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Lowering the noise floor

I am coming to the conclusion that success in home audio reproduction is largely about lowering the noise floor. There are so many different types of “noise”, from so many different sources, that we only really “hear” by their absence.

Those components, cables, accessories and tweaks that SUCCEED at lowering the noise floor, can, and do, dramatically increase sound quality. Sometimes the type of “noise” dealt with is controversial, or not (yet) widely recognized as being a problem. Sometimes the explanation of how a product works is dubious. Sometimes the way it is marketed reeks of “snake oil”. Sometimes the reviews singing its praises go over the top. While these things will certainly put off some prospective purchasers, they do not negate the audible results that are there for anyone open to hearing them.
tommylion

Showing 3 responses by gdhal

gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
Electing to chime in on this thread in particular because of those who have already chimed in **AND** because OP has created essentially the same post elsewhere on this forum.

In light of the aforementioned, see response here:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/rca-shorting-plugs


gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
By getting off the grid I avoid all the ills associated with the grid, and all the ills associated with cables, fuses, and the other stuff I already mentioned. Trust me, it’s audible, even on my modest system. I mean, I still can tweak it, right. I use only treated batteries and everything has been quasi cryod at a minimum and everything is mechanically isolated.

Wonder why professional rock bands don't do this.
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
90% of systems these days have enough gain from the source and in the poweramp so a passive pre can be used, this get’s rid of a large source of noise, the "active preamp".

Wouldn't that be a moot point if one is using an integrated amp?

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