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Bargain Audio Equipment

GA Russell

By GA Russell
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GA Russell Mentor

GA Russell

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13 hours ago, bresna said:

"Audio equipment"? Not in my book. :)

Kevin, I'm surprised by your post.  The sales pitches I see say that a power conditioner is a very important part of a good system.  Do you disagree?

*****

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System (Black) - $89.97 ($50.02, 36% off)

https://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProMedia-Certified-Computer-Speaker/dp/B000062VUO/

Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

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11 hours ago, GA Russell said:

Kevin, I'm surprised by your post.  The sales pitches I see say that a power conditioner is a very important part of a good system.  Do you disagree?

I think it's absolutely snake oil. Any piece of electronic gear using the AC feed is designed to filter out line noise. If your amplifier is so poorly designed that it allows any AC line noise into your audio, you have a very poorly designed amplifier that probably should be replaced.

On top of that, any improvement of the AC feed, and I'm not saying there would be with this unit, would only duplicate the filtration already built into your AC device. All consumer electronics that use AC Power have EMI suppression such as AC line filters. SOP for any consumer electronic device designer.

And lastly, this filtering of the AC (60 Hz) power line cannot result in your amplifier suddenly having "deeper blacks" and "brighter highs" as many of the sellers of the AC power strips claim.

Now - having said all that - I do have a Belden power strips on both of my audio/TV systems. I bought them for one reason. They have surge suppression. Many years ago, our television blew during a storm. A lightning strike wiped it out. I have used surge/spike suppressors on my AC feeds to my audio gear and televisions ever since.

I mean really - if an external filter somehow improved the sound of an audio amplifier, don't you think that some of these high-end, super-expensive audio companies would include them? Of course they would. Same with a fancy AC power cord. They don't because they know they don't need to.

GA Russell Mentor

GA Russell

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On 3/11/2021 at 8:03 AM, bresna said:

I mean really - if an external filter somehow improved the sound of an audio amplifier, don't you think that some of these high-end, super-expensive audio companies would include them? Of course they would. Same with a fancy AC power cord. They don't because they know they don't need to.

Kevin, I trust your judgment.  But the premise of all of these third-party items is that the manufacturers *don't* include the special-quality extras.  Isn't that right?

*****

KabelDirekt – RCA Stereo Cable, Cord (3 feet Short, Dual 2 x RCA Male to 2 x RCA Male Audio Cable, Digital & Analogue, Double-Shielded, Pro Series) Supports (Amplifiers, AV Receivers, Hi-Fi) - $5.99 (45% off)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DI89I04/

Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

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8 hours ago, GA Russell said:

Kevin, I trust your judgment.  But the premise of all of these third-party items is that the manufacturers *don't* include the special-quality extras.  Isn't that right?

I think the premise of these aftermarket cords, cables, isolation tables, anti-vibration feet, absorptive materials, etc. is to make lots of money. Anything after that is just marketing 101.

If a company were making and selling something like a $10,000 amplifier and they absolutely knew that a different AC cord, special feet or a special isolation platter would improve the sound, they would include it. But here's the thing - they test their products and know what the output looks like into a speaker load. They probably have tons of real data showing how their amplifier performs. And I'm sure that they've repeated these tests with all kinds of variables like different AC cords or with the amp on different feet or on a anti-vibration platter. They know how this amp performs under varying conditions. That's how amp design works. And I'm sure they rely heavily on measurement science - an area I've made a living in for decades.

FWIW, I test amplifiers that operate from MHz to 100 GHz. I have to measure these amps under all kinds of test conditions like varying voltages, temperatures & power levels. Design & product engineers do everything under the sun to see if they can improve the device's performance and go through extremes to avoid anything that would degrade that performance. It's worth repeating that if any of these add-ons improved the performance, they would be added to that product before it shipped out the door.

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GA Russell Mentor

GA Russell

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4 hours ago, mjzee said:

What have you heard about this speaker - is it worthy?  Reviews are pretty good.

Michael, I don't know anything about it.  It looks good for the price, doesn't it?

AFAIK, Sony still routinely overcharges for their merchandise.  But this is so heavily discounted, it might be a good buy.

  • 1 month later...
Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

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30 minutes ago, T.D. said:

Are Klipsch speakers still any good? I'm not current, but got the impression that the name had changed hands a few times and the quality gone down a few notches.

Well, if it means anything, these speakers are not made in Hope, AR. This model is made in China. This does not necessarily mean that they suck, only that they are not made in Arkansas. There are some who feel that the quality of the Chinese-built Klipsch speakers is not as good as those made in Hope, but only you can decide that - if you choose to buy some of these speakers. :)

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GA Russell Mentor

GA Russell

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You may recall that maybe twenty months ago the price of copper jumped, and soon after the price of stereo cables did too.

For the past week Amazon has been offering various Pangeia interconnects at the old prices or slightly below.

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