Just ordered nice Belden 1800F cables for balanced audio (from oppo player to lavry ADC) and digital audio (lavry to Tact digital preamp).  3 custom XLR terminated cables for about $80 shipped from Blue Jeans Cable.  1800F meets AES/EBU digital requirements with lowest capacitance and excellent shielding.  Perhaps as low cap as balanced cable gets, 13pf/ft polyethylene dielectric, 95% coverage french braid shielding.  The actual audio cables are 1 foot long, the digital cable is 5 feet.  The ADC will sit right on top of the Oppo player.

Thinking hard about balanced switching options: 4-way mechanical switch, broadcast quality (Kramer or Ocean Matrix make identical units) $159.

Relay A/B balanced audio switch (optional wired remote), OMX series Ocean Matrix, $199.

The relay unit looks and reads better.  I think relays are better than big 4-button 4-pole switch.

Goldpoint 2-way rotary balanced audio switch with teflon wiring $372.

http://www.goldpt.com/sw2x.html

The Goldpoint looks best of all.  I want something of unquestionable quality, so that you never have this nagging feeling "got to remove the switch to make it sound better".  If you have to remove the switch for "the best experience", the switch function has effectively failed, and you're back to cable swapping.  The idea is that the switch should be as close to the best wire as possible, so you'd never think about removing it.  Therefore it must be very very good.  Rotary switches are generally the best kind and there are no non-signal currents flowing through the box, it's as simple as it could get.

I'm not sure about their stranded silver-plated coper teflon wiring.  I'd rather have solid copper core teflon wiring.  Anyway, Goldpoint is definitely high end audio quality.  Their wide range of passive-pre products are routinely praised in audiophile magazines.  The price is high, but that's the way quality is, and there's no fake snake oil.  High end audio switches and attenuators are their specialty.

If I got the relay controlled switch, I could ultimately integrate it into a whole-house automated system, etc.  But my experience so far on that track is...I can't keep up with all the things that need automation.  Historically I've spent more time building most automated systems than actually using them.

With the Goldpoint, I flip the switch to listen to audio disc or "other" where "other" is all my analog single-ended sources, Kenwood tuner, Sony tuner, Nakamichi deck.  Those unbalanced sources are more in need of automatic switching (get away from DJ, etc), and I have an option for that ($550 5-way remote switch) but I'm going to let that one rest for awhile.  I can use my existing defunct Aragon preamp (unbuffered tape outs) or buy a cheap dB switcher for them.

Maybe it would be a good idea to listen to Oppo with balanced connection first, compare to Denon with unbalanced.  Getting Goldpoint switch presumes I'll get a second Oppo player for kitchen and actual Blu Ray discs.  I had only been planning to get one Oppo, but it's so good (including balanced audio outputs) that I might get two.

Anyway, one step forwards, I ordered basic balanced audio cables today.  Without those, can't do anything balanced.

Discussion of capacitor dielectrics

This seems quite good.

http://www.audience-av.com/capacitors/a_chemistview.php

Polyethylene looks good, approximately in the same vicinity as polypropylene.  This is an issue because quite often interconnects are made with polyethylene (including the Belden 1800F I just ordered).  Not because I'm trying to compare polyethylene to polypropylene capacitors (I've never seen polyethylene capacitors).

Chemically, polyethylene is the straight stuff, simple carbon chains.  Polystyrene has phenyl substitutions.  Polypropylene has methyl substitutions (similar to phenyl).  Teflon has perfluoro substitutions (minimum polarizability, even less than the straight chain).  PVC (mylar, vinyl) has chloro substitutions.

Analog selector options

Goldpoint makes some nice switchboxes.

There are two useful passive selector box options.  One switches 4 unbalanced inputs, for $352.  Another switches 2 balanced inputs, for $372.  Put both together with some XLR to RCA adapters, and I have 4 unbalanced inputs and one balanced input.  Total cost around $750.  No remote.  Clumsy two box solution.

It would be far nicer to buy their big EN2 enclosure box, stuff it with the required connectors and selector.  Two decks of 2Pole6Position switch would do it give 6 inputs any of which could be balanced.

But still no remote.  The Adcom GFP-750 has 1 balanced input and a passive non-attenuating mode.  However it appears that in passive mode, the balanced input may not work.  None are currently for sale, typical price is $750.

Ebay has circuit board with relays for 4 stereo unbalanced input, and 1 balanced input, to one balanced output, exactly what I want (even more than what I want) for $19.  But that's just the relay board, and no remote control (control is by single selection).

Another option is the fletcherhanys Dimenuendo, which is passive 26 position volume with 5 relay unbalanced input.  All unbalanced, but relay selection with remote input.  Currently selling for $549 from the manufacturer.

dB systems sells the dbp-2J/5 passive switch box.

Remote control plans for living room analog sources

Received Kenwood RC-RO600 AV remote today.  It did nothing discernable to the KT-6040 tuner.

This was just a roll of the dice, to see if similar vintage A/V remote would control the tuner.  it does have some tuner controls, including band select, preset up and preset down and dual-purpose number buttons that work with either tuner presets or tape presets.

I have a "watch" on a different but similar kenwood AV remote.  I'm getting a sinking feeling about this.

Funny or not I couldn't find stories of anyone else trying this.  The actual 6040 remote is unobtanium, though it does show up in lists as "unavailable".

Funny I just unplugged the Sony today to plug in Nakamichi RX505 to listen to my "party tape" that I made previous weekend.  I've been thinking about a switcher to select 6040, Nak, or Oppo BDP-95 (which I might keep in living room and get second for kitchen) or Denon 5900 (instead of getting second Oppo, I could just use Denon 5900 I already have, it's nearly as good for analog but doesn't have balanced outputs).  If using the Oppo, it would be nice to run balanced straight into the Lavry AD10 ADC I use for all analog sources.  So in that case, the "ultimate" switcher would be:

1 balanced input (or more)

2 unbalanced inputs (or more)

balanced output

unbalanced inputs are easily to converted to balanced by shorting signal minus to ground.  If there is one master switch, it must be 4 pole.  If there are relays, they should probably all be 4 pole also.  The ultimate would be relays with remote control.

I can't find anything like this made.  You can get, at $190 and up, professional balanced audio switchers with 4 or more inputs.  Then I could stuff the some of the inputs with xlr-to-rca adapters.  So that would work, but it's mechanical switching, not remote.  Plus the total cost includes the $5-10 adapters.  Jacks could be added to the box, though it's fairly compact.

Actual remote operation could be done with some sort of preamp, possibly using tape outputs.  There is a certain Adcom which may be promising, it has relay selectors with possibly bypassable output stage (it's a Pass designed single mosfet).  Krell also had some relay selector based units, but though the tape output might not be buffered (don't know) it is probably not balanced.  I have a Classe CP35, but I think the tape output is buffered and it's not balanced (in fact, all inputs are buffered at input IIRC).  Not sure if there's an acceptible option in any classic piece of obtainable used gear including balanced.  At very high cost, one can get a Placette volume control ($999) in balanced ($2000) and add a 2-input balanced selector (total cost maybe $2500).  That's high cost for what I need: the one relay controlled selector switch.   I don't need actual volume control, the Lavry inputs have native 10V maximum with 13dB adjustable gain.  If anything, I could use more gain.

Another option: get second Lavry, one for balanced (currently only Oppo) and one for unbalanced (Kenwood, Nakamichi, whatever else).  Currently, switcher only needed for unbalanced sources.  If switcher costs more than $1000, getting $1700 lavry is worth considering.

Then one more feature: second tuner (Sony XDR) feeding Nak input for making party tapes (though it may not have the fantastic bass of the 6040.  Also allows a second tuner, which DOES have remote control, and the convenience of on-demand recording (which it seems industry would prefer you not have).  And it means remote control access to other FM stations...

First step is getting 3 more 1foot power cords (very useful) with 3ac adapter because I'm running out of plugs on my 12 outlet power conditioner.  In fact I'm already using one 3ac adapter for both speaker dc supplies and something else.  As I said, I had to unplug Sony XDR to plug in Nakamichi, and the plan is to have the XDR be the source for the Nakamichi, hoping it's good enough for that.

For the time being, manual cable swapping instead of knob-turn or remote switcher.  I hate that though, always feeling that it prevents me from doing what I want whenever.  But that's mostly just a feeling anyway.  Often after the perfect switch has been constructed, I simply fail to have a need for it anymore.

Antenna Design Basics

Here is a nice introduction to antenna designs:

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/types.html

More thoughts on Kenwood KT-6040 tuner and preview of Oppo BDP-95

Turns out 6040 is not birdie immune as I first thought.  I first thought that specifically because I had the high blend control turned on.  Without the high blend, I get lots more noises including the birdie noise which sounds like a faint buzz in one channel.  (The buzz goes away with high blend, and is not related to ground loops in my system.)

On the birdie immunity scale, it is somewhere behind the Yamaha TX-1000, which has merely a slightly tonal hiss.  The Yamaha is also considerably quieter when both tuners do not have high blend engaged.  However, the Kenwood continues to sound clearer, regardless of high blend.

I suspect Kenwood has noise level more comparable to Sony 730ES, which uses same MPX chip, and seemed to "perform" slightly worse than the Yamaha in previous testing, where "performance" was mainly apparent quieting slope on different stations.

I've decided that KPAC 88.3 is sufficiently quieter with high blend, and sufficiently noisy without it, to make high blend the standard way of listening to it with the Kenwood.
With the high blend, I get almost noise-free reception.  Subjective difference is like going from 45dB S/N to 60dB, right where it makes a big difference.  It's not clear how much stereo imaging I am loosing, stereo imaging seems not noticeably changed by use of high blend so far.

It brings to mind the possibilities of making more adjustable high blend, so that "just the right amount" could be added for each situation.  However, I'm not sure how that would differ from what it's doing right now, it seems to work pretty well.  With high blend, the remaining constant noise has a midrange quality to it rather than high frequency hissyness.  But that's exactly as expected, if I reduced the midrange noise I would be throwing out imaging entirely.

Better options would involve using better antenna...

Loved new Oppo player plugged straight into my Lavry AD10.  Played SACD version of Take Five, more palpable than I've ever heard it.  Due to failure in an Aragon preamp (the last thing you would think would fail) my Denon 5900 in living room cannot be used in its current location.  Was just thinking of getting second Oppo BDP95 just for playing audio discs in living room, then I could move my "good" 5900 into the bedroom.  But I don't imagine it will be easy to tell 5900 and BDP-95 apart in a fair audio test, though I might try that.

Hearing loss

I've been suffering from slight left ear ringing (mostly sounds like low frequency hum) and blockage.

Went to ear doctor today and had measurements and wax cleaning.  The wax cleaning immediately improved the openness of my hearing, but the ringing did not go away.

The tests (unfortunately taken only before the cleaning) showed a 30dB notch at 4Khz.  The doctor said that my overall hearing was about 15dB better than average overall, which would make the notch only 15dB compared to that.  Also, the notch itself was better than with most men my age (55).  At higher frequencies above the notch, my hearing response goes back up again, being considereably better than most men my age.  He said most men get notches in the 4K region as a result of industrial or recreational noises.

Unfortunately I can't know how much the wax cleaning improved things in the measured response.  Perhaps after the cleaning the notch depth reduced to a mere 15dB, which is what was measured in 2004.

Will have to wait until the quiet nighttime at home to hear how much the ringing has gone away.  There didn't seem to be much change in the doctor's office.

If there is additional loss or permanent tinitus, I blame the use of ear buds, even though I try to keep the level reasonable.