shershah
New Member
there is always something gained -
it could be money -
but what is usually gained - is hindsight.
it could be money -
but what is usually gained - is hindsight.
The 'Dark' Art Of Room Acoustics!
- Thread starter ajay124
- Start date
Nothing
Ajay,
Did you order (Nothing)?
V.
Ajay,
Did you order (Nothing)?
V.
ajay124
Well-Known Member
We are proud to announce that we have been awarded the NOTHING audio dealership for the Chandigarh region.
We will be carrying the full range of NOTHING hifi products.
The NOTHING Reference Tower is like NOTHING you have ever heard!
The NOTHING Power Amp outputs 500WPC per channel. Unfortunately you will hear NOTHING, because it only outputs the sounds of silence.
Our NOTHING SIgnature CD Player is kind of temperamental! It refuses to read the NOTHING which passes for music in these diminished times.
With best wishes
From
Nothing & Nobody
We will be carrying the full range of NOTHING hifi products.
The NOTHING Reference Tower is like NOTHING you have ever heard!
The NOTHING Power Amp outputs 500WPC per channel. Unfortunately you will hear NOTHING, because it only outputs the sounds of silence.
Our NOTHING SIgnature CD Player is kind of temperamental! It refuses to read the NOTHING which passes for music in these diminished times.
With best wishes
From
Nothing & Nobody
ajay124
Well-Known Member
Money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you a Steinway Lyngdorf 
Steinway Lyngdorf - Model D
Steinway Lyngdorf - Reviews - Model D
Steinway Lyngdorf - Model D
Steinway Lyngdorf - Reviews - Model D
ajay124
Well-Known Member
ajay124
Well-Known Member
'Right' happens when you pause, take stock, and go through a sweet, extended phase of contentment with your set up. After a couple of months of disruption, I am finally getting close to that zone once again. I have got used to the new surfaces and settings of my living room. I am more conscious of reflections from side walls and the wall behind my listening position. The new sweet spot is a lot further into the room, and closer to the speakers, than the older one.
Even after the settings and placements were accomplished, I was curiously dissatisfied with the sound. I could not pinpoint what was wrong, but I was finding every CD I played a little lifeless and bloodless. Not quite true to what I felt the original sound should be. The musicality and sweetness, which draws you in, and keeps you riveted to your listening chair, was not quite there. I even thought I was experiencing music fatigue, which normally does not happen. I am used to marathon sessions, stretching into weeks, months, with short breaks for sleep and hurried chores in the outside world
The answer as usual came out of the blue. Or rather out of the 'dark'. I have been using power cords with US plugs, generously couriered by two good audiophile friends. I have had an on/off reaction to these cords, sometimes finding them incredibly fast,detailed and accurate. At other times, finding that they take something essential out of the music. In my brief experience with cords, I have come to the conclusion that they are truly a 'dark' art. One cannot predict what good or bad they will do in a particular system. For the moment, I believe that the US connectors are not my cup of ( green ) tea. I would like to listen to more European Schuko connectors and 230V power cords, before settling down with any particular set.
The positive lesson, that I have learnt, since beginning this thread is, that one does not always need to make expensive upgrades, in order to go higher up the HIFI chain. At the best of times we may be experiencing 60-70% of the full potential of what we already have. The best and cheapest upgrade for most audiophiles would be, to understand the sonic qualities of the room and the HIFi gear they already possess, in order to get the best out of them. Theory and advise can help. But the last lap to 'victory' has to be run alone.
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
My first serious audition of the new room. With the new audio rack. I did not have the energy or the inspiration to go for anything esoteric, so I opted for a conventional rack. It took my carpenter two days to build. We used 19 mm waterprooof board left over from the kitchen work. Three shelves. Inner dimensions - 21 inches long, 16 inches deep and 8,6,8 inches high. The dimensions of the top shelf are meant for housing the 'elusive' Esoteric rather than the Arcam. For the colour, I chose glossy black, to blend with the black piano finish of the Vienna Acoustics. The entire setup now looks a lot better than before. The extruded aluminium finish of the Bryston pre and power, housed in glossy black, looks sexy! Will post pics soon
SQ was already back to the original level since yesterday. The new rack, which is far more sturdy than my earlier one, has helped to make it even more stable and focused. I had contemplated adding a second platform, made from the same board, one inch above the three shelves, for isolating the cdp,pre and power amp from the rest of the rack. But I could not find a satisfactory option for doing it. Will try to add them in the future.
For the audition I chose five cds. I prefer to play full cds for an audition. I don't see the point of changing tracks every 5 minutes. Using lots of cds and checking out multiple genres, seems to be more of an ego trip, than something actually required! I don't particularly focus on how the the midrange, bass or treble are sounding. Music has to sound good as a whole! If the sound is boomy or bright, a minor adjustment in the postioning of the speakers normally takes care of that. What I do seek, AFAP (as far as possible ), is to try and make the HiFi gear invisible. And to achieve a fairly realistic, deep, wide and high soundstage, closer to the sound of live music, rather than playback music. The music should sound sweet,intimate,tonally correct,detailed and non fatiguing. It should 'seduce' you, draw you in, and keep you hooked, late into the night.
And since wine or whisky, food and song, go hand in hand, my programme for the evening
Jack Daniels, two 90ml shots, with similar amounts of (room temp) RO water. I prefer bourbons and cognac's at room temp in the summers, and with warm water in the winters.
Fish In Thai Red Curry/Steamed Rice/Watermelon. Home made. Seldom patronise a restaurant, except occasional home deliveries from Dominos and Subway.
Grateful Dead/Live Dead
Al Di Meola/ The Manhattan Years
Dmitri Shostakovich/String Quartets - Borodin Quartet
Mozart/Sinfonia Concertante K 364 - Itzhak Perlman,Pinchas Zukerman,Zubin Mehta, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Beethoven/Symphony No.9 - Herbert Von Karajan,Berliner Philharmoniker.
Could not resist carrying on late into the night, with Beethoven's symphony no. 5 and 6. The Big B's symphonies, Von Karajan, Berliner Phil, are a match made in heaven. There are very few things in the world which can give greater pleasure!
SQ was already back to the original level since yesterday. The new rack, which is far more sturdy than my earlier one, has helped to make it even more stable and focused. I had contemplated adding a second platform, made from the same board, one inch above the three shelves, for isolating the cdp,pre and power amp from the rest of the rack. But I could not find a satisfactory option for doing it. Will try to add them in the future.
For the audition I chose five cds. I prefer to play full cds for an audition. I don't see the point of changing tracks every 5 minutes. Using lots of cds and checking out multiple genres, seems to be more of an ego trip, than something actually required! I don't particularly focus on how the the midrange, bass or treble are sounding. Music has to sound good as a whole! If the sound is boomy or bright, a minor adjustment in the postioning of the speakers normally takes care of that. What I do seek, AFAP (as far as possible ), is to try and make the HiFi gear invisible. And to achieve a fairly realistic, deep, wide and high soundstage, closer to the sound of live music, rather than playback music. The music should sound sweet,intimate,tonally correct,detailed and non fatiguing. It should 'seduce' you, draw you in, and keep you hooked, late into the night.
And since wine or whisky, food and song, go hand in hand, my programme for the evening
Jack Daniels, two 90ml shots, with similar amounts of (room temp) RO water. I prefer bourbons and cognac's at room temp in the summers, and with warm water in the winters.
Fish In Thai Red Curry/Steamed Rice/Watermelon. Home made. Seldom patronise a restaurant, except occasional home deliveries from Dominos and Subway.
Grateful Dead/Live Dead
Al Di Meola/ The Manhattan Years
Dmitri Shostakovich/String Quartets - Borodin Quartet
Mozart/Sinfonia Concertante K 364 - Itzhak Perlman,Pinchas Zukerman,Zubin Mehta, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Beethoven/Symphony No.9 - Herbert Von Karajan,Berliner Philharmoniker.
Could not resist carrying on late into the night, with Beethoven's symphony no. 5 and 6. The Big B's symphonies, Von Karajan, Berliner Phil, are a match made in heaven. There are very few things in the world which can give greater pleasure!
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
Adding some pics of the room and system.
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Congrats Ajay!! A nice and clean set up.
IMO you need a wider carpet. This carpet doesn't cover the entire width of the speakers which will result in some reflection from floor. A little damping on side wall will further enhance the sound quality.
Cheers & Enjoy
Vasu
IMO you need a wider carpet. This carpet doesn't cover the entire width of the speakers which will result in some reflection from floor. A little damping on side wall will further enhance the sound quality.
Cheers & Enjoy
Vasu
ajay124
Well-Known Member
Thanks Sachin, Sunil, Hydra
@myriad
The present carpet is 6x4 feet. Actually an 8x5 feet carpet, made from natural fibres would be ideal. ( One of the room acoustic articles mentioned that synthetic carpets are not as effective as those made from natural fibres). I am not considering anything bigger, because in the long run, carpets tend to give the room a stuffy, dusty, dirty look.
For the side walls I am contemplating small and low cd racks, made from the left over material. These racks will hold my rapidly dwindling collection of jazz, rock and soul cds. The main cd shelves have been taken over by 19th/20th century Russian and European classical music.
In the past one and a half year, I sold off close to 200 cds from my collection of 400. Then I bought 200 fresh cds from Rhythm House. Then I sold of another 200 cds. Then I bought another 200 cds from Amazon. Perhaps I should have spaced out the buy/sells. In my hurry to discover new music, I let a lot of recently acquired music go, which I had not even played much. And obviously the expenses mount up. Amazon has made buying music an addictive exercise! These days I don't log on to Amazon very often! I am expecting three orders from them, and am resisting the temptation to place more.
I also sold of my Yamaha AVR and Wharfedale Diamond speakers. And bought Dynaudio Audience 122's and a Nad cdp
and integrated amp. Then I sold off the Nad's and bought a Cyrus amp. Then I sold off the Dynaudio and Cyrus, and within a couple of months, bought the Vienna Acoustics, Bryston's and the Arcam cdp. Recently I asked a cousin to buy a lightly used Esoteric cdp from a dealer in England. Once I receive it, I intend to sell the Arcam cdp and then call it a day!
Whew! I wanna rest now!
@myriad
The present carpet is 6x4 feet. Actually an 8x5 feet carpet, made from natural fibres would be ideal. ( One of the room acoustic articles mentioned that synthetic carpets are not as effective as those made from natural fibres). I am not considering anything bigger, because in the long run, carpets tend to give the room a stuffy, dusty, dirty look.
For the side walls I am contemplating small and low cd racks, made from the left over material. These racks will hold my rapidly dwindling collection of jazz, rock and soul cds. The main cd shelves have been taken over by 19th/20th century Russian and European classical music.
In the past one and a half year, I sold off close to 200 cds from my collection of 400. Then I bought 200 fresh cds from Rhythm House. Then I sold of another 200 cds. Then I bought another 200 cds from Amazon. Perhaps I should have spaced out the buy/sells. In my hurry to discover new music, I let a lot of recently acquired music go, which I had not even played much. And obviously the expenses mount up. Amazon has made buying music an addictive exercise! These days I don't log on to Amazon very often! I am expecting three orders from them, and am resisting the temptation to place more.
I also sold of my Yamaha AVR and Wharfedale Diamond speakers. And bought Dynaudio Audience 122's and a Nad cdp
and integrated amp. Then I sold off the Nad's and bought a Cyrus amp. Then I sold off the Dynaudio and Cyrus, and within a couple of months, bought the Vienna Acoustics, Bryston's and the Arcam cdp. Recently I asked a cousin to buy a lightly used Esoteric cdp from a dealer in England. Once I receive it, I intend to sell the Arcam cdp and then call it a day!
Whew! I wanna rest now!
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Ajay,
It is an expensive hobby and consumes lot of time to fine tune the system which sometimes get tiresome & irritating.
I too have replaced all my old stuff with new one. In the process have drained out all my savings. I also need to go slow and enjoy my set up.
Cheers
It is an expensive hobby and consumes lot of time to fine tune the system which sometimes get tiresome & irritating
.I too have replaced all my old stuff with new one. In the process have drained out all my savings. I also need to go slow and enjoy my set up.
Cheers
ajay124
Well-Known Member
moktan
Thanks for the Dorje link! If I ever visit Kathmandu, I will make a trip to DoCo Textiles and Handlooms. I would rather pay for their beautiful carpets in Nepalese rupee, than in Seattlese dollars
For those who may be interested in some trivia about my music/living room, the furniture and the book/cd rack design is 'inspired' by my favorite architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. He was the most famous practitioner of the 'Prairie' school of architecture. He built 'organic' masterpieces in the American Midwest, which seem to have been created by nature as part of the landscape, rather than by human design.
I borrowed liberally from 'prairie' furniture designs available on the internet. We used 'Partal' wood, which is probably never used for furniture, as it is not very strong, but I like the look and feel of it's texture and grains. I adapted and modified the designs I found on the net, to suit my needs. My carpenter was initially cynical and mystified by what we were attempting, but now that several years have passed, also likes what he built, and considers it among his most satisfying 'creations'
FALLINGWATER
YouTube - Eye on Design: A Tour of Fallingwater
Thanks for the Dorje link! If I ever visit Kathmandu, I will make a trip to DoCo Textiles and Handlooms. I would rather pay for their beautiful carpets in Nepalese rupee, than in Seattlese dollars
For those who may be interested in some trivia about my music/living room, the furniture and the book/cd rack design is 'inspired' by my favorite architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. He was the most famous practitioner of the 'Prairie' school of architecture. He built 'organic' masterpieces in the American Midwest, which seem to have been created by nature as part of the landscape, rather than by human design.
I borrowed liberally from 'prairie' furniture designs available on the internet. We used 'Partal' wood, which is probably never used for furniture, as it is not very strong, but I like the look and feel of it's texture and grains. I adapted and modified the designs I found on the net, to suit my needs. My carpenter was initially cynical and mystified by what we were attempting, but now that several years have passed, also likes what he built, and considers it among his most satisfying 'creations'
FALLINGWATER
YouTube - Eye on Design: A Tour of Fallingwater
ajay124
Well-Known Member
Placed the 8 mm glass platforms from my earlier rack, under the cdp, pre and power amp. Placed the 6x4 carpet horizontally instead of vertically, with the 6 feet span now covering more space between the speakers. Good!
Been having a saturday morning rockathon since 5.30am
Breakfast In America/ Supertramp
Eye In The Sky/ Alan Parson's Project
Automatic For The People/ REM
Communique/ Dire Straits
Harvest Moon/ Neil Young
Talking Heads/ Anthology
Dying to listen to a 'Foreigner' anthology. But I had sold the one I had, last year :sad:
Been having a saturday morning rockathon since 5.30am
Breakfast In America/ Supertramp
Eye In The Sky/ Alan Parson's Project
Automatic For The People/ REM
Communique/ Dire Straits
Harvest Moon/ Neil Young
Talking Heads/ Anthology
Dying to listen to a 'Foreigner' anthology. But I had sold the one I had, last year :sad:
ajay124
Well-Known Member
I am still mystified by the effects/side effects of power cords in my system, and will reserve passing judgement on them, but the new audio rack has done a world of good. In retrospect, my older rack seems to have been more 'shakey' than an ageing and permanently spaced out rock musician.
The bass is tight and punchy, the mids are on 'song', the treble has a light and airy feel. And rock music is really sounding good! It has been a rockin' start to the weekend, as I have revisited many old albums after a fairly long hiatus. Rock is not something I want to listen to everyday, but it would have been nice if I had some of my older music right now!
Some iconic rock which I don't have anymore :sad:
Blood On The Tracks/Desire/Slow Train Coming/Street Legal/ Bob Dylan
Imagine/ John Lennon
Tonights The Night/ Neil Young
Astral Weeks/No Guru No Method No Teacher / Van Morrison
Uprising/ Bob Marley And The Wailers
An American Beauty/ Grateful Dead
In The Court Of The Crimson King/ King Crimson
Machine Head/ Deep Purple
Aqualung/ Jethro Tull
Frampton Comes Alive/ Peter Frampton
Just One Night/ Eric Clapton
Four Way Street/Deja Vu/ CSN&Y
Disraeli Gears/ Cream
Live At Filmore East / Allman Brothers
Blind Faith/ Blind Faith
An American Prayer/ Jim Morrison & The Doors
Caravanserai/Abraxus/ Santana
Blow By Blow/ Jeff Beck
Arc Of A Diver/ Steve Winwood
The White Album/ The Beatles
Forty Licks/ The Rolling Stones
Wish You Were Here/ Pink Floyd
Making Movies/ Dire Straits
The Long Run/ Eagles
The Game/Sheer Heart Attack / Queen
Rumours/ Fleetwood Mac
Electric Ladyland/ Jim Hendrix
In Search Of A Lost Chord/ Moody Blues
Low Sparks Of The High Heeled Boys/ Traffic
Live At Leeds/ The Who
Live At Central Park/ Simon & Garfunkel
The bass is tight and punchy, the mids are on 'song', the treble has a light and airy feel. And rock music is really sounding good! It has been a rockin' start to the weekend, as I have revisited many old albums after a fairly long hiatus. Rock is not something I want to listen to everyday, but it would have been nice if I had some of my older music right now!
Some iconic rock which I don't have anymore :sad:
Blood On The Tracks/Desire/Slow Train Coming/Street Legal/ Bob Dylan
Imagine/ John Lennon
Tonights The Night/ Neil Young
Astral Weeks/No Guru No Method No Teacher / Van Morrison
Uprising/ Bob Marley And The Wailers
An American Beauty/ Grateful Dead
In The Court Of The Crimson King/ King Crimson
Machine Head/ Deep Purple
Aqualung/ Jethro Tull
Frampton Comes Alive/ Peter Frampton
Just One Night/ Eric Clapton
Four Way Street/Deja Vu/ CSN&Y
Disraeli Gears/ Cream
Live At Filmore East / Allman Brothers
Blind Faith/ Blind Faith
An American Prayer/ Jim Morrison & The Doors
Caravanserai/Abraxus/ Santana
Blow By Blow/ Jeff Beck
Arc Of A Diver/ Steve Winwood
The White Album/ The Beatles
Forty Licks/ The Rolling Stones
Wish You Were Here/ Pink Floyd
Making Movies/ Dire Straits
The Long Run/ Eagles
The Game/Sheer Heart Attack / Queen
Rumours/ Fleetwood Mac
Electric Ladyland/ Jim Hendrix
In Search Of A Lost Chord/ Moody Blues
Low Sparks Of The High Heeled Boys/ Traffic
Live At Leeds/ The Who
Live At Central Park/ Simon & Garfunkel
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