Hi, Haoleb. Tweaks are tricky. They all do something to the sound in your room. Listen to the effect after doing each one and decide which way it sounds best "to you". One of the cheapest tweaks I know is lifting all cables, cords, wires and power supplies off the floor. Mine lay on thick pieces of stryfoam. I actually have the preamp sitting on a 2"inch stryfoam because it works in my system. Now the turntable likes to be on three marbles riding in spoons glued to vibrapods which sit on stryofoam on a granite tile. Sounds silly but the end result is analogue glory, [to my ears and others who have heard the system]...I use large marbles riding in small bottletops on three granite tiles under the speakers. Why? Well the bass articulation and speed are greatly enhanced. But this may not work for you. Remember, the spirit of tweaking is fun and learning about your system....take your time with the tweaks and you will be, [like with the inner tubes], surprised. I've tried the tubes and yes, they work...cheers, bluenose
Cheap tweaks...What would YOU reccomend?
Hey everyone, I am looking for some cheap tweaks, i just got done putting in a inner tube under my componets as an isolation device, and it works great. What else would you reccomend?..i am also thinking of an inner tube under the spkrs, with some sort of device to keep them stable. What do you think of Rf blockers..etc Please leave comments on your tweaks and how they turned out. i am looking forward to trying some. Thanks all
Showing 11 responses by bluenose
If you're using a power conditioner with a fixed power cord, try the Higwire Power Wrap at $24.99 from www.amusicdirect.com. It make my monster 2000[sitting on bricks,] drop the noise threshold and increased ease of musical flow...very good tweak for so little money. In my system it was better than a cable upgrade. Also, for those trying vibrapods under components try a dr scholls' foot rub placed between the vibrapod and the bottom of the compnent....very good effect on my cd player and tt. |
Hi, Bob. I use them on just the fixed power cords but I saw somewheres[maybe on AA] someone used one on the absolute power cord and liked it. The funny thing is you can litterally slide the wrap a couple of inches and darn if you don't hear the effect....it's definatedly doing something. I believe this is the inside diameter of the coil but music direct could confirm that....I bought mine 4 years ago before they had the interconnect versions. I actually forget what the size is. I know it is loose on the monster cord[not tight] and still seems to work....if you try it let me know what you hear. I find this a big improvement in my system[all solid state] regards, Lloyd |
Great to hear, Psychicanimal. It kinda shocked me when I put it on the monster 2000. It was a no-brainer once I did it but it was just on a whim.....after living with it to get a real grip on the improvements, I e-mailed JC at sterophile because it is so cheap...and works.....I've been burning a virtual dynamics Audition power cord on the amp....well. Now I'm starting to understand the buzz on these...everything is sounding sooo good it's hard to get work done....cheers and good listening, Lloyd |
Hi. Yoby. I bought tophats and tried them on the tube on my SLF-1. As this model is a hybrid with 1 tube I can't tell you how a full tube amp or preamp might react but on this pre it increased the depth persception and seemed to snap or lock in the images. Now this is from memory as both pre and top hats are living at a friends place. They are quite heavy for the size of them....but, yes, they do work. Let's see what others have found with them...good listening |
Hi, Nrchy. I live in Nova Scotia and ordered mine from Audio-Buff.com. Took only a week to Canada...e-mail [email protected] and ask for Paul. He will answer all your questions, great guy, excellent service. He is very impressed with what these sheets can do. For $20US a sheet[you can cut them] it's quite a eye and ear opener....have fun and keep us informed....cheers, |
Hi, Bob. Sorry I didn't quite answer your question. Stock cords on everthing except the amp which is directly plugged into the wall...I have an absolute cable on the sim amp soon to be replaced by a virtual dynamics audience cord. So I don't really know how much more effect you could experience. It could still be noticable as the power wrap is really meant to be used on fixed cords but it is possible it would work to different degrees on different "fixed" cords on different power conditioners...perhaps I should mention the premp has no on off switch and is plugged into a panamax which is plugged into the monster. So everything but the amp is linked to the power wraped cord. I know when I put the wrap on the monster the presentation had such a relaxed feeling[without loss of whallop or speed] I'm listening to everything new again. The notes are fuller, rounder, more real...I wish I could describe it better...I can't believe this is solid state I'm listening too. |
Dan Wright is Right! And yes, the sheets are grey cloth with bits of "other materials, perhaps mysterious metals?" embedded in them. You can easily cut them but I'm not using them inside any equipment. I believe they're conductive. They redirect, absorb and diffuse EMF/RFI frequencies. My sound system can't be picked up on radar....he,he. I have the "old" sheets that were $10.00US. The new sheets are selling for 19.95 I believe, but have an adhesive backing...everything is better, more detail, the image seems slightly taller, IMSystem, and comes forward into the room easier. Bass has impact, putting energy into the air that I can feel at my feet while seting on the couch 12 feet away.The manner of the music is simply easy, relaxing until some bass or drums happen. Transient speed has been very potent. For 20.00 bucks US this is a no brainer.Now this is in an all SS sytem with newforms. YMMV |