Big sonic improvements for little or no $

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by bdiament, Oct 9, 2007.

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  1. bdiament

    bdiament Producer, Engineer, Soundkeeper Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    Hi all,

    As suggested by Gort John B (Or former Gort? I'm not sure. Still, it sounds like a Beach Boys song. :sigh: ) in another thread, I'm taking something I posted in response to another forum member and starting this new thread with it.

    The post:

    Remember there are an awful lot of (to my ears) significant improvements one can make in any system for very little financial outlay.

    A good vibration isolation platform for a CD player can be constucted for about $5 and in my experience it will outperform a certain brand of $400 cones (which by their nature are not isolators despite the marketeers).

    Speaker placement costs nothing and can make some enormous improvements. Really basic bass traps can be made for free (if you don't mind a stack of cardboard boxes in each corner and spending a day crumpling individual sheets of newspaper as tightly as you can).

    Careful routing of all system cabling (whatever you have): AC separate from audio, etc. can have some nice benefits as well.
    So far the most expensive thing I've mentioned is $5 for a CD isolation platform.

    Please don't be intimidated by anyone's system. A lot of folks with expensive systems might not hear as much as a careful, practiced listener with an inexpensive system.

    More on system set up here and here.

    And most importantly, have fun!

    Best regards,
    Barry
    www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
    www.barrydiamentaudio.com
     
    kyouki, Dino and wgb113 like this.
  2. woody

    woody Forum Resident

    Location:
    charleston, sc
    I have used your speaker setup technique and have heard amazing results. it really reduces first order reflections and improves perceived bass.
     
  3. phish

    phish Jack Your Body

    Location:
    Biloxi, MS, USA
    i will definately be working on some of these things you outlined.

    thanks barry, as per usual. quite the contributor.
     
  4. johnny33

    johnny33 New Member

    Location:
    usa
    Thanks for the reminder Barry.Sometimes we cant see the crumpled paper for the brass cones.. right? :)
     
  5. sushimaster

    sushimaster Forum Resident

    Plugging up speaker ports with micro fiber towels that you can buy at Costco/Walmart, to make them Acoustic Suspension, I think is a cheap mod with big gains.

    [​IMG]

    - Sushimaster
     
  6. Duggeh

    Duggeh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    The best cheapest improvement I use is having the lights off and closing my eyes.
     
    unravelled likes this.
  7. johnny33

    johnny33 New Member

    Location:
    usa
    I use the suggestion by Steve to tape a little square of tissue on my blaring tweaters. It helps.

    And plus if I run out of tissue I can just rip one off the speaker :winkgrin:
     
  8. Shakey

    Shakey New Member

    Location:
    Chicago, Illinois
    Irrigate your ear canals.
     
    vegafleet likes this.
  9. johnny33

    johnny33 New Member

    Location:
    usa
    What?


    :p
     
  10. RDK

    RDK Active Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Agree with Barry 100% here. But see, that's the problem that I have with all the "little and expensive" tweaks. Moving your speakers six inches, imo, will change the sound of your system far more than swapping out pricey cables or placing magnetic stones near your equipment.
     
  11. AerosSaga

    AerosSaga Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Thanks for the pragmatic tips Barry.
     
  12. John B

    John B Once Blue Gort,<br>now just blue.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Thank you Barry.

    If I have have been able to make a contribution, it lies in my ability to recognise quality .... Great thread.

    Thank you for sharing a base of knowledge that most of us can only dream about....

    John
     
  13. jstraw

    jstraw Forum Resident

    I'm aching to optimize what I've got and I read barry's tutorial on speaker placement and I think I'll have to post a picture of my "listening room" to show what I'm up against. I'm agnostic (no honestly) on the subject of the controversial tweaks that get discussed but one thing is certain...they're all of little or no use to me if I haven't done what I can to set up what I've got properly.

    For me that's things like speaker placement, power conditioning, routing my power and audio separately, speaker cable of adequate guage and making sure vibration isn't out of control.

    I'm going to produce some images to get suggstions for speaker placement (believe me, you're gonna laugh).

    I'm going to measure my speaker runs and get the right guage wire. I'll clean up my power and interconnect wiring and I'll shop for some modestly priced power conditioning.

    Is this item just a joke:

    http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?sku=7175891&oext=1038A&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=7175891
     
  14. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Here's one for people in the UK with a turntable (might even work with a CD player) who don't want to spend over ten times as much on a more expensive alternative.

    I found this was a nice little improvement to my Rega P3's bass; go to your local Tesco supermarket, preferably one which has kitchen supplies. Buy one of their granite chopping boards (£10/$20), go to your local DIY store and pick up a set of sofa carpet protector cups (these are like little pods into which you put the sofa's castors) - another £4 or $8.

    Simply empty the pods/protectors out on to your hifi rack, pop the granite board on top and away you go. Sounds Unique do isolation platforms that cost a damn sight more, but this is a good and cheap improvement that really impacts on your deck's sound. Acts as a good isolation from floor movements and costs nothing more than $25 and an hour of your time.

    Bargain!
     
    kyouki likes this.
  15. OldCoder

    OldCoder Well-Known Member In Memoriam

    Location:
    St. Paul, MN, USA
    One of my favorite accessories for my rig is a simple wooden yardstick.

    I have a small listening room, and when I get the speaker placement "right", I measure the distances from the rear wall to each corner of the speakers (capturing distance and toe-in), between the speakers and from the right wall (there is no left wall unfortunately...) and write it all down on an index card.

    This allows me to reproduce the settings instead of rediscovering them each time I have to move stuff.

    Well worth the dollar for the convenience and ease of reading.
     
  16. reverber

    reverber Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrence KS, USA
    I had heard that filling the port with a handful of soda/drinking straws reduced port turbulence/distortion.
    I haven't tried it myself...YMMV.
    Cody
     
  17. Blencathra

    Blencathra New Member

    Location:
    UK
    Why are you moving stuff around so often?
     
  18. bdiament

    bdiament Producer, Engineer, Soundkeeper Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    Hi jstraw,

    Forget guage. If it isn't a single hair thin strand, it is probably fine. I suggest going by how it sounds and not looking at numbers, which ultimately don't tell you anything about how it will sound to your ears in your system.

    I'd also suggest not using a computer surge protector for audio. Such devices will add noise and make the sound worse instead of better.

    As to your room and speaker placement, a drawing of the room and where everything is will supplement any pictures. Include width, length and height dimensions if you can.

    Best regards,
    Barry
    www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
    www.barrydiamentaudio.com
     
  19. John B

    John B Once Blue Gort,<br>now just blue.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
  20. MikeyH

    MikeyH Stamper King

    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    My favorite of these is definitely Contact Cleaner.

    All cables, devices, etc. as delivered new are guaranteed to have dirty, oily (manufacturers use an oil film to mitigate oxidation) or even actually oxidized, plugs and sockets. And don't think your premium super 24k gold ones are immune.

    I go for a double threat attack: mild metal polish (Nevr-Dull wadding works well) buffed to a clean shine, and then an enhancer (your choice of Caig, Tweek, Kontak..). Don't forget those mains plugs and sockets.

    Half an hour of this and you really won't believe your system..

    Advanced students can take the cases off their (unplugged!) electronics and try the same approach on any mechanical connectors (plug-on daughter boards are a good target)..
     
  21. Vinyl-Addict

    Vinyl-Addict Groovetracer Manufacturer

    Location:
    USA
    Make sure your turntable is absolutely level! Free, no charge advice. ;)
     
  22. Ski Bum

    Ski Bum Happy Audiophile

    Location:
    Vail, CO
    Good post Barry. Many audiophiles keep upgrading their equipment at huge expense, without taking the time to maximize what they have. My suggestions:

    1. Speaker placement

    2. Speaker toe in

    3. Try spiking and then decoupling the speakers -- one or the other will probably make a substantial improvement (and the other will make the sound worse)

    4. Vibration isolation on your turntable

    5. Vibration isolation on your CD player

    6. Vibration isolation on your tubed equipment

    7. Eliminate all extension cords from the system

    8. Bass traps in the corners (most important in the corners behind the speakers)

    9. Absorption on first reflection points of sound from the speakers

    10. Diffuse the areas behind the speakers and behind the listener

    11. Power conditioning

    12. Re-check all of the settings on your turntable -- experiment with VTA
     
  23. JayB

    JayB Senior Member

    Location:
    CT
    Thanks Barry, it's nice to have someone with your knowledge suggesting such practical improvements!
     
  24. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    Gaffer tape on the floor to mark the corners of the speaker or stand is a lot more convenient, and allows you to very quickly compare positions/toe-ins/etc. You can remove it when you decide on your preferred position. If you use silver-grey gaffer tape you can even write location information on the tape using a Sharpie. If you mark the rear of the stand/speaker so that things are out of sight, you can even leave the tape down for a very fast re-installation if you have to move things.
     
  25. doodlebug

    doodlebug Member

    Location:
    Chapel Hill, NC
    One of the most cost-effective things I've done is to replace the crossover caps in my older speakers.

    Rule of thumb: If the speakers are 15-20 years or older, this will provide a worthwhile return.

    Cheers,

    David
     
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