Tweaks that work? (yes very subjective topic)

You would probably do better by changing the title to Tweaks that Don’t Work?

Like your valve spring? 

Sky, what kind of room treatments did you do???

Ouch!

you need lots of SR dots/HFTs/fuses, SR master couplers, BDR cones, PPT mats and goo for contacts...and if that doesn't send you into sonic nirvana then you really need to sell everything you have and buy any Raven integrated that you can afford plus a subwoofer swarm.  Add lots of red carpet throughout the room to set the mood correctly.

A troll of the highest order! Punky.

@tuberist the usual stuff Bass trap's and wall treatment. 

@geoffkait Yes you are. You should spend some time fixing your website so you can sell more of your cosmic voodoo stuff. 

Did you think of that all by yourself, troll?

@three_easy_payment can tell who you do not like or care for. I will never go back to integrated's though the Raven gear is nice I would only buy one of their power amps.

I am not a fan of subs for music, home theater yes and one is enough.

Red carpet?
Why would I cover my gorgeous engineered hardwood floor's? 

So I wanted to put this out here to the group and I am hoping for a detailed response from @millercarbon.

Thanks. My system page is chock full of them. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367
Your Butcher Block stuff looks pretty good. But if your gear is sitting directly on the factory feet I would start with BDR Cones. There’s probably better stuff come along in the 30 years since they came out, but I doubt there’s anything better for $20 ea, $60 a component. Use 3 under components, 4 under speakers. This is probably the most cost effective/high value place to start.

Next after that look at the wall treatments in the corners of my room. Those are Owens Corning 703 panels covered with fabric. This stuff cuts easily with a straight razor blade or a utility knife. Its so light weight you can pin it to the wall with straight pins. Not tacks which make a big hole, straight pins like they sell for sewing. This way you can try and listen real easy and the holes you leave are invisibly small. Then when you’re happy wrap some fabric. Mine are stapled to the wall. You can get as fancy as you want or staple like me and be done in no time.

When choosing fabric, look for thin and open weave, like you would want for speaker grills. Otherwise if its too dense and closed weave it doesn’t let the sound through to be absorbed into the panel as well. The difference is not huge but I was surprised, the covered panels did not sound the same as uncovered.

So far if you do all this you are $500, or maybe up to $700 if you splurge on fabric. When you hear the difference this $700 makes you will know just how awful these people are who have nothing to do all day long but throw schoolyard taunts. Instead of helping, they actually insult the helpers. Sad. So discouraging.

Speaking of which here’s one I came across earlier today. Awesome system. Where is this guy? I ask myself. Read his System notes. He stopped posting in the forums precisely because he got tired of all the losers constantly attacking him. Not making it up. You can learn a lot just looking at some systems. This is one to study. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/4459

Would be nice to see the system of a certain someone above. Except, guess what? He doesn’t have one! Only likes to make fun of those who do.

Okay so Cones and Corner Tunes. After that all the rest are very close in terms of what they do, and how much, and for the money. I mean they are all slightly different of course but in the big scheme of things there is no right or wrong.

About the only one not pictured is fo.Q tape. This awesome tape damps vibrations, but does so in an unusual way, by piezoelectric conversion into heat. BDR Cones improve macro and micro dynamics and let you hear deeper into the recording by lowering the noise floor. The tape has a similar effect but more focused on eliminating noise and smearing in the midrange/treble. This has the effect of improving presence and revealing detail in a way that is a little different than the other stuff.

Some of these tweaks are very uniformly balanced. BDR, SR, you just want more and more. Others like the tape and acoustic panels you have to be more careful and listen and test to avoid over doing it.

The turntable, that one is a subject in itself.....

No amount of tweaking will replace playing your table thru the best phonostage you can afford.

I didn’t see a phonostage listed? Mandatory, before obsessing over obsession.

Edit-your profile list the Moon 110-up your game with the phonostage. If you haven't heard a nicer phonostage in your setup,  start demoing to hear what the fuss is all about.

I normally try to ask a few questions before leaping in with advice...

what is plugged into the Furman ? How many dedicated circuits? Who setup the Dynavector and w what tools ? When you say butcher block, glued up long boards? How thick ? What leg of your panel is the audio system on vs, furnace, freezer, fridge ? Any spring isolators in the TT ? Nice floor, what about a rug ? Ever run a delay test on the room ???

u got good stuff dude

Another one of these threads??? There'll be a hot time in the ol' town tonight!!!

@tablejockey the phono stage is in the 390 and it is the 310LP 

"I am hoping for a detailed response from @millercarbon"

And...

I'm hoping for a similar response from the like minded Gilderoy Lockhart.

DeKay

@tomic601 No appliance on the circuit for my sound system only computers.

Furman only has my Amp, Pre Amp, CD and Turntable on it and there are dedicated sockets for them. 

Dynavector was set up by Audio Concepts in Dallas where I bought all my gera but the Raven Audio equipment.

Block are from Butcher Block Acoustics and they are 1 3/4 inch. 

No rugs as I have allergies. 4000 Sq feet of my house is ceramic tile and
hardwood. 

TT is riding on ISOacoustics bronze isolation.

Put some drapes on those windows, carpet on those hardwood floors, and move that desk chair when listening to your system.

@aewarren Carpet never man. Drapes never man.

Also that is a old picture. 

We all use cones under components or should be and every room should have the basic room treatments.
After that, you can raise your cables off the floor, and put some dampers on top of each component. There are many cable elevators out there or you can make your own.
What we do for resonance control, we filled up plastic containers measuring 1x2x2” with bb’s and place them on each component. 

 Thanks for the answers...
Leg of panel is not same as circuit, but computer on same circuit as analog is something I would attend to including consider a second Furman for any digital component. I would also plug the amp direct into the wall and at a bare minimum get a high clamping Force Hubble outlet. Instead of rug try a ceiling treatment instead or several oversized/ over stuff fabric ottomans you can move into the floor bounce area. But the first thing I would do is get the amp direct to the wall. I have three of the 15 model power conditioners, none of my amps sound better thru them.
your dealer I know thru reputation from both customers and supplier, I think you can trust the table setup :-)
but that is a skill you would want to acquire along w tools to do it.
have fun enjoy the music
jim

   "the phono stage is in the 390 and it is the 310LP"

internal phonostage? You may be surprised how an outboard unit can be a game changer. Your setup appears solid, but that is where I would look for possible, significant improvements. 

From the audiogeek perspective, that is the compromise-internal phonostage. I would be steering my time and wallet towards a separate box. Try and demo things to see if your ears agree. Ever hear a tube unit thru your system? Could possibly add some "life" you didn't know was missing. Personally, I lean toward all tube setups.

Records and tubes are what create "that sound" I constantly chase after.

Subjective, of course. There are plenty of tube vs SS threads that go nowhere.

If that were my setup-better phonostage which will eventually show off an Apheta cart. Now you're done, until you get the P10.

I've got a lot of noise on the line, so PS Audio noise harvesters and ifi noise filters made a perceivable improvement.  

millercarbon must own stock in BDR cones. He mentions them in a lot of his posts.
Waiting for another snide comment???

148 posts, no virtual system, no advice for the op?

+1MC
-1 for JR

I didn’t realize the BDR cones are so inexpensive.  Possibly my next tweak!  Thanks MC!

Nice set-up Skypunk!  

@drew_f,  you just plug them into unused outlets on the same circuit as your rig?  Any preference between the ps audio and ifi?

What’s up @skypunk. If your in dallas, I have a thoroughly tweaked system. Low noise power supplies on my routers, modem, and Ethernet switches, vibration control on my servers and streamers, all power cords upgraded, all fuses, bdr cones, synergistic HFT’s and atmosphere towers, contact enhancers, all of it and still tweaking. I even have homemade emf traps. Your welcome to come listen and check it out. I got my SimAudio gear at audio concepts as well, but just sold most of it and upgraded. Also, come eat lunch at  New York Sub, if you ever want to talk audio, and eat NYC style subs made with local meats and smoked roasted and cured in store! Just ask for me
-Andrew.

jrpnde
millercarbon must own stock in BDR cones. He mentions them in a lot of his posts.
Waiting for another snide comment???

>>>>>Hire that man!

This topic has been covered a zillion times. First off. never listen to anyone who stands to sell you something. Humans are way to dangerous for that. Second off, don't waste your money on all this garbage. The "tweaks" that work are a standard part of setting up a system correctly and I don't mean cable elevators. Save money for a more powerful amp or buy more music. Too much of this stuff is just a bad hoax.

One word-----Shungite------- Do a search on this forum using just that word .
I am not much for tweaks . I believe in a couple ( better fuses , isolation ) but what Shungite can do is really almost unbelievable to me . 

Looking at your list, a few things jump out and then later on when you said your amp is plugged into a Furman

* Plug your amp directly into the wall (you can also get a cheater to float the ground)

* Machina Dynamica New Dark Matter in the CD tray (the best $40 you can spend)

* Core Power Tech makes a Deep Core, which goes between the PLC and the wall outlet


hth

Any preference between the ps audio and ifi?

@b_limo ,
 I was using 4 PSA Noise Harvesters in a power strip for my analogue; not much effect in lowering the noise floor.
The iFi AC Purifier is a fantastic little device which cleans up grunge on the mains and lowers the noise floor in a very audible way. More detail and separation of instruments than many power conditioners (and it's only $99).


 

What duplex outlets have you now? Effective inexpensive upgrade in my system.
Room acoustics are important.
Have you looked into hypoallergenic floor coverings?
Synergistic Research has 30 day trial for their acoustic resonators I find them effective. They have other products as well although I have not heard them in my system.
Entreq grounding boxes. Can occasionally be found here used. I find them highly effective.

Taping a penny on the cartridge will produce a jaw dropping experience. Some will insist on a nickle but I refuse to spend money foolishly!!!!!

The deli sandwich sounds freakin incredible!!!!! I will be right over with a nice Russian River Syrah :-) ya man

Of the major food groups Spam is the best for damping electronics and elevating speaker cables. Not too soft, not too hard. Made to order for particular audiophiles. Best straight out of the can. Miracle in a can!

Absolutely best tweak ever: save up all the money you would have spent on a dozen or more tweaky products, some inexpensive, some not, and then use it to upgrade a component in your system, or to pay for room acoustic treatment.

My best, least expensive tweak is to remove my glasses. Noticeable impact on soundstage width and depth; subtle, nuanced impact on timbre.  

The best cheap tweak is cup your hands behind your ears while listening. 

It's  not a tweak but if rugs and drapes are out try Dirac, REW or ARC. 

Sure found out who all the smart asses are that really need to stop day drinking.

@tpreaves  you need every penny you can get! Bet you don't have two nickles to rub together. 

Troll shoots fish in barrel. 🐠 

Geoffkait, I don't see any holes in you.