Does anyone care to ask an amplifier designer a technical question? My door is open.

@ramtubes. 

   It is very likely that what I’m hearing with this preamp vs passive thing is a less than perfect passive, against preamp distortions which “smooth” the sound. I’d like to know more about your suggested solution to this issue, but contact outside of this discussion is probably best.

   I do have technical questions regarding cabling and AC outlet use though! I’m not excited about super expensive cables (I’ve tried many with very little in the way of difference), but there are electrical differences (capacitance, inductance) in wire. Also, there are different metals and connectors used. What should one look for in terms of material (copper, silver, etc), and electrical properties (capacitance, etc) when choosing wire?
 
  Regarding AC outlet use, how does one best work out the unavoidable need to plug various components into a two outlet wall plate? I had an electrician run a dedicated 30A, 10AWG line to the duplex behind my system location to isolate the stereo components, and to provide enough amperage for the amplifier’s initial turn on draw (it was tripping the 20A breaker). I have seven components that need power. I plug my power amp into one of the outlets, and a “high end” six outlet power bar to the other outlet. Is there something special, and necessary about power strips for stereo components? If so, what does one look for when choosing between them?

@twoleftears  Technical question: Do certain electronic components, e.g. capacitors, need to "form" before they operate at their best?

Electrolytic caps do need to form and the form time is related to how long they have been off or stored. This is why smart tech bring up old equipment on a variac, to let the caps form. If power caps are just hit with full voltage they will draw DC leakage current as they form. If they get too hot in the process they explode. The process is regenerative so it goes very fast at the end. Many people destroy otherwise good caps by just turning things on for too long. 

If people want to know there is a lot to be said about these caps and I have studied them in depth. I made a current limited "former" that will prevent the overheating runaway. Sometimes old caps are better than what is being made now. I know because Ive tested them. 

It takes about a day to fully form a 10 year old cap. They often form to much higher voltage than the rating. The old man at Mallory explained it all to me.  In large quantities where we spec what we want, the voltage written on the cap is more often the voltage on the purchase order rather than what the cap was made for. 

For example we ordered 1000 pcs of 150 uf 315 volt caps at Beveridge. I tested them and found them good to over 500 volts, therefore I would say they could have been marked 450 but we ordered 315V. We got more than we paid for, but one has to TEST these things to know. 

He also told me that stored at cool temperatures 10 years takes only a month off the life of a cap. Basically nothing. Its all about the water inside staying inside. 

I am sad to report that modern caps from good makers are having other problems that prevent this kind of testing. Recently I found some good caps flashed over at slightly above rating because the edge margins on the paper had been reduced to shrink the cap's size. Now that is sad. 

My advice, heed this well, If you have old lytics that are working fine, DO NOT REPLACE THEM. The new ones may not last nearly as long. I have 30 year old caps in RM-9s that are doing just fine. I don't think modern caps are going to last 30 years. 

Oh, perhaps I forgot to mention, Im really into finding out why parts fail. One has to care to make long lasting equipment.

@bdp24 The old Polk Audio Cobra cables were a very high capacitance design, and caused some amps to become unstable

.

We briefly sold those cables till we found out if you step on them they short out. Weaving magnet wire into a snake skin is a really bad idea.

@krelldreams

   I do have technical questions regarding cabling and AC outlet use though! I’m not excited about super expensive cables (I’ve tried many with very little in the way of difference), but there are electrical differences (capacitance, inductance) in wire. Also, there are different metals and connectors used. What should one look for in terms of material (copper, silver, etc), and electrical properties (capacitance, etc) when choosing wire?
 
  Regarding AC outlet use, how does one best work out the unavoidable need to plug various components into a two outlet wall plate? I had an electrician run a dedicated 30A, 10AWG line to the duplex behind my system location to isolate the stereo components, and to provide enough amperage for the amplifier’s initial turn on draw (it was tripping the 20A breaker). I have seven components that need power. I plug my power amp into one of the outlets, and a “high end” six outlet power bar to the other outlet. Is there something special, and necessary about power strips for stereo components? If so, what does one look for when choosing between them?

Not sure what I can do about the passive thing but you can write Tony at tubeaudiostore@gmail and he will forward to me. 

The capacitance and inductance in a power cord is vanishingly small and can be ignored. Some platings are nice. DeOxit is a good cleaner and cleaning may help more than anything. 

I would have had the electrician put in several duplex outlets so no power strip is needed. Power strips vary in cost and quality but the expensive ones with big claims are just marketing. You have nice 10 Ga wire in the wall and then what?

Heres something Ive done. Get a bunch of reasonable power cords, like $20 each of various lengths. Cut off all the male plugs strip and hardwire the cut end directly to the 10 GA wire with a bussbar. Solder good solder lugs to the wires and screw them with a star washer to the bussbar. THe star washers are important. Now you have direct power cords and have eliminated one connection.  Make some extras of course.  The ones you arent using just coil them up.

I had custom power cords made that are 8 ft long, very flexible, supple, drape nicely and wont pull  your smaller devices off the shelf. We have them if you need some. 

Bottom line here. Its not the wire that matters. You have hundreds of feet of ordinary magnet wire in every transformer. What you gonna do bout that? :). All this power cord and power strip is just foolishness. Why do we need powercords that are a pain to run?

Thanks for the question. I hope people can see that throwing dollars at something is not always the best solution. 

@stargazer   I must admit that I personally in my limited experience of owning new HiFi components I never experienced this marked change of sound during 'burn in process'. When you confirm that in regard solid state amplifiers it is the listener who is becoming accustomed to the change thats quite an assertion when you consider the host of people (professional and non professional) who claim to have actually heard and experienced the change of sound during the claimed burn in process. Its fascinating that such a divide exists among normal music lovers.

It is quite an assertion that I made. We know not what they heard, we know not what posessed them to make such claims. I assert that the change is so subtle as to be entirely imaginary. I have said to many who report such " Wow you have a really good imagination"

Look at it this way. There are professionals and non professionals who assert they have golden ears and they must say these things to support their ears. We dont know what someone is hearing. 

As I have posted previously ive been in a room with some golden ears where the system was "broken" and they didnt hear it. Given that who is really hearing what?