Rega and vibrations
July 27, 2007
Hey, GoodSound! guys. I recently sold my system
and scaled back to the Rega Mira 3/Apollo combo with Audio Art cables and the shockingly
good Axiom M3 v2 speakers. I have no other placement option but to stack the Rega
electronics and was wondering whether there is anything I could do to minimize vibrations.
For instance, I wondered whether I could place Vibrapods between the two components to
soak up some of the unwanted vibrations. Any ideas?
Keith
Your Vibrapod idea is a good one. I suspect you’ll
be happy with the results. You could also try other methods. I’ve heard cork board is
a good isolator, for instance. In addition to isolation, you could try mass loading: place
a towel on the top component and lay a brick on top. This could help damp any unwanted
vibrations. The key to component isolation and vibration control is to experiment until
you hit upon the right combination. But the Vibrapod idea is good place to start, and a
cost-effective solution too.
"Hoping I bought the right speakers….."
July 24, 2007
I really like the Harman/Kardon AVR-347 receiver. I’m
looking forward to buying it, but I’m having second thoughts. I bought a pair of
Cerwin Vega VE12 speakers (three-way, 300W peak). Is the Harman/Kardon AVR-347 too much
power for these speakers? If so, is there a lower-wattage Harman Kardon that is good for
those Cerwin Vega speakers? By the way, the Cerwin Vega speakers have a fuse on the
subwoofer (if that helps). I don’t know much about audio equipment. I also listen to
a broad range of music (house, rock, R&B, rap, classic rock). Hoping I bought the
right speakers….
Richard
It is quite uncommon to damage loudspeakers due to
driving them with too much power. Generally speaking, more power means that given average
listening levels, you’ll be comfortably within the power limitations of the receiver,
meaning that you won’t be overdriving it and therefore feeding damaging distortion to
your speakers (which can harm them). So I would be more concerned if you had too little
power and liked to listen really loud. More clean power is, all things being equal, better
than less power -- both from a sound quality standpoint and not blowing up your speakers.
Cerwin Vegas have always had a reputation for being good rock’n’roll speakers,
so given your musical tastes and working within a reasonable budget, I’d say you’ve
done just fine. Enjoy your new system.
Passive preamps
July 19, 2007
Are there disadvantages to a passive preamplifier? A friend
of mine “in the business” has recommended against the purchase of one, favoring,
obviously, a powered preamplifier. I have looked at the Channel Islands Audio models and
the Monolithic Sound model and I wanted your opinion as to whether the passive
preamplifier is a suggested purchase consideration.
Robert
The short answer is, "It depends." A passive
preamplifier can be excellent if your source component provides enough gain. A passive
preamplifier only attenuates gain -- i.e., lowers the input signal’s level
-- and obviously cannot provide additional gain of its own. If your source does not have
sufficient gain (check with the passive preamplifier’s manufacturer on compatibility
issues with specific products), you may find that the sound is anemic and lacking
dynamics. The plus side is that, with the right ancillary components, passives can sound
amazingly transparent.
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