JVC 4DD-5 - Canadian unit to Australian mains

[Crik]

Hey everyone. I've been getting quite seriously into quad recently, and have finally received my JVC 4DD-5 in the mail from Canada (I'm in Australia).

Although I haven't yet bought a cartridge suitable for CD-4, I'm eager to try out the unit as a pre-amp since that's all I can do with it at this stage.

I want to make sure I don't blow it up simply by plugging it into an Australian mains socket though. Switching to 240V seems simple enough - just a matter of shifting the jumpers over so that the arrow points to 240V (see image 1). I assume I got that part right, but of course please correct me if I'm wrong.

Is this the only thing I need to change? The thing that I'm wondering about is whether 50/60Hz is something I need to be aware of as well (I'm by no means an electrician obviously).

The other problem is adapting the plug. It seems to fit in two different places on the adapter I have (see images 2 and 3), but I would assume that I'm only meant to use one of those two. Also, am I right in thinking that the plug can be inserted either way around?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Lucanu]

Hi, I live in Italy and we've got 220(240)/50Hz and own an USA 4dd-5 (mine doesn't have that voltage switch inside, I had to plug it to a voltage adapter)
You should work ok, voltage is correct and your 4dd-5 works fine both in 50 or 60 Hz. For those adapters, there is no difference from the two but I prefer the second which looks "tighter".

 

[Crik]

Thanks for your help, Lucanu!

I just connected it up to the auxiliary input of my Sansui 551 and it seems to work fine. The output seems abnormally high though, causing some distortion in louder moments. Would this be because its designed for cartridges with lower output than your average moving magnet cartridge?

My turntable is a Technics Sl-1200 (original Mk1 model) that my uncle rescued from a rubbish tip and fixed up. Probably not ideal due to its obvious mistreatment, but ignoring its major imperfections (missing the lid and one of its feet) its been performing very well since I got it, and I'm thinking it might be suitable for CD-4 on a limited budget once I replace the cartridge.

What I'm thinking of getting for it is an old-new stock Empire 4000 D/I. Does CD-4 reproduction with this set-up sound like a feasible option?

 

[Lucanu]

Well, your 4dd-5 must be positioned in "2ch" mode if you're listening to stereo records, because sometimes your demodulator tries to demodulate high frequencies that come from the lp you're playing.

Another very important thing is that with cd-4 you have to setup almost perfectly your turntable with a protractor for alignment of cartridge (you will find some on the 'net for your TT), very good cables (low capacitance are required) and a lot of patience.

 

[Lucanu]

I forgot to say that Empire 4000 should be ok AFAIK, but if you're looking for a good cart/styli for cd4 reproduction you should look for a shibata/line contact with the highest frequency response possible.

In any case try with search button and "4dd-5" you will find lots of info that will help you get the best from your setup!

HAPPY QUAD!!!
:banana:

 

[Crik]

I already had it switched to 2 channel mode, so that doesn't seem to be it. I'll probably just let it be for now though. How it performs with a CD-4 compatible cartridge is what really matters, and it will probably be a little while before I have one. When that happens, I'll be spending quite a bit of time on perfecting the setup.

 

[Doug G.]

Crikey Crik! (sorry) Welcome!

It is always possible that the demodulator output is overloading the aux. input on your Sansui. Do you have the specs for both? Does the JVC have an adjustable output? I have never had that model so I don't know.

Most demodulators don't.

I think the Empire cartridge will be fine as long as the stylus is in good shape. I have a 4000 D/I and it works pretty good except that I think the stylus is a bit worn (I didn't know the provenance when I bought it but it was only 26 bucks). I plan on getting a 4000 D/II or D/III stylus for it someday.

You will love CD-4 once you get it working. Tomita's "Snowflakes Are Dancing," for instance, is utterly incredible!

Doug

 

[jaybird100]

Crik, do you have the CD-4 adjustment record that's needed to properly set the demodulator up for proper operation? There are some needed adjustments that the record will help you make, such as for separation and carrier level. You also need to use low capacitance cables from the turntable to the input of the demodulator to minimize high frequency loss. With all of that done, you should get some impressive results.

 

[Crik]

Thanks for all the input.

It certainly looks like the output of the demodulator is overloading the input of the Sansui (300mV output to 150mV input), but fortunately I wasn't planning on using that receiver with it for anything other than that initial test anyway.

As long as it works with whatever 4-channel sound-card I end up getting, then it'll be fine. I plan to use it mainly for making hi-res digital backups, the majority of which will just be stereo records with the unit as a pre-amp, since I only have the one CD-4 record so far (Frank Zappa - Over-nite Sensation ), but there are a few more Cd-4 albums that I'm likely to get in the future (especially Randy Newman's Good Old Boys). I'll be sure to do that modification to remove the filtering in 2CH mode.

I already have a JVC adjustment record for CD-4, and based on a few threads I've now read, it looks like the AT440MLa might be a better choice of cartridge than the Empire 4000 D/I. Pretty surprising that I can get a CD-4 capable cartridge that's so inexpensive. What I'm gathering from those threads is that the frequency response of the AT440MLa is grossly underestimated in the reported specs (they only state up to 20kHz - way too low for CD-4), but that this is due to unreliable testing or something like that.