of bad AC" - What do you mean?, posted on October 28, 2016 at 11:30:49
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15168
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
 I mean that anyone who has EVER considered getting a PSAudio Power Plant knows exactly what I am talking about.

I am almost of the opinion that quite low-end electronics and audio equipment can deliver quite good sound IF the AC was clean.

Really, nothing about Tesla nor the documentary. I was giving Tesla a tribute for having invented AC! Obviously, we would have nowhere the electrical infrastructure as we have today without it.

The AC quality of my home varies greatly and, fortunately, is leaps ahead of where it was at when I first moved in. Either that or my hearing is going and I'm fooling myself how good high-end audio can sound (even mid-fi audio). BTW, most of the audio shows I've attended have had atrocious sound quality to varying degrees IMO.

I was just putting two and two together and I've noticed that great tube equipment and class-A amplification probably treat this AC noise differently which is why it subjectively almost always sounds better (in those cases).

 

Why bring your politics into this?, posted on October 28, 2016 at 12:01:50
Inmate51
 "He seems a little like Donald Trump, liking to be in the limelight. I loved the program!"

WTF does he have to do with the topic? You could have just as easily said Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or Oprah Winfrey or Martha Stewart, who are all wealthy narcissists, but in fact NONE of them are pertinent to the topic.

 

RE: Why bring your politics into this?, posted on October 28, 2016 at 12:51:15
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15168
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
 Yeah, that was COMPLETELY in left field. Sorry about that.

For someone who wanted to CHANGE the world, that's a good place to start. Reminds of Ralf Nader's book: "Only the WEALTHY can save us."

-- I haven't read the book though.

 

RE: Tesla's Curse, posted on October 28, 2016 at 13:50:14
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15524
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Good program-

no question about his being a genius, in like fashion, he was misunderstood
by the general public.

 

RE: "mask the effect of bad AC" - What do you mean?, posted on October 28, 2016 at 21:38:33
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46307
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
I mean that anyone who has EVER considered getting a PSAudio Power Plant knows exactly what I am talking about.

Well, I own the smaller PS Audio P300 Power Plant that I use on source components but I still don't get what you are talking about when you say, "Perhaps, some of us gravitated towards tube electronics in order to mask the effect of bad AC. NO?"

That would be an emphatic NO from me! ;-)




 

oh PLEASE, posted on October 29, 2016 at 09:33:31
hifitommy
Audiophile

Posts: 15388
Location: canyon country califiornia, orig from buffalo ny
Joined: June 9, 2000
 "I am almost of the opinion that quite low-end electronics and audio equipment can deliver quite good sound IF the AC was clean"

not really. low end means just that. acceptable maybe but quite good comes from well executed electronics, not necessarily costly.

examples:

adcom gfp565 preamp-not so good. gfa555II amp-VVG.

spectro acoustics preamps-not so good. p202 amp-XLNT

the list goes on but clean AC is not going to be that big a factor.
...regards...tr

 

+1 nt, posted on October 30, 2016 at 20:46:48
benie
Audiophile

Posts: 1851
Location: Alberta, Canada
Joined: October 24, 2004
 nt

 

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