Active Floor-stander

Wikin wrote:
Ok so one last final hurdle is back to solving the ground loop problem. I believe this can be done as my main system which is also a 3-way active system is humm free.

Solved it woo hoo.

mthoi wrote:
In my last active crossover build, I have similar grounding issue that causes hum with the interconnects. I realised that the signal ground is hanging; my humming problem was solved when connected to the power supply ground/chassis ground (at a single point).

I had my grounding connections in proper linkages to a single point too but it was humming still.
Let me draw out a sketch of my final solution that solved 98.333% of the noise.

cheers

Wikin wrote:

mthoi wrote:
In my last active crossover build, I have similar grounding issue that causes hum with the interconnects. I realised that the signal ground is hanging; my humming problem was solved when connected to the power supply ground/chassis ground (at a single point).

I had my grounding connections in proper linkages to a single point too but it was humming still.

This wiring system of the 6 channel gainclone amplifier was buzzing. Notice the ground wires are shared between RCA input (gnd), power supply (gnd) and speaker negative. It looks neat and tidy but does not work as intended.

Wikin wrote:
Let me draw out a sketch of my final solution that solved 98.333% of the noise.

cheers

This wiring scheme was the one that solved most if not all of the noise. Hard to believe but it works.


I would theorize that with the separate RCA star ground wire and also using 30AWG, its resistance is slightly higher than the main grounding wire of 18AWG.

Therefore the noise current flows from the power supply modulations back to earth without feeding back to the RCA input.

I'm feeling relieved and elevated right now, and it's time to fine tune the tonal balance and bass power.

cheers

Wikin wrote:
I'm feeling relieved and elevated right now, and it's time to fine tune the tonal balance and bass power.
cheers

Tuning has been in-progress since several days ago averaging 5 hrs daily. This is in my workshop room. So far I've settled with the speaker placement 5 feet from the rear wall and 3 feet from the side walls. Seating position is 7 feet away.

This position seems to achieve a nice balance between bass detail and soundstage spread. That left column affected the soundstage just a little so I compensated on the right speaker by moving it a little 3" nearer to the side wall.

Crossover for the bass has been increased from 100 to 110hz for better punch.

Tweeter gain has been reduced by about -3.5dB relative to the midrange for a warmer not so bright presentation while the midrange is -3db from the woofer. So the bass is slightly on the heavy dry side which is really nice for ROCK!

On a side note it's nice to hear that piano climaxes are just as clear and stable in the soundstage when playing very loud.

A little bit late into this thread. Great work Wikin ... looks the goods!

I converted my speaker to active as well. In my case it was a lot easier - I simply bypassed the internal crossover and brought the cable directly to the binding posts. I then used an aftermarket active crossover (Marchand XM44). I am happy!

WongKK wrote:A little bit late into this thread. Great work Wikin ... looks the goods!

Hey nice to hear from down-unda mate... how's the weather? Hope it's not too wet ha.
Well I tell ya, it sounds much better than it looks after the system has been put through the paces of tuning and more fine tuning.

WongKK wrote:
I converted my speaker to active as well. In my case it was a lot easier - I simply bypassed the internal crossover and brought the cable directly to the binding posts. I then used an aftermarket active crossover (Marchand XM44). I am happy!

I am sure you are very happy with the sound when it's working properly. Active speakers are just a different league altogether. They sound much more satisfying to listen to; especially when the stability of the sound in the stage and the gain in clarity when playing at realistic volumes can be heard.

What is more satisfying to me is building every bits and pieces of the audio chain from scratch that works I was beginning to think I was loosing my head sometimes when things don't work as intended.

cheers.

Active system is great. Best thing is that. even modest gear and driver also can be used. You should also venture in "Time Alignment". I find that TA effects a lot. Congratulation for a great DIY project.

Marvelous job, especially about the clarity of the sound and the stability of the sound stage. That is what I have been trying to tell the enthusiasts out there - I will never go back to passive systems ever again. The speed, the power, the soundstage are just amazing and no hint of any compression at high levels - try that with any passive speaker and raise the volume, all of a sudden the character changes quite dramatically. The reduction of distortion due to active cross overs are in the 100's to 1000's of time better and so the amplifiers have less work to control the cone movements (greater damping). Active speakers, even cheap ones like Behringers sound better than X times more expensive passive speakers.

The only issue is that because of that control, some enthusiasts will think there is less bass but its because of less bass control in passive speakers - less control of bass sounds like more bass but its actually longer bass distortion. But the speed of actives will remind anyone fortunate to hear electrostatics that they are on par with the best of the electrostatics but with a much, much wider choice of music (electrostatics, panel loudspeakers like Maggies, martin logans have limited sweet spots and are very power hungry, though electrostatics are very fussy about the power amps used)

Let me share my experience with active xover. My AN12 will sound thin and lack of bass, plus the treble too overwhelming if driven by my tube amp. When I hook up my car head unit that have a built in active xover, Auto Time Alignment and Auti Equalization, set it as a pre-amp in normal mode then set with Auto EQ, the end result is very promising. The bass deeper, voice stands out and trebel became crisp. This is in normal mode only. If use as an electronic xover, I am sure the sonic qualities will improve further.

Samazzah and Adcomer, why not share some detailed pictures of your setup for forrumers here to learn further. That would be an encouragement for the newbies in active setups.

cheers

Hi Wikin,

Sure thing, apologies for the delay but busy. However the others might be shocked to find how simple my setup is, just active speakers, Mac Mini, T/table and finally some optical cables to hook it up. No special power cables neither any special speaker cables, interconnects, etc. I've tried and tested some very special wiring but not significant enough to warrant the change - sold the rest off to those who need it.
Photos, well I've been meaning to post some photos to another Hi Fi blog site, but my wife will not accept the clutter in the photos, yet to clear up the area. But most importantly, the sound is very, very good in comparison with the best out there. Hang in there and I'll post it with a description (drawing?)