Best Tweak you have done to your Setup

[Nikhil]

I am starting a customary thread which I find on other forums but not on here. Hope it isn't a dupe. So here goes ...

What is the best tweak you have done to your setup so far that has bettered the sound in some way? For the sake of keeping it within limits we shall not consider major modifications as tweaks. Also since its a tweak its going to be a little subjective so lets keep negative comments to a minimum.

State your tweak and preferably how much it costs to do.
Please describe the improvement you have seen in your setup after using the tweak.

Lets hope we learn something new on this thread!

 

[prem]

1 cm rosewood cubes on glass panels in the room. Improves mid bass and reduces high frequency ringing. Costs Rs 3 per cube. Need to use only 1 cube per window pane.

The ASI acoustic system resonators also work but they are expensive. So will keep it out of the discussion

 

[reignofchaos]

Replaced the stock jumpers of my speaker with JPS Labs Aluminata jumpers. This was a massive improvement in high frequency extension, tonal density and soundstaging. It was as if the soundstage opened up to three times the original width and goes way beyond the back wall.

 

[Staxxx]

I don't know if room-treatment counts as a tweak but it does have a discernible effect on the sound you hear - since I have a pretty tight space I have a judicious mix of diffusors (which I prefer in general) and absorbers.
I also think that good vibration absorbing material under components help (although I cannot quantify this). I use Nimbus and Chassis Damping Plates (which I use below rather than on the unit) made by a firm called Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS).
I also recently got Stein Music Speaker Plus units, which I definitely as yet am not able to tell if they have made a difference or not.
Some tweaks I buy for my system, some tweaks I buy for my mental health, it seems......

 

[prem]

Hi Staxx

What diffusors do you use?

 

[Staxxx]

They are from a company called Jocavi. Check out their cool scatter animations on their website.

http://www.jocaviacousticpanels.com/uk/products/index_scattering.htm

The info acoustic page is good too - there is a lot of information there:

http://www.jocaviacousticpanels.com/uk/info_acustic/index_uk.htm

You can also simulate your room and there are pages and pages of specialist choices. ATP is their lower cost line - I have a treatment pack of those and also some specialist diffusors called Dynamic Flow.

 

[prem]

Thanks Staxxx. Will look into them

 

[koushik]

Two slab of black stone on my philips dvdp (used as transport) positively effected entire spectrum of sound. Bass, mids got better and highs got super resolving and soundstage expanded considerably.

A single smaller slab didn't do the trick. Then I tried a larger one. My speaker responded to that. Putting double slab didn't change the sound much(if at all) but I kept it just to experiment.

 

[Nikhil]

My favourite tweak has been teflon tape (plumbers tape) wrapped on the pins and connectors of the power cables to my amp and CDP. Amp treatment did not change much - sound got damped - but my CDP changed tremendously mostly because it has an ordinary 2 pin plug. Applying the tape on the plug pin ensured a snug fit in the wall socket and it made a noticeable difference in the sound dynamics.

Am looking to use it wherever I need to secure a dodgy connection. Speaker posts are next up for tweaking as the banana plugs seem to loosen up a bit over time.

Cost less than Rs 30 per roll of tape.

 

[Nikhil]

Two slab of black stone on my philips dvdp (used as transport) positively effected entire spectrum of sound. Bass, mids got better and highs got super resolving and soundstage expanded considerably.

A single smaller slab didn't do the trick. Then I tried a larger one. My speaker responded to that. Putting double slab didn't change the sound much(if at all) but I kept it just to experiment.

Do you mean placing this stone slab on top of the CDP?
Probably dampens the vibrations hence the smaller slab did not work.

 

[Nikhil]

The ASI acoustic system resonators also work but they are expensive. So will keep it out of the discussion

Prem the cost is not really the issue if it brings on an improvement. The Frank Tcheng resonators at your place are remarkable. You should share more about them as some forum members might find them interesting. Personally I found the change in sound jaw dropping.

 

[koushik]

Do you mean placing this stone slab on top of the CDP?
Probably dampens the vibrations hence the smaller slab did not work.

Yes, on top of the CDP for chassis dampening. It helped the laser pickup to work better and get more data, I think.

 

[prem]

Hi Nikhil


You just saw a glimpse of what they do. When you had come the system had not broken in and also i had just showed you what one resonator can do. Now i have 6 resonators in place. They make a big difference. A room contributes big time to the sound. Treating it is very critical. I have one special gold, one gold, one copper and three silver resonators. Special gold costs $1200. Gold also costs $1200. Silver costs $550 and Copper $250.

 

[Shivam]

Inexpensive tweaks that I have been using -
Cork pads under the feet of transports. They work as good as vibrapods and at a fraction of cost.
All wires seperated from each other and when they cross, they do it at 90 degrees.
Speaker jumpers replaced with good speaker wire.
Turntable is placed on a granite-silicon-granite slab on floor (not on top of my system rack).

The best tweak that I accidentally discovered -
A folding bed cum sofa ! This is like a really thick absorber and has helped tame low frequencies. The sofa is nothing but a thick foam mattress that has been cleverly cut so as to get folded like a sofa and is covered with good cloth.

Things like power conditioner, cables, interconnects etc are essentials and not exactly tweaks so I am not listing them. Letting the amplifier to warm up, switching off the display of transports, unplugging the unused components etc are also regular practice with me.

 

[reignofchaos]

Inexpensive tweaks that I have been using -
Cork pads under the feet of transports. They work as good as vibrapods and at a fraction of cost.

Try using half cut squash balls under the transport. You'll get far better results than cork. They work fantastically well under any sort of tube equipment too.

I had these before I got my symposium rollerblocks. As for the latter, I still haven't found better mechanical isolators than the symposium roller blocks. They are expensive but worth every penny.

 

[Shivam]

Try using half cut squash balls under the transport. You'll get far better results than cork. They work fantastically well under any sort of tube equipment too.

I had these before I got my symposium rollerblocks. As for the latter, I still haven't found better mechanical isolators than the symposium roller blocks. They are expensive but worth every penny.

I have tried half cut squash balls, vibrapods, rubber pads, cork pads and even floating the whole transport on an inflated bicycle tube. Apart from the tube, I found equal benefits with all. So I opted for cork pads since they look neat and cost next to nothing. I have never tried the rollerblocks. I will try them out sometime.

Just to point out - I didn't get any benefit from using any of the above under my integrated amp, phono preamp or a tube amp.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

1 cm rosewood cubes on glass panels in the room. Improves mid bass and reduces high frequency ringing. Costs Rs 3 per cube. Need to use only 1 cube per window pane.

The ASI acoustic system resonators also work but they are expensive. So will keep it out of the discussion

Prem,

I could not fully understand how you fix the cubes on the glass panels. Could you please elaborate on that because almost 40% of my listening room has glass panels. Thanks in advance

kuruvilajacob

 

[prem]

Hi Kuruvillajacob

Here is the link

6moons audio reviews: ASI Sugar Cubes

You can get the local carpenter to make the rosewood cubes. The holes have to be drilled as shown in the link

 

[Staxxx]

Hi Nikhil


You just saw a glimpse of what they do. When you had come the system had not broken in and also i had just showed you what one resonator can do. Now i have 6 resonators in place. They make a big difference. A room contributes big time to the sound. Treating it is very critical. I have one special gold, one gold, one copper and three silver resonators. Special gold costs $1200. Gold also costs $1200. Silver costs $550 and Copper $250.

Wow these are cool - did not know anyone in India was using them. Although it is probably difficult to verbalize, how did you feel the sound was affected by these FC resonators please? I am planning on getting some Shakti Hallographs and also the Novum PMR Premium resonator.

 

[prem]

Hi Staxx

Very difficult to explain how it works. They open up more harmonics. Bass tightens up but not in the way it does when you use an absorber. I have had Real Traps and ASC tube traps at my place in the past. Those clean up the sound. The resonators makes everything sound more real.