Home Theater Done Right: Millercarbon's System

Should probably say something about my record clamp. Its my own design.

Built from some cut up BDR Shelf material. Look real close at the platter, there's a small black washer that fits around the spindle. Made from laminated carbon fiber in my shop, its just thick enough to hold the record about a millimeter higher than the platter. The underside of the record clamp is dished out. 

The way it works, as the clamp is screwed down it pushes the record down onto the platter. But since the center is higher it pushes the edges down first. So even a warped record is forced to lay flat. Also the whole record is pressed into the platter evenly from center to edge. Holds the record flat like the VPI ring clamp, without the ring.

This clamp works so well its almost like a vacuum hold down. Whatever air was between the record and the platter is pressed out. The effect is so strong that when the clamp is removed the record stays stuck to the platter for a second until finally air rushes in and it pops up. 

Its not a fancy 2 piece design like a lot of reflex clamps. Basically it is nothing more than a 1/4-20 thread insert in a piece of carbon fiber. Not counting the BDR Shelf, which was scrap, it cost next to nothing. Yet it sounds better than any other record clamp I have tried.  

Thank you mahgister. I have the picture. Yes, these are all important considerations that need to be addressed for the best performance but neither are they a mystery or all that difficult to deal with. 

mijostyn

Thank you mahgister. I have the picture. Yes, these are all important considerations that need to be addressed for the best performance but neither are they a mystery or all that difficult to deal with.

When I start my audiophile journey from zero component, 7 years ago, this was a "mystery" indeed, because nobody talk about these 3 embeddings for what they are really: the ONLY key to transform your electronic components into their real peak potential... Almost all were speaking about the qualities of the electronic component of their choice...

Most reviewers reviews, they dont say: never mind the components, look for a good one and after that, the really only important thing is to resolve the triple embeddings equation...Nobody has ever said that to me...

Sometimes marginally, this one speaks about vibrations to sell you something... Sometimes those others will advise about the necessity to treat the room but in only one way road, with only conventional means and materials that’s all...And those who will advise you about the electrical noise floor, will never confront all the extensive problem in itself, they wanted to sell you an out of the box solutions ( in general costly)… This is the "mystery" part of my answer to you, because I know and you know, if you read forums, that most people believe that buying ready made solutions solve these 3 problems... It may be true in some case, but only at a cost that was very, very, high indeed...Like the "virtual section" of audiogon reveal with systems and dedicated room at 100,000 dollars and higher...


The other part of my answer is your affirmation that it is not to difficult to deal with... :)


It is not so difficult for sure, but it takes me 2 years to figure out by myself this puzzles, and the difficulty was not the figuring "per se" but the implementation at a very low cost... Most people, me included, dont have this kind of money...The difficult part is with no money is it possible? In my thread I explain why it is possible and how...


Point to me an article in audio where someone address the 3 embeddings problems with explicit solutions at low cost and effective enough to transform any audio system in a top peak audiophile one? I will wait... :)

This is the mystery part, it seems that there is nowhere a triple low cost solutions to this triple embeddings equation...


In audio the truth is, most of the times, it is not important the brand name you owned, it is the embedding of the gear that is important...All relatively good amplifiers are equals, never mind their difference, if they are located in one rung of the scale: low, mid, high... The implementation and installation of a dac or amplifier, or speakers, in the triple embeddings will makes them able to go one rung over their original one and in some case more if rightly done.... The difficult part is : at which cost in dollars? My triple solutions cost nothing or very low cost and are almost all homemade...See my thread and virtual system page...And dont be fooled by the mere appearance of my "cheap" system, solutions, and room...My sound is more than good, I can listen the particular atmospherical resonance of any room, theater, or stadium where the files were recording...Cost 500 dollars for the electronic components...The same amountfor the triple solutions to the triple embeddings...



My best...

Wow! That’s a lot of generalizations!! If I didn’t know better I’d think you were channeling the dude from Stereo Review who famously opined all amplifiers that measure the same sound the same. I’m pretty sure everyone and his brother have been aware of the electrical system issues, Including RFI/EMI, room acoustics and vibration issues ever since Ghandi was a Boy Scout. Perhaps they didn’t realize how pernicious and extensive they are, I’ll grant you that. To suggest these three “embeddings” have not been explored quite throughly by others might be a little misleading. In that regard you might as well say the sky is blue. To suggest those are the ONLY embeddings is quite incorrect, actually. But one thing they all have in common is they are INVISIBLE. One must be on guard not to fall into the trap of STOVE PIPING - working too independently like a lot of little smokestacks 🏭 and drawing conclusions that might be orthogonal to reality. ✖️

Wow! Lots of generalizations in that post. Why, if I didn’t know better I’d think you were channeling the dude from Stereo Review who famously opined all amplifiers that measure the same sound pretty much the same. Also, I’m pretty sure everyone and his brother have been aware of the electrical system issues and vibration issues ever since. Perhaps they didn’t realize how pernicious and extensive they are, I’ll grant you that.

I never wanted or dreamed to say something so stupid that all amplifiers sound the same; but if they are on the same rung they are, nowithstanding their real differences in sound, in a relative equivalence compared to the upgrading powerful effect of a rightful implementation of the 3 embeddings...This was my point...

And if you read me correctly,(but you sometimes loves too much makes a punch ), I never said that nobody knows about these 3 embeddings, I said NOBODY POINTED TO THEM SIMULTANEOUSLY in the same article like the KEY to audiophile experience, instead of the acknowledged quality of some superior electronic components...


But thanks at the end to coming back to my point:

Perhaps they didn’t realize how pernicious and extensive they are, I’ll grant you that.

Thanks for your generosity...:)

In exchange I will include you in the rare small group of people who knows and had known already that... :)


I apologize for using the expression"nobody", I must have said "few"... You are right on that...But very few...


For the other embeddings than these 3, I know there exist others , but I want to begins somewhere, in an evident locus for all...

My best to you, like always...