Modding/tweaking my system

You keep mentioning channel imbalance. Unless there is something wrong electrically somewhere there should be none. It is very easy however to get imbalance, all it takes is one speaker one inch closer than the other, either to you or a wall or something that might reinforce, or some furniture or something that might absorb. Or even if everything else is right but one is toed slightly more or less than the other. You get the idea. Everything has to be perfectly symmetrical down to the nth degree. Which is why I always say start with the tape measure. 

If you are gonna measure anything, measure distance. Measure angles. Those you can get a handle on. Try and measure sound, you are gonna find you got your work cut out for you just trying to figure out what it is you are really measuring. Then why. Finally how. Guarantee in the end wind up learning, nobody agrees on even the tiniest aspect of any of it. Where hopefully everyone agrees if the speakers are cockeyed so is the sound.

Thank Millercarbon

I think I've got it as sorted as I can get considering the constraints of a kitchen/diner bloody great ceramic top weighs a ton table, plants and chairs!

Playing around with damping and swapping out the RCA to dedicated digital cable brought about some benefits.

Using a greater degree of toe-in really changed the dynamics and I think made me even more conscious of what this system could deliver.

Hunting around the net for hot iron mods I found a simply non invasive tweak thats been implemented today.

The result is truly astonishing, the closed in sweet spot is now wide open, the crashing trays are symbols with timbre and decay.

The congested mids now allow for delicate percussion instruments to be recognised and placed in the ss.

The tweak is so simple anyone with a DacMagic should definitely give it a go.

The tweak is using the XLR outputs for RCA using standard adaptors.

The pair cost me £4.85 delivered!

Apparently the trick is to ensure the pins are connected Pin 1 GND pin 2 V+ and pin 3 unused. The reason it works is the feeds for the RCA are taken from the balanced feed routed through OP27 op-amps which combine and buffer for the unbalanced output. You effectively bypass the op-amp and associated circuits.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread passing on your knowledge and experience its been gratefully received 

Happy New Year to all

Well I just couldn't help searching for other ways to improve what is already a decent system.

My attention turned to removing components from the signal path.

After a suggestion to try a passive pre I researched something I previously didn't know existed.

For anyone that doesn't know of said items they are in basic form a volume pot and possibly a source switch with no active components.

They do vary greatly in quality, complexity and price

I only use one source so just a pot was required. Simple right? Wrong.

The use of a passive requires the source and power amps are suited to each other with output voltage and more importantly impedance 

As it was going to be trail and error I did't want to pay good money for something that just wont play well with my gear. I opted for a cheap £27 pot in a box from amazon listed as an alps 16 pot I took the plunge.

I plugged in the mini beast and well pretty disappointing. it was ok (ish) my system leans on the bright side, this hit the brakes on that effect.

High frequency rolled off pretty heavily so back went the active.

Turns out the pot is a 50k, some clever guys on another forum quickly ran the numbers and informed me I need a 10k. They came up with other work arounds but a pot swap seemed the least invasive.

A 10k alps blue ordered and now installed 

Swapped out the pots and after a first listening session...

HF no longer rolled off in fact it offers more detail with the passive even at low volume listening.

The midrange is less congested and depth of sound field seems to be slightly improved.

No real affect on bass, maybe a little tighter?

I'll give it some more time with various cd's but i'm thinking this is here to stay.

I would say it sounds maybe a little clinical so my attention is now moving toward a bit of recapping.