System Tweaks: One Man's Story

Excuse the length of this post, but I thought I'd outline some very interesting findings I've had in the last several weeks of system upgrades and the various tweaks I've made to my aging 2-channel system.

After 20 years of faithful service my Anthem CD-1 (tube!) CD player started crapping out on me. I took it apart and cleaned the lens, etc., and it limped along for awhile but I knew I had to think about putting it out to pasture. I did some research and noticed that there wasn't a whole heck of a lot of (decent) CD spinners being made any more. I almost bought a Marantz but heard that Yamaha had recently introduced a new SACD/CD player (CD-S2100). The player was a companion to the new Yamaha solid state amp (A-S2100) which was based on Yamaha's flagship A-S3000. I had experience listening to that high end amp when I was in Asia recently demoing headphones and I was hugely impressed. I bought both the Yamaha player and amp, replacing my ailing Anthem player and old Conrad Johnson (MF-2100) amp and Sonographe preamp.
The results were stunning but not surprising: Despite an assumed drop in wattage (210 to 160 w/c), the modern Yamaha components bested the old (and decidedly entry level) CJ boxes on every level. My 20-year-old B&W Matrix 802 series 3 speakers had a new lease on life (they are the only components I retained from the original setup). I wanted more...

My first tweak involved replacing the B&W's stock metal plate jumpers with some cable units. I tried some from Nordost but the spade clip was too small for the B&W's post. I settled on a set from Transparent (12 gauge, matching my Transparent speaker cable) and that did the trick. The results were obvious and surprising: much more "space" and definition. The old speakers were beginning to open up.

Next I put some Sorbothane feet on the speakers. My floor is concrete so spikes were out of the question. I talked to someone at the company and they gave me the correct dimensions for the hemispheric footings based on the speaker weight. I didn't do any before and after comparisons but I like the jiggly things, and it's one of the cheapest tweaks I performed.

My next tweak involved stepping out of my comfort zone and buying into some of that so-called snake oil that speaker cable manufacturers advocate. In this case it was installing some Transparent "Brick" network units to the end of my 40 foot (!) in-wall speaker cable runs. The real reason I wanted to do this was because I only had about 18 inches of cable exiting my wall(s) and I needed a few more inches (cough) to allow for better speaker placement. The results of this tweak were the most dramatic yet; bass response that had been absent in these notoriously bass-shy speakers for their entire existence up until this point. Seriously.

Tweak crazy now, I followed the advice of members on this forum and plugged my amp directly into the wall instead of the Panamax line conditioner/surge protector that every other a/v component I have is plugged into. The result? Insane! Even more low end than before, and a more open and detailed soundstage. Not subtle.

Lastly, I sprang for a fairly expensive ($500+) Transparent Premium power cable for the amp. Guess what? More bass and a "fuller" sound overall. At first I thought it might be too much, but keep in mind that these speakers have always been anemic in the lower frequencies for the past two decades and I'm not used to the low end I was hearing (and feeling!). I did some extensive comparison between the stock power cable and the upgraded unit, even enlisting my wife and teenage son, and the clear consensus was that the sound with the Transparent power cable was simply better; smoother, deeper, and more assertive. No loss of detail.

Frankly I'm shocked by the difference these minor adjustments have made. If you told me six months ago that I could realize such differences in my audio system's sound quality by any one of these adjustments I would have laughed.

 

Hi mate

I agree with you about changing cables and it DOES make a difference. Other people like to downplay them, and that is fine. But if you can hear the difference, then that is all that matters.

Just recently, i bought 4 x Black Rhodium Libra power cables. I changed the power cables on my pre amp and will use these on my modwright 105D.

I changed the power cable and instantly i felt a tighter more resolved sound and the bass seemed less boomy and a lot cleaner.

I looked at the website and there are power cables going for 1000 pounds, however the ones i got were like 100 pounds. I firmly believe in making as many upgrades as you can relative to your budget, but i also wouldnt buy cables which cost more than the actual unit they are going into!

The cables im running right now are:

Power
4 x Black Rhodium Libra
1 x Transparent Audio power cable

Speaker Cables
2 x Transparent Audio Music Link Plus with spades

Interconnects
Transparent Audio RCA
Audioquest Columbia XLR Balanced with DBS72V
Sound Doctor XLR Subwoofer Cable
Audioquest Coffee USB with DBS72V

My system is getting to the point now where i dont see any further upgrades necessary in the next few years so i am very happy with this.

 

Do you have your power cables going straight into a wall outlet or are you using a conditioner/surge protector? I ask because I'm considering upgrading my CD player's PC but am nervous about both it and the amp not being "protected". Also wondering if the audiophile conditioners/protectors (like the Transparent units) negate any of the benefits of using an upgraded power cable plugged directly into an outlet.

 

i have it going into a conditioner/surge protector.

 

A few years back I put my spiked B&W 703 Speakers on heavy duty butcher blocks on top of 2 sturdy coffee tables . Big difference I got clean bass & proper vocal height . Only yesterday I changed speaker positions which were firing length ways in my UK sized 15 x 12 ft suburban bedroom with bay window to the speaker firing the shorter distance but the speakers are now set far apart as possible on the longer wall . A little bit of toe in here & there & YES!!!! The system sounds twice as big but less room boom & reflection . The room looks a bit weird but a bedroom with a big stinking stereo system looked weird anyway lol.

 

I was shocked at how much a power cable can improve things. I expected not hear much of anything. And you don't have to spend crazy money on them, I liked the Shunyata Venom more than my friends Kimber PC at 2.5 times the price...thanks again for suggesting that Yamaha gear to me! This 1100/2100 series is a real knockout.

I definitely find straight into the wall to sound better, but I have everything going through a modest tripplite for the time being. It gives me some comfort, but does affect the sound a little. But even through the tripplite the power cables are a clear upgrade.

 

I may spring for a Transparent conditioner/surge protector and another power cable(a cheaper one) for my CD player, if and when I have some money.
ThorensSme: did you find it odd that the stock Yamaha power cable was two prong with no ground?

 

No, I think it has to do with the floating design of the power amp. It is not designed to be earthed in that way. And it does no harm using the Power Cables that have the third earth prong, since it gets connected to nothing.