Fine tuning the system. Where do you start and how do you proceed ?


It sounds good and yet..

Leaving wall current alone - it’s a separate big problem. Leaving the room alone too.

Do you begin by seeking out best LP pressings ? Or tube rolling ? Or cables and power cords comparisons ? Isolation devices perhaps ? Something else ?

How do you go about it ?

I tend to start from the beginning - LP pressings.

inna

Showing 4 responses by inna

Do it step by step, one at a time - that's an excellent advice.

Looking for best pressings is an almost never ending process, but before that you have to find out what the best pressings are. Sometimes it's difficult to know before actually comparing. But this can make very big differences.

My turntable is on a thick maple block which in turn is on the floor. There are big Boston Audio graphite tune blocks under the maple platform. Seems to work fine. Integrated tube amp is also on a thick maple block which is on the floor with Audiopoints brass cones under it. Two tape decks and PS Audio regenerator are on the rack. The Salamander rack is no good but since both the turntable and amp are on the floor, I see no reason to replace it.

Tubes in the amp are excellent, all NOS Mullards and RCAs. I do have to replace tubes for the phono, probably with Mullards or RCAs but might try Raytheon black plates.

Cables are more than adequate, and Nottingham Spacearm's cable goes from the cartridge right into the onboard phono stage amp, no need for separate tonearm cable or interconnects. The table has Boston Audio graphite mat instead of stock.

So, I am not sure what I might want to do in terms of fine tuning. Perhaps some feet under the amp.

Speakers are placed as well as they could be in the room, and most of the listening is close to near field listening.

Tuning and fine tuning with tubes is a great way to improve the sound or simply to make it slightly different. It can be like putting different strings on the same acoustic guitar.

Playing with isolation/resonance control devices could be fun, but I don't have energy and funds to approach it seriously. This would require tremendous work to find the overall best solution.

When doing fine tuning it would be wrong to dissect the sound. This is the final polishing, the sound is already excellent.

 

 

 

Agreed about preamp tubes, but driver and power tubes can make a big difference too.