Sound Source Switcher
I’ve recently decided, “It’s time to become a real reviewer!”
What should a real reviewer have? The first, of course, is an unboxing knife: beautiful, sharp, dumb, but making an impressive picture. A friend of mine, who’s a great expert on such knives, forbade me to buy it myself, saying, “You’ll buy the wrong one anyway, so I’d better present you with a right one.” Here’s the present:
This is why I have a knife now. I have no idea whether it is right, but it cuts packages well and looks just fine.
Another thing a real reviewer needs is some kind of personal rating that can be referenced and that can be updated and expanded from time to time. I’m working on that. It’ll be all right soon.
A real reviewer must have their own measurement database – it is ready and constantly updated.
What else? Of course, I need to come up with some useful thing and then make and sell it. It seems that everything already exists in this world, but if you think more, it’s far from it. Take, for example, microwaves: they all open to the left. But for some reason there are no microwaves that open to the right. Who would have thought?
So, what’s my point? I decided to make a device. A cognitive distortion suppressor. An audiophile field normalizer. A brain harmonizer. It’s called a ‘sound source switcher’. The purpose of the device is simple and clear: to quickly switch between sound sources to compare sounds. You can find something alike in one well-known Chinese marketplace (I wrote about it here in sec. 4), but such switchers work laughably poorly: there are always some noises and crackles inside, their buttons break, etc. I’ve tried them first-hand. Besides, such devices are available only with 3.5 mm connectors, and any true audiophile can’t take it seriously.
Anyway, thanks to a good man whose name is Alexander, this device has been made:
Its design is not only simple, but also very efficient: on the one side, it has two 6.3 TRS connectors — these are the inputs. On the other side, there is one 6.3 TRS connector — this is the output.
On top of it, there is a switch that connects the output to one of the two inputs. There is no electronics inside: just a mechanical switch with short wires. The resistance is less than 0.001 Ohms, meaning it can’t affect the sound at all.
The shape of the body is peculiar, with eyelets on the sides, so that you can operate the switch with one hand, holding the eyelets with your fingers.
Besides, Alexander implemented an opportunity to change the back panel so that the device eventually fit to any interior.
The usage is simple:
- take two sound sources;
- connect them with cables to the inputs of the switcher;
- connect headphones to the output;
- equalize the volume at the inputs (preferably with any microphone – what matters is that you’d better not do it by ear);
- play the same track on two devices at the same time;
- switch between the sound sources in an attempt to catch the difference.
The aural memory of the brain is extremely short, or, which is the same, the adaptive capacity of the brain in terms of sound perception is very high. Therefore, it is a must to compare sounds of different sound sources only in this way, through instant switching.
The price of the device is $20. I don’t earn anything from its sale at all, as the idea of popularizing proper approaches is more important to me. At the moment, I have 2 devices that I can send by CDEK even tomorrow. If you’re in St. Petersburg, we can meet in person.
In short, if you want to buy it, feel free to email me (see the website header).
Brief FAQ
Q: Can I use the switcher reversedly?
A: Yes, you can connect one input and toggle between the outputs.
Q: How do I output the sound to two devices simultaneously if both are connected to the same PC?
A: For example, open one AIMP as is and then the second one, but with the /debug key. Then the second instance of AIMP will run. Next, you can configure each AIMP to its own sound source and play the same track via each one.
Q: I have suggestions for improvements, enhancements, or just wants and wishes. Where do I write?
A: Please comment here.
Q: Will there be a version for 3.5 mm connectors?
A: Yes, we’re working on it.
Q: Will there be a version for balanced connectors?
A: Yes, if we find a 6-pin switch. We can’t find it yet though.
Q: Will there be any other devices?
A: Yes, stay tuned.
Q: It could have been done better/neater/cheaper!!!11
A: If you could wish it better, go ahead, nice one. And I could not.
That’s about it.
