[28980]

Heya,

I would think an UPS would be a simple solution for anyone with power issues in their house/office. Doesn't matter if it's a computer, a television, or an amplifier. A simple $40~60 UPS should cover you from surges and power loss, etc. Or you can just run from a basic surge protector. Loss of power is better than allowing a surge to occur, and those are like $10. You're not just plugging into the wall with all your electronics are you?

Very best,

I am using a surge protector for everything I just didn't know if this would be more harmful than usual during a surge? I don't get the science behind the you should unplug your phones every tome you power the amp on/off kind of thing so I was wondering since this had more power if it would be more likely to cause damage.

Also whats a UPS. As I said earlier I'm rather clueless.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

I am using a surge protector for everything I just didn't know if this would be more harmful than usual during a surge? I don't get the science behind the you should unplug your phones every tome you power the amp on/off kind of thing so I was wondering since this had more power if it would be more likely to cause damage.

Also whats a UPS. As I said earlier I'm rather clueless.

 
Heya,
 
The unplug before you power on/off an amp comes from things having poor relays (I think). Sometimes it's a defect, sometimes it's just due to poor components. Most well made equipment shouldn't have this problem. And a defect is something you can't really account for until it's found out. I wouldn't worry about this frankly. Defect is what warranty is for. And quality stuff should have a very low incidence of this. But life does happen...
 
An UPS is an "uninterruptible power supply." It has a battery that when power drops, it continues on via battery. It's also a surge protector. So you don't get hit by a surge nor do you lose power during an outage like a brown-out.
 
Very best,

 

[wje]

Quote:

 
As preproman says: 

 
I don't think anyone has hooked up headphones to a modern Marantz unit. Of course the vintage are reported to be stellar.

 
Maybe not the Marantz, but I use modern-day 2-channel new Yamaha gear with great results.
 

 

[Anda]

Quote:

Maybe not the Marantz, but I use modern-day 2-channel new Yamaha gear with great results.

 
Is this with HE-500? How much travel on the volume control?

 

[28980]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
The unplug before you power on/off an amp comes from things having poor relays (I think). Sometimes it's a defect, sometimes it's just due to poor components. Most well made equipment shouldn't have this problem. And a defect is something you can't really account for until it's found out. I wouldn't worry about this frankly. Defect is what warranty is for. And quality stuff should have a very low incidence of this. But life does happen...
 
An UPS is an "uninterruptible power supply." It has a battery that when power drops, it continues on via battery. It's also a surge protector. So you don't get hit by a surge nor do you lose power during an outage like a brown-out.
 
Very best,

 
Awesome thanks;
 
Would this: 
 
http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE550G-Back-UPS-Outlet-550VA/dp/B0019804U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363711550&sr=8-1&keywords=ups
 
Work? Thanks for all the help.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

 
Awesome thanks;
 
Would this: 
 
http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE550G-Back-UPS-Outlet-550VA/dp/B0019804U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363711550&sr=8-1&keywords=ups
 
Work? Thanks for all the help.

 
Yeap,
 
Any UPS will work so long as it has enough power to keep things going a few seconds to a few minutes so you can safely power them down during an outage. And the surge feature is always there, to prevent bad spikes in power. More than enough for a basic amp that isn't pulling killawatts.
 
Very best,

 

[wje]

Quote:

Is this with HE-500? How much travel on the volume control?

 
It's actually with my HE-5LE model.  My HE-500 won't be here for a few days.  There is lots of travel on the volume control.  Moving the volume a slight amount will not result in a major sound increase that will pierce your ear drums.

 

[modulor]

Quote:

 
It's actually with my HE-5LE model.  My HE-500 won't be here for a few days.  There is lots of travel on the volume control.  Moving the volume a slight amount will not result in a major sound increase that will pierce your ear drums.

Seems like you've been enjoying the HE-5LE - will this be your first listen with the HE-500?

 

[zilch0md]

Quote:

 
Awesome thanks;
 
Would this: 
 
http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE550G-Back-UPS-Outlet-550VA/dp/B0019804U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363711550&sr=8-1&keywords=ups
 
Work? Thanks for all the help.

 
Specifications for that unit, as seen on that page, include this line:
 
 

[size=small] Waveform Type[/size]

[size=small] Stepped approximation to a sinewave[/size]

As with most inexpensive UPS units, the DC-to-AC converter (which converts the DC voltage from the internal, sealed, lead-acid battery to 120 Volts AC, does not put out a pure, 60 Hz sinewave.  This is OK if you're supplying 120 VAC to a switch-mode power supply, as those found in most computers, but it could be a source of noise for audio gear.
 
If you just want a surge protector, I recommend this unit, which offers a whopping 3345 Joules of surge protection, and unlike most surge protectors, it's equipped with a "Protected" LED that goes out when the self-sacrificial components have been consumed across several surge events.   There are a lot of old surge protectors out there, functioning as nothing more than power strips - no longer offering any protection against surges because their self-sacrificial components have long ago been used up - just like a bar of soap.  Good surge protectors tell you when they need to be replaced:
 
Tripp Lite TLP1008TELTV Surge Protector
 

 
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-TLP1008TELTV-Protector-Outlet/dp/B0000AI0NC
 
 
If you want more than just surge protection, including voltage regulation to protect against the insidious damage caused by sustained brown outs (low voltage), RFI and EMI noise filtration, isolation, etc., I recommend this inexpensive line conditioner that can handle up to a 1200 Watt load across four outlets:
 
 
 

[size=1.7em] Tripp Lite LC1200 Line Conditioner[/size]

 

 
 
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-LC1200-Conditioner-Outlet/dp/B0000512LA
 
I have four of these in my home, including one that I use with all my Head-Fi gear - with which I've done extensive A/B testing and can find no evidence of audible differences vs. powering components directly from the AC outlet.
 
See this post from just a month ago:  http://www.head-fi.org/t/629352/he-500-lcd2-d5000-dt770-sr80-on-a-speaker-amp-emotiva-mini-x-a-100-project/720#post_9176272
 
Mike

 

[28980]

Mike,
 
I'm just looking for something that will keep the power going to the mini-x during a time when power is cut off; so that I can remove my headphones and then turn it off. The main thing I want to do is be able to unplug my headphones before the amp powers off. It doesn't seem like either of those will really do that for me?

 

[zilch0md]

Quote:

Mike,
 
I'm just looking for something that will keep the power going to the mini-x during a time when power is cut off; so that I can remove my headphones and then turn it off. The main thing I want to do is be able to unplug my headphones before the amp powers off. It doesn't seem like either of those will really do that for me?

 
Oops - I should have read further back - you will indeed need a UPS if you want to keep the power going for even a few seconds following a blackout.  
 
Now, I'd have to say try the UPS MalVeauX recommended - if it sounds OK, terrific!  It will provide surge protection -and- uninterrupted power for the first few minutes of a blackout.
 
Mike

 

[Anda]

My Rega Mira 3 almost does it for me, except for slight background hiss and a little too forward midrange. The "digitally controlled analog switched resistor network volume control" works like a charm with easy level adjustment and no channel imbalance.
 
Any suggestions for a lower wattage amplifier with digitally controlled (analog) volume control that would be a good match with HE-500?

 

[wje]

Quote:

Seems like you've been enjoying the HE-5LE - will this be your first listen with the HE-500?

 
Actually, I've owned the HE-500 before.  About 9 months ago.  I still can't figure out why I sold them.  I guess just a silly move on my part.

 

[modulor]

Quote:

 
Actually, I've owned the HE-500 before.  About 9 months ago.  I still can't figure out why I sold them.  I guess just a silly move on my part.

I'm definitely interested in hearing them (along with a few others on my shortlist) for the first time at the local meetup, since they seem to be a favorite of many and a good complementary to the HE-400 for a few.

 

[Drsparis]

Curious if you have tried the resistor with the HE-500. Getting the HE-500's and will be getting a mini-x eventually. Wondering if the resistor wire helps in any way.
 
Thanks
Quote:

Heya,
 
So this is a big deal.
 
I just got the XLR -> 500ohm resistor -> XLR adapter that Brian made me (BTG Audio). Wow. This thing is like a god send. I was already well off using my high impedance and low sensitivity orthos with the Emotiva. But this resistor lets me do several things I couldn't do as well before. One, I can now use any headphone that is low impedance with my OTL tube amp at it's more peak values, as I can make any of my lower impedance headphones instantly work with a 500+ ohm resistance. And it lets me also of course throw a big dumby load onto the Emotiva. I'm now using a Denon D5000 with the Emotiva, with no noise floor at all. When I hit pause on a track with the volume at listening level, it's dead silent. Before, without this resistor, the Denons were just too sensitive and there was noise floor due to the massive gain of the amp and the sensitivity of the Denon. That's completely gone with this 500ohm adapter.
 
My Denons are recabled (by Brian) to mini-XLR earrings (detachable cable) to balanced XLR, so I can use them unbalanced and balanced at will.
 
I'm running the Emotiva around 10 o'clock with my Denons currently, and my LDMKII pre-amp around 12 o'clock feeding the Emotiva. No equalization currently so that I'm hearing only how this performs without additional tweaks or line level adjustment.
 
Amazing fidelity. Very clear, transparent sound. I'm listening to some jazz and it's quite natural sounding, realistic, dynamic. The sound stage is wonderful. The bass is not over-board. Maybe I'm a little loopy, but it actually sounds tighter, way less loose sub-bass going on. Switching to some eletronica (Dredd sound track, yeeeaaaa), to see how it performs with big pulsing bass tones and intricate sugary melody, it's controlled and very tight. Separation is phenomenal. My biggest change so far is just how tight it is, very separated, great imaging, instead of kind of a loose, slow, warm treat. I'm very pleased with the performance. And I'm happy to report that you can absolutely use any headphone with the Emotiva.

My XLR -> 500ohm -> XLR adapter ran me $40 shipped from Brian. Highly recommended. This was an experiment and it paid off handsomely, as I can now use any headphone with the Emotiva,
 
I'll be testing it more with other headphones. I'm also curious to see what 1100ohms is like on my Beyer. And also how the HE500 and LCD2 perform with 538 and 550ohm of resistance as well. Will report back soon.
 

 

 
These are my balanced Denons with the 500ohm XLR resistor added at the end there.
 
Very best,