Speaker maintenance

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gme109

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Speaker maintenance
« on: 2 Jun 2011, 05:29 pm »
I was in the middle of A Bing some ground enhancer tweaks, which attach to the negative binding post of the speaker, on my Selah Audio Excelarrarys, when I discovered that  the whole post was turning, when I tried to tighten it down. This of course means that the nut on the back side of the binding post was lose, which also means the connectors attaching the wires from the crossover were not making a solid connection. So I pulled the binding post cup off both speakers, and made sure all the nuts on the back side were tightened down, they must have loosened up over time. Well I was shocked when I sat down and listened again! Transparency, focus, bass articulation, all took a giant leap forward. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, that lose connections may have detrimental affect on the sound, but I was shocked never the less. I also remember thinking for a while now, that things were not quite up to speed, with the sound of my system, well as it turns out, that was only part of the problem. I also happened to notice, upon closer inspection of my speakers, that some of the screws holding the Seas drivers had backed out, again, this must have happened over time. So I went through all 12 drivers, and checked and tightened all the lose screws. Once again I was shocked at the difference I was hearing! This was another huge leap forward in transparency, focus, and bass articulation. You know us audiophiles are like junkies, who often get restless, and tried of our gear over time, and start looking for the next "fix". That's kind of where I was at, and why I was trying Ric Schultz's ground enhancer tweak, which is a topic for another discussion, elsewhere. So leaving the ground enhancer tweak out of the equation, and just focusing on the two speaker maintenance tips, my speakers have been restored to their former glory, and my supposed need for another "fix", has been quenched.

Just thought I'd pass this along, as others may very well be in the same boat. Thinking that they need to upgrade their speakers, or make some change to their system, when all that may be needed, is a little maintenance.

richidoo

Re: Speaker maintenance
« Reply #1 on: 2 Jun 2011, 07:35 pm »
Good advice!!!  :thumb:

dcktr

Re: Speaker maintenance
« Reply #2 on: 5 Jun 2011, 04:54 am »
Put blue tac on the threads?

gme109

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Re: Speaker maintenance
« Reply #3 on: 5 Jun 2011, 05:29 pm »
Put blue tac on the threads?

Might work, but I don't think its really necessary. It takes a really long time for the screws to loosen up, like years. I've had my speakers for around 10 years. Of course maybe they needed tightening up five years ago, and I didn't notice. Now that I'm aware of this problem, I'll be keeping a closer eye on it.

Came across this the other day, on Morrow Audio's website, under tweaks.

"Issue 6
Project:
Are You Screwed?

Vibration! What havoc it can reap! When I mention vibration, most of you think about turntables, speakers, CD players and the like...the things that vibrate in our system. Is this going to be a discussion about vibration control? Well, in a way.

Right now I want you to slap on a nice CD or record and play some music. Listen carefully to what you hear. Listen to the focus, the sound stage, listen to how 3-D it sounds.

We will pause as you listen..........

All done? Now...get up out of that nice recliner and get a screwdriver. (Not the drink! Get the thing you hold in your hand to tighten screws!)

Now...Go over to your speakers and plunge it into the paper...JUST KIDDING! No, really... get down and locate all the screws that are holding the driver(s) in. What you want to do next is tighten all those screws...not too much, just enough to make them snug. Were you surprised as to how loose they were?

Now, go take another listen to the same piece you were listening to before... What do you think? Sounds better right? More pure, more focused. Your speakers have been in motion against their cabinets all this time. Something had to give, nd it was the screws that hold them in place! What a free tweak!

We may not realize it, but as we played our music over the months, those screws were getting looser and looser... and so was your music. Vibration has more ways of getting to us than is immediately obvious.

Do you play CD or have a transport? Open it up and look for the screws that are holding the main transport mechanism in. Do so at your own risk though.

These screws can also come loose as your CD 's go round and round, causing vibration to go through, loosing the screws that hold it all together. Tighten them down to a safe degree. No listen to the improvement!"


JP78

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Re: Speaker maintenance
« Reply #4 on: 7 Jun 2011, 06:30 pm »
I think this is one of the technology hallmarks advertised by Magico...permanently tight drivers. I applaud the innovation and forward progress but personally cannot afford the cost.

Screwdriver works just fine for me.   :lol: