VU meters on vintage amps

Check out my newest toy...it's all meters!

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I don't have this anymore, but the Pioneer QX-9900 is a quad receiver, with meters for each channel:

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One of the coolest looking vintage receivers, IMO...especially with the angled display glass, really has that "control panel" look, and the other light up stuff makes it look like part of the original Starship Enterprise set. :biggrin:
 
I got started on the "dual VU's" with the Sansui 990 (black version of 9090), then to the Kenwood KA 9100, now I've settled on the under-appreciated Rotel RA 1412, some of the coolest looking "light up windows" out there methinks.

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These Rotels look pretty cool too...

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just voltmeters with wattage scales.
Yep.
No. But I know how you measure electrical power. It takes a lot of complex analogue circuitry to do it, including log converters - which are notoriously prone to drift and temperature influence.
This is made even more complicated if you want a circuit that responds linearly over something like 10 octaves - its tricky enough doing it well at 60Hz mains frequency.
To correctly measure real power would require more circuitry than is already present in most amplifiers; and the result is of little use to the end user.

Now its more feasible with cheap microprocesors and A/D converters.
Zactely.
 
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So anyway, do these power meters, as I've now learned what they are called, actually move back and forth in response to rising and falling of the volume of the music as it plays? Or do they remain fairly steady throughout playback?
Actually they are damped; otherwise the needles would look like a vibrating guitar string.
 
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So anyway, do these power meters, as I've now learned what they are called, actually move back and forth in response to rising and falling of the volume of the music as it plays? Or do they remain fairly steady throughout playback?

Mine even change color! I think all the Onkyo amps do on fireup. Not my amp, but identical.

 
Do you mean, big ass back lit meters like these ?

When engaging the living room`s audio system, these MC 1201`s cannot be seen, as their in the adjacent sunroom.
And would be distracting anyway while trying to watch a movie if their meter lights were turned on, which I very rarely do anyway.

Same goes for the other 2 MC 1201`s in my bedroom`s system.

I guess owning the 4 big blue meter amps since late 2003, the visual novelty has worn off..

I`m more interested in the sound quality coming out of my audio systems than observing dancing meter needles, though if a desirable tune happens while the bedroom system is powered up, and I feel motivated to bring/crank the system up to realistic SPL levels, then I might study the indicated wattage levels on the 1201`s for a few moments, out of curiosity IMG_0180.JPG !!

I know, I`m no fun !!
But being an audio tech for decades, can have that effect.
 
Do you mean, big ass back lit meters like these ?

When engaging the living room`s audio system, these MC 1201`s cannot be seen, as their in the adjacent sunroom.
And would be distracting anyway while trying to watch a movie if their meter lights were turned on, which I very rarely do anyway.

Same goes for the other 2 MC 1201`s in my bedroom`s system.

I guess owning the 4 big blue meter amps since late 2003, the visual novelty has worn off..

I`m more interested in the sound quality coming out of my audio systems than observing dancing meter needles, though if a desirable tune happens while the bedroom system is powered up, and I feel motivated to bring/crank the system up to realistic SPL levels, then I might study the indicated wattage levels on the 1201`s for a few moments, out of curiosity View attachment 1228006 !!

I know, I`m no fun !!
But being an audio tech for decades, can have that effect.

Cool looking pic of those 147 lb blue eyed monsters:thumbsup:
Over the years I'm guessing I've owned at least 2 dozen metered amps of all varieties. To my eyes none of them has the mesmerizing effect that a pair of MC1201's or for that matter any pair of the Mac monoblocks. Even when they're shut off those big Mac's continue to make their statement and dominate the room.
 
Cool looking pic of those 147 lb blue eyed monsters:thumbsup:
Over the years I'm guessing I've owned at least 2 dozen metered amps of all varieties. To my eyes none of them has the mesmerizing effect that a pair of MC1201's or for that matter any pair of the Mac monoblocks. Even when they're shut off those big Mac's continue to make their statement and dominate the room.

Thanks motorstereo for the compliment on the "Big Boy`s", that was very kind of you..

Yes !! I can attest to their "heft", as to when they were delivered, I had the 2 Stereo Store grunting guys place them on the floor in the Sunroom nearby the rack that their now placed in.

Because, I still had to flip them both over to convert them over to 240 volts(bottom cover removal), and that was no mean feat by myself using my one and only working hand/arm(my "metaphoric wife" was not very happy for a day or two LOL !!), but I was motivated and managed to flip them over, & then back, without harming them, or myself in any way.

And then called upon two much younger(mid twenties) butch( working out in the Gym types) friends, to insert them into the rack after the conversion, for a future dinner at their choice of restaurant, and a couple of beers each, right afterwards.

Yeah, those big cyclops meter blue eyed monsters do have a way of looking like they can, and do mean business !!
 
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Cheating a little I suppose, as the DA-M10 meters are separate from the DA series amps but they bolt together so there you go. :music:
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