RMAF: The Interocitor Saved My Life
- Thread starter garylkoh
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He made two prototypes for the show. It is now available for sale. Picture and more details here: http://www.kosmic.us/smc-interocitor.html
Steve managed to work out a deal with my dealer who has a shopping cart so that people can order it. The picture shows the non-premium connectors as I wouldn't let them take my show system apart to shoot pictures of the good one.
It wasn't a product for offer yet, but there was enough interest from the show that he's persuaded to put it into production when he gets home. I refused to let him take the ones he brought to the show back. So, I'll have the one from the show to try evaluate it a bit more when I'm in Seattle.
Amir, if you're interested, we can let you try it out too.
Steve was worried about guys like Frank thinking that he's going to make a killing. But given his time and effort to put the thing together, stocking and inventory, custom tooling and materials that he uses, I thought that it's a fair price. You have to remember my saying that to make a small fortune in the high-end, you need to first start with a very large one.
Gary:
What's the difference between what Steve is doing and what Ed Meitner did many years ago?
http://www.museatex.com/xlink.htm
What's the difference between what Steve is doing and what Ed Meitner did many years ago?
http://www.museatex.com/xlink.htm
I arrived to Gary's setup once the issue was resolved, and I really liked what I heard there... Nice set-up Gary! Great speakers....
Nice one, Gary! I visited a bloke doing his own speakers locally a couple of years ago, was doing things in a decently big way, largish commercial premises, distributing some good looking Chinese gear, has probably zero presence out there for 99% of people. Asked how much dough he'd dropped on the effort so far, and just about fell off my chair ...
What's the story about ocean yacht racing being like standing under a cold shower with your clothes on, while tearing up thousand dollar notes ...??
Frank
Hi Myles,
I'm not sure - I'll find out more details over the course of this week, but one big difference is that in the Translinks page you linked to, they recommend that the Translinks NOT be used with high-impedance sources or capacitor coupled sources. Steve's Interocitor is designed to also help with high-impedance sources. I was specifically asking about that because some tube preamps have output impedance ranging in the 100's of ohms and too-high output for SS amps.
He told me that the Interocitor has an input impedance of 75kOhms which will make it a good interface device with it's 12dB step down for that situation. Specifically that's Lloyd's problem with the CJ (?) preamp and Gryphon power amp.
Thanks Fernando. You arrived after the Interocitor was plugged in. Prior to that, I had a jury-rigged a balanced cable with disconnected ground and joined to another balanced cable (this is seen running across the floor in Steve's picture of my room) and that didn't sound quite as good.
Hi Gary...looking forward to your further comments on the Interocitor (when you have some time!). Meanwhile, just got a new CJ pre (GAT) which has output impedance of 100ohms and the Gryphon amp an input impedance of 20kohms...i am hoping this is 'sufficient' to avoid any nasty interfaces. Still interested in this product...just hoping that any awkward impedance imbalances in my system should be relatively slim now. (BTW, you said the Interocitor affects sources as well...i did not realize this was possible if the unit was placed between pre and amp?...can you comment more on how this unit could affect a source impedance issue in such placement (or did i misunderstand)?
Thanks!
I used a Musical Fidelity X-10 (the version 1) for a while many years ago. What I didn't like about it was the rate it consumed tubes. The sound seemed to start to deteriorate from the moment the new tube was plugged in (I'm exaggerating a little). I heard that's the problem with the new X-10 V3 too - and the mu-vista tube cannot be replaced. So, you have to factor in that it will only last 10,000 to 15,000 hours and then you have to throw it away.
I even tried my hand at designing one nearly 10 years ago in my tinkering before-Genesis days. The latest I've heard of is the Purity Audio Harmony. However, I haven't wanted to put a tube in my system for over 5 years already.
Hi Lloyd... I originally put the Interocitor between the DAC and the preamp. But there was still some residual ground buzz in the system - probably because the preamp and the front two channels were plugged into three different outlets.
On the scale of things, I would have liked a lower output impedance to a higher input impedance. I'm surprised that the Gryphon is as low as 20kohms. I usually like to design to at least 50kohms. That might be why you had good experience with the MIT interconnects which has an impedance-matching zobel network.
The GAT might also have an output that is too high for you to use the middle of the volume control. If your volume is barely off the zero, you'll have a lot more noise. Preamp noise specifications are usually measured at unity gain, and hence at low levels, your power amp is also amplifying a lot of noise in the musical signal. The benefit of using a well matched preamp/poweramp combo is that with less noise, you have better resolution of micro-details.
Gary
I have used the same Musical Fidelity X-10 V3 with its accompanying separate power supply in my system for almost 4 years with absolutely no deterioration of sound. In fact they go so far as saying that the tubes in it will last 10,000 hours. You are correct about not being able to replace the tube. BTW, Musical Fidelity hasn't made this Tube Buffer in years. Could this be the reason. IMO the addition of the separate power supply made a big difference
I use the Tube Buffer to integrate my Gotham subs and their 3800 watt amplifier with my Lamm ML3 amp at 32 wpc where there is a huge impedance mismatch and just have never had a problem. That's why I asked the question
Hi Steve - yes, they are supposed to last 10,000 to 15,000 hours. So you're good. I don't think that the sound degradation would be heard if it's used as a buffer to the subwoofers. That's a good place to put them in that case!
Steve, come to think about it, you may have found a way to integrate separate externally-powered subwoofers into your system. (There was a thread on this very topic some time ago.)
The tube buffers have a group delay from the input to the output. So, by inserting the tube buffers between the preamp output and the input to the SS amps in your subwoofers, you have managed to correctly integrated the subs to your speakers (where there is a tube power amp between the preamp output and the speakers).
The tube buffers have a group delay from the input to the output. So, by inserting the tube buffers between the preamp output and the input to the SS amps in your subwoofers, you have managed to correctly integrated the subs to your speakers (where there is a tube power amp between the preamp output and the speakers).
Gary
Here is how I integrated the Tube Buffer into my system
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1049587927&openflup&584&4#584
Here is how I integrated the Tube Buffer into my system
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1049587927&openflup&584&4#584
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