[Elizabeth]

This site has no circle for the far out/outer space zone tweaks. 
(maybe for a good reason?) 
Anyway, here is my latest foolishness...
On another site plumb/chuck full of strange and crazy tweaks One of them (costing $599) seemed to be something like a fridge magnet... with added mojo of unknown provenance... Claims of magic abound. Action at a distance with no known mechanism???(they said the magnet stuff had no part in the magic. Yeah, sure....)

I thought, Geesh, I can make that.
So I bought two big fridge magnet white sheets shiny white one side, magnet sheet on other.
I know other stuff like the famous/infamous VPI brick sucks up stray waves.. And magnets bend stray waves... Crystals do something.
Anyway, I tried on one the top of a five disc changer. Not good. not good. Then I thought maybe too strong, plus directly sticking to the steel... not good. (the player went insane briefly when I pulled it off while playing...  )

So then I placed one sheet under a five disk changer. on the shelf, magnet down (on glass shelf) changer feet on magnet pad white stuff. So about 1/2 inch from bottom of changer.
Geesh, it is doing good. Sound is clearer. (realize this bought of eBay $40 used changer is playing through a $7000 Marantz SA-10.. no slouch. but still $40 changer!) I placed one under the SPDIF RCA out changer. and the other pad under the Toslink changer.)
Then I took some of the piles of small quartz crystals in baggies I keep for tweak emergencies,!! (treated with automotive dielelctric grease) and placed one on top of magnet pad under transformer of disk changer. and one under the main group of big chips on board inside changer.
?? not sure of much added. Somewhat sketchy. But does seem to be better midrange body... (really, You doubt me???  )
However the fact of the magnet improvement. Just mentioning crystals to show I'M trying...genetic frig magnet pad improving the sound a little for $20.
worth reporting.
And I order a few more. To try under the amp, the preamp another preamp...
you may even have one on the fridge you can play with for free.
Main suggestion. near but not touching seems to be better...
I have not experimented with specific other distances than the 1/2 inch away. So that is also up in the air.
Good luck.

[Letitroll98]

Yes, we used to have Cheap Tweaks, which got archived.  I looked at the first page and didn't see any threads about magnets.  I can certainly understand magnets changing the sound, verified by your simple comparison where you easily heard improvement, but I couldn't speculate on how it would effect a component with complex electrical circuits and mechanical devices.  Perhaps someone can explain the effect.

[Elizabeth]

Stray radiation seems to be the thing a weak magnetic field could 'suck away' from circuits.
In a Digital device which has the worst offending stuff in particular. The digital chips spew a torrent of garbage into the case. Which affects all the rest of the device, and even the chips doing most of the spewing.
Other ways to suck up the spew are antistatic foam. Which I had used to good effect in my previous DAC.
On the magnets.. I wonder if nearby to cords, IC (if weak enough) could also be beneficial?
Maybe after I see if near amp, preamps can do anything....
With the magnetic stuff. To much of a good thing really IS bad... Fine balance between causing harm vs help.

[annamarykahn]

maybe cutting and placing on top of chips in the unit might be a worthwhile experiment?

maybe that might adversely affect the chips cooling?

[Elizabeth]

I would never place a magnet directly on an IC chip.  way to much danger of damaging the chip for good. With a spacer, maybe the fridge magnet a half inch over... But I still would personally not be interested in doing it.

The antistatic foam, in an electrically insulating baggie... yes. Been there done that. The foam also need to be grounded I used a wire just poked into the foam, over to any easy to connect to screw.
In my previous DAC, stuff the case full of foam had not effect on the temps of the outer case. In a SACD player, the device would over heat, and the foam was removed.

[rollo]

  Interesting as always Elizabeth. You may check out the Mad Scientist tweaks very similar in concept.



charles

[Elizabeth]

So far in my encounter with the writings of the person calling himself Mad Scientist (NZ) he really is mad, angry bitter in plenty of posts. (He seems happy only if you spend money, and never, ever complain) .. No thanks. He thinks his trinkets and ideas are 'special'. Always a bad sign. He uses the fact he is as far away as anyone can get not in Antarctica, to his advantage... LOL
Where I know my ideas are just ideas anyone might have.. I just happen to write about them.

[rollo]

  Agree he has been a bit as you say bitter. Good enough reason. You have a good feel and imagination for getting that sound better. Ya never now what works until you try. Keep it coming.
My latest tweak was Gigawatt circuit breakers. HUGE !


charles

[maty]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_shielding

A lot of DAC, preamp, phono and class D amps are inside thin aluminum cases, with thickness < 2 mm. We need 4 mm or more.

More cheaper: 1 mm galvanized steel. Or something more with expensive copper.

Having the circuits mounted on feet, a few centimeters high is enough if the box is made of steel to avoid the eddy currents. And so we do not need aluminum or copper.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_current

[maty]

Very effective and cheap: paste a 1 mm galvanized steel sheet with silicone under the wooden shelves of the furniture where many put the audio hard.

My modified AV Marantz SR4500 has a big EI transformer without shield. I added a piece of 1mm steel to isolate it from the audio circuitry and solved.

If the metal is visible, it is easily painted. But usually we can see the steel only if we crouch!

[maty]

Figure 8. Absorption losses (A) are proportional to the thickness of the shield.

Figure 7. Reflection losses (R) for near field in copper, aluminum and steel. The losses are higher at low frequencies and for high conductivity materials.

[Elizabeth]

THe graphs are interesting, but there is no connection made to anything.
In simple terms it is like saying the answer is 42. With no meaning attached.
Why did you post the graphs? what do they have to do with anything?

[jriggy]

Elizabeth,
Is it possible, since your CD changer is on a glass shelf that the improvement is coming from simple dampening?
You could just be expiriencing the benefits of damping that high vibrational glass surface.

I’d like to see this tried on a more conventional ‘hifi’ surface of a thick-ish wood shelf. And maybe even on a component where further vibration control is already addressed (like with after market footers).

[ClefChef]

The best tweak ever that I tried was RUA single malt american whiskey bottle placed next to the listener - the music was instantly clearer and more beautiful than ever. I would like to make a graph but I fear it would not be scientific enough.

[1108]

Gonna try that one tonight.

[Elizabeth]

I agree there is some damping effect from the mat added to the tempered glass shelf (which is held 'end only' and is 4" wider than the CD changer. But I have used butyl rubber bottle stopper (size 10) and the added damping is about the same.. But only one changer is directly on glass, The other is on a stack of other changers (I own a LOT of CD changers).
Plus they are far away from the speakers. The one in the stack is also blocked from the speakers by another stack of DVD players and CD changers... about 5 ft to 10 ft away from the speakers. The second is 9 ft to 14 ft from the speakers. And finally I only listen at levels of 45dB to 70dB 'C' weighted at the chair. Mostly Classical Chamber or small group Jazz. Some Rock, but usually not heavy stuff.
So all in all I do not think the main effect is at all from dampening the shelving. (I have used this shelving for 20 years.. I know it pretty good.)

I am surprised by the increase in lower midrange 'warming'... The increase in clarity I half expected.
I could remove the crystals in a few days to see what changes. Even remove the mats. But right now I am satisfied. I have ordered five more mats.... Just to see if other equipment has any effect.I also plan on playing with the distance from the CD changers to the mat below. Using some spacers..

Added. I changed the power cord on the Furman REF20 from a home made with DH Lbs/Furutech Rhodium '28' plugs, back to Pangea AC14XL. The DH has more bass, and the XL more clarity, not as much bass.
Since the midrange was a little warmer than I like...
SO the combo of magnet pad and crystals do seem to be the cause of the increase in mid bass.
Other things which can add to to are the midrange resistors. which are currently 1.05 ohms Duelund Cast (two parallel 2.0 and a 2.2 make 1.05) I could have changed the resistors to 1.0 total, instead of the Furman power cord, for the same approximate result.

[maty]

So then I placed one sheet under a five disk changer. on the shelf, magnet down (on glass shelf) changer feet on magnet pad white stuff. So about 1/2 inch from bottom of changer.

[Elizabeth]

I would guess maty and I are playing "20 questions"? 
Anyway, my guess at a response is YES, the distance from the equipment of the magnetic pad MATTERS.
As I mentioned, eventually I may get around to varying the distance with spacers to see how that affects the sound. However since I am lazy, it may take a few weeks to get around to it.I am ay more likely to just try some more mats under the preamps or the amp.

[Elizabeth]

I aquired more of the magnetic mats. I placed one under the Conrad Johnson ACT2. However the preamp is about 1.25 inches above the shelf (with added footers) and the magnetic pad had no effect. However it did make the preamp warmer. (the mat surface is white plastic, vs the glass which absorbed a lot of radiated heat) which is bad. since the ACT2 is about the hottest preamp ever made. it gets HOT !!. So I removed the mat, rather than try to get it closer.   

Next preamp will be the Bryston BP-26. However I have to move several things, to clean under it and lift it (it is at the bottom of a stack of three. The BP-26, on additional 1" footers.. the power supply for the BP-26 and my Rudistor RPX 33 mk2 headamp) since they have not been moved for about six months.
I do not know if being under the preamp or the power supply would work better...

[Elizabeth]

Finally decided to put two mats under the Audio Research Sp-15 preamp. (the preamp has a separate equal in size power supply. thus 2)
This time yes improvements.
The initial placement hieght from chassis under to mat plus had been heightened with some small Urethane dots already stuck to the feet was 'too much treble' So I added four 1/4" thick rubber pads under just the actual preamp section. Perfect.
So it does seem distance is a big factor. Also the fact Audio Research gear of that period was always open top and bottom with just a screen like cover under and over. So not as 'tight' electrically (or magnetically) as a solid case is.
So I feel more confident about the tweak.
Next up will be the Bryston BP-26 which also has solid case. will see maybe next week.
As for sound cleaner, clearer. more detail.