[Elecraft] Low headphone audio level

[rfenabled at gmail.com]

Steve,

I have never found a radio with an internal speaker that I liked. The FTdx9000D came close. (But what a price tag)

I have always used external speakers as well as put up with degraded hearing.

The K3 driving various speakers (non amplified) provides good audio levels for me to the point whereby I can clearly hear voices at 10 plus metres from the radio.

This was not always the case. I sent mine to Aptos for upgrades to the current spec earlier this year and the audio has been improved dramatically since it's return.

I wonder if you have the problem I had?

Mine (#679) is now superb to my ears. I run the AF at 10 o'clock or less with or without the CM-500 headphones.

73's
Gary
VK4FD
Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

-----Original Message-----
From: "Steve Ellington" <n4lq at carolina.rr.com>
Sender: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:32:56 
To: Tom W8JI<w8ji at w8ji.com>; <nf4l at nf4l.com>; <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Low headphone audio level

As far as I'm concerned, all the audio is weak on the K3. Using the same 
speaker, the little IC7000 blows the K3 off the desk. Maybe it's got 
something to do with current drain. The Icom does use considerable more 
power in receive mode and runs pretty hot. The K3's audio is quiet adequate 
but just not very loud.

Steve
N4LQ
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom W8JI" <w8ji at w8ji.com>
To: <nf4l at nf4l.com>; <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2010 9:16 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Low headphone audio level


>>> We sort of got sidetracked from the original posters remarks. It's about
>>> low
>>> headphone level on the K3. If the level were a bit higher there would be
>>> no
>>> need to plug the headphones into the speaker jack. Similarly each pair 
>>> of
>>> headphones you grab seems to have a different level. I have 3 different
>>> headphones and don't intend to buy a forth. Naturally the one that is 
>>> the
>>> most comfortable is also the one with the lowest level. And I understand
>>> that most people don't seem to have this problem. It might be better
>>> hearing
>>> or better headphones.
>
> A good audio line with lots of volume headroom is everything. I can't
> imagine spending so much time on everything else in the station and then 
> not
> spending any time on something used and changed all the time like the 
> audio
> output lines.
>
> I have never liked nor used the headphone jacks in anything from my
> boatanchors up through my FT1000's of all flavors and the K3. I've never
> found them suitable or flexible enough for my tastes.
>
> I always run the speaker line out to a switching system, and I terminate
> that line in a load safe for the radio. Then I bridge off that line with
> either a good big speaker and audio amp, or headphones.
>
> I have virtually no problems at all with any headphone bridging across the
> speaker output lines of any radio, and I can bridge multiple headsets at
> once.
>
> The toughest thing for me is to get guest ops to stop using the headphone
> jacks on receivers and transceivers, and to use the desk mounted jacks.
>
> http://www.w8ji.com/cables_and_wiring.htm
>
> I have to finish that page some day. :-)
>
> 73 Tom
>
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