2. misc-audio
  3. 128728-1324

A Big DIY Bang for Your Buck?

I believe in getting the biggest bang out of my audio buck that I can. I don't know about you but my audio budget is actually limited. I find it interesting when I hear about folks spending a zillion on the best magnetic cables and then someone comes along with some new cable technology like new liquid-infused cables that equal or best the magnetic cables at a fraction of the price. Some makers of magnetic and other cables may want you to believe that a patent pending means there must be something there that ordinary Joe Audio could never make himself. My experience leads me to say -- don't believe it.

I have been using neodymium magnets for years in my cables and around my system to improve SQ -- at a fraction of the cost that makers of magnet-containing products charge. OK, mine may not be at the very top of the performance chain when compared to those expensive products, but who cares? I have managed to get stunning returns for a pittance. It would have cost thousands, or tens of thousands, to obtain similar results from various makers.

The same applies to audio makers with a patent pending (or an actual patent) who market little aluminum audio resonators the size of pimples. I make my own resonator pimples for about a buck apiece -- with stunning results. I saved over $4,000 making 70 of my own. Maybe they are not at the very top of the performance chain compared to those expensive products, but who cares? I am very happy with results that are far beyond what I expected when I started out.

I am having a lot of fun doing DIY projects at home that reap wonderful results at a small fraction of the cost charged by audio makers for their similar products. Have others had similar experiences making their own audio products at home? Can you share your DIY experiences with us?
sabai

Showing 12 responses by toddverrone

toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
I’ve never thought of magnets.. I’ll has be to give it a try.

I just disassembled my rega p3 and put the motor on a maple plinth with the turntable over it, but physically separated. I also put some wooden balls in place of feet.

I’m a bit addicted to making my own cables. I’ve done 3 or 4 different types of power cables, speaker cables, 3 different interconnect types and a power distributor.

My latest messing about has focused on various vibration isolation tweaks which seem to always be ongoing..


toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
I also used pure silver wire, but I used klei connectors. They sound incredible.

One tweak I forgot: I lined the lower, woofer portion of my speaker cabinets with dynamat, which is sound deadening for cars.. It made a significant improvement in bass quality
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
That is funny, I use pebbles. Little colored pebbles I tape everywhere. And stickers I put on bar codes all over the house. It's magical! 
Oh, wait, no, it's absurd and I don't do any of that. I get confused sometimes.
@sabai what do you leave bare? Your speaker cabs? And yeah, this isn't exactly a diy forum. Almost the opposite, actually. But still fun!
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
Geoff, I waffle between thinking you know what you're talking about and thinking you're a loony. 

I bet you'd be fun to have a beer with. Non magnetic, of course
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
@sabai what type of magnets did you use in your PC connectors, and how/where did you mount them? 
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
@2channel8 I’ve made loads of different power cables, interconnects and speaker cables. You absolutely can get better sound with DIY cables, but you need to choose connectors and cables wisely. I’m a cheapskate, so my choices in connectors and cables are good to start with if you’re sceptical and want to experiment. They’re good enough to hear a difference over stock cables if your system is resolving enough and your components’ power supplies would benefit. I use sonarquest connectors that are $40 for a set with aluminum housing. If you want to go fancier, I’ve heard the iego connectors are very good, especially considering their price. I’ve used yarbo cables with the sonarquest connectors to good effect. I’ve also been using a PC made from lots of braided cat 5 cable, but I won’t recommend that because it’s not as robust as a PC for the general public should be.
Here’s a great sounding DIY PC: http://image99.net/blog/index.html

Also, if you don’t have decent interconnects or speaker cables, you won’t hear a difference from power cables. I made speaker cables from cat 5, but all you need to start is wire of good copper and sufficiently large diameter with no or good connectors. Interconnects should be of sufficient quality, the crappy RCA cables that come with components are hardly up to the task. Have fun!
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
Rub it with a pencil and be done
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
Rooms full of little bowls definitely do not pass my WAF
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
@sabai damn, I tried some magnets I had laying around: super strong, taken from an old MacBook. 

They made a very noticeable difference. For the better, so far, but I like to listen for a while to truly hear the strengths and weaknesses of any change. 

I put the magnets on the IEC connectors and on the RCA connectors between my amp and pre  on the pre end. So far they're magnetically attached to the cable clamp screws. I'm heading to Walmart to buy more and some Blu tack so I'm not limited to placements on set screws. 

Thanks for the ideas! 
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
Not sure about strength, but they are definitely neodymium. They're only 1/2"long and 1/8" square in cross section 
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
@sabai the magnets I'm using came from an old laptop that we cannibalised for parts. They've been sitting in a drawer for 4 years. This is a much better use! So there's no 'store' to ask. Walmart didn't have any neodymium magnets.. So I dug through my kids' geomag building toys (plastic rods with neodymium magnets on the ends and ball bearings to use as connectors) and found 4 little neodymium cylinder magnets that fell out of the plastic housing. I put them on my RCA connectors between the pre and amps, on both ends this time. 

I'll have to order some online for the breaker panel. But I'm skiing next week, so it'll be a while before I report back...
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
@czarivey your post made no sense until I looked at the title of the thread. Ha! DIY indeed. Well done and enjoy!
More to discover