Maintaining an Even Keel.


I was recently emailing with one of our members (he's taking a break right now) and just wanted to share this bit of info (as a reminder) as most of us are already aware of it.

Anyway, the member had just taken the time to properly level his new SACD player (by placing the level on top of the player, not on the shelf itself) and immediately noticed improved performance (sound). When I set my gear up on a new rack and shelves (approx. six weeks ago) I had done the same, but out of curiosity I double checked the player and it was off. Maybe the rack and the shelves settled, maybe the bottom spikes going into a plaster sub floor did the same or the whole floor itself, but regardless, it was now far from level. I placed it back on an even keel last night and the system now sounds better than before. This had been a contributing factor to the gradual decline in sound quality that I have been experiencing lately, I am now certain of that. So, if you have not leveled your CD player or transport (give it a try) and if you already have done this, then double check to see that it is still true. The same goes for vinyl playback, of course, where the difference in sound is major Vs minor.
128x128dekay
Dekay, make a lot of sense. I actually did this when I set up my transport. Can't say what the difference was since it turned out to be perfectly level. This process assumes, however, that the transport mechanism inside the case is level. Not a slam dunk. At least with my turntable, I can see everything.
Dekay, wood floors and joists actually expand and contract with the seasons. Thanks for reminding us to check our levels.
Yes Jim: I agree that we are relying on the internal drive being mounted properly, but could think of no way to test this without removing the chassis cover. The basic approach that I took did make a nice improvement though, so I got lucky with the old CAL. The adjustment removed some of the high frequency hash that I had thought was the power supply again. Live in CA, blame it on the power.
PS: The thanks should go to our member Whatjb, who seems to have a knack for getting back to the basics that we all learn and then forget about as we continue to absorb more complex knowledge on the hobby.