Cheap/Free Tweaks ($10.00 or less)

dknightd · « **Reply #60 on:** 25 Feb 2007, 06:37 pm »

I put a piece of drywall under my turntable. It helped stop feedback from my speakers.
I think what we in the US call drywall is called Gypsum board in other parts of the world.
It is cheap. Readily available. More stable than cardboard. The edges look ugly, shouldn't be
too hard to fix. Part paper, part rock, convieniently bound together,

SWG255 · « **Reply #61 on:** 25 Feb 2007, 07:27 pm »

I highly recommend the Ayre myrtle blocks that are also sold by Cardas. The Ayre versions are $6 apiece, so since one needs three of them, it costs more than the $10 limit imposed here, so...

Jenga blocks. They sound similar to the Ayre blocks, although they're a bit larger. I have Ayre blocks under my preamp, but Jenga blocks under the McCormack Audio UDP-1 Deluxe I'm auditioning and under my power amp. These are cheap enough by the bag to put them under runs of speaker cable as well as under one's components.

Beware however, that with all such tweaks it is possible to over-do the use of them. In a friend's system he has Jenga blocks under his UDP-1, and as speaker cable supports. When we put three under his preamp, his system sounded deficient in mid-bass energy. Still, they're cheap enough to give them a try.

michaelv · « **Reply #62 on:** 26 Feb 2007, 07:49 pm »

Quote from: Jim N. on 20 Jan 2007, 10:24 pm

Have not bought from these folks but the prices for hard maple cubes seem low

http://www.barclaywoods.com/craft_parts.htm

I just take a quick look at this site. 2.5" x2.5 " cube is a great for cable lifter.

gooberdude · « **Reply #63 on:** 26 Feb 2007, 08:05 pm »

A while back mapleshade was selling 2" square blocks of their air dried maple for $2 a block. These don't work anywhere near as good as their footers, but for the $ they work admirably.

its my understanding these blocks are now $5, so much for the cheap tweak...

One way the simple wood blocks amaze me is under my computer speakers, M-Audio Studiophile D4's. A good friend also has these sitting on the floor and his PSB T5 floorstanders are spiked into them. a quick and easy semi-cure for the bouncy hardwood floor blues.

gilbodavid · « **Reply #64 on:** 26 Feb 2007, 10:27 pm »

Twl's hifi mod for the rega tonearms (see Audiogon thread). Bluetack/glue 2 bullet shaped fishing weights to either side of the main horizontal bearings (directly onto the "nuts"), like little outriggers or balancing poles going horizontally out to the side, and your RB250/300 becomes of OL Silver status, and god knows what OL Silver becomes, because I sold it before I did the mod to my RB300. The relief to have the sound of my OL Silver back was extroadinary!

gooberdude · « **Reply #65 on:** 27 Feb 2007, 05:46 pm »

Another great free TT tweak is only for the 'tables that have the dangling fish weight for the anti-skate.
If the pole that holds up the weight is anchored to the base of the tonearm, remove it and re-locate it about 1 cm towards the platter. all the nasty vibes that were attacking the tonearm 24/7 are now harmlessly going into a blob of silicone and the deck.

Mine is now semi-permanently held in place by a glob of silicone RTV..room temp drying gasket material
that i bought at a Pep Boys auto shop for $2. Getting all the dimensions (of the support pole) to stock requires some tooling around, but its pretty easy and can be set by ear.

The change this tweak imparts is gigantic..the soundstage spread out. I had a tight center image before this, and afterwards the center image was about 4' across, compared to 2' across before the tweak. Now when 2 people are singing, they are side-by-side rather than occupying the same place on stage.

On that same note, last night i finally sat down for a listen to my TT after adding the album covers and
getting it level...i'm shocked! i've never heard vinyl sound this good before. Open & airy yet so dynamic and forceful & musical. the album cover tweak has really changed the sound of my stereo for the better.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #66 on:** 27 Feb 2007, 07:20 pm »

Yup, isolation (however achieved) and ruler flat leveling pays off tremendous dividends for turntables (especially belt drivers on the leveling part). Best thing of all, as you now found, it's practically free/gratis/zilch/nada/zippo to achieve with a few things around your home.

It really doesn't take much at all to get real music from vinyl...isolation, arm/cartridge geometry, and leveling are primary keys to it. Once you have a minimally acceptable cartridge after getting these factors right....other (more expensive) upgrades like a 'better' cartridge, vastly more expensive deck, record cleaning machines, 'better' arm, etc. add only little nuances of pleasure to vinyl's musicality. The van Alstine Longhorn, damping the coils of some cartridges with silicone 1000cst, and the Plast-i-Lator are all nearly free tweeks that will improve what you already have a bit further.

The more expensive upgrades/tweeks help the cause a bit.....but you're paying a lot for less return in musicality than you might hope for excess moola' spent.

Disclosure: I believe in arm damping as a general rule,own a record cleaning machine, have a bevy of cartridges I swap out from $60 - $200....so it's not as though I don't recognize benefits from 'upgrades'...only that they are working within a law of diminishing returns for money spent over the basic set up with good isolation, arm/cartridge geometry, and leveling done.

When I hear someone ditched their TT set-up for digital it's either because the convenience of CD was too hard to ignore, or they hadn't had their (even modest) TT/arm set up right in the first place. It's not because vinyl is in totality inferior to CD....it's just a matter of preference, convenience or incorrect set-up. Unlike CD, which is mostly plug in and play (wonderful in that regard) a Turntable is a mechanical device requiring far more efforts to get dialed in right. It's likewise the dual nature of turntables....it's a PITA to set up, but once you got it, you realize how much less musical CD playback is.

That's been my experience at least

gooberdude · « **Reply #67 on:** 28 Feb 2007, 03:23 pm »

a great Free Tweak can also be the decision to undue a previous tweak.

many times before its become apparent that as one part of my system improves, a tweak from a previous incarnation isn't needed or can be detrimental. items like record clamps, audio greases, weights & footers, etc.

the most recent case of this for me is the Dustbug, another TT tweak. I like its function
when the temp drops here in chicago and the air is dry as sandpaper. About a week ago i spun without it, hadn't done that in 4 months, and there was a lot of music i had not noticed before on familiar material. Removing the whole assembly has been a great move - the new AT cartridge and nice MS 4" thick platform were the right moves indeed. analog is now an 'aural sauna' kind of experience...and scary as hell now that LP's sound SO real (voices and instruments) and contain loads of information that until recently was hidden.

Grounding a spinning LP in a dry climate is the best thing since sliced bread, the noise floor drops quite a bit. hopefully a simple frame to hold a grounding wire and a carbon fibre brush to gently lay against the label on the lp's can be made for about $10. Reducing the heft that the Dustbug imparts on the deck and spinning LP but still retaining the grounding would be cool. the dustbug weighs about 1/2 a pound.

shep · « **Reply #68 on:** 4 Mar 2007, 07:22 am »

Didn't want to see this thread die! I've been thinking about the cardboard/paper isolation tweak. I came up with a new one. Art supply stores: These come in sheets of varying thickness and presumably quality. They have paper on the front and back and some kind of very fine, tough foam-like inner layer. Easy to cut an shape. I'm not sure what this is called. I think it is used to make "montage". You could paste or pin projects to it. I'm trying it now. The thing is these tweaks are very system dependant and sometimes subtle. Also the varieties are endless and bewildering. Don't start on this road unless you are prepared for the long haul! Thank God it reads "10$ or less"

Soundbitten · « **Reply #69 on:** 4 Mar 2007, 04:04 pm »

This is an odd tweak and I can't really put a price on it . Two weeks ago I decided to change my diet to a healthier one . I quit eating red meat , sugar , white flour baked goods , cheese , chicken and cut back on butter & milk . My diet now is basically brown rice , fish and vegetables . Today I feel a lot better physically but I also noticed I'm more alert and my senses are sharper . Music sounds so much better . When I turn on my system I get totally immersed into the music even when I'm trying to do something else . In fact everything I do now is much more enjoyable .

mjosef · « **Reply #70 on:** 4 Mar 2007, 04:09 pm »

Quote from: Soundbitten on 4 Mar 2007, 04:04 pm

This is an odd tweak and I can't really put a price on it . Two weeks ago I decided to change my diet to a healthier one . I quit eating red meat , sugar , white flour baked goods , cheese , chicken and cut back on butter & milk . My diet now is basically brown rice , fish and vegetables . Today I feel a lot better physically but I also noticed I'm more alert and my senses are sharper . Music sounds so much better . When I turn on my system I get totally immersed into the music even when I'm trying to do something else . In fact everything I do now is much more enjoyable .

This tweek should take about 90 days to burn in. And after 9 months...

Wayner · « **Reply #71 on:** 4 Mar 2007, 08:48 pm »

I read most of this thread, but not all so if I'm added something that has already been added, forgive. My first tweek is a freebee. Make sure your speakers are absolutely centered in your listening room with the exact toe-in angle for each. As you know, these boxes are drastically affected by rear and side walls as far as bass response is concerned, and if your speaker geometry is scewed, so is the sound. Also the vertical angle is critical as well, I use a bubble level to set my 6 foot tall MartinLogan reQuests for vertical plumb as these speakers really need to be symmetrical to each other for excellent sound stage. Once achieved, it will be worth the work.

The next cheap tweek is for my fellow vinyl friends. Dow Corning 1000 centistroke silicone lubricant on the tone arm pivots (the ones that let the tonearm go up and down) will make the arm happier than hell. Some tonearms have next to impossible access to the pivot bearings and points, but many are right there for easy access. Just a drop on each and it's ready to go.

The last cheap tweek is also a matter of good house cleaning in regards to audio cables and power cables. I just had an experience with my AVA OmegaStar pre-amp and some interconnects next to an Adcom ACE-515 power conditioner. The cables from my pre-amp to the power-amp were close to the power conditioner 'cause I was moving some stuff around and the cables fell on top. I've also noticed that D.C. wallwarts are terrible sources of noise. Hum = BAD.

Hope this helps someone aa

W

Joules · « **Reply #72 on:** 4 Mar 2007, 09:20 pm »

These guys have more experience than all of us put together!
http://www.infinitysystems.com/homeaudio/technology/whitepapers/inf-rooms_3.pdf

and room mode calculator for above Room analysis
http://www.harman.com/about_harman/technology_leadership.aspx

Loudspeaker imaging - room acoustics
http://www.infinitysystems.com/homeaudio/technology/whitepapers/inf-rooms_2.pdfhttp

Reading is free

Wayner · « **Reply #73 on:** 4 Mar 2007, 10:22 pm »

Lots of white papers for theoretical rooms. Doesn't account for real world stuff. Everyone's listening environment is different and the only way to dial things in is to tweak. I've read more than enough papers on how to from so many and in real life they don't work. That is because we all have different systems in less than perfect soundrooms with even more less than perfect furnishings.

W

Joules · « **Reply #74 on:** 4 Mar 2007, 10:52 pm »

Quote from: Wayner on 4 Mar 2007, 10:22 pm

Lots of white papers for theoretical rooms. Doesn't account for real world stuff. Everyone's listening environment is different and the only way to dial things in is to tweak. I've read more than enough papers on how to from so many and in real life they don't work. That is because we all have different systems in less than perfect soundrooms with even more less than perfect furnishings.

W

Have you actually tried this?
I have - And measured before and after results, with my DEQX and It's calibrated mic and room measuring capabilities. In my room every thing worked as stated in papers.

gooberdude · « **Reply #75 on:** 5 Mar 2007, 05:09 pm »

Hey Wayner,

have you tried other lubricants besides the 1000 cst Silicone? I have a tube of this stuff
from damping the coils on the Grado Gold cartridge and will give your tweak a shot.

My only issue is that it seems this stuff dries up at some point....or maybe it just disappears and
leaves a slick residue??

I placed a dab on the new stylus for the Grado Gold, but now its as if no Silicone was
placed in the tiny hole (a good thing since i sold it!). So, really just wondering if
other lubricants might work there as well.

before your post i'd never thought about lubing those parts. I have lubed the spindle on my TT though, that helped quiet down the spinning platter.

no doubt quiet bearings will help a TT's sound.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #76 on:** 5 Mar 2007, 05:17 pm »

I used Tufoil on my (prior table) JVC QL-A2's arm bearings with stunning

effect (one of those hair-stands-up-on arms moment during playback). I can't find the dang bearing on my new table's arm (a JVC QL-F6)...but, if I do I, expect similarly terrific results.

The co-efficient of drag of Tufoil is probably many times better than silicone (it is or was listed in Guinness Book of Records as the world's most slippery substance) and would probably be a better tweek in the case of arm bearings (where reducing friction is the goal). In (Grado) cartridge coils, where damping is the sole goal, the silicone might work as well as or better (depending on it's molecular weight and or other damping properties relative to one another).

Hey, I wouldn't dismiss any white paper from Harman International so fast, Wayner. My buddy sells a couple of their divisions test equipment (he is an EE and now salesman for Agilent) for their R & D and says their research is impressive. He calls on a lot of speaker makers on the West Coast that never even buy 'measuring' equipment - they use their ears (there's a place for both, but some things must be measured). The Harman guys (Revel, Infinity, JBL, Harman-Kardon, Mark Levinson, etc, etc) are real serious about what they do.

mfsoa · « **Reply #77 on:** 5 Mar 2007, 05:49 pm »

Quote

I read most of this thread, but not all so if I'm added something that has already been added, forgive. My first tweek is a freebee. Make sure your speakers are absolutely centered in your listening room with the exact toe-in angle for each. As you know, these boxes are drastically affected by rear and side walls as far as bass response is concerned, and if your speaker geometry is scewed, so is the sound. Also the vertical angle is critical as well, I use a bubble level to set my 6 foot tall MartinLogan reQuests for vertical plumb as these speakers really need to be symmetrical to each other for excellent sound stage. Once achieved, it will be worth the work.

I agree with you - I do prefer symmetrical speaker placement, but there are others that think that a slightly asymmetrical approach is better, I guess to even out room modes. Just to give another perspective.

I had an interesting thing happen as far as measuring speaker placement- I thought I was dead in the middle of my speakers, yet the image was skewed to the right. I swap the mid/tweet modules on the speakers. Same. I swap the L/R interconnects to the amps. Same. (Didn't swap amps, Hmmm...) But I found I needed to sit 2" to the left to get the soundstage centered. Perplexed, I pull out the tape measure and find that indeed (measured from the side wall), I was sitting 2" too far to the right when I thought I was centered. My central equipment rack was slightly askew, and I was sitting based on the visual cues that the rack gave me. Anyway, that's the long story. (And yes some may fault a system where 2" shift causes noticable soundstage shift, but I see it the other way, that the imaging is so accurate on this system that this was easily noticable. Ahhh, the price we pay for good equipment...)

Short story, as Wayner says is to use the tape measure!!

weirdo · « **Reply #78 on:** 5 Mar 2007, 06:44 pm »

some things I have tried:
1) Rosettes as footers under the pre-amp. From lowes at around 2.00 each for the hardwood version. I believe round hardwood cabinet knobs would serve the same function at around 5.00 each. They work better on my pre-amp than stock hard rubber or the aftermarket hard rubber cones or sorbitol feet. I believe wood or combinations of materials are the way to go to reduce vibrations at the feet. If you like rubber, hockey pucks work better than vibrapods IMO and are a whopping 89 cents each at Dicks.
2) The silicon rubber band type collars that go around the 12ax7 output tubes seem to work to reduce hum and microphonics. Sorry, I forgot the brand name but they were only around 6.00 each for the simple version. Silicon is good up to 400F so its low risk.

Wayner · « **Reply #79 on:** 5 Mar 2007, 10:34 pm »

I'm not farting off Joules or Harmon International and I thank Joules for the links

(the 2 Infinity go to dead links). I have down loaded the Harmon papers, just haven't read it yet.

The point I was trying to poorly make is that many articles I have read on aligning speakers to the room end up...in a pointless discussion because the room was too far off from the model or the placement of furnishings or room shape didn't fit the model that was designed around the calculations for speaker placement ratios and things like that. I will read the white papers. I also was just trying to make people aware of perhaps an obvious but simple tweak that they may have overlooked or forgotten about since the wife made them move the furniture the last time and they didn't accurately relocate their speakers again.

mfsoa, I have to have my MartinLogan reQuestes within 1/8 of an inch or I think I can tell the sound field is scewed in some way. My studio is a different story as there is no hope for it at all.

What I would really like to know is how many people have their speakers against the short wall and how many have them against the long wall of their listening room. I know what the experts say, but to me the short wall method sucks in so many ways, at least with my speakers.

W