Greener wrote: Madmax, couldn't the problem of having something short the pins if it were to come loose be fixed by having the plugs set into the wall slightly further, so that if the come out far enough to have exposed contacts they are no longer connected to the mains?
Like semi-circular shield around the top half so you can still get your hand in to pull it out from the sides... Or something...

Sure... recessing a duplex is an option.... a PITA, but an option, none the less.

MM...There is nothing in the National Code that indicates the orientation of a standard 125 volt receptacle and this debate has been raging since the grounding pole was introduced in the 50's. The only requirement about this, is the cord cap have a grounding pole that makes contact in the receptacle BEFORE the current-carrying poles. If you look, the ground pole is slightly longer than the others. To me it should then be the LAST pole to be disconnected if you follow this logic. ie; The connection to ground being the MOST important aspect, not that a direct short could be caused by an incorrectly installed, or accidentally partially removed , cord-cap.

Both arguments are legitimate.

The only point of an orientation listed is for 250 volt devices when using a 90degree cord connector which states that the grounding pole must be the furthest pole away from the cord itself. So with a 90 degree plug it would be at the top of the pole pieces. But the manufacturers see to this.

In answer to the recessed receptacle point....they arent legal unless there is sufficient finish around the box for it to be mounted flush with the finish. So, if you were to recess a plug, you would have to have finish(sheetrock, wood, plasterboard, etc) in enough amount surrounding the box, to accommodate the finish plate and provide an adequate amount of mounting integrity for the box and the yoke of the receptacle to be securely mounted to the flush of the finish.

Yeah, I'm an Electrical Lawyer.

I'm guessing they have to be flush to the finish because people would yank the cord instead of pulling on the plug itself if it were recessed? I can't think of why else this wouldn't be legal.

Some sort of guard over the finish plate would be an extra precaution if you were inclined to hang metal plates over outlets or something.

Davedog, I had to read your post like 5 times before it made any sense. Awesome lawyer speak. :P

It seems to me in the event something conductive did slide down the wall and partially dislodge the plug from the receptacle, it's better to have a momentary flash of sparks as it shorts across the hot and neutral and the ground still attached. (ground down) If the foreign object is thin it will likely melt before the breakers or fuses are even annoyed. If the object were of stout enough material to withstand the 15 or 20 amps the breaker or fuse would almost surely do their job within a second or so. If you're dumb enough to have a penny in the fusebox you probably aren't a stickler for ground regulations to begin with. And if somehow the object manages to remain perched on (or welded to) the hot and/or neutral blades of the plug, you have my permission - just this once - to unplug it by pulling the cord and not the connector.

Davedog wrote: In answer to the recessed receptacle point....they arent legal unless there is sufficient finish around the box for it to be mounted flush with the finish. So, if you were to recess a plug, you would have to have finish(sheetrock, wood, plasterboard, etc) in enough amount surrounding the box, to accommodate the finish plate and provide an adequate amount of mounting integrity for the box and the yoke of the receptacle to be securely mounted to the flush of the finish.

but it can be done...

Thus.... PITA

no thank you :)

sorry to barge in... I have a Juli@ interface and was wondering what monitors I should get that would "match" it (it has the option of balanced trs or unbalanced rca outputs) and that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg...

any ideas?

Ferchis

I LOVE you man!!

rock on!

WOW! This thread got really out of hand! I like reading all the technical stuff and legal stuff!

Davedog, I will send all future electrical project plans to you for pre-approval!! LOL!! When you give an answer- you GIVE AN ANSWER!! I like that! I like understanding the technical as well as the practical side of things. I always enjoy reading your posts!

Now - back to the topic - I bought a pair of the exact Altec Lansings you did in your original post. To me they absolutely blow. They are very bottom and mid heavy. Everything sounds boomy, (cardboard) boxy, dull and muddy. You have to REALLY reference them to commercial mixes you are VERY familiar with and adjust their "eq knobs" to even get them close to a point you can trust them. I actually canned them and moved them to the family computer. I will say they do get loud and a lot of bass.

I DO use a set of Altec Lansing AVS 300 w/ included small sub. THESE are very good for referencing/verifying my mixes done with my monitors. Especially if you want to get an inital impression of your mix on smaller speakers before buring it to disc and playing it in the car. These are the best sounding "cheap" computer speakers I have come across. I whish I could still buy them. I don't like the newer Altec Lansing stuff nearly as much. I still would not use these for monitoring/mixing though, unless I was in a very big pinch!

I did the headphone thing on my first project and will never do it again! Talk about wearing out your ears!! as the faders creep up, as they mostly do... louder sounds better right LOL... you start destroying your hearing. Not to mention your sense of stereo image is distorted.

I agree with the comments about knowing your monitors. Referrence, reference, reference... with commercial mixes, not your own.

I am no expert. I am a noob too. I also have questions on monitors. I have a post for comments on my own set that I would like opinions on it which I made a comment about wanting NS10's. I have heard they are a industry standard and so they must be good and something I need... Boy was I ignorant and now look like a goob! Thank you Davedog for helping me see that they may not be a good idea.

I think I will start a thread about the "mystery of the NS10" so that Davedog can explain away! I want to know the truth, it's the only thing that will help me learn and make me better!

So I also have some mon. setup questions. Should I have multiple sets of monitors for refrence purposes? would it be a good or bad idea to have a "power amp" of some sorts (even a stereo amplifier) with mutiple sets of speakers to switch between to verify mixes on if I have the resources/room to do it?

I'm all in favor of being able to get quality mixes with less trips in and out of the studio to verify mixes and less CD waste from buring so many takes...

Let the expert advsing commence...

Matt in GA