Is there a new/used distortion analyzer for <$500 out there?
I hate to pay for a used distortion analyzer/shipping costs that the seller can't say is working or not because they don't know how to test.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
I hate to pay for a used distortion analyzer/shipping costs that the seller can't say is working or not because they don't know how to test.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
HP334 would be well under that, the Shibasuku 725 just above that (probably the best), and the Sound Technology about that price. Personally I've had bad luck with test equipment, burned twice by deliberately poor packing (the instrument was probably broken in the first place) with the seller telling me to file with the shipper.
+1
Easy to use, quite robust and a lot of value IMHO. Support is very good.
And when you’re a bit more comfortable with it, you can use an ultra-low THD oscillator and notch filter to crank the performance way up. Recently, I’ve been doing just that to look at 2HD and 3HD more than 140 dB below the fundamental.
Good stuff.
Duke58 - it may help if you expand on how you would use an analyser setup, and whether you have any restrictions or requirements or aspirations.
Thanks all for your replies. Interesting options here I wasn't aware of.
Trobbins- I want to use a distortion analyzer to repair and verify performance of a well used Marantz 1200 integrated amplifier.
Trobbins- I want to use a distortion analyzer to repair and verify performance of a well used Marantz 1200 integrated amplifier.
+10 on the QA401.
I ordered one last week and it arrived over the weekend. Although the software is good, it's even more impressive when used with ASIO-capable FFT software like Pioneer Hill's SpectraPlus-SC and its full suite of tools. The QA401 has now replaced a well-used Tektronix AA501A and SG505 oscillator set.
A while back, Pioneer Hill had a promotion where all plug-ins were included in the base price. The plug-ins operate automatically with the QA401. What's especially nice about SpectraPlus is that the calibration plug-in allows the user to automatically calibrate software amplitude levels to the QA401 hardware.
The only drawback I've seen is that activation of the QA401's 20 dB attenuator can only be accomplished by editing the ASIO .ini file. One line of code is all that's changed. No big deal since most of my measurements are less than +6 dBV.
Pioneer Hill also makes their own SpectaDAQ-200 SC interface but it doesn't have differential inputs and outputs -- and it costs slightly more than the QA401.
The QA401 with SpectraPlus is a very powerful combination. Performance and features are competitive with Audio Precision's products at a fraction of the price. No doubt the AP gear is more capable for very specialized applications.
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