Yet another Dave Slagle AVC build

dave slagle said:
also it is unclear from the pictures what is happening in the attached detail. Those two wires are the input and ground for one of the autoformers but I do not see exactly where / how they are connected.

dave
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Sorry about that one. It's a camera trick. There's actually just 1 wire going to the center pin of the RCA and the "second wire" is actually going directly underneath it as a ground. Then I have another wire connecting all the grounds of the RCA jacks together. So it's a bit of a hodgepodge, but it's how I've seen others do it.
 
So both channels behave the same when measured to ground.

StevenZ said:
However, what I'm seeing for the last test from input to ground and output to ground I'm seeing 1.3ohms and 63ohms upon testing both channels(at the given volume setting. So quite a bit different from 2x as you've suggested.
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the last test was input to input and output to output which should give you about 2X the reading of either to ground.

dave
 
dave slagle said:
So both channels behave the same when measured to ground.



the last test was input to input and output to output which should give you about 2X the reading of either to ground.

dave
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Yes both channels were the same when measured to ground.

I must have misunderstood the last test and will check the readings tomorrow morning when I get back to the office.
 
Alright. Input to input we're reading about 148ohm and each input to ground gives me about 74ohm.
 
@dave slagle with the last test completed does this confirm the module and the Elma switch are operating fully?

It's completely within the realm of possibility that I botched the build or perhaps didn't burn off the enamel well enough to make solid contacts.
 
All of the readings seem to be what they should be and the unit should be operating correctly. Try putting a different source into it (your phone) and see if it still misbehaves. If you want you can send it back to me and I'll check it out and make sure all is good.

dave
 
dave slagle said:
All of the readings seem to be what they should be and the unit should be operating correctly. Try putting a different source into it (your phone) and see if it still misbehaves. If you want you can send it back to me and I'll check it out and make sure all is good.

dave
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Thanks Dave. I'm going to try re-wiring it on the opposite side tomorrow and installing a bit easier to solder RCA jacks and see what happens. If it still doesn't work after doing both of those then I'll ship it off back to you.

I appreciate your help and hope you stick around the forum a bit. Some good folks and quality conversations going on here.

-Steven
 
Lights. Camera. Action!

Tidied up the wiring quite a bit and installed the new Cardas RCA jacks. Aaaand it works! Must have been my bunk wiring job with the enameled Vampire wire that was causing a bad connection. I suppose a soldering pot would have been the only way that could have worked. However, I'm glad the Cat5 was still in my box of "Wires and stuff". It sure saved the day.

You guys with these AVC modules, do you find it takes a few hours to open up? Right now, listening at low levels, it seems to be a little constricted / lacking image width and depth. Granted, I'm still within the first 10 minutes of playing music. I suppose if it's anything like my prior Electra-Print PVA it could take upwards of an hour or two to really warm up and start "clicking" with the tunes.


20180926_141714.jpg 20180926_141727.jpg 20180926_142408.jpg
 
Hooray! I'm glad to hear it.

Give it some time to "burn in" or whatever. I have grudgingly accepted that it makes a difference... :-/

Eventually, you'll probably want to rewire the thing with something other than CAT5, which is fine but not great. I find it a little harsh or strident up there at the source end of the chain (which I attribute to the insulation, not the copper).
 
Redboy said:
Hooray! I'm glad to hear it.

Give it some time to "burn in" or whatever. I have grudgingly accepted that it makes a difference... :-/

Eventually, you'll probably want to rewire the thing with something other than CAT5, which is fine but not great. I find it a little harsh or strident up there at the source end of the chain (which I attribute to the insulation, not the copper).
Click to expand...

I dread re-wiring this yet again. I do wonder how much more abuse I can put these PCBs through that the pads are on. I'll pay someone, anyone, to re-wire this for me. Nate, don't be surprised if it shows up at your doorstep one day with a spool of better wire. Hahaha, but seriously.
 
Very nice.

Mine took the better part of 24 hours to really settle in. I liked it at first, enough to give it time... but it wasn't really balanced across the frequency range... it was a bit strident while now its nothing at all like that. It settled down through the day and changes after that were much more gradual. But yes, at first I was thinking maybe I wouldn't like it in the long run. But I love it now.
 
24hr Report: So, what I'm noticing here is something I've experienced with the Electra-Print PVA in that, this AVC likes to be played. In that, I mean that if I walk away for a few hours and come back, things might be a little cold and confined. However, if I leave for a while with playing signal (key), it starts to blossom and sound really really great. Really sounding a lot more open than it does when cold.

Could the AVCs actually be changing temperature with signal coming through them? Similar to what I've experienced with tube amplifiers warming up and hitting their stride when they're up to normal operating temps? You guys with the AVCs, am I crazy or is this phenomenon something completely inside my head? I mean the flip side here is that it's not changing at all and that my ears are adapting to its sound. What say ye?
 
Nah, you might be onto something. My system always sounds better after it's been on for a while, but I generally attribute that more to the tubes than anything else. Who's to say there's not a million other mystical things at work that play into that?
 
StevenZ said:
24hr Report: So, what I'm noticing here is something I've experienced with the Electra-Print PVA in that, this AVC likes to be played. In that, I mean that if I walk away for a few hours and come back, things might be a little cold and confined. However, if I leave for a while with playing signal (key), it starts to blossom and sound really really great. Really sounding a lot more open than it does when cold.

Could the AVCs actually be changing temperature with signal coming through them? Similar to what I've experienced with tube amplifiers warming up and hitting their stride when they're up to normal operating temps? You guys with the AVCs, am I crazy or is this phenomenon something completely inside my head? I mean the flip side here is that it's not changing at all and that my ears are adapting to its sound. What say ye?
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For whatever reason, mine did something similar early on but now it generally sounds good right out of the gate. First month "This thing is great, but WEIRD." Now, it's just great, period.
 
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