Replacing driver screws with brass screws


There was some discussion about this on Millercarbon's thread about the Moab speakers, and I wanted to pursue the subject further without interfering with his thread.
As I stated there, I have heard about this practice for quite a few years, but never tried it because it seemed like one of those lunatic fringe ideas; and even though I actually really enjoy trying tweaks, and have found many of them effective, I just was not prepared for what this one did for the music coming out of my speakers. 
Specifically, it improved the detail in ambient trails, focus in general, complex harmonics in voices and stringed instruments, and instrumental separation. It is not subtle, and it is immediately noticeable.
So, I am curious to know how many of you out there have tried this, and what your experience has been.
Thanks, John  
128x128roxy54
I had a few more.

Different, let them be metals, screws on, for example, wooden, aluminum, granite, etc. enclosures. It seems like those interactions might prevent that only one type, brass in this case, is "the one". In short, if different screw metal matters, why wouldn’t different materials the screw is attached to matter even more in this story?

Then, are there screws on electrostatic speakers? If yes, do changes in their material also matter for the sound?

I know that title is "Brass screws", but these questions are not that removed from the discussion. They are only a developmental step above "brass or no brass".

I know what you are thinking. "No bras(s)".
It is not necessarily the brass vs ferromagnetic steel screws but screws better bonding speaker frames to the cabinet.
@andrei_nz,

’I guess in theory it did - as in everything makes a difference, not that I heard a difference. Did it improve the sound? Again, I do not know - it was inaudible to me.’


In theory anything could make a theoretical sonic difference - the power supply, the room temperature, the heat in the voice coil, the type of solder used, the finish of the cabinets, the types of connectors used, or ... maybe even a butterfly flapping its wings in the Brazilian rainforest etc.

However, since we’re only human, perhaps it’s best to leave imagination behind for once and to stick to those differences that we can consistently identify, time and time again, with or without visual evidence.

Life is finite, and so is our hearing. So why keep wasting time experimenting in ways that could make things a lot worse?

Why risk stripping of the cabinet screw thread, or upsetting the manufacturers desired torque?

Because someone online who enjoys trying out tweaks recommends brass screws?

Is anyone surprised that the respected designer John Dunlavy laughed when it was suggested to him?

Is it really very likely that some amateur online knows more than highly qualified and experienced designers?

Are you really so willing to gamble on that likelihood?

One slip of the screwdriver and...
One slip of the screwdriver and...
Yes, this is a serious consideration.

Why risk stripping of the cabinet screw thread, or upsetting the manufacturers desired torque? Yes, this is a consideration.

It is something that needs to be thought about and considered, even though I do believe based upon personal experience that different materials in baffle screws (materials have differing Young's Modulus) perform differently, it is to be done with caution.

Is it really very likely that some amateur online knows more than highly qualified and experienced designers? It is actually being used and was used by designers in the past and in the present. This isn’t new, it’s older technology that’s being newly presented here.

If someone isn’t going to take the time to research it properly, and purchase appropriate tools and fasteners to correctly implement this technology - I totally agree with CD318 - just don’t.




glupson, sorry to spoil your fun, but after previous comments you’ve made, I don’t for one second think you’re serious about wooden screws.

But by heck if you are serious, go ahead, I’ll read your review.

I still remember my primary school teacher who’d emptied out a mercury thermometer for science class. I wanted to pick up the mercury and he forbid it, telling me it was actually dangerous to touch. I remember thinking to myself, is he just saying that so I won’t touch it, or is it true? and he’s actually protecting me.

I recognize that I can be arrogant and proud as much as anyone. I remember being asked what quality of water is the most beneficial to supporting life?? I gave all the qualities of water I could think of down the list I’d learnt... Kept getting, no that’s not it... Then I was told the answer, and as soon as I heard it, it dawned on me that it made perfect sense..
It’s waters solubility, to transfer oxygen, proteins, glucose, mineral ions, hormones, carbon dioxide, waste byproducts...

It’s people like Tom who provide products and information that expose others to technologies we’d normally never hear about.

Thanks Roxy54, a good controversial thread!