Good tweak if you can still get them or you can make them.
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Cheers George
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Cheers George
Know of a "Dirt Cheap" tweak?
I am looking for tweaks to improve the overall sound quality of my audio system. I recently purchased some TPC contact cleaner and it made a believer out of me. I noticed a signicant improvement, as if a veil was lifted my system sounded more clear and transparent. Bass got tighter too. Do you know of any cheap tweaks that have made a SIGNIFICANT improvement to the sound quality of your Hifi system...let us know... :-) Comments welcomed!
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Kasboot - here’s a few tweaks... PHONO CARTRIDGE TWEAK: I epoxied a brass plate to my Denon DL103 Cartridge. It increased the mass of the cartridge which improved the compliance match to the arm and resulted in superior performance - best $12.50 ever spent. http://image99.net/blog/files/category-denon-dl-103.html I probably wouldn’t try this on a real expensive cartridge - but the Denon is reasonably priced and i wouldn’t trade it for anything - so resale is not an issue. However - I did the same thing with a Denon 103 rebuilt by Soundsmith and the performance improvement is incredible - again, I will not be selling this cart either :-) ISOLATION FEET TWEAK: I make my own isolation feet by epoxying a ball bearing to a washer, then add a layer of Sorbothane between the washer and the component foot - works great on the granite isolation plinth - cost about $20 for a set of 4 http://image99.net/blog/files/0915f27ce41639dc6e4bf13bff2cbcbb-24.html ISOLATION PLINTH TWEAK I make my own isolation plinth using a piece of MDF and some rubber drawer liner - but I just upgraded to a piece of granite in place of the MDF to improve the dynamics and looks - cost around $30 each http://image99.net/blog/files/3b1e019ed6bce1eec35dad4636fd815c-25.html OUTLET REPLACEMENT: I use Pass and Seymour MRI grade outlets everywhere - they are affordable, clamp like a vice, non magnetic and extremely good at transferring power http://www.takefiveaudio.com/categories/214-pass-seymour-cryo-treated-15a20a-wall-outlets Just a few of the more "affordable tweaks" on my web site Regards - Steve |
lexphin, I have been using copper beading cones inserted into copper end caps. The former are really hard to come by lately. You need to do a Google search. The latter can be had on Ebay. Since I have never used SR's HFTs I cannot comment on how they compare. All I can say is that if you find the right positioning the results can be very impressive with a DIY version of SR's HFTs. I have over 70 in my system -- total cost about $70 vs. $4,200 for 70 SR HFTs. How's that for getting a bang for your audio buck? |
Everyone here has heard about using the Magic Eraser as a stylus cleaner ( use scissors to clip a 2mm triangular wand off of every corner of the block and then use it to flick the stylus back-to-front like a stylus brush). You can also use the Magic Eraser to polish/de-oxidize spade lugs, speaker terminals, tube pins, male xlr contacts and male AC plugs... without any harsh chemicals. You can see it is polished, i don't have the patience to do before/after listening tests. Happy Ears |
You can home in on the very best locations for almost any type of acoustic resonators like the tiny bowls or even tube traps using a SPL meter and a test time of say 315 Hz off one of those test CDS. This will allow very accurate placement of the resonantors where there are peak sound pressure levels that are say, 6 dB above the average sound pressure in the room. For example, in the upper room corners and first reflection points. You would be shocked at just how many of these exceedingly high SPL peaks there can be in a room. Oh, and don’t forget other rooms of the house. |
lexphin, I forgot to mention to place one on the ceiling -- at the crossing of the diagonals from one corner to the other, in the exact middle of the ceiling -- as per SR. Zilplex also uses the same location. geoffkait, Franck Tchang has saved us a lot of trouble by homing in for us -- identifying the best locations for his Acoustic Resonators. This works well for my own cone-style resonators a la HFT. SR, Zilplex and Audio-Magic following with their own location maps for their resonators, bowls and bells. Of course, we can add or subtract as needed using a meter and/or trial and error. |
One mans dirt cheap tweak is a others man arm and leg. Keeping all cable connections clean is great. Getting speaker cables off the floor is one more that i feel helps. Replaceing wall out lets with audio grade plugs is al so great, but not really cheap depending on which one you use. I have found the biggest bang for the buck High Fidelity MC O5s easy to use. May be not dirt cheap but a tweak that delivers a sonic improvement. enjoy Pete |
Sabai, Franck’s guide to locations for resonators is just that - a guide. Even he says that. Every room is different. If your location is off by 6 or 12" that can make all the difference in the world, as you missed the peak. The real locations vary from room to room, system to system, speaker to speaker. Speakers radiate different patterns so there cannot be one size fits all. And that’s why you’re only guessing if you don’t use a SPL meter. And I'm not even getting into the RFI angle. |
Two things improved the overall sound quality dramatically. I re-terminated the speaker cables, replacing the spades with the locking banana plugs. (if your amp has some fancy binding posts with a large contact area for the spade you don't to need to). Another thing I did was to move the speakers away the back wall. By the way I noticed that the OP started this thread 16 years ago. Wow. |
Sabai Just a quick note on the Franck Tchang placement. I was really not expecting much.....HOLY CRAP!! was I WRONG! The soundstage opened up in height, width and especially depth. Vocals were so much clearer. I do have a fairly revealing system, so others results may vary, depending on their gear, but this is one cheap tweek everyone should try. About 3 hours of labor including research, pick up of supplies, installation and about $20 out of pocket, yielded what I would consider a $1000`s worth of improvement! |
lexphin Sabai Just a quick note on the Franck Tchang placement. I was really not expecting much.....HOLY CRAP!! was I WRONG! The soundstage opened up in height, width and especially depth. Vocals were so much clearer. I do have a fairly revealing system, so others results may vary, depending on their gear, but this is one cheap tweek everyone should try. About 3 hours of labor including research, pick up of supplies, installation and about $20 out of pocket, yielded what I would consider a $1000`s worth of improvement! Who knows, if you had used a SPL meter instead of a rough guide you might have considered it a $3000 worth of improvement. When you don’t place the tiny little bowls precisely on the sound pressure peak you wind up with a local maximum. If you’re off by 6" you can miss the peak entirely. Hel-loo! In addition, Franck Tchang points out that the recommended locations are intended for HIS resonators, I.e., the locations are specific to his GOLD, SILVER and PLATINUM resonators, depending on location. Which IMHO is all the more reason to look deeper into the placement of whatever resonators you’re using. For example, Franck Tchang writes, "Step 4 should only use the Silver or Gold Special models. This position is very effective to open up the corners. The wooden base must be installed on the sidewall but butt right up against the front wall. It should sit slightly lower than the center resonator of Step 3 but no lower than 5cm from the ceiling." |
lexphin, I'm very glad to hear you are getting such spectacular results -- like me. Franck Tchang did not create his guide out of thin air. He is the original master regarding resonator placement. Everyone else followed him. Of course, variations and adjustments may further refine things. But my experience is that he got this dead right. Your experience reinforces my feeling that his placements are a good place to start -- and possibly to finish. geoffkait, Have you actually tried what I and lexphin are reporting here with Frank Tchang's placements using DIY resonators -- and then tried out your own theory to compare? Or is this all just speculation on your part? With all due respect, it is one thing to quote Franck Tchang for the sake of debate. It is another thing to talk from your personal experience. Since you said in your post, "Who knows ..." may we assume that you do not know from your personal experience and are just enjoying the debate? |
No need to be snippy, Sabai. I started designing and selling acoustic resonators before acoustic resonators were even a gleam in Franck Tchang’s eye. That’s why I know that a SPL meter is the only real way to determine where resonators should be placed in any room. Now, I'm not saying that using Franck Tchang's diagram won't work, it will. It will get you around 50% of my SPL meter method. "Never get behind anyone 100%." - my old Boss at NASA have a nice day |
Now, if you opt to do ALL of the above..... Cups, tile, bricks, sandbags, BB's, metal plates, floor braces, et all... Your gear will resemble a construction site that needs 'tidying up', and edging towards my 'steampunk' speakers' in general appearance. Please post pictures....curious minds need a good laugh. ;) |
geoffkait, Simply being direct and to the point. You stated, " ... you’re only guessing if you don’t use a SPL meter." Do you mean that Frank Tchang was only guessing? But then you stated, "It [Franck's diagram] will get you around 50% of my SPL meter method." If so, nice to hear Franck made some good guesses and that your method is twice as good as Franck's guess work. asvjerry, My room is indeed untidy -- but the sound is good. |
"...and don't smoke dope, burn your hair..." Don't have none to spare...;) Nutmeg....*sheesh* Banana peels, bath salts, salvia...pretty soon... "Hey, if you eat the inner lining of *so & so's* speaker cables, you'll think you're sitting front 'n center, 6th row orchestra....but wear Depends..." "Oh....'scuse me..." *sound of running feet, fading into the distance...* Don't mind me....just kibitzing...keep those tweaks comin'. I just gotta go get bricked and cupped and all those other things...most interesting thing to watch other than binge-watching @Midnight....;) |
...as for 'cheap', dirt's already been mentioned along with sand. How much cheaper can one get?! Go outside with a baggie, scoop some up and avoid the dog's 'deposit', seal bag, go back inside, place bag on CDP or whatever, viola'. Factoring in 'time=$', still beats anything else I've read. I think the OP wandered off awhile back...I think I'll go look him up and have a virtual beer or 3.... |
sabai geoffkait, Simply being direct and to the point. You stated, " ... you’re only guessing if you don’t use a SPL meter." Do you mean that Frank Tchang was only guessing? But then you stated, "It [Franck’s diagram] will get you around 50% of my SPL meter method." If so, nice to hear Franck made some good guesses and that your method is twice as good as Franck’s guess work. Far be it from me to beat a dead horse but Franck Tchang’s diagram was designed SPECIFICALLY for HIS Special pure Gold, Silver, Platinum and Basic acoustic resonators thus are doomed to FAIL for the knock-off attempts of cheap DIYers. If a DIYer gets good result with Franck Tchang’s diagram it means you were lucky. It’s ridiculous to think that ALL speakers and ALL rooms would exhibit identical dynamic sound pressure mapping. One can't help wondering how Franck Tchang addresses sound pressure peaks that are NOT on any room wall but in the 3-D space of the room. Follow? At the risk of repeating myself has anyone experimented with tiny bowl resonators smaller than the 7/8" Franck Tchang resonators? Have a a nice day |
sabai The sand has to be dry. If you are taking it off the beach on a dry day it may feel dry but it will still take some airing out to get rid of the residual moisture. Sand is so passé. I have just one word for you: Glass microspheres. Like the ones I use in my new ISO stand. Sand is what cheap DIYers use when they can't afford the real thing. 😄 Geoff Kait machina dynamica |
geoffkait, You stated, "Far be it from me to beat a dead horse but Franck Tchang’s diagram was designed SPECIFICALLY for HIS Special pure Gold, Silver, Platinum and Basic acoustic resonators thus are doomed to FAIL for the knock-off attempts of cheap DIYers. If a DIYer gets good result with Franck Tchang’s diagram it means you were lucky." Frank Tchang's placements were designed for his resonators. Correct. But this does not mean, ipso facto, that other resonators will not also benefit from these carefully worked out placements. In fact, logic may lead some people to believe that because they worked so well for Franck they may also work well for others since all resonators have one thing in common -- they resonate. The speculation that they are "thus "doomed to fail for so-called knock-off resonators is a non sequitur. Simply because an application is designed for one specific product does not logically meant that it is disqualified from working with other similar products. So, I believe this horse is far from dead. And it is obvious that others feel the same way, too. We have the examples of Synergistic Research, Zilplex and Audio-Magic following right behind Franck Tchang. And here on the forum we have the example of lexphin who tried his DIYs out using the Franck Tchang placements and got great results -- just like me. Oh, I forgot. This is all just a matter of luck. Franck Tchang was just guessing -- and the rest of us are just lucky because he guessed right. Although sand may be considered by some (not sure how many) to be passe it works very well, which is what matters. So, cheap DIYers can take solace in the fact that sand gets the job done -- cheaply. The fact that sand is silica and that glass microspheres are also silica may be the reason why. |
Sabai, I never said Franck Tchang’s diagram wouldn’t work at all. In fact I specifically said that a post or two ago. It’s because you’re close to but not exactly on the 6 dB peak, only at the 2 dB or 3 dB point or whatever. Close but no cigar. Pop quiz: why are even tinier little bowls also a good idea. 1/2" bowls are what, 1/4 the volume of the 1" bowls? footnote: Sabai, you forgot to mention Machina Dynamica’s Codename White Poppy acoustic resonators, which have been around for what four or five years? See if you can guess the material I use for my resonators. Betcha can’t. Hint: Machina Dynamica’s Tru Tone Wall Outlet Covers which have been around for 10 years employ the same material (and are also resonators!). There is also Golden Sound’s Acoustic Discs which are not bowls but are basically the same general idea. They’ve been around more than 10 years. cheers, everybody geoff kait machina dynamica |
geoffkait, When you state that "I never said Franck Tchang’s diagram wouldn’t work at all", may I respectfully draw attention to your statement that Franck’s placements "are doomed to FAIL for the knock-off attempts of cheap DIYers ". And to your statement that " ... you’re only guessing if you don’t use a SPL meter." I do not think that Franck Tchang was just guessing. I think he went about this very methodically. Otherwise, his placements -- even for so-called "knock-off attempts of cheap DIYers" -- would not work as well as they do. In fact, if they did not work so well across the board I am sure this would have been reported a long time ago starting with Stereo Times and 6 Moons, then moving down the line to Zilplex, Synergistic Research and Audio-Magic. But such is not the case. On the contrary. So, you and I respectfully agree to disagree. I have no experience with your resonators so I cannot comment on their effectiveness nor can I compare them to resonators made by other makers -- or my own DIY version. But may I respectfully note that you earlier mentioned that you "... started designing and selling acoustic resonators before acoustic resonators were even a gleam in Franck Tchang’s eye ...". But in a more recent post I note that you refer to your resonators being around for 4 or 5 years. Franck Tchang's resonators came out in 2004. |
Here's a dirt cheap tweak. If you are one of those who stores his CDs and or LPs so they are in a horizontal position you will get a lot better sound by storing them all vertically. Some folks use those CD towers that store the CDs horizontally. Those CD towers are bad news. If you have CD towers just flip them on their side so the CDs are all vertical. |