You suggested I leave my solid state components on all the time in spite of the trickle charge when off. Today after almost 2 weeks I heard better more solid lows, more air between the instruments, less hash, etc. Miller Carbon also introduced me to the Schumann Generators (2) which I also find helpful. I have very heavy Vandersteen speakers and am deliberating those suggested springs. Thanks MC
MC is the man, the icon, the legend. Must be given all the activity this thread generates.
Unsolicited i asked him his thoughts on improvements for my system. He offered them, I took them and viola, there was marked improvement. Very thankful he took the time given my modest setup.
My SS gear is on 24/7/365 except for extenuating circumstances which are few.
As with EVERYTHING in this hobby, the only judge is YOUR ears. As MC would say, “everything matters”. It does. Listen up for yourself.
First off as a new guy with no experience and a limited budget I found this site quite by accident and ended up purchasing my speakers and integrated amp here. Since then I've been a regular reader and occasional responder. What I have observed is how helpful the members are in general and I've observed MC, in particular, has been a most consistent truth-teller( as far as I know) with an acerbic wit. I often wonder who is that masked man riding off into the sunset on a pair of double impacts. "Who are you who who who who I really want to know"?
Hey MC, I’ve been following all your postings and comments on Audiogon for the past 2 years and just wanted to say Thanks for passing on your knowledge on all things audio. I’ve learned a lot from your comments and they have helped my understanding of audio gear immensely. What prompts this message is that I was talking to Eric Alexander this morning about his Tekton Moab speakers. By the end of our talk I placed my order for upgraded Moabs and I mentioned to him and Tammy that a good part of my decision to buy was based on your reviews and comments on Moabs. He spoke highly of you and seemed truly grateful for your kind remarks. Anyway, really just wanted to give credit where credit is due. Again, Thanks and I always enjoy reading your postings. My Best…..David
You are welcome to come over for a listening session ... but prepare to be shocked by what you hear.
When I first viewed your room and setup a few years back, my first thought: "My goodness, what a horrible space!"
Since I swapped out my Ditton Celestion 66 for DQ10 in the early 70’s, coherence has been my quest. Since then, I’ve not been impressed by ANY multi-driver co-planar speaker. Back then, I adopted my tag line "It’s not the Frequency. It’s the Time."
^^^ The excellent design is already there. Through tweaking, just how amazing that design is, is revealed for the end listener. I've found myself in awe over just how great the ARC gear is.
Actually engineers are often shackled by cost, appearance and other aspects during design and production. I have no doubt that many fine products can be improved by the efforts of tweakers. Trick is to improve the sound not simply change it. It is not the least bit like a tattoos in many cases.
You are welcome to come over for a listening session ... but prepare to be shocked by what you hear. millercarbon >>>
The first time I added weight to the tops of speakers was back in the very early 80s. I used a heavy cinderblock on top of each speaker. Very ugly approach, but also very effective.
Did the same as you Frank, only I used a BDR Shelf on top of my Moabs. The combination of the Shelf on top with the speaker on Podiums (and everything else ;) really kicks em up a notch. Mahgister does the same too of course. Only he clamps his with springs between the weight and the speaker. What I really want now is some mass damping like the things they use in skyscrapers to control resonance.
Good question. A long time ago, I found out that adding weight to the top of speakers is like adding mass to them. On top of each speaker is one thick, heavy granite platform that perfectly fits the top of the speaker, and then, in addition, a few lead fishing weights that are used for ocean bottom fishing in deep waters. The result is more clarity to the sound from top to bottom.
That strikes me as a really good approach. What seems to happen is there is a sort of dielectric saturation process that happens with everything, until it reaches a sort of equilibrium. The majority of this happens pretty fast but the last little bit can take a while. So things that sound pretty bad at first sound a lot better half an hour later, but then continue to improve for some hours only not as much and slower. Ted Denney believes this happens even at idle, no music required, and so it stands to reason lowering the voltage will keep things at a high level ready to go. Wish more would do this.
Most electronic devices will last longer if left permanently on. Consider that a PCB contracts and expands as it cycles through the warm and cool/cold periods with different coefficients of expansion and you have the ingredients for failure. Commensurate with this movement is the associated condensation.
The surge of start-up current is highest when the circuit is cold. If you take the old style incandescent lamps they almost always failed when switching on because that is their cold state where resistance is lowest and max. current is drawn. I don't know about you guys but I will not subject my kit to that harsh cycle.
I also leave my valve amps on standby with apparently no stress to the valves. As I build most of my stuff I incorporate a standby switch which disconnects B+ and switches the filament supply to about 60% of operating voltage to avoid cathode poisoning. This keeps the condensation at bay and the amp warm and ready for use.
I traded in my 19 1/2 year old solid state Bryston 4bST amp and BP25MC (not a MillerCarbon Edition :-)) pre amp last year with neither component ever having an issue. I turned them off every night and on later the next day. Leaving them constant on didn’t seem to improve their performance. The guru at the hi-fi store recommended I leave my new solid state gear on.
shamus2211- The point is to let me know they would vote me off the island. But their island is The Lord of the Flies. Mine is Manhattan: a rich, vibrant hub of culture, knowledge, and commerce.
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