Hello Folks!
A question about installing Aktiv cards in Chakra (Cx100) Amps:
I'm familiar with how stereo Aktiv cards go into LK-85/140 amps (plug the loom/harness into the appropriate connectors on the card and amp, slide the card into place with the tabs poking out the back, then secure the card with a simple screw/bolt) -- are the Chakra cards equally straightforward (albeit with a rigid multipin connector in place of the wire loom)? Are there any special tricks / warnings (beyond the normal anti-static and capacitive discharge precautions) that a person should be aware of? Thanks very much, and hope you're all enjoying your summers!
- C
Chakra Aktiv Cards - how to install?
Moderator: Staff
Hi Ceilidh!
It's a straight plug-and-play with the aktiv cards in the Chakra amps (provided you take antistatic precautions etc). But instead of the direction of the connecting cables with the stereo cards, you do have another thing to fine tune with the Chakra cards: The connecting male-male multipin connector.
It might seem silly, but they can be connected in 4 different ways (upside down/rotated) and each way sounds slightly different. If you have the time and energy, change the direction of one at a time, starting with the highest frequencies in one channel. Then continue with all channels until you are done. It takes quite a while...
The level adjustment on the Chakra amps is far too big to be of any practical use, except in very special cases. It's one decibel in each step (one fourth to one eighth is what I would have preferred on the treble) and while you should always try adjusting them (last - after the speaker positioning and the connector issue above is done), they usually end up in the neutral position.
Best of luck!
It's a straight plug-and-play with the aktiv cards in the Chakra amps (provided you take antistatic precautions etc). But instead of the direction of the connecting cables with the stereo cards, you do have another thing to fine tune with the Chakra cards: The connecting male-male multipin connector.
It might seem silly, but they can be connected in 4 different ways (upside down/rotated) and each way sounds slightly different. If you have the time and energy, change the direction of one at a time, starting with the highest frequencies in one channel. Then continue with all channels until you are done. It takes quite a while...
The level adjustment on the Chakra amps is far too big to be of any practical use, except in very special cases. It's one decibel in each step (one fourth to one eighth is what I would have preferred on the treble) and while you should always try adjusting them (last - after the speaker positioning and the connector issue above is done), they usually end up in the neutral position.
Best of luck!
Thank you, Mr. Lejonklou!
As is frequently the case with audio tweaks, the orientation of the multipin connectors sounds a bit like voodoo -- but after witnessing how much better my Klout sounds after a little connector cleaning, I'm ready to believe anything! (Hopefully my hearing will be good enough to discern things....)
Along those lines: how do you tell when the treble is "best"? In my dabblings with (passive) biamping, I've found that I can tell when the treble is getting our of sync with the bass/midrange -- but that's a matter of matching the treble to something existing, not to identifying the best treble outright. Do I have to try the bass connectors in all 4 of their orientations, find the best treble match for each, and then compare the 4 best matches with each other? Or is there some way of telling when the treble is "best", even if it's clashing with a bass at its "worst"?
Anyway, it'll be some weeks (months?) before I can try out the cards, but I'll keep you posted on the results.
Thank you again for the Aktiv pointers, and I'm glad to hear it's relatively straightforward!
- C
As is frequently the case with audio tweaks, the orientation of the multipin connectors sounds a bit like voodoo -- but after witnessing how much better my Klout sounds after a little connector cleaning, I'm ready to believe anything! (Hopefully my hearing will be good enough to discern things....)
Along those lines: how do you tell when the treble is "best"? In my dabblings with (passive) biamping, I've found that I can tell when the treble is getting our of sync with the bass/midrange -- but that's a matter of matching the treble to something existing, not to identifying the best treble outright. Do I have to try the bass connectors in all 4 of their orientations, find the best treble match for each, and then compare the 4 best matches with each other? Or is there some way of telling when the treble is "best", even if it's clashing with a bass at its "worst"?
Anyway, it'll be some weeks (months?) before I can try out the cards, but I'll keep you posted on the results.
Thank you again for the Aktiv pointers, and I'm glad to hear it's relatively straightforward!
- C
I agree it sounds like voodoo (lots of things do in this business), but try it and see if it makes any difference. If not, you have saved yourself a lot of time! :D
Regarding how to listen and compare, I suggest you first try it and then tell us how it works.
You don't have to go back and forth between the connectors or the level adjustments - just go from top frequencies and down, one connector at a time. Then level adjustments, from top frequencies and down. If you decide to go back you will most likely find that your previous decisions were already correct (regardless of what you did later).
I hope I am making some sense.
Regarding how to listen and compare, I suggest you first try it and then tell us how it works.
You don't have to go back and forth between the connectors or the level adjustments - just go from top frequencies and down, one connector at a time. Then level adjustments, from top frequencies and down. If you decide to go back you will most likely find that your previous decisions were already correct (regardless of what you did later).
I hope I am making some sense.