A/r Tds202

Strawman

Addicted Member
Got in my A/R TDS on saturday on hooked it up thru the pre/main jacks on an SX-850, I was lees than thrilled. It seems to add a lot of hum and when activated made the highs much higher, almost shrill, lost almost all of the bass, almost like it's uncoupling the woofer. Did I get a bad one? Anybody else have this type of problem? I got it after reading rave reviews here. Maybe tonight I'll try it on a small Kenwood thru the tape loop and see what I get.
 
you might wanna try it between the source (cdp) and the amp. i recall trying mine similarly in the pre/main loop on the sx626 i use as a preamp, and exactly, mids and highs went up and bass seemed to go away. i then hit the loudness button (bump up the bass curve) and it seemed to restore things. however, i think the best app for the TDS is between the source and the amp. you may also wanna try in your HT, for instance, between cable box audio outs and the amp ins. i have one on mine, and like the way dialogue gets clear and sharp and ambient noises in the background come up.

but the killer app for the TDS is between source and the Sonic Impact T-amp. if you haven't tried that, then you are just kinda messing around .....the SI amp and the TDS seem to be made for each other. do you have an SI amp? give that a shot on some reasonably efficient 8 ohm speakers and see what you think...
 
oh, and if you use a RtR or cassette deck, putting the TDS between it and the amp will do wonders to boost detail and 'decompress' the sound ....

with the Sonic Impact, the soundstage just jumps up in depth, size, clarity, and detail.
 
Thanks Shrinkboy

I was going to try it with a Kenny KA 5700 and Teac reel that are on the test bench tonight. Should I go RtR output to A/R input, and A/R out put to amp input? Haven't gotten a Sonic T yet, next on the list. When I hit the loudness or turned up the bass with the knob & turnovers, still didn't get much bass back, also the annoying hum....
Steve
 
i believe i recall hearing about hum with the TDS somewhere. you should try getting it on a different shelf from the pre and amp. it comes with 3' interconnects, so you should be able to do that. and yeah, hook up the tape machine as you describe. it may be that you just don't like what it does to your sound. as we know all know, audio perception is individual. but i would not give up on it until you get an SI
 
I have had a TDS for a couple weeks now, and am not real impressed either, but there is some benefit I have found, it seems to work well on pre-1975 recordings for the most part, was smoked by some old van morrison the other day, but it does remove the low end drastically.
On newer music it seems to make the vocals and mids too harsh, almost bright. it was kinda annoying. havent had tons of time to comletely substantiate my theory but then again i'm just a basic music listener
 
I hooked it up to the Kenwood amp and Teac reel, still not thrilled. Tried it with the SX-790 and a kenwood CD player, a little more listenable. I only paid $8.00 plus shipping, if I can't find a home for it, I got my money's worth for the IC's. Next stop, upsairs to the (shudder) Home theater setup where everyting is based on looks. :thumbsdn:
 
Forgot to mention

By moving it around, I did manage to eliminate (reduce?) the hum. Makes me wonder how these guys are stripping them of the only shielding that they have with good results, and mounting them with the Sonic T in the same housing. Just sayin' :scratch2:
 
Your experience with this little widget seems contrary to the mostly rave reviews I've seen on it. Do you think it could be related to the limited shielding you've noted? If so, would taking the guts out and throwing them into a metal cabinet alleviate this problem?

I have begun to investigate the Sonic Impact and TDS202 as a possible upgrade to my electronics for some sensitive speakers of mine. However, I'd like to put them into something less plastic and more metal in the hopes of improving the sound with better shielding.

On another note, where are y'all finding these for so cheap?

- JP
 
i am using a Pioneer SA-7100 as pre-amp, with the TDS202 between it and the Sonic T Amp. i experienced a definate hum as well, until i moved the TDS away from the SA-7100. since then then its been sonic bliss.
 
hey elroy, its only 2 times a week. just because you have only 3 fingers on each hand doesnt mean thats the answer to everything.
 
One thing for sure, that picture of Dingus is the best example of rectal defilade I've ever seen. No wonder your hair is thinning.
 
Dude "or dingus the dumbshit" Monday, Thurday, Sunday. to me that is 3 shifts in 7 days and dont tell me your K-day is monday. I could run a schedule from Wednesday if you want..
It does probably average out to 2 1/2 days a week or so, SO THERE

Thats all I got to say about that.
 
ok shit for brains, how is it that we work a 40 hour work week? and like it or not, my kelly day is in fact Monday.
 
sorry about the OT drift. Todd (elroymcgee) and i are like a married couple, cant be happy together unless we're bitching at each other.

back on topic, the AR TDS202 is a nice little unit. by itself you may or may not find it to your liking. however, pair it with the Sonic Impact T-Amp (15wpc) and you have yourself a sweet sounding combination. also you will want to get a Y adapter for the input on the T-Amp, and i recommend getting the 12v adapter as well, to avoid messing with batteries. with shipping you can get everything for around $80-$85. ebay is probobly the best source to find the TDS202, get everything else from Parts Express.

to answer the last question, a Kelly Day is a term (from the military) used to designate a persons day off when their shift is normally working. for instance, i have a Monday Kelly Day, when my shift is scheduled to work Monday they do, but i get the day off. where we work, the Kelly Day keeps the work week to an average of 2 shifts per week, which for us, translates to a 40 hr work week.
 
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