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Hi,
I just install Hammond choke 193L connected directly to the wall outlet where my power conditioner goes in. At first i can't tell if there is improvement or not. After playing a cd, i am not even sure it takes any effect. So I was wondering if the choke needs break-in or it takes for a while? Do i need to plug it in all the time?
thanks.
Follow Ups:
After plugging choke overnight, i try to listen to Dire Straits this morning with song "Sailing to Philadelphia". With the choke, the high seems to be smoother. The soundstage is definitely larger.Then, i try to unplug the choke while listening. Five seconds later, the sound is kind of edgy again.
Basically, if i plug the choke in , it takes about 5 min. or so to get effect.
My question: If i install a few more choke, would it make a huge difference?
The added chokes may help or do nothing, depending on the state of resonances within your AC wiring. Some outlets may have resonance peaks at or near them, and plugging a choke into them would benefit your sound. Other outlets may be at resonance nulls, so that the chokes will not have much to do if plugged in to them.
thanks. Would you mind explaining it in details or something not too much technical so that i can understand? sorry , but i am a newbie in this stuff...:)
An organ pipe takes white noise at its input and creates a tone, with a specific pitch and harmonics that give it character. The fundamental tone is related to the length of the pipe. The harmonics are integer multiples of the fundamental. Changing the length of the pipe changes the fundamental pitch, and all the harmonics.The noise at the input is soft. You can hear it in live performances if you are close to the pipes. However, the sound level of the tone can be quite loud. The pipe takes a soft input and makes it loud through the physical phenomenon of resonance. The sound inside the pipe is reflected from the ends and builds up to a high level.
The same thing happens in electrical cables where the terminations cause reflection. In radio engineering, the concept is called "impedance mismatch." The cable has an impedance to a traveling wave, determined by the geometry and properties of the cable conductors. If the wave sees a different impedance at its end, part of the energy in the wave is reflected. Reflections between the ends allow standing waves to build up, just as in an organ pipe. Because the speed of propagation on the cable is so much faster than the speed of sound in a pipe, the standing waves will have frequencies in the VHF and UHF bands.
In house wiring, the wires go from the circuit breaker panel to a junction box, then from there to another junction box, and so on. Each segment between junction boxes acts like a resonant cable, because the geometries of the fixtures to which the wires are attached cause impedance mismatch. Any given outlet may have a lot of resonant energy, or a little, present. This depends on the particular lengths of the segments.
This is why it is difficult to predict which outlets will be useful for damping. We just have to try them and listen for improvement.
nt
Very well explanation. ThanksI guess if we damp the first outlet in the chain, the rest would be in sync. But i'll keep trying ...:)
The first outlet in the chain might be at a resonance null and placing damping devices there may not affect the overall noise. This has to be determined by trial-and-error. The tedium of experimenting with all the available outlets is rewarded by cumulatively better sound. Once you have your house wiring quiet, you will wonder how you could stand to listen to your audio system before.
while i'm writing this, i'm listening to Katie Melua. I feel that bass is stronger and tighter. More punch to my chest, really.
I've tried several places in my room and finally settled down to the second receptacle in the chain. My gears connected to the first receptacle in the chain.I like the choke more and more :)
Not really...the choke will be stable in 10 or 15 minutes. Your components on the other hand will need to adjust to the new harmonic line frequency...that could take up to 60 to 72 hours. I haven't heard anything beyond that with a single choke.
that means i need to let the choke plugged in all the time.The choke is really huge by the way. In any case, i could tell the the soundstage was bigger after it ran for about 20 minutes or so.
I use 14 gauge power cord which only has 2 terminals. Not sure if using 3 prongs power cord will help the sound quality? I have several feet of pc laying around and a couple of male plugs. It would be nice if i can take advantage of it.
That is correct...it must be plugged in all the time. The 193L in parallel only draws 64mA on a 120v 60Hz line...that's nothing...the choke is designed for 300mA. The choke will remain ice cold. Just to be clear...I do not recommed this choke for 220v or 240v 50Hz applications. It should still be safe with those voltages, but I haven't had good results. On the other hand I have had excellent results with 120v 50/60Hz applications.You should use a 14ga x 3 power cord. Use the earth ground wire to ground the choke at the chassis mount. It makes a audible difference. Also...keep the power cord as short as possible for best effect....under 3 feet.
After extensive testing I have changed my no go for 220 / 240v to a go. The Hammond choke is fine to use on a 220/240v 50Hz line. The benefits are impressive.
In the meantime, i just use wire nut to connect wires together and then use electric tape to mask them for safety issue.Any idea to make it looks nicer? I guess put everything in a plastic case can help...:) uhm...i try to figure out something.
Most wire nuts contain steel springs and are bad for sound. The connection will be dirty and noisy once the copper corrodes. You would get better results, IMO, by splicing and soldering the connections. Use polyolefin heat-shrink and beef up the insulation with rubber electrical tape.If you connect the choke body to AC safety-earth, try it with a direct connection and with an anti-parallel pair of 6-amp rectifier diodes in the safety-earth lead.
My demo units use a Hammond extruded aluminum hobby box, but I am looking into exotic wood cases for commercial use.
Thanks.
Will post the update.
I just don't know. I have had mine installed in my DAC for almost a year. I did alot os tests with that thing & prefer to run it on digital gear, but I am sure this is a subtle deal..I a-b back & forth. Let it run in..100hrs tops I would imagine..
I have one on the way and not sure if I should use it on my CDP or my DAC or mabe on my power strip and plug both into the power strip.
Time will tell.
I connect it to the main outlet where my conditioner goes to Since I only have UO.
I do have them on an isolation transformer as well.
Placement doesn't matter. Try it in the power strip.
I will try it in the power strip, when it gets here and post my thoughts.I do have the digital on an isolation transformer and could try it where my tranny is pluged in.
But my Power strip is a 10ft Flavour#4 and because of the lenght, I think it best to have it at the end of the power strip, closer to the digital gear.
E-mail me directly....I would love to read your comments.
nt
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