Phew! I was leaving several times, then coming back, until discovered the value of an ignore list. 😀
Let's talk about 'tweaks'. Anybody out there find any interesting 'tweaks' in recent years that they dare talk about?
I have to admit that my audio system is a little tired. I just haven't maintained it as aggressively as I used to. Most of the time I listen to 4 Sequerra Met 7 speakers (with a subwoofer) with a dual 125W Parasound power amp for both FM radio (comcast cable) and TV. I am getting old, because 90% of the time I am completely happy with my listening experience.
I have a bigger system, but I rarely turn in on even once a week. I certainly hear more subtle differences (like I still am only marginally comfortable with digital) but I have not bothered with subtle adjustments demanded by the speaker manufacturer (Wilson) or have gone out to modify my 300W power amp with what I would design in with my more modern amps. I am just getting lazy.
In the near future, I hope to test a couple of more modern Parasound amps that I hope really sound better enough that I will retire my 20+ year old Parasound 300W amp and improve my system enough to show it off to my audiophile friends. These days they are relatively disappointed in my system, when they come around. I just haven't tried to keep it tuned up in top condition and they are very aggressive with their own home systems, so I can't blame them.
First, I hope to make my digital playback better than it is now. Perhaps, cleaning my DVD's, SACD's, etc with my new fancy disc cleaning solution, would be a good start.
I have to admit that my audio system is a little tired. I just haven't maintained it as aggressively as I used to. Most of the time I listen to 4 Sequerra Met 7 speakers (with a subwoofer) with a dual 125W Parasound power amp for both FM radio (comcast cable) and TV. I am getting old, because 90% of the time I am completely happy with my listening experience.
I have a bigger system, but I rarely turn in on even once a week. I certainly hear more subtle differences (like I still am only marginally comfortable with digital) but I have not bothered with subtle adjustments demanded by the speaker manufacturer (Wilson) or have gone out to modify my 300W power amp with what I would design in with my more modern amps. I am just getting lazy.
In the near future, I hope to test a couple of more modern Parasound amps that I hope really sound better enough that I will retire my 20+ year old Parasound 300W amp and improve my system enough to show it off to my audiophile friends. These days they are relatively disappointed in my system, when they come around. I just haven't tried to keep it tuned up in top condition and they are very aggressive with their own home systems, so I can't blame them.
First, I hope to make my digital playback better than it is now. Perhaps, cleaning my DVD's, SACD's, etc with my new fancy disc cleaning solution, would be a good start.
How about slapping some AC line conditioning upstream of your 20+ year old electronics? Pure is good and more pure is more better, is it not so?
I already use a 10uf oil filled cap across the AC line. My other electronics is totally covered by (gasp) Bybee devices virtually everywhere. Even my speakers have Bybee devices in series, and all my preamp electronics goes through a Bybee-Curl Line Conditioner. However, a more conventional line conditioner might be of help with my power amps, but I suspect better internal bypass caps would improve things more.
I use Schurter DENO's on everything now. They reduce common mode noise, prevent loops/loop noise.
Your 10uf cap may be as harmful as beneficial, JC, depending on what is in your system. I would say that I would be surprised if it helped more than the tiniest smidgen. Often you trade off something good for something also good with just single caps across AC. In some cases you get terrible problems from SMPS gear.
Tweaks... like I dampen the plastic stylus with no-rez on my cartridge and have prevented wiggle from it too. Huge improvements. Also having my DD turntable plugged into my custom conditioner was the difference between consumer and audiophile.
On the RCA input jacks .1uf to chassis from SG works nice.
Removing crappy IEC filters and Y (L-N) caps from SE equipmemt has always gone well.
That is about as far as I think I can go without specific examples. I have modded amps with new diodes to fantastic results, but it depends on a few things and a few additional factors. I offer mods for Rythmic servo amps, especially for OB setups by GR, that include diode swaps.
Whaf sort of tweaks are you looking for?
Your 10uf cap may be as harmful as beneficial, JC, depending on what is in your system. I would say that I would be surprised if it helped more than the tiniest smidgen. Often you trade off something good for something also good with just single caps across AC. In some cases you get terrible problems from SMPS gear.
Tweaks... like I dampen the plastic stylus with no-rez on my cartridge and have prevented wiggle from it too. Huge improvements. Also having my DD turntable plugged into my custom conditioner was the difference between consumer and audiophile.
On the RCA input jacks .1uf to chassis from SG works nice.
Removing crappy IEC filters and Y (L-N) caps from SE equipmemt has always gone well.
That is about as far as I think I can go without specific examples. I have modded amps with new diodes to fantastic results, but it depends on a few things and a few additional factors. I offer mods for Rythmic servo amps, especially for OB setups by GR, that include diode swaps.
Whaf sort of tweaks are you looking for?
If the power supplies and design of equipment are up to the task, filters are helpful. The exotic types (like Bybee products) are not heard or required.
The ultimate in tweaked systems is one that can run off normal mains circuits where power cord changes do not make any difference. If you can hear the difference between power cords, the design of the equipment is broken, as in busted, lacking in quality.
From that standpoint John, I feel you can really tighten up your systems without resorting to "magic parts".
-Chris
The ultimate in tweaked systems is one that can run off normal mains circuits where power cord changes do not make any difference. If you can hear the difference between power cords, the design of the equipment is broken, as in busted, lacking in quality.
From that standpoint John, I feel you can really tighten up your systems without resorting to "magic parts".
-Chris
Actually anatech, you might have a point. I haven't done much to my old Parasound amps to improve their RFI performance. In fact my newer Parasound amp designs lack true RFI rejection, although they have better bypass caps and hi speed/soft recovery power diodes. This is what I am missing at the moment, and I have heard the difference in the past, but I accidentally spilled coffee on the amp when it was on the floor in front of me. I had hoped for Parasound to fix it, but they just threw it away without informing me. Oh well, I have another broken CTC amp, and it would solve my problem, IF I wanted to repair it. These are not easy repairs, but they are possible.
Of course you are right Destroyer OS. you have to listen to tell the difference, not measure or just presume.
Maybe so, but if there is any effect then there has to be some physical explanation that could be measured. How about somebody who has such a cord measuring the difference, or at least uploading some hi-res files so we see what you're talking about.
That's fair because there are plenty of cords I am not a fan of... they sound different, but not necessarily for the better. For example different sized conductors can have a strange sound. And there are plenty made to absorb all the RF they can.
Powercords don't really need to play by the same RLC rules of signal cables, so you can play around a bit more. This can allow more attenuation, field cancellation, etc... You can also use shields pretty effectively without the negatives that come with SE interconnects I have noticed.
While I could suggest all sorts of things, and build good filters... Let's do something simple. I suggest you try putting a 1ohm resistor in series with the 10uf, and note if it sounds much better. Yes obviously it could dampen something but that isn't the point, not in the traditional sense. I like to use carbon comp per recommendation that they handle surges very well. I will say that I cannot with confidence say just a 10uf cap with an R will work how I want, but its worth the try.
I would rather conclude that he knows well what he is talking about. ;-)
Lot of very different equipment went through his hands. He diagnosed, repaired, and improved it.
So, I would recommend to take into account what a highly experienced person says, instead of searching for flaws in his conclusions.
"Y" means both L and N to ground. They are great when you need to pass UL regulations, but when there is common mode noise, they contaminate your ground loops. Also, they contaminate your loops by differential noises, causing currents through them.
Tweaks...
Lately I've had a bit more time to spend listening to my main setup at home, and have been buying and enjoying a lot of new music.
One of the things on my to-do list for this rig has been to investigate a bit of "scratchiness" in the high treble, wa-ay up just beyond the sibilance range. Years ago I would've attributed something like this to the sound of a power amp or something, but the other night I thought, what if my tweeters just have a response bump up there somewhere?
Fortunately I took some fairly thorough quasi-anechoic measurements of these speakers several years ago. It was extremely useful information, but I was also learning as I went at the time. So I took another look at the files to see if I'd missed anything, and sure enough - right there in the on-axis graph was a good sized lump, centered at 11 KHz, a bit over 2 dB high.
Don't know why I didn't consider this a problem at the time, but as mentioned, I was still learning. I was trying not to use too much driver correction EQ, so maybe I'd thought it was too high to be of any consequence or something.
Anyway, last night I fired up the miniDSP plugins to see what could be done. I configured some parametric EQ filters with appropriate center freqency and Q, but before cutting the region, I first dialed in about 8 dB of boost, then listened for awhile (at lowered volume of course). Sure enough, that familiar scratchy sound became magnified and nasty. So I made the boost into a cut - 3 dB for the (on-axis) center channel, -2 dB for everything else.
I don't have a way to do a quick A/B comparison, as unfortunately the miniDSP units take several seconds to switch presets (and in 2 stages in my case). But I've come back to it a day later (now playing: Walter Becker's "11 Tracks of Whack" - rest in peace, Walter), and fortunately I'm not experiencing any of the familiar "what the hell did I do to the stereo last night!" disappointment with which we are all familiar. The highs are still nice & sparkly, with scarcely any of the previous metallic edge. So far so good...
Not sure if this qualifies as a "tweak," but that's my show-and-tell for now.
- Jim
Lately I've had a bit more time to spend listening to my main setup at home, and have been buying and enjoying a lot of new music.
One of the things on my to-do list for this rig has been to investigate a bit of "scratchiness" in the high treble, wa-ay up just beyond the sibilance range. Years ago I would've attributed something like this to the sound of a power amp or something, but the other night I thought, what if my tweeters just have a response bump up there somewhere?
Fortunately I took some fairly thorough quasi-anechoic measurements of these speakers several years ago. It was extremely useful information, but I was also learning as I went at the time. So I took another look at the files to see if I'd missed anything, and sure enough - right there in the on-axis graph was a good sized lump, centered at 11 KHz, a bit over 2 dB high.
Don't know why I didn't consider this a problem at the time, but as mentioned, I was still learning. I was trying not to use too much driver correction EQ, so maybe I'd thought it was too high to be of any consequence or something.
Anyway, last night I fired up the miniDSP plugins to see what could be done. I configured some parametric EQ filters with appropriate center freqency and Q, but before cutting the region, I first dialed in about 8 dB of boost, then listened for awhile (at lowered volume of course). Sure enough, that familiar scratchy sound became magnified and nasty. So I made the boost into a cut - 3 dB for the (on-axis) center channel, -2 dB for everything else.
I don't have a way to do a quick A/B comparison, as unfortunately the miniDSP units take several seconds to switch presets (and in 2 stages in my case). But I've come back to it a day later (now playing: Walter Becker's "11 Tracks of Whack" - rest in peace, Walter), and fortunately I'm not experiencing any of the familiar "what the hell did I do to the stereo last night!" disappointment with which we are all familiar. The highs are still nice & sparkly, with scarcely any of the previous metallic edge. So far so good...
Not sure if this qualifies as a "tweak," but that's my show-and-tell for now.
- Jim
If the cap(s) and Bybee(s) make things better, is it then not time to redesign this 'betered'-stuff so that it does not need these 'enhancements'.
To me it seems that the need to use these 'treatment' items is a shortcomming of the stuff-to-be-'bettered' in the first place (if one did design this stuff himself, then blame on you [the designer]).
Do not take it too serious, it is a mind-conditioner. No engineering would be able to replace it 😉.
My current tweaking is focussing around an end goal of only 3 mains leads in the entire system. One for the Blu-ray player (class II so no ground) and one for each of the active amp packs. Everything else either on silentswitchers or batteries.
Phase 2 is to get all interconnects balanced.
Neither of these I expect to produce an audible difference, but I will know so it will sound good 🙂.
Phase 2 is to get all interconnects balanced.
Neither of these I expect to produce an audible difference, but I will know so it will sound good 🙂.
When it comes to RFI proofing, I am sure that PMA is an expert. I am not, but I have looked into line conditioning somewhat.
For example, the added 10uF oil filled cap. I did not discover this, someone else first did this about 20-25 years ago. At first, I thought it was kind of excessive, but I heard from others who had tried it, that it did appear to do something well.
At the same time, I started measuring what was really on the AC power line, using a passive 60Hz notch filter and then spectral analysis. I found the harmonics from the power line, but then I noted a rise in noise (resonances, etc) above 20KHz that appeared to be significant.
A simple computer simulation of the 10uf cap with the power line showed a significant reduction in that noise above 20KHz to several hundred KHz, assuming the power line has both resistance and inductance. Looks like something for almost no trade-off, but what about safety? Well, when you select a motor drive oil filled polypropylene cap (motor start cap) it is internally fused. That should be safe enough. How about heat? The ESR of the cap is good enough to not generate any significant heat.
What about transient protection? The cap can absorb significant transients that appear on the power line. However, for lightning storms, an added gas filled device is recommended. How successful does this appear to be? We have been putting them in line conditioners for the last 20 years with great success.
For example, the added 10uF oil filled cap. I did not discover this, someone else first did this about 20-25 years ago. At first, I thought it was kind of excessive, but I heard from others who had tried it, that it did appear to do something well.
At the same time, I started measuring what was really on the AC power line, using a passive 60Hz notch filter and then spectral analysis. I found the harmonics from the power line, but then I noted a rise in noise (resonances, etc) above 20KHz that appeared to be significant.
A simple computer simulation of the 10uf cap with the power line showed a significant reduction in that noise above 20KHz to several hundred KHz, assuming the power line has both resistance and inductance. Looks like something for almost no trade-off, but what about safety? Well, when you select a motor drive oil filled polypropylene cap (motor start cap) it is internally fused. That should be safe enough. How about heat? The ESR of the cap is good enough to not generate any significant heat.
What about transient protection? The cap can absorb significant transients that appear on the power line. However, for lightning storms, an added gas filled device is recommended. How successful does this appear to be? We have been putting them in line conditioners for the last 20 years with great success.
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