Most unexpected sound improvement

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Andy Pandy, Apr 8, 2021.

  1. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    Interesting. I think the quality of specially the volume pot speaks loads about the maufacturer. I like the feel and “action” of a good pot like the better Alps ones even though I almost always use a remote. I really good heavy smooth volume pot instils confidence in the rest of the build.
     
    trd, George P and Mr.Sign like this.
  2. doctor fuse

    doctor fuse Forum Resident

    Playing early Kinks' hits?
     
    Adam9 and bluemooze like this.
  3. doctor fuse

    doctor fuse Forum Resident

    Agreed. My preamp uses ALPS pots, but the balance pot has been problematic for ages. Finally decided to just turn it 30 or more times, and now it work properly. And seems to sound better.
     
    trd likes this.
  4. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    Alps is the name I always look for. It’s important to wipe the contacts through a good turning throughout its complete range periodically.

    One of the best upgrades I got was a recommended tuning control upgrade to my Magnum Dynalab tuner when I had one.
    Better parts undoubtedly lead to greater satisfaction as well as a superior listening experience.
     
  5. lobo

    lobo Music has always been a matter of Energy to me...

    Location:
    Germany
    That's all?


    ;)
     
    jusbe likes this.
  6. old45s

    old45s MP3 FREE ZONE

    Location:
    SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
     
  7. Thing Fish

    Thing Fish “Jazz isn't dead. It just smells funny.”

    Location:
    London, England
    I spent £2500 on upgrading all my Croft amps to R specification.
    The difference was amazing.
     
    RemyM likes this.
  8. HiFi Guy 008

    HiFi Guy 008 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    What’s a balanced isolation transformer?

    Intrigued.
     
  9. HIRES_FAN

    HIRES_FAN Forum Resident

    HiFi Guy 008 likes this.
  10. Noel Patterson

    Noel Patterson Music Junkie

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Love the old Sansui amps, been looking at getting one too for a while now.
     
    bluesky and Micke Lindahl like this.
  11. audiolistener

    audiolistener i like vinyl and cds

    Location:
    Jacksonville FL
    did you make a post about how to do this? did you follow any sort of guide?
     
  12. HiFi Guy 008

    HiFi Guy 008 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    Biggest unexpected improvement?

    Installing the provided spikes on my Tannoy Revolution 8 speakers.

    Such a minuscule change. Less than an inch. I wanted to hear what they were like without. Good, but the highs were missing details and finesse.

    Then I put the spikes in.
    Holy fookin ****e.
    No wonder there are no pre-owned Revolution 8’s in the US. I was expecting great. Got better.
     
    timind, gakerty and Mr.Sign like this.
  13. doctor fuse

    doctor fuse Forum Resident

    Hey audioL, this is the article that convinced me to make a DIY fluid damper. I used one of those white plastic containers that most tofu comes in, for the paddles (but an old credit card is a great use of that piece of garbage!), junk wire I had lying around (the best was the wire from champagne cork stoppers), and whatever plastic container I could find on recycling day that would fit best with whatever turntable or arm I was making the damper for.

    Let me know how you get on!

    Tonearm Damping Article By Bob Graham The BAS Speaker Volume 3 No. 4, January 1995
     
    Mo-Tech likes this.
  14. progrocker

    progrocker Senior Member

    When I used a tape measure to place my speakers.
     
    macster, trd and timind like this.
  15. Mindhead1

    Mindhead1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    Adding the Pro-next Phono Box S2 to my Debit Carbon Evo and bypassing the dedicated phono stage on my as301 amp.

    Next up is adding an RSL Speedwoofer to bring some bass to my Klipsch rp160m.
     
  16. Tone?

    Tone? Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    What I’ve learned through my short experience in stereo is exactly like guitar gear.

    live with your current setup for awhile.
    Tweak it.
    By that I mean learn the acoustics of your room.
    Try and get close to 90-100% of what you can from that set up.
    In the process you will learn a ton of what sounds good and what setup is needed.
    Acoustics etc.

    I’ve done that with my system. No new components.
    The more I learn the more my system blows me away.
    Literally.

    my setup sills have sharpened and my system blows me away now.
    Loved it before but now after experimenting with speaker positioning , hangin blankets , yes that, in different spots has made my sound system mind blowing

    yes the blankets will be replaced by pro acoustical treatment. Lol


    Live with your setup for a long time.
    Learn how to squeeze every inch on sound you can from it.
     
    Icethorn, trd, Doctor Fine and 2 others like this.
  17. Macman

    Macman Senior Member

    For me it's speaker placement. Just playing around with them until you find that sweet spot. It's amazing. And cheap.
     
    macster, Clonesteak, trd and 5 others like this.
  18. frimleygreener

    frimleygreener "It 'a'int why...it just is"

    Location:
    united kingdom
    The purchase of a dedicated Rega turntable shelf for my P8.
     
    Icethorn, jusbe and Randoms like this.
  19. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    Tim 2 and avanti1960 like this.
  20. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    biggest sound improvement for me:

    switching from vinyl to CD.

    no more noise, hiss, ticks, pops, scratches, hum, or wear and tear.

    best thing i ever did: music wise, and i'd do it all over again.
     
    rockin_since_58, Brudr and csgreene like this.
  21. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    Some really good remastering that enables more detail being brought out that was hard to detect previously. What seems trivial or minor details can make a huge difference to the enjoyment of music.
     
    Tim 2 likes this.
  22. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Speaker movement can be very dependent on the speaker. Some can be sensitive to a slight direction change others are not.
     
    Khorn, bever70, Tone? and 2 others like this.
  23. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    I always use a light beam or laser to aim my speakers intersection points.
     
    macster, Tone?, timind and 1 other person like this.
  24. LakeMountain

    LakeMountain Vinyl surfer

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Well phrased!
     
  25. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    I used to do that, current speakers are not sensitive to directional change, go figure. :shrug:
     
    Khorn likes this.

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