Listening tests of high end capacitors...

[Chuck H]

SoundStage! Synergizing - Itty-Bitty UK Foil (04/1999)

[hariossa]

SoundStage! Synergizing - Itty-Bitty UK Foil (04/1999)

As weird as it may sound, that idea seems very plausible to me, it refers to an improvement in the way we perceive sound, not a way to improve the sound quality of the played sounds, so it's a way to give more "bandwidth" to the sound processing in our mind. I have dealt with stress and anxiety and I can say that in those states I was clearly not able to hear music in all its splendour, it's obvious that in a totally relaxed state we do enjoy more details from our senses, anybody here who lived the hippy era can agree with me.

Now the thing that seems totally weird is that a little piece of plastic will block those bad vibrations coming from strange or unnatural sources and cause a noticeable improvement in the quality of what we are sensing... I'd say that the old hippy recipe will do way much more effect, but may also cause some pizza overdose

[David Schwab]

Now the thing that seems totally weird is that a little piece of plastic will block those bad vibrations coming from strange or unnatural sources and cause a noticeable improvement in the quality of what we are sensing... I'd say that the old hippy recipe will do way much more effect, but may also cause some pizza overdose

OK, so we have to answer the following questions:

What is a "bad vibration"?

What is a "strange or unnatural source"?

How do you define a "noticeable improvement in the quality of what we are sensing"?

[hariossa]

OK, so we have to answer the following questions:

What is a "bad vibration"?

What is a "strange or unnatural source"?

How do you define a "noticeable improvement in the quality of what we are sensing"?

As far as I read a bad vibration is that of an uneven pattern
A strange or unnatural source is any device or substance made by mankind in the last 150-200 years that is not known to our "genetic heritage" so our unconsciousness or "extended mind" interprets it as a threat, causing a state of stress in ourselves
The noticeable improvement can not be measured by any measuring tool, since it's a subjective change in our perception...

Shall we ask for some free samples? I think I'll end up stickin' them more on people than in things...

[Chuck H]

Shall we ask for some free samples? I think I'll end up stickin' them more on people than in things...

Hahahaha..LOL & +++

'cept if the person your sticking it on asks "why?" that could certainly cause some bad vibes.

[salvarsan]

So, it sounds like pandering to subjectivism is the way to go.

"Buy this guitar pickup and get more women. It'll make your dick bigger, too."

If enough pickup makers do it, the craft and business of pickup making
can be just as reputable and authoritative as high-end audio.

Then, the vendor shake-out in what is primarily a cottage industry
will reduce pickup prices such that they can only be made economically
in 1000 quantities in China.

Who wants this scenario?

Show of hands, please...

(crickets)

[Chuck H]

Well, I'm sorry to rant but...

This has already happened for the most part with amplifiers. Most of the boutique builders are no longer boutique but rather assemblers of pre punched chassis, pre built and covered cabinets and often pre stuffed PCB's. Many parts are sourced from you know where or at least bought from US distributors of parts from you know where. Most still use proprietary American made transformers though. But to be competitive there is almost no hand wiring on turret or eyelet boards anymore. If it weren't for this trend there would be few "boutique" builders left and the ones that were around would sell the most expensive amps you could buy. I expect there will always be a couple of builders like that because it's part of the culture. But that would leave all but the most well healed guitar players stuck choosing which overseas disposable amp they wanted to plunk down $300 to $800 bucks for. That's not much $$$ for an amp. And it's not much amp either. And the "boutique" builders are hot the track trying to lower prices as the quality slips more and more because the biggest guitar playing demographic is looking at imported tube amps for less $$$. And believe me, no builder here in the states can compete $$$ wise with LOUD technologies even if they used the cheapest parts available and build an even lesser amp than the imports.

I would like to think that pickups are simple enough devices, parts wise, that they could be immune to this. I hope so.

Chuck

[salvarsan]

Chuck,
When I spoke of high-end audio's reputation and authority,
I should have made my acid black scorn obvious.

When the cheap drives out the dear, it is often because the dear is too dear for its intended purpose,
and the intended purpose is either too various or too narrow for average use.
Off-shored amps fill the perceived need within rational price ranges because
too many domestic builders abdicated that market
and chose instead to sell subjectivist religious fetishism to stupid people with too much money.

As for PCB and tube amps, a good PCB design and implementation is equal to a Point-to-Point build any day
*Good* PCB implementations for vacuum tubes are industrial grade -- 2 oz. copper plate and 1/4 inch traces with RF
layout on 1/8 inch G20 epoxy is not something that PtP builders, as a group, really understand.
Some do, and professional tube amp builders like Rivera and Conrad-Johnson fill a solid
market segment.

Other amp builders often need to pander to vintage fetishists who wouldn't
know the difference if it boned their backside and perforated their colon.

I will opine that new PtP productions usually sell to the hobbyist/fetishist.

[David Schwab]

And believe me, no builder here in the states can compete $$$ wise with LOUD technologies even if they used the cheapest parts available and build an even lesser amp than the imports.

Yeah, but their amps sound like garbage. If it wasn't for the fact that they are piggy backing on Ampeg's history, no one would buy that junk. I get stuck using an SVT 3 Pro at a rehearsal studio, and it gets maybe one interesting tone, but is very grainy sounding, and boxy. I can't stand the things. The other night I decided to try this other bass amp they had in the room we were in. It was a Yorkville ...I had never seen one before. I blew the Ampeg out of the water! And it actually sounded like my bass... what a shocker.

[big_teee]

It was a Yorkville ...I had never seen one before. I blew the Ampeg out of the water! And it actually sounded like my bass... what a shocker.

David, Yorkville is the folks that make Traynor. Made in Canada. I have a traynor YCS-50 Custom Special 50 guitar amp. Not bad.
Terry

[David Schwab]

David, Yorkville is the folks that make Traynor. Made in Canada. I have a traynor YCS-50 Custom Special 50 guitar amp. Not bad.
Terry

Yes, I know why they are, but I never saw a Yorkville bass amp before. I looked it up and it's been discontinued, which is a shame.

All the monitors in the room are Yorkville too. Anyway, I just plain don't like Ampegs.

[Chuck H]

When the cheap drives out the dear, it is often because the dear is too dear for its intended purpose, and the intended purpose is either too various or too narrow for average use. Off-shored amps fill the perceived need within rational price ranges because
too many domestic builders abdicated that market
and chose instead to sell subjectivist religious fetishism to stupid people with too much money.

I can get behind that. But it's a little too finite a statement on the issue. There are certainly some poncey amp builders selling stupid little five watt amps to fools for big $$$, But that's really the minority. Most are certainly trying to build what players want. I still contend that the price point is the determining factor in the demise of any cottage industry that exists in amp building. Which is what I was sympathizing with as it related to your previous post. It's hardly the fault of the American small business man that most commerce has gone the way of big box stores and overseas production. Certainly there are big fat American corporations profiting in many cases. And that's as good for the US economy as anything I suppose but it doesn't take away from the fact that small business and american craftsmanship is at the mercy of this business practice. Be sure that American small business could indeed be competitive if we had trade agreements on our side and only had to pay our employees a bag of rice and a fish head for a days labor.

As for PCB and tube amps, a good PCB design and implementation is equal to a Point-to-Point build any day
*Good* PCB implementations for vacuum tubes are industrial grade -- 2 oz. copper plate and 1/4 inch traces with RF
layout on 1/8 inch G20 epoxy is not something that PtP builders, as a group, really understand.
Some do, and professional tube amp builders like Rivera and Conrad-Johnson fill a solid
market segment.

Show me a Rivera with 1/8th" G-20 and quarter inch traces... Aside from that I would not say that PCB's can be equal to turret or eyelet board construction, but very close if done right. I have nothing against PCB's except that they are inclined to be made as cheaply as possible. I have never seen a PCB amp that I would expect to be repairable and operational fifty years after it's manufacture.

The only concession you'll get from me on this one is that I do think it's entirely possible to build great amps on PCB's. I wish someone would do it and set the bar. Trouble is that buyers know even less about it so how can they understand the added expense. I'm telling you, like it or not, the bar is being lowered and quality is suffering. To deny it is like dropping the lid on your toilet instead of cleaning it. And we are a culture that would do that.

Chuck

[12Bass]

Yeah, but their amps sound like garbage. If it wasn't for the fact that they are piggy backing on Ampeg's history, no one would buy that junk. I get stuck using an SVT 3 Pro at a rehearsal studio, and it gets maybe one interesting tone, but is very grainy sounding, and boxy. I can't stand the things. The other night I decided to try this other bass amp they had in the room we were in. It was a Yorkville ...I had never seen one before. I blew the Ampeg out of the water! And it actually sounded like my bass... what a shocker.

Any idea of the model of the Yorkville? Oddly, a friend of mine has a Yorkville bass amp which he's not terribly fond of, and has been using my Ampeg SVP-Pro as a preamp.

[David Schwab]

Any idea of the model of the Yorkville? Oddly, a friend of mine has a Yorkville bass amp which he's not terribly fond of, and has been using my Ampeg SVP-Pro as a preamp.

Bassmaster 800 (XS800H). It was freakin' loud, had a great tube preamp, and sounded just like my bass. It was so loud that I blew the speaker fuse that the studio uses! I could go from a driving rock style to slapping just by changing my technique. The SVT Pro is only good for a gritty tone. The Yorkville did everything. It was much louder than the Ampeg too. The Yorkville had a what I think was a 6X10 cab with tweeter. The SVT had Ampeg 4X10 and 1X15 cabs.

If I find one for sale I'm buying it.

[12Bass]

Bassmaster 800 (XS800H). It was freakin' loud, had a great tube preamp, and sounded just like my bass. It was so loud that I blew the speaker fuse that the studio uses! I could go from a driving rock style to slapping just by changing my technique. The SVT Pro is only good for a gritty tone. The Yorkville did everything. It was much louder than the Ampeg too. The Yorkville had a what I think was a 6X10 cab with tweeter. The SVT had Ampeg 4X10 and 1X15 cabs.

Thanks!

The unit my friend Arlan has is an older BM400H. No tube preamp, and uninspiring sound, from what he says. The SVP-Pro is a standalone preamp, and while it can get downright nasty (using the Drive control), it can also facilitate some very nice clean tones, albeit with a little harmonic distortion added by the five tubes. Yorkville may have made some significant improvements in their newer amplifiers.