The *NOT BORING!* Hi-Fi faff chat and sales

[velofrog]

Re:

Yes, exactly that.

The volume control itself has no issue, it spins freely, the issue is the amount of usable volume which is all concentrated into the first 90 degree of operation, from 6 to 9 on a clock.

This makes its very difficult to find a happy listening level... either too quiet or suddenly too loud!

The Krell outputs 9v single ended and 18v balanced

The sensitivity of the Usher is 1.6v

Apparently this mismatch is causing the issue.

So I was looking at the Audio Research, the specs are in the last page of the link in my post above, wondered if anyone could make sense of them for me!

 

[adlyhobart]

well the AR says it has a 40 volt max output but it has a gain selector which could help. i think the main problem is that the usher is too powerful and i would of thought most pre amps are going to give around the same results with a small range of turning the volume pot before it pins you to the wall. that aside have you got one speaker directly facing the other in your room?

 

[adlyhobart]

aha i think ive just realised its a coffee table in the middle of the room. i thought you had a pair of matin logans in a small room and that would never work! ha! my bad

 

[velofrog]

Re:

:roll:

it is a coffee table and they are both in the same room!

Tried my old Denon CD player to make sure the Naim isn't causing an issue but it's just the same.

Surely there must be a preamp out there that would work?!

I don't want to use attenuated cables either, need to find a solution or the whole lot is getting sold!

 

[velofrog]

Re:

Krell and Usher both for sale.

PM me if you're interested.

Krell on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123662070106

Usher on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Usher-Refere ... 3662090118

 

[adlyhobart]

ha! i will get my coat! out of interest have you tried using the single ended side of pre and power?

 

[adlyhobart]

actually its most likely it will be exactly the same. different power amp it is!

 

[Gerard]

Passive pre is what you want. You can get them with remotes, but that will be the problem,
There are cheaper ones on ebay, so might be worth a try before selling the Usher.

 

[Captain Stupido]

have you tried using the single ended side of pre and power?

Well worth trying IMO. Might well solve the issue, and there is no advantage to using balanced cables over a short run. In fact all else being equal single ended usually sounds better...

It's also possible that running from the single ended output of the Krell to the balanced input of the Usher (with appropriate adapters) will result in a better match still...

As a general rule balanced (pro/studio) stuff is at the +4dbu standard, which equates to roughly 1.23 volts AC whereas single ended (domestic/hi-fi) is at the lower -10dBV standard (or 0.316 volts AC). 12db difference between the two which is significant if not huge.

The thing is not all manufacturers stick to it (especially among high end hifi and semi-pro studio gear) so sometimes balanced connections are still at the lower level and vice versa.

I wouldn't worry too much about the voltage figures specified, you need a bit more info to go on as to what those voltage figures actually mean. The Krell figure sounds like a maximum output - not neccesarily relevant to matching kit, it's more of a "bragging" figure, not sure about the Usher one, but from what you're hearing I'd guess that it's designed for domestic signal level.

 

[velofrog]

Re:

Cheers for all the suggestions but it's all on eBay and I'm done with big/old boxes!

I just want to listen and enjoy it hassle-free so bought a SuperNait to go with the CD5X and the Flatcap 2X... three inconspicuous black boxes with some green backlighting... in for a penny in for a pound!