14 simple & cheap ways to improve audio

[rkolinski]

I just thought you might find these suggestions interesting although I'm sure many of you not only know about these tweaks but will find some of them debatable (like the one about purchasing new power cables for components & shorting plugs for all of your unused inputs & outputs).

http://www.avguide.com/article/14-si...7?src=Playback

[Jwilly019]

Good article. I agree with a number of the points, such as making sure your contacts are clean and optimally placing your speakers, but some are very debatable.

Question: Do the caps for unused inputs/outputs actually help? My initial thought is no, but hopefully the more knowledgeable members here can answer more definitively.

[SlmShdy1]

I think Gremal can attest to the replacement power cords. From what I've read, he's spent quite a bit on his power cords and it has made a huge improvement.

[curse]

Originally Posted by SlmShdy1

I think Gremal can attest to the replacement power cords. From what I've read, he's spent quite a bit on his power cords and it has made a huge improvement.

Wouldn't it really depend on the internal wiring of the house?

[rded]

Originally Posted by curse

Wouldn't it really depend on the internal wiring of the house?

True! That's where adding dedicated 20amp circuits and wall outlets come to play.

[Fors*]

I think #5 and #7 are equally important and underline how the actual room conditions can be neglected. Tweaking the room with acoustic treatments, isloators, or moving furniture/speakers....can improve your sound as much or possibly more than tweaking the equipment itself.

[rded]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

I think #5 and #7 are equally important and underline how the actual room conditions can be neglected. Tweaking the room with acoustic treatments, isloators, or moving furniture/speakers....can improve your sound as much or possibly more than tweaking the equipment itself.

Done all of that already Fors! Thinking about those Dark fields by shunyata. But an excellent article indeed-especially with changing Power cords-which I can attest to.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by SlmShdy1

I think Gremal can attest to the replacement power cords. From what I've read, he's spent quite a bit on his power cords and it has made a huge improvement.

Not sure about audio gear but I replaced the power cord on my refrigerator and fruits stay fresh longer and have more "pop" to the taste. Milk is also "smoother" and more "airy".

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by rded

Done all of that already Fors! Thinking about those Dark fields by shunyata. But an excellent article indeed-especially with changing Power cords-which I can attest to.

The hardest one for some of us is #14.......to stop worrying about how to get that add'l small fragment of sonic clarity, and just sit back and enjoy your system!

Not that there's anything wrong with that......

[rded]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

The hardest one for some of us is #14.......to stop worrying about how to get that add'l small fragment of sonic clarity, and just sit back and enjoy your system!

Not that there's anything wrong with that......

I have been doing just that for the last 3 months and it's really liberating Yup! It's all about the music not the sound!

[Twitch9]

I don't understand how anyone could thing changing a power cord will improve anything, do you really think 6' of cable is going to make a difference when there is 100's of feet of electrical cable in the walls connecting all your circuits, and then you have the inner wiring of the unit it's self, this is called the placebo effect and will do nothing to improve your overall sound. The only way you might be able to improve with this method is to run a dedicated 20 amp circuit from your panel straight to that plug, other than that your wasting money on just another marketing gimmick. Now don't even get me started on people who think expensive speaker wire will make a difference, the only improvement this makes is the look of the system and has nothing to do with sound.

Spend your money where you will notice the improvement, the speakers and the receiver/amp.

[rded]

Originally Posted by Twitch9

I don't understand how anyone could thing changing a power cord will improve anything, do you really think 6' of cable is going to make a difference when there is 100's of feet of electrical cable in the walls connecting all your circuits, and then you have the inner wiring of the unit it's self, this is called the placebo effect and will do nothing to improve your overall sound. The only way you might be able to improve with this method is to run a dedicated 20 amp circuit from your panel straight to that plug, other than that your wasting money on just another marketing gimmick. Now don't even get me started on people who think expensive speaker wire will make a difference, the only improvement this makes is the look of the system and has nothing to do with sound.

Spend your money where you will notice the improvement, the speakers and the receiver/amp.

Got the speakers/ receiver did the dedcaed 20 amp circuit, power cords and speaker wire. Thay all made a difference- in a way I squeeze every last detail out of my system. If ever you can make it Chicago, I'll be more than glad to show you what I'm talking about.

[Riff Magnum]

How much did it cost to have the dedicated circuit run? Or did u do it yourself?

[RedZeppelin]

Originally Posted by Twitch9

I don't understand how anyone could thing changing a power cord will improve anything, do you really think 6' of cable is going to make a difference when there is 100's of feet of electrical cable in the walls connecting all your circuits, and then you have the inner wiring of the unit it's self, this is called the placebo effect and will do nothing to improve your overall sound. . .

That just shows that you don't know what you're talking about. The trick is to coat your new power cord with extra virgin olive oil from the Tuscany region of Italy (You can use the stuff from the Abruzzo region but I've found it tends to dampen the high end a bit). For best power conductivity and consistency, apply one coat of the oil, let dry for 15 minutes, then wipe off the excess. You can do with only one coat, but a two-coat application about 24 hours apart will ensure minimum voltage loss.

Also, make sure your new cord lies perfectly horizontal. I dug a special trench in the floor along the wall just for this purpose. You may need to use some filler putty in spots to ensure a perfectly level run. Any bumps in the cord will cause the voltage to break up somewhat on their way to your receiver and generate uneven sound. It's normally ok during dialogue, but during extended orchestral sections of a film's soundtrack you might notice the brass section sounds about .06 decibels lower than normal, thus highlighting the woodwinds a fraction more than the director intended. That's acceptable to most lay folk, but we purists notice it right away and it's like fingernails on a chalkboard.

[rded]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

How much did it cost to have the dedicated circuit run? Or did u do it yourself?

If you go with an electrician for the install, then it will cost you. The maintenance guy at work did it for me for the prize of lunch. As far as cost...$7 for the 20 amp circuit, $10-15 for the heavy duty electrical wire that we ran from the circuit breaker to the 20 amp outlets(shunyata outlet $75 x2) separating them from the rest of the basement.

I did the dedicated 20 amp because this is what happend to the regualar socket and power cord.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Riff Magnum]

Cool, my father in law is an electrician, but he's battling cancer. Don't really wanna ask, but don't wanna pay either.

[rded]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

Cool, my father in law is an electrician, but he's battling cancer. Don't really wanna ask, but don't wanna pay either.

Sorry to hear that Riff. Maybe your father-in-law can refer you to some of his friends that will do it for you for a songYou don't have to get the shunyata wall socket either. There are plenty of hospital grade wall outlets at HD. You can PM Big Daddy. He had a list of good and reliable wall outlets.

[Intamin]

Originally Posted by Twitch9

I don't understand how anyone could thing changing a power cord will improve anything, do you really think 6' of cable is going to make a difference when there is 100's of feet of electrical cable in the walls connecting all your circuits, and then you have the inner wiring of the unit it's self, this is called the placebo effect and will do nothing to improve your overall sound. The only way you might be able to improve with this method is to run a dedicated 20 amp circuit from your panel straight to that plug, other than that your wasting money on just another marketing gimmick. Now don't even get me started on people who think expensive speaker wire will make a difference, the only improvement this makes is the look of the system and has nothing to do with sound.

Spend your money where you will notice the improvement, the speakers and the receiver/amp.

I think where you're off here is that people who buy power cords, myself included, also use power management and conditioning. The power cord then runs from whatever component to a filtered, cleaned up source of power to maintain a quality signal. If you're running an expensive power cord straight to your wall, then ya, good luck getting improvement. I also disagree with you on interconnects and speaker cables, but that's why we have the interconnect and speaker cable thread

[Riff Magnum]

Originally Posted by rded

Sorry to hear that Riff. Maybe your father-in-law can refer you to some of his friends that will do it for you for a songYou don't have to get the shunyata wall socket either. There are plenty of hospital grade wall outlets at HD. You can PM Big Daddy. He had a list of good and reliable wall outlets.

Yeah, maybe he could walk me through it and i could do all the monkey work and then he could just come over and do the dangerous, you might get electrocuted, part of it. I dunno, as i upgrade my components, i really wanna have that outlet isolated and upgraded from the standard 15amp.

[Twitch9]

Originally Posted by rded

If you go with an electrician for the install, then it will cost you. The maintenance guy at work did it for me for the prize of lunch. As far as cost...$7 for the 20 amp circuit, $10-15 for the heavy duty electrical wire that we ran from the circuit breaker to the 20 amp outlets(shunyata outlet $75 x2) separating them from the rest of the basement.

I did the dedicated 20 amp because this is what happend to the regualar socket and power cord.

[IMG][/IMG]

No that is a scary picture, i'm glad it go any further than the plug.