Replacing driver screws with brass screws


There was some discussion about this on Millercarbon's thread about the Moab speakers, and I wanted to pursue the subject further without interfering with his thread.
As I stated there, I have heard about this practice for quite a few years, but never tried it because it seemed like one of those lunatic fringe ideas; and even though I actually really enjoy trying tweaks, and have found many of them effective, I just was not prepared for what this one did for the music coming out of my speakers. 
Specifically, it improved the detail in ambient trails, focus in general, complex harmonics in voices and stringed instruments, and instrumental separation. It is not subtle, and it is immediately noticeable.
So, I am curious to know how many of you out there have tried this, and what your experience has been.
Thanks, John  
128x128roxy54

Showing 2 responses by jollygreenaudiophile2

Ok, "My turn"!
And please feel free to look this up!
There are several reasons replacing the screws with "Brass" will change the sound of your system. But it needs to be of the "Cast" variety.
There is actually, a single "published" study by a well known and very well regarded "Ivy League" university as well as many others currently, "Un-published" and still, um classified. "I know of at least fifteen of these".
The un-classified study is not hard to find online. Just ask the right question of your browser!
And ALL of them were commissioned by the federal government with most but not all paid for by military research entities. Also they were all offered, and completed within the same 12 year period. They were to study and classify all known alloys with the goal of ascertaining the effects on electromagnetic fields when different alloys are applied to said fields. They found some odd things. One of which is that "Cast Brass" works as a mid-range frequency, resonance and free harmonic filter.
It's been awhile but I believe the range was roughly 1.4Khz- to a little over 5Khz. The brass could also be used as a type of particle boundary. They can also help stabilize a field if used in a certain fashion. And since the voice coil works how it does this applies. No snake oil here.
I use cast brass machined screws to secure the transducers in certain bass columns I build with "Storm nuts", "I think that what some call them".
On the inside of the cabinet which are stainless steel with the (teeth), biting into the cabinets wood. I use fairly large screws and they are torqued to spec. so that the threads are not damaged.
If anyone really wants but cannot find that study I talked about above? And would like more info. I do have it here in hard-cover, book form. "Somewhere". I would just have to dig it out.
"Glupson"
Brass machine screws, "Or any other type",  don't need any info from the manufacturer to give you "any" given specs. The geometry of the part "Screw", does that for you. They are standardized globally at this point. You just need to know the alloy and standard used, "Like S.A.E. for instance", which should be on the packaging even if coded. All with the exception of real oddities are in any machinist handbook. 
Also the studies do call out different alloys of all commonly used materials as applicable. And zinc was one of the metals as well as everything else used today. Standard or forged brass showed no filtering effects. 
Is "Brass" the answer? NO!
Just another piece of the puzzle to play with that we have limited knowledge of and about.
But I keep wondering about the "exact" point at which the "Electrical expression of the waveform coalesces into that waveform. "Which should be instantaneous". And exterior forms of energy affecting the launch. If you can clean the area up as far as stray particles and stabilize the fields a little you could also retard phasing I think. But I think it's beyond the "Classical" physics modeling of field theory and well into....
    I'll be quiet now.......