Simple A/B Switchbox...
Mar 19, 2006 at 5:44 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 33

fewtch

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A couple years I did a search and couldn't find a single high quality A/B type switchbox online (two sources to one output, or vice-versa)... lots of cheapo audio/video switchers with dubious sound quality, but *nothing* that looked any good. Any tips?
 
Mar 19, 2006 at 6:01 PM Post #2 of 33
Silver contact C&K DPDT in a box with Isolated RCA jacks to a single ground point (chassis bolt/washer/lockwasher to "bite" into the cassis,nut) and all for the EXPEN$IVE price of $40 using top quality jacks
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Mar 19, 2006 at 6:05 PM Post #3 of 33
Oh I know it could be DIYed (even by someone with just a little soldering experience) but why doesn't anyone seem to offer something like this for sale commercially?
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I've got no tools for casework, so I'd probably have to buy a drill in addition to the parts...
 
Mar 19, 2006 at 6:19 PM Post #4 of 33
Quote:

Oh I know it could be DIYed (even by someone with just a little soldering experience) but why doesn't anyone seem to offer something like this for sale commercially?


because guys like you and guys like me plus not a few others would say :

Quote:

Silver contact C&K DPDT in a box with Isolated RCA jacks to a single ground point (chassis bolt/washer/lockwasher to "bite" into the cassis,nut) and all for the EXPEN$IVE price of $40 using top quality jacks



and no one would buy the product.You need to consider what parts actually cost and when added to actual build time,boxing that sucker up and shipping it plus whatever it costs to advertise that simple little $40 "box" is now at $125 and who HERE is going for that ?

That it is a valid price and a fair price means little.Just check the amp forum if you doubt that
 
Mar 19, 2006 at 8:07 PM Post #6 of 33
makes my point for me : $130

Head-fi has a way of making an honest product sold at an honest price seem somehow to be theft because we have members willing to make gear on their kitchen table and sell it to the members while others post

"don't buy that overpriced garbage ! You can make it yourself for $xxx or meber "X" can build you one for half the price"

Is not right that it happens and has chased many potentially good products from market contention but is the reality of things here.

Once our "designers" realise they can copy the work of others and sell thse items for a profit (zero overhead =all profit) it would be insane to even try to compete head-to-head and suffer the product bashing such threads always bring
 
Mar 19, 2006 at 8:13 PM Post #7 of 33
Why don't you just put up a WTB in the For Sale/Accessories forum? I'm sure a DIY'er would be happy to help you.

And Rick...I'm not even sure what you're complaining about
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Or, if you're even complaining in the first place...
 
Mar 19, 2006 at 8:16 PM Post #8 of 33
Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo
Go to Mapletree and you will find it. Good luck.

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Thanks. The $130 price seems reasonable to me, and I will consider it (maybe I can find a used one on Audiogon). Either that, or I'll post a "WTB" in the FS forums and see if there's a DIYer who's willing to whip something together for me.
 
Mar 19, 2006 at 8:35 PM Post #9 of 33
Quote:

if you're even complaining in the first place...


just illustrating reality.

No legitimate manufacturer has any shot at offering "gadgets" here (or any other audio web site that has a DIY section) that many claim to need from time to time because they know there is no way to offer a product at a price than can compete with DIYers or the DIYFP who have no overhead and no customer support network in place.The reason for the "mass market" consumer garbage at one end of the scale and limited choices at the other.

I have personally read threads where persons have openly stated a "simple box with jacks and a switch" were in fact a rip off if the asking price was more than they could buy the parts for and that such persons as wanted to buy one need to contact one of our DIYers as you suggest in your post.

under that type of atmosphere is there really any wonder at why simple but eseential audio "gadgets" are in such short supply in a ready to ship state ?
 
Mar 19, 2006 at 8:48 PM Post #11 of 33
Mar 19, 2006 at 8:51 PM Post #12 of 33
Mar 19, 2006 at 9:02 PM Post #13 of 33
It is a real problem jeff and one that really has no way around it when you have statements such as "$500 for a box with $100 in parts" which while it may be accurate is not even close to the entire story.

someone obviously has to build it and that means labor cost.If it was me I pay myself $50/hr up depending on the service but say i hired someone to do the build.

That $8/hr employee is in reality a $30/hr payout when all the requirements of imposed workplace rules are met and that is just an unskilled off the street worker bee.
A craftsman not only gets a higher rate,expects that higher rate for his experience level and the dues he paid over many years but should get payed for the unsupervised service that person provides !

Taking a "baby sitter" otherwise know as crew chief/foremen out of the pay loop is no small thing when you add salary to benefits then worker protection.
Overhead and that is just keeping the lease and the lights on,taxes,someone manning the phones to answer questions...............


Yeah.$130 would be cheap even for a single person operation but then you get the "$400 for $100 in parts" crap and it is just not worth the trouble unless you are a table top/underground play by no rules builder
 
Mar 19, 2006 at 9:41 PM Post #14 of 33
Rick - I certainly don't fault people for having a mark up. Research and marketing and time spent are all legitimate overhead costs; if I did, I wouldn't have bought all the high-end gear that I have over the last 11 years. There are some products that someone just doesn't have the means to reproduce (PS Audio's power cords with their ferrite impregnated sheaths come to mind), but there are some products where it might be worth spending some time to do yourself. A quality switching box is probably one of them. Back in 1997 or 1998, when Wireworld released the box, I remember wincing at the price (it seemed like a lot at the time), but I also knew no one else was offering anything comparable, so I felt, "More power to him." The reviewer's snarky attitude in that link bothered me because I believe people are entitled to be compensated for their knowledge and time and expertise. But, at the same time, given the parts list, I think something like that bears considering putting in some of one's own elbow grease and making one at home. It's like that anecdote about the scientist who troubleshoots a project within a minute and bills $10,000.00 for solving the problem, and gets a complaint about the bill because of the time spent along with a request breaking down the services that could possibly haved been rendered in that one minute. He responds with a new invoice "Time spent making the X, $1.00. Knowing where to put the X, $9,999.00."
 
Mar 19, 2006 at 9:41 PM Post #15 of 33
Quote:

Greetings from Hannover!


The problem with that type of device is usually not the specs which has all the right catch phrases (and in fact may be a quality device for the price) but that it uses no "name" parts easily recognised and in fact expected to be present.

The ad copy of manufacturers touting certain parts as being the only way to go has also hurt the dimple "just do it dammit" type interfece or gadget and while the proper amount of "silver contacts and gold plating" is tossed around there is no "Mil-spec heavy silver contact self wiping switches combined with heavy gold plated RCA jacks totally isaolated from the chassis and usng the very best teflon dielectric available" which even may itself be not enough without naming "popular" parts involved by manufacturer (yes I am a pain in the a*s
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)

A good set of requirements for such a device and in fact what I personally use is a multiple rather than A/B type input (or output if you turn it around
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) switcher is a 2P5T silver contact (all rotaries are self wiping)rotary switch selector in a fairly substantial chassis so the weight of the cords do not overpower the mass of the switch box (makes it tippy).
To this I use color coded red/white (R/L) isolated RCA I-O jacks with all grounds tied together with a solid copper wire which in turn goes to a rear "ground lift" switch for chassis/floating grounding selection.Again a high quality mil-spec type (Ground is just as important or more so than the signal connections)

Parts alone come to $60 and if I were to sell such a device could not even comtemplate doing all the wiring,drilling,chassis painting and lettering plus adding a contol knob for less than the $130 mapltree audio asks for theirs.

Where mine differs from that one is the 5 postions on the switch would be 1-gnd-2-gnd-3- with the "off signal" positions being dead mute instead of using all five for signal input

a lot more going on in a "simple" switch box than just switching and if is to be used in a high quality system should not be the choke point that limits performance

just my opinion of course
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