Undertow,
Blu-Tack's a GREAT idea to take up the excess I.D. and damp.
I'm doing that on the 2 stock P/C's to the amps, thanks for the tip ! |
Tom,
I found a roll of 3 inch adhesive-back copper foil from McMaster Carr,
the inside of my CEC transport looks like a good place to start using it. |
Where's the YouTube video ?
I typed in Marantz SA-7S1 per Dr. Phil at Alcoholics Anonymous .......... |
Good news Ozzy and tweakers,
Went to Lowes, bought a 1-1/2"x 1-1/4" copper coupler-reducer stock #89479 (smaller end fits closer to the IEC end plugging into component) $3.47 YTMV (your taxes may vary)
Slipped it over the end of the Shunyata King Cobra going to my CEC transport and WOW.
Micro-dynamics, clarity, depth, I'm going FULL-BROKE and buy 4 more (preamp, dac, mono amps ?)
Thanks Ozzy (and Lowes) these could sell for $50.00 a pop and be a deal, price/performance ratio is incredible. |
Ozzy and Tweakers :
I added another copper sleeve on the preamp cord, with an additional increase in dynamics.
A good idea would be to gage the coupler size to your specific power cord end(s) so they are not a sloppy fit.
I might go with 1-1/4" straight across, instead of the reducer from
1-1/2" (provides a closer fit yet)
This is a cheap, awesome tweak, takes seconds to install, is reversible and refundable.
The beauty is, increased musicality with no discernable downsides (in my system)
I'm going to try the other end of each power cord going into the Hydra next. |
Kenk,
Lowe's website does not list these specifcally, go to the plumbing dept, look through the bins and size on the barcode sticker. |
Ozzy,
I put copper sleeves on the IEC ends for the transport, dac, preamp,
mono amps & twist-lock P/C to the Hydra, the sound in my rig is fabulous.
This tweak did much more of an improvement than changing tubes or power cords, about a good 15%-18% total for less than $30.00 ! |
Ozzy,
I might have some clearance problems at the AC ends due to very close spacing on the back of the Hydra and size of the Shunyata cords.
I'll try and give it a shot, without scraping the lettering or heatshrinks on a 2K P/C !
For a nice look, I used Goo-Gone to remove the adhesives on the outside of the sleeves, then used a Scotch-Brite pad to debur the ends and polish the inside and outside for a nice looking finish, rinsed-em in soapy warm water to clean-em up.
This tweak should stay here for us, if a manufacturer catches wind, the price of a P/C would double, in this economy we need real deals. |
Bombaywalla-man,
I LOVE your Scintillas !!
Try McMaster Carr or cruz to a local hardware store if you strike out
at Home Dumbpot or Lowesly.
Take your P/C with you and gage it on the spot, that's what I did. |
The copper couplers are working extremely well in all locations.
My crappier recordings are sounding very listenable, and at loud levels.
This is the most effective, cheapest tweak ever applied to my rig, and I've done many over the years, installing my own IEC inlets, various fuses, damping of chassis, footers and materials etc, etc. |
I was able to rearrange AC ends on back of the Hydra adding sleeves over the AC ends of the transport, dac and preamp.
If I notice any decrease what so ever, I'll remove the preamp AC sleeve first, per above comment(s) |
First few notes upon fire-up and wow again.
More fully developed harmonics and smoothness, like another component upgrade.
AC wreaks an evil havoc on sound, controlling it is the key, but not always an easy task. |
Undertow,
I gathered that conclusion among other things as well as tweaks, eg. P/C's, tube types, interconnects, speaker cables etc.
Power supply is a very key matter, ask a guy like Paul or Brian at TRL,
I had a long phone conversation with them.
I'll listen for a lame duck tonight, when everything's quieter and settled in ! |
Nasaman,
Lowe's is a better bet, even though I found their bins a complete mess.
#222144 corresponds to a 1-1/2" coupler.
Bring your cord and get the size that fits closest, you may need 1-1/4" so
read the label on the coupler to verify.
|
Went copper coupler crazy and put the last two on the AC ends of the amp cords tonight, it's the icing on the cake.
Skipping the audiophile adjectives, the sound is very real, speakers flat-out disappear.
Total cost incl. tax under $60.00 |
Ozzy,
If the copper coupler had an "audiophile" name on it with a $500.00 price, he'd put-em on his cord(s) w/o question.
Only a matter of time before manufacturers catch on, I can almost
hold my breath to find out when. |
Thanks Rhyno,
I can breathe ea$y ! |
