[sveetsnelda]

Hmm...  I'll have to get my other meter back from my cousin before I try and test how long it takes for the current to bleed down to zero.  This meter is averaging results instead of giving me an instantanious reading.  Regardless of that, it's still only taking a few seconds to hit zero on this outlet...  I'll go test it with the one in the basement.

As far as the other two readings go, I get 1.1v from neutral to ground and 118v (full current) from hot to ground.  I don't know enough about AC power to determine what this means...

[dBe]

Thanks for the reply    I don't think you're being argumentative, just informative.  Based on your response, I probably didn't explain myself well enough though.

If you really did get shocked, I would throw the cord away that you pluged into the unit because it is leaky.

I'm no stranger to getting shocked by electrical components, so I certainly know what it feels like.  The cord I was using is the Elektra that Danny shipped with the unit.  Here's what happened in greater detail:

The Majik Buss was plugged into the wall.  I was experimenting with a hum I was getting from my Emotiva MPS-1.  The hum is subtle and inaudible in my theater, except through the surrounds (since people sit so close to them).  I get the hum in one outlet, but not in the other.  I experimenting to see if the Majik Buss would clean this up, but I couldn't test it fully because of the GFCI outlets (I'll change them out with a regular outlet and see how it goes).  Anyways...  I unplug my amp from the Majik Buss, unplug the Majik Buss from the wall, and I sat there thinking for a good 10-15 seconds.  I decide to take the unit upstairs and try it with my RS850's in the living room.  I picked up the end of the Elektra power cord (which is plugged into the back of the Majik Buss) and was shocked.  Again, the unit was not plugged into the wall.  Obviously, I could have picked up the power cord "further down" instead of letting my hand get in contact with the neutral/hot/ground prongs, but I've never had to worry about that with any other appliance I've used before.  The only time I worry about residual current is when I disassemble electronics (CRT monitors, etc).  Even though a flyback in a CRT TV/monitor holds a charge for a substantial amount of time, I've never had the power creep back into the power cord.

I have not thought about GFI compatibility with its use since a GFI (and the internal MOVs or crowbar, whatever...) should never be used for a high quality audio system, but I will put an inclusion on the website.  It is not a ground fault, but a discharge of a 5.6 ufd cap from neutral to ground (or vice versa) of whatever the ground to neutral potential is at your outlet.  If it is more than 3-4 volts, you have a big problem in your house somewhere with a swapped neutral and hot wire.  This will play hell with all kinds of appliances and even light bulbs.  BTW, the comparator in a GFI will trip @ 5 milliamps when new and they continue to age over time and can trip at as little as a milliamp when 10-15 years old.

Good to know.  I have no idea why the original homeowner decided to toss a couple GFI outlets in the basement (Only a couple outlets are protected.  The rest are normal).  He must have had a couple lying around left over and just threw them in.   

ah so desu ka

I understand now.  I'll be interested in seeing your measurements when they are posted.

(I just read your other post - it does sound like he had GFI's left over, huh?  From what you describe, you got a "tingler" from the Neutral/Ground shunt cap.  Wouldn't hurt you but will and did get your attention.  From now on they won't do that anymore.  Thanks for helping me tweak my product.  )

Look on the bright side: at least you didn't check the cord like a 9V and touch it to your tongue!!! 

I will be happy to update the unit for you.  Just let me know and I'll issue a FedEx pickup and turn the unit around in a day.

I really do appreciate feedback on things like this.  I try to think of all of the possible things that can happen, but just never can seem to do it.  Information like this improves the breed.  It is my desire to offer THE BEST products for the $$$ that I can for the $$$.

Good job

Dave

[sveetsnelda]

More results:

In my basement, I get 0.4v from *hot* to ground and 121v from neutral to ground (the opposite of upstairs).  My wiring down there is obviously reversed (at least to that jack).  Here's the interesting part:

After unplugging the Majik Buss from the wall (my basement outlet), I can measure (on the power cord, not the recepticles) from hot to ground or neutral to ground and my meter spikes to about 30 volts and creeps back down to 0.  If I lift a probe off and measure again, it spikes to 30, drops to 0 (rinse and repeat).  I sat and did this for about 3 minutes with the same results until I apparently got a little too close with one of my leads and the current "jumped" from the neutral to ground plug (a quick small blue spark).  After this happened, my meter didn't read anything between the two contacts.  I plugged the unit back into the wall, unplugged it, and I get the same spikes to 30v again.  Even more interesting is the fact that this doesn't happen when I use the properly wired recepticle upstairs in my office.  I get the same "spikes", but only up to a half volt.

Edit -- Correction, I'm getting spikes up to 84 volts.  I'll bet its up around 100 volts, but this crummy meter keeps averaging voltage.  I'm waiting to see how long this thing retains power for.

[dBe]

More results:

In my basement, I get 0.4v from *hot* to ground and 121v from neutral to ground (the opposite of upstairs).  My wiring down there is obviously reversed (at least to that jack).  Here's the interesting part:

After unplugging the Majik Buss from the wall (my basement outlet), I can measure (on the power cord, not the recepticles) from hot to ground or neutral to ground and my meter spikes to about 30 volts and creeps back down to 0.  If I lift a probe off and measure again, it spikes to 30, drops to 0 (rinse and repeat).  I sat and did this for about 3 minutes with the same results until I apparently got a little too close with one of my leads and the current "jumped" from the neutral to ground plug (a quick small blue spark).  After this happened, my meter didn't read anything between the two contacts.  I plugged the unit back into the wall, unplugged it, and I get the same spikes to 30v again.  Even more interesting is the fact that this doesn't happen when I use the properly wired recepticle upstairs in my office.  I get the same "spikes", but only up to a half volt.

Well, there ya' go!  No wonder you got zorched!!!  Home electricians that are weekend warriors have killed many unsuspecting people that bought their houses.  I'm glad that you are OK.

If I were you, I'd go to Home Depot or Lowe's and buy a probe tester like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?jspStoreDir=hdus&catalogId=10053&productId=100062242&navFlow=3&keyword=ground%2Bhot%2Bneutral%2Btester&langId=-1&searchRedirect=ground+hot+neutral+tester&storeId=10051&endecaDataBean=com.homedepot.sa.el.wc.catalog.beans.EndecaDataBean%4019afa816&ddkey=Search

I found a few reversed outlets in my home and I bought it from an electrician that should have known better 

Let me know what you want to do with the update.

Dave

[Danny Richie]

I am in the same boat if I plug the MB into my Dodd Audio balanced power supply( after the power supply). So I am laying 60 volts on each leg.

With my meter I was getting initial spikes to 188 and 190 volts. I don't know if that is accurate or not. It then takes about a minute to drop back down to near 0. This was from hot to neutral.

Note to self, unplug it from the IEC end first.

[satfrat]

<<Note to self, unplug it from the IEC end first.>>

Dave, that might be a handy thing to add to your instructions in big bold capital letters. Saftey first, then there's covering your own a$$. aa

Personally Dave, after seeing the connectivity sparks the 1st time I plugged in the power cord to the Majik Buss, there's no way in hell I'd be touching the power cord's AC pins. But hey, that's just me. I do enough stupid sh!t as it is w/o asking for it.

Danny, do you have your balanced power conditioner plugged into the Majik Buss or are you plugging the Majik Buss into the balanced power conditioner? Thanks.

Robin

[Danny Richie]

Well, if your house is not wired wrong or you are not plugging into balanced power then you won't have any issue with it trying to discharge on you when you touch it (if you really need to unplug it and touch it).

Dave is also adding something to future versions to keep that from being an issue.

So all should be fine.

I was using it after my balanced power supply. I was a little reluctant to use it before the power supply at first because my amps draw 1,100 watts of power at idle from the power supply (big tube amps). But, it sounds like it will not be an issue, so I will try it before the power supply as soon as I get a chance.

[Dan_ed]

I haven't done any extensive trials, but it seems to me that it doesn't make much difference what cord is going into the Majik Buss, as long as it has large conductors. Oh, that is going through a Brickwall. The Brickwall/Majik Buss combo works very well in the HT. I don't like the Brickwall in the 2 ch system. We'll see in the next week when I move the Buss into the stereo, but the way it cleans up the plasma and sound. . .   

 

[dBe]

<<Note to self, unplug it from the IEC end first.>>

Dave, that might be a handy thing to add to your instructions in big bold capital letters. Saftey first, then there's covering your own a$$. aa

Personally Dave, after seeing the connectivity sparks the 1st time I plugged in the power cord to the Majik Buss, there's no way in hell I'd be touching the power cord's AC pins. But hey, that's just me. I do enough stupid sh!t as it is w/o asking for it.

Danny, do you have your balanced power conditioner plugged into the Majik Buss or are you plugging the Majik Buss into the balanced power conditioner? Thanks.

Robin

Oh, yeah!  I am going to do a complete rewrite of the Warranty and Use sheet this weekend.  It will end up being a couple of pages, 'cuz I have a big a$$ 

Thanks for all of the support, BTW.

Dave

[sveetsnelda]

Good call.  It's definitely a good idea to cover yourself.

In case anyone was curious, I left my Majik Buss unplugged yesterday from 11:58 AM to 12:00PM (a full 12 hours) and my meter was still showing 28 volts.  It apparently takes quite some time for that current to go away...  Now I'm headed downstairs to fix my screwed up wiring. 

-Mike

[srclose]

I've been letting the Majik and Electra power cord settle in for about a week.  I compared a stock, non-audiophile power cord with the Electra powering a McAlister PP150 amp.  It was like listening to two different systems, no comparison.  Less edge, more texture, a more natural timbre, and more open.  Leaving the Electra with the amp, the Majik was inserted between the wall and a modified DAC60 using the B outlet.  Again, no comparison.  A cleaner sound was immediately evident with a more holographic presentation.  Neither difference was subtle by any stretch.  Unfortunately or fortunately, both just became essential.  While not the most detailed comparison, it didn't need to be to identify the improvements.  These both deserve some serious attention.

[dBe]

Good call.  It's definitely a good idea to cover yourself.

In case anyone was curious, I left my Majik Buss unplugged yesterday from 11:58 AM to 12:00PM (a full 12 hours) and my meter was still showing 28 volts.  It apparently takes quite some time for that current to go away...  Now I'm headed downstairs to fix my screwed up wiring. 

-Mike

Mike,

I have got to have your last name.  The revision that I am going to make is to be called: "The Mike (your name here) Memorial Tweak"  It is only fitting, me thinks.

Dave

[Occam]

[EDIT]nevermind.....

[S Clark]

I compared a stock, non-audiophile power cord with the Electra powering a McAlister PP150 amp.  It was like listening to two different systems, no comparison.  Less edge, more texture, a more natural timbre, and more open.  Leaving the Electra with the amp, the Majik was inserted between the wall and a modified DAC60 using the B outlet.  Again, no comparison.  A cleaner sound was immediately evident with a more holographic presentation.  Neither difference was subtle by any stretch.  Unfortunately or fortunately, both just became essential.  While not the most detailed comparison, it didn't need to be to identify the improvements.  These both deserve some serious attention.

This mirrors my own impressions from a couple of weeks ago.  The Electra power cord is number one on my father's day list.

[HT cOz]

I have a hard time understanding how a power cord makes such a large difference.  I definitely don't doubt it as too many trusted people have stated that it is making a dramatic change. 

Part of me wonders where does it end?  At the wall? At the circuit breaker? At the line to the house? 

Should we all be focusing on regenerating our power and paying attention to all the cabling in-between everything?

Does anyone know of good electrical wire?  I plan on running my room on a dedicated circuit and it probably needs some good wire inbetween.

[sveetsnelda]

Mike,

I have got to have your last name.  The revision that I am going to make is to be called: "The Mike (your name here) Memorial Tweak"  It is only fitting, me thinks.

Dave

Hah.  My last name is Elder, but I think "The Mike Elder has crummy basement wiring Tweak" is a little more accurate.    The outlet was simply mounted upside down (who knows why) and the hot/neutral weren't swapped to follow it.  My house is fairly new and up to code, but the original owner decided to finish the basement himself to save money.  Nothing wrong with that, but there were quite a few things that make it obvious that he didn't quite know what he was doing. 

[Danny Richie]

Hey HTcOz,

In regards to your line of questions... Let me give away a little info about that.

It is not just about the wire. Sure high purity OFC is great and does have an effect, but that is but just a drop in the bucket. For that matter, the jacket type has as much to do with how it sounds as the wire itself in most cases.

It is not about inductance, capacitance, and resistance, but they do play a role. Bigger gauge and lower resistance in itself can have some subtle effect in the bottom end, but less than you'd think.

The power cable can be anything and everything between being an antenna and being a filter.

It can catch and transmit tons of EMI, and RFI signals along with that 60Hz AC sine wave.

Or it can be designed in such a way as to cancel out, reject, or filter a lot of that stuff away.

Power cables can't give you something in the music (in the recording) that is not there. In other words, it can't create sound stage depth, width, space between instruments, etc. However, it can obscure those things. In other words it carries with it all kinds of bad things that destroy all the good stuff. Strip that bad stuff away and the good stuff about the recording can then not be obscured and masked over.

Make sense? Some think that the AC power cables is that last thing in a long chain of power coming from a power plant to your gear. But it is really the first thing that your gear sees. And that thing is either collecting the bad stuff, or filtering the bad stuff. 

Adding something like the Majik Buss just takes it all several steps further still.

[EARGASM]

Removed by member.

[Stereodude]

You guys crack me up.  I need some of what you guys have been eating, drinking, and/or smoking because I'm clearly missing out on something. 

[Danny Richie]

You guys crack me up.  I need some of what you guys have been eating, drinking, and/or smoking because I'm clearly missing out on something.

 

Do we have a dissenter amount us?    Just kidding. 

What say then? Are we all crazy?