A Room with a VU (4-in-1 Review)

[@proyectosledar]

hi, you are right. i have the 1ts item and it is fake. i made a video with a swep tone and you can see the result. cheers

[@misaalanshori]

Proyectos LED link?

[@VictorGarciaR]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKPcdpJ7pL2Djsk kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnS9dYSlh8xsitk

[@sevraj2008]

La primera vez lo vi en tu canal , el unboxing y el test...esperaba que funccionase pero...todavia estoy mirando uno bueno para poder comprarlo...

[@6581punk]

It seems to me like the first one has a threshold which triggers the particular frequency band to move, which then falls until it triggers again. It's not actually measuring the dB level in that frequency band.

[@NH3rrm4nn]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3W1lHeJps9kl7c Markus Fuller did too

[@markanderson350]

What I took for granted In the 70's is now a rarity. Wow!

[@willtubes73]

@@Psychedelicxylophone????????

[@willtubes73]

@@Psychedelicxylophone check who you replied to

[@muhammadramli8979]

😇😇😈😈😂😄😅😆😆

[@Reudinger]

I really like the calm and low paced style of your Videos. You show the items, explain things and the history. You take your time and dont rush, take things apart and look whats inside. And I like listening to your voice. Even for me, as a non native english speaker, I never had trouble to understand what you are saying. Keep it real :)

[@frvo]

I just love VU meters

[@frvo]

That's a very good idea! But... I wonder if that would be possible... Hmmm...

[@duophonix]

What would he have to Gain?

[@v4vaughan74]

duophonix 😃

[@razmann4k]

Who doesn't?

[@lionelhutz4046]

You have excellent taste in voice actors.

[@jay7264]

the one you can't get with the vu needle is beautiful

[@summerlaverdure]

I appreciate the editing from the LED matrix into the hi-fi spectrum analyzer, it's very smooth and I usually take stuff like that for granted, just today I am watching everything with attention to the edits. Excellent work!

[@mistermatix8241]

That last model, what's so cool that your Sony deck fits perfectly on top, like a mini separates setup. Utterly brilliant.

[@Fireship1]

This KZbin show is so well put together and professional, it should be on broadcast TV. Bravo Techmoan! Love the channel and the content!

[@genewitch]

yeah, i always wonder how much editing time is spent, the videos always look grand.

[@coreyfellows9420]

Agreed!!

[@hfric]

Your video, brought be back to simpler times... when all listened to theirs mp3 collection on Winamp (or WMP)... and jumped in awe, when they saw its VU digital meter on theirs CRT screen .

[@CuttingtheCaboose]

I "LOVED" VU and Spectrum displays when I was young, I even bought that 'Realistic Ten Band 31-2020' EQ's from Tandy, just for the lights. Some sort of setup with these panels could make an interesting set prop for a KZbin channel or desk installation for a 'gadget' computer desk. You got me thinking! Fantastic video as always x

[@GnatGoSplat]

Same! I was so fascinated by that EQ every time I went to Radio Shack. Some time in my college days, I even bought one from eBay to reminisce about my childhood and still have it to this day.

[@patrickandersson6282]

The Slovenian guy who made the last product featured is now selling analog VU meters in the same box configuration. Looks pretty cool.

[@AndersEngerJensen]

Regarding the LED-panel and its fake frequency response: I have the same problem with my plugin in Final Cut Pro X for my music videos. Firstly it drifts off course during the songs, but it's also just reacting to the amplitudes and it doesn't look as good as I was hoping. So that was $39 out of the window.. sort of. :P

[@johnclavis]

VU meters?? Bah! I'm an American -- we use VU *feet*!

[@MrPGT]

Just call it a yard for a really quick and dirty conversion and you're good to go. ;)

[@amaanqureshi1286]

Party Bot that's was punny

[@DarkIzo]

VU feeters ?

[@sergiofreitas9368]

That was such a terrible pun, but funny at the same time!

[@vink6163]

Very amusing - but of course the rest of the world spells meter and metre differently to avoid that kind of confusion ;-)

[@MayaPosch]

Now I'm tempted to try my hands at my own VU meter, including proper DFT-based frequency analysis :)

[@genewitch]

there's an arduino library for driving the RGB Leds with extreme fidelity, and since arduinos can sample voltages, you could at least get 8 bits of resolution off each channel. I imagine if you used a set of bandpass filters in front of the arduino you could sample say, 4 pins per channel and get even more range (still each pin at 8 bits, but multiple pins per audio channel.) The LED Library is called FastLED, and can run hundreds (at least) of LEDs on a single pin. I've tested it with over 80 so far, and it can do it at 30-60FPS.

[@GeneralVanRyberg]

Thank you so much for this video, I contacted the maker of the Blue/Red Horizontal Boxed VU Meter and he expects to sell new ones soon, I'll be watching daily. My Logitech SqueezeBox Touch, that I'll be replacing soon, also had that VU needle view. That was my favorite view as well. But the external boxed horizontal VU meter will be a satisfactory replacement. Keep up the great work! PS: Patreon does not allow one-time donations, right?

[@delacroixp]

Love the boxed VU Meter. I had an Aiwa feather-touch tape deck in high school (1980) ... with 3 colour LED VU Meters ... green, orange and red ... mesmerizing.

[@paralentor]

I especially appreciate this channel because all of our specialty electronics stores are long gone and Best Buy would never in sell something as cool as a a headphone amplifier with VU Meters.

[@miromustang]

I bought myself a VU meter kit from a guy that is based in Lithuania and it consists of two nixie tubes, driven by K157DA1 driver chip. It is caled SGVU151. Works realy great and it is pleasent to look at. It gives you a nice warm feeling.

[@jasonrod]

The compilation at the end of the video was just brilliant.

[@mfbfreak]

The vacuum tube indicators should be bright enough to be visible in a normally lit room. They are very sensitive to undervoltage. They aren't very spectacular, but they work very well for their purpose - to actually indicate when you record too loud (with a transparant red marker in the middle), or for when you have tuned your radio correctly.

[@johnr6168]

Yes they were fine for domestic equipment. The dB numbers on mechanical meters don't mean much to most people anyway. The valve (vacuum tube) indicators were used in equipment which already used valves elsewhere so it made sense to use one more valve for the level meter.

[@reeffeeder]

Oh joy. I literally just checked 30 minutes ago for new Techmoan videos and there were none. Went and had a poo, came back and there was one waiting for me! Oh joyous day!

[@sofa-lofa4241]

Please poo more often!

[@CJWarlock]

The astonishing devices Techmoan presents on this channel... The collection of videos on this channel is gold! :)

[@digitalmediafan]

Love to get that display at 16:40 what was the ID of the seller ?

[@KnaufL]

The magic eye tube one(the glass one) can be biased and the sensitivity can be adjusted by the potentiometer on the PCB using a screwdriver

[@cokeelite12]

The opening and music are simply the best

[@phillipev]

Very interesting subject indeed, I could watch reviews of these things for days. Cheers from Brazil 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@montuotojo]

I have an old Fidelity Playmaster tape machine from the 60's, which has the same vacuum tube level indicator, as you have here. It switches on when you set the machine to record mode and looks pretty cool. I must say - the even though the indicator valve is smaller in size on the tape machine, it definitely has a bigger 'dynamic range' - meaning thatwhen the signal is very quiet, the light columns are very short, almost not present. I found it very cool.

[@TheLetterTen]

What a marvelous way for me to end my night. That last one is quite beautiful. I would most definitely enjoy it if you did more of this stuff (not saying your other stuff is bad!). Just amazing content. Thank you so very much, Techmoan..you make the world a brighter place!

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

I bought a stereo LED VU meter off of a guy who puts kits together 3 years ago. It only cost $30 bucks at that time, but since I don't have a ton of cash, it did the job. It has 10 LEDs per channel (left, right) with 5 green, 3 yellow, and 2 red LEDs each. It also has a stereo potentiometer to adjust the meter level and a pair of RCA input jacks (left, right). All the components including the DC barrel jack for power are mounted on a clear, acrylic stand. It runs off 9-12vdc, and you supply the power supply. I just used a stereo splitter cable to connect my audio selector output to both the VU meter and amplifier. I didn't notice any change in sound quality by doing that. Although it is not to big and I don't have much room for anything bigger anyway, it gives me something to look at as well as provide me an accurate idea of how much power each channel is putting through the amplifier (without any numerical measurement). It also has an extremely fast refresh rate. This meter has also helped me identify various issues with my audio system down the road allowing me to fix them quickly. Although it is not big and super sophisticated, it does give me a VU meter like the one on a boom box we had back in the mid-'80s.

[@wonderwoman_nikki]

Finally able to get a hold of the Mini LCD with Analog VU needle! Can't wait for it to be delivered! I love your videos!

[@jevchance]

What’s the title so I may search on eBay?

[@wonderwoman_nikki]

@@jevchance I haven't seen it on ebay. I got mine from ETSY. The guy in Romania that makes it only carries them occasionally. I'd add him to your favorites, and keep an eye for any in the future. (I waited for about a year). Link -> www.etsy.com/listing/585261034/eu-shipping-only-ili14-lcd-audio?ref=hp_rv-1&frs=1

[@MrVolksbeetle]

Growing up, my Dad had a Sansui 4channel receiver with a Teac 4channel reel to reel. VU heaven!

[@fabriziooldrini6888]

In the 60s I owned a Geloso reel to reel tape recorder that had one green tube as vu meter. This tube was also present in a big Grundig radio and disc changer stereo Tha my grandpa had, it was used to indicate the full tuning of a RF radio signal

[@krist0sh]

The tubes on the second device were commonly used on Tandberg (and other...?) tape-recorders as a meter for adjusting the record levels.

[@ronshaw80]

On the last one, I'm sure the LED bar graphs are peak reading. Most VU meters are not, unless they have special circuitry to make them peak reading. If they are standard VU meters, with standard VU ballistics, they would not show the peak clipping, where the LEDs will, so they are probably both correct, allowing for the differences. Nice video.

[@chrispotts2010]

Brilliant.....at last, a sensible look at the, much disregarded, VU meter. Your video was most enlightening. Any more like this would be most welcome.

[@Max16032]

You may want to check out the Hayakumo Forma VU meter. It's intended for DJs but it looks pretty good with wood side panels and both analog needles and LED metering lights. It's quite expensive and limited edition, but I think it looks fantastic.

[@fortherecord1569]

That spectrum at 8:56 really whips the llama's ass!

[@Dragoslav_MD]

For the Record ohhh, winamp...

[@luis21207]

Winamp hardcore fan here!

[@Argoon1981]

hahah :D but i'm sure only a few will get that reference.

[@abadenoughdude300]

Winamp ftw

[@SynthoidSounds]

Device #2 with the VU tubes . . . I remember, about 50 years ago, we had one of those monster cabinet furniture stereo systems in the living room, had the very same tube, only in that case it was used to the indicate the channel tuner locking onto a channel. As for device #3, would gladly buy one if it was available, somewhat surprised someone else hasn't already produced a similar item. Thanks for the providing the video.

[@mydg1t]

the seller is going by "digital love" and the product is ili15. I have found him on ebay, etsy, amazon, and youtube.

[@MarioValderramaz]

I love VU meters, I am actually retrofitting a Cooler Master Musketeer 2, back from my PC era, to a Bluetooth speaker i am working off. Also change my car stereo for a much older pioneer with VU meters animation on it, at least, it's something. Love your videos

[@jonizulo]

4:16 what song is that?

[@TheBrickson98]

Oh! Magic eye tubes! I didn’t realize they made them in a bar style like that. My Zenith console radio from 1939 or so has a magic eye tube to show how tuned in you are to a station, but the display is circular, and at the top of the tube. It sits horizontally in the chassis, and displays out the front in the tuning dial.

[@increiblepelotudo]

Fantastic, as always. You should submit some of these amazing vids to CBS Sunday Morning, seriously. You need a slot!!!

[@VOmaker]

I like the one that emulates the analog VU meter and the last one. Very good. The vacuum tube unit got my attention. My maternal grandmother, while devoutly reglious, was a bit of tech junkie back in the sixties when I was just old enough to be the same. She acquired a Phillips reel-to-reel tape recorder which she used to record church services and the like. It was a brute of a thing and weighed a ton. I remember having to carry that to the church for her on public transit. Anyway, it was only a mono unit of course and the record level indicator was in the stop button, which was larger than the others. It was one of these types of vacuum tubes. The plastic cover over the opening where it was housed, had a red bar in the centre, and if you went into that bar, the recording level was too high. It was all manual of course, no automatic level control. The tube in this machine was much more responsive than those in the video. It also indicated VU when playing back a recording. It was fun to see that they are still around in some form.

[@VOmaker]

I found a photo of a unit very similar to my grandmother's. I just remembered, looking at the photo, that the red bar wasn't painted on the plastic window, but on a sleeve that the tube slid into to mount it in the stop button. Unfortunately, there is no way to share the photo here. Or is there? www.vintage-radio.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=94166&d=1402851825

[@Distinctly.Average]

Been watching and enjoying your videos for a while. As someone who used to repair loads of old AV kit it brings back lots of memories. Saw a new tube base spectrum analyser using the magic eye tubes you have on the VU meter but using 6 of them instead of two. Chap called mr nixie makes them. A quick google for magilyzer brings them up. Certainly looks good.

[@pg1171]

I think that I will stick to my old tape deck/CD/mixing board/ receiver with a REAL VU meter setup. It may be 80's/90/s, but it actually works the way that it is supposed to. Plus, I can plug my guitar in, along with my headphones, and practice with only me hearing what I am playing. Plus, I can stop, reverse, and re-play anything that I want to. Thank you for reviewing these items. It just informs us that new items just don't work as well as they should, or are just pretty junk. The first one would be good around Christmas though! The red and green would be pretty with Christmas music! Great job, overall! KUDOS!

[@glyn1963]

the second one is very like the ' Magic Eye ' displays that were fitted to Grundig home reel to reel tape units in the 60's and 70's. Memories of many a Sunday night recording Tony Blackburn's top 20 rundown in the early 70's on my old second hand machine.

[@MrBlackdragon1230]

I am like you when it comes to sound output displays, they should never have gone away.

[@MattTester]

The AS30, commonly available as a kit, was also available on Amazon UK in pre-built form from a couple of sellers. I bought one in July (I knew I would mess up a kit) branded as DROK for only £35. It's essentially the same as the last device but vertical and more compact with USB power and a 3.5mm input both terminating in a USB mini-B plug. I've been very impressed with it, I use it on my PC for levelling the volume of applications.

[@kevinpatrickmacnutt]

I have an old graphic equaliser with an old LED green/yellow/red spectrum analyser in my system set to "bypass" for that reason as well as giving me an extra tape input.

[@TheSaabClinicUK]

Back in the mid 80's my dad had a Reel to Reel tape machine that had Valve based VU meters. There were colours in it too. Quite cool for the time.

[@halseyballistic]

This video demo and review of the different VU displays is awesome!

[@nrood3821]

what brand and model is the cassatte player in here at the 2:06 mark? thats the style of tape player id like to get to add to the stereo system in the living room for if i need to play a tape. the one i have now is on the stereo i got from when my grandfather passed and i try not to use it alot and wear it out. and the tape deck needs a good cleaning. if anyone has info on it please let me know

[@yummypaint-uy6ze]

Have you seen the spectrogram view in foobar2000? Its a scrolling waterfall style and it and its easily the best ive ever seen.

[@philmccracken6134]

I agree with you, it's extremely detailed and precise, you can follow exactly what each instrument is doing and see all the dozens of harmonics (especially with a human voice). For a better visualizing tool than this there is only iZotope RX.

[@geoffreyblackburn2110]

Another solid video. Looking forward to the next episode with your puppet work. Thank you for all of the effort.

[@kevinbeckenham3872]

I like the magic eye,it reminds me of day's of valve reel to reel tape recorders.Magic eye's were never that accurate. Love the video.

[@AuraQualic]

My recommendation is buying an American Audio dB-DISPLAY. it's dirt cheap that mostly used in PA but can also be use for fancy stuffs if you want to see some VU in your room.

[@Wildmutationblu]

Nicely edited and mixed video. I hope you know that your hard work is appreciated.

[@TimHendriksenTinyT]

Definitely do more music visualization videos!! I really like these type of videos. I'm actually still searching for a analog vu meter.

[@Fritschge128]

Very cool, I'd love to see more!

[@Kiana.Da.Editor.3701]

*Techmoan* Can you peel-off the 'QC-Passed' sticker on the first item and see what is the code on the chip?

[@_intrepid]

I bought a kit and tubes for a Nixie VU meter. Did some tests and the effect is really nice. Only downside is you have to use high voltage to power the tubes.

[@thisisnev]

Back in 1980-ish Aiwa made an add-on High Com II noise reduction box, the HR-50, for their micro hi-fi range. It wasn't very practical as a NR unit, because it had to be calibrated manually for each tape - but it had beautiful 3-colour LED VU meters which also worked in NR bypass mode. They crop up occasionally on eBay for about £90.

[@bigbro5793]

Very entertaining, highly professionally made. Thank you, really enjoyed this video.

[@borisjevic6338]

Wow! What did I just watch? , THIS IS LIKE DEJA-VU! I can swear that I have seen this video a couple of weeks ago or even at most around 2 months or so ago! No way did I time travel! This now has me spooked!

[@zuurbekje3125]

The Behringer Ultramatch DEQ2496, besides being a digital equalizer and an excellent DAC, has multiple music display options, including VU meters and spectrum analyzer. Highly recommended.

[@zuurbekje3125]

Haha! You won't regret it! :)

[@freesaxon6835]

The twin valve device was used in the old valve radios ( magic eye tuner ) the closer the two green band got together, the more the radio station was tuned in

[@randypullman1155]

Bravo! Another fantastic episode Mat!

[@paulodpereira]

1:35 the 5v screw terminals on the controller are probably wired in paralell with the mini usb, so you could connect the display power there and only use one power supply (if it can provide enough current)

[@garyallsebrook3493]

I have a Phase Linear audio spectrum analyzer thats pretty cool, but the one with the VU's is pretty slick. People are curious about the first one - the lower the frequency the bigger the amplitude, so the circuitry is reacting to something in that bandwidth.

[@jamiemarchant]

That was neat. I would not mind it if you reviewed more of those.

[@pmgodfrey]

I have two Dorrough 40-A meters. No gimmicks, no ridiculous blue LEDs -- just accurate metering and fun to watch.

[@jamessloanofficial]

I love that you admit you have no need for a gadget, just want it for the gadget factor. I think that's probably most of your audience!

[@oleo007]

I particulary like spectrum analyzer, my pioneer modular sound system has a GR-555 equalizer, and I'll tell you it's very good to observe it. I appreciate the options shown in your video !!!

[@White-Wolf1969]

I had one of those, now I have a GR-777

[@gabrielv.4358]

Nice!!! I really like the VU-Meters and Spectrum Analyzers.

[@SinaelDOverom]

What was the music at 8:06? I want it in my player now!

[@johnmh1000]

The second one (the valves) reminds me of the 'Magic Eye' level recording on an old reel to reel tape recorder.

[@yorgle]

Love that the last one you show is exactly the same width as your tape deck! :D

[@magreger]

I now wait in anticipation for the comedy at the end. I used to not care for it but now I see it as a nice treat.

[@RobertKohut]

Thanks, just bought the boxed blue version. Very nice build quality!!

[@mrmeow3924]

The title of this video alone deserves a like!

[@migalito1955]

When I was a kid I connected a short string of mini Christmas tree lights to each of the left and right B speaker terminals. It worked but beat to the overall amplitude of the channel as opposed to the amplitude of individual frequency ranges.

[@Ikrananka]

Is it possible to ground one of the 555 pins to make the LED stay continuously lit and to then not ground that pin to revert back to flashing?

[@Phaser1x]

PLEASE someone make the blue and red display again 2022! Want.

[@ShawnGuertin]

The last time you showed us the vector oscilloscope, you inspired me to program on on Arduino. For those interested, it's XY-Scope on GitHub

[@emolatur]

With regards to the one you like but is unavailable due to the maker having disappeared... Search here on yt for "digital love ili15 lcd" and you will find it, and it will lead to where to order one.

[@alanknight2204]

Hi I expect the last one was based on the LM3914 IC ( very old device ) . They each drive 10 LEDs and you can use them together to drive more . The ICs are about 15p each on Ebay from China etc . The LM3914 gives a linear output there was one for VU meters perhaps LM3915 ? Alan

[@cabdav]

I can't help but thinking that a better option is to use one of the assorted tablet/phone apps that works on sound picked up via. the microphone. Leave that running on top of/alongside your system. Don't know if threre's a VU needle version but I wouldn't be surprised. Several of them around, easy to install and use.

[@ThatCrazyMechanic]

man Ive been looking for a SAE receiver for about a year or so now. cant find any. love the rotating vu or whatever its called thing.

[@bridgebuilder4480]

I think #2 (the glass magic eye tubes) were a little misunderstood. I have a couple of those, although mine are not that particular kit and were far cheaper, and they make great meters. Those tubes were originally designed as tuning indicators for old radio sets and not as VU meters , but being a vintage vacuum tube they have sort of the same appeal as nixie tubes or dekatrons. It looks like the ones displayed were not trimmed properly, there should be little trim pots to adjust the sensitivity and make them more in sync and give them a wider range . I always found VU meters interesting. Great video!

[@morho9422]

these were used as vu meters in 1960's as far as i know for certain. maybe earlier. i do not know their history. i am familiar with the Tesla Mono 50 AZK 405.

[@thetman0068]

I recently made my first step into the hi-fi market, and away from cruddy all-in-one audio systems like the Crosley. I found a Realistic AM/FM Stereo receiver c. 1979-1983. It's got dual VU meters, as well as a needle that shows you how well you're tuned in when using the radio function. Eventually I also hope to purchase a good entry-level turntable and a cassette player/recorder, and I'll probably make a small stand to display the equipment on once my system is complete.

[@80s_Boombox_Collector]

There are several apps that can display meters on your phone or tablet. Of course, the major limitation is that your music has to be playing from that same device.

[@briandklinger]

I really enjoy your videos. I find them quite informative. Keep up the good work!

[@TooSlowTube]

@4:30ish, the manic LED behaviour is more likely to be correct, than the slow response of the Hi Fi component. The "falling back slowly" behaviour of the Hi Fi one is either a deliberate feature, to make it more user friendly, or they're using a circuit that recovers from a peak very slowly - e.g. discharging a capacitor through a resistor. The LED one is doing the same, with the red dots across the top - but clearly in software. It's using a lot more frequency bands too. VU meters are often slowed deliberately, to help people follow them. For a moving coil one, it also protects the mechanism from being torn apart by trying to move in real time. It could look something like tihs: Signal -> Frequency band detector -> diode -> hold capacitor -> discharge resistor. The capacitor would charge more quickly than it discharged , so it reacts to the start of a peak fairly quickly, but then holds it, in a leaky "sample and hold" circuit, for you to look at. If you analysed the music with a FFT (mathematical frequency analysis trick, used on computers), in real time, with no tricks to enhance the user interface, I'd expect it to be quite lively. Try it with a track where there are just sharp hits, like someone tapping a hi-hat, for example. Your perception of the sound might linger a while longer than the reality, but the chances are, the sound dies off very quickly - unless there's a lot of reverb on the recording.

[@Jerbod2]

I loved the concept of the nixie tube/valve/cathode display/Sillica Valve containing a wire-mesh anode with multiple cathodes, it's very different from any of the other displays you had. Someone should truly use a row of the smallest type of nixie tubes, packed together with different shapes of wire in them to represent the type of frequency or volume, whichever way you make it. Obviously have them spaced closely together like the LED panel you showed... it'd be expensive but it could work I think.

[@mattbrown5511]

Very interesting as always. I like the small in-line meter the best.

[@1973Washu]

A Raspberry Pi and a TFT display in a box of your choosing would be a far more versatile option. You could display a large number of audio visualizations.

[@bFOURdwZEROlf]

Woah that vu meter display is amazing

[@steviebboy69]

The VU unit was great I thought WOW when you got to your favorite setting. The OPPO headphone amp, the brand of it looks similar to a mobile phone.

[@crabbhassplineters]

Thank you!!! It's exactly what I've been looking for! Best channel

[@dwoodog]

Have you ever heard of or can get your hands on a JVC SEA-M9. Pretty sweet looking graphic equalizer/spectrum display. Its circa 1980's.