Know of a "Dirt Cheap" tweak?

Two things improved the overall sound quality dramatically. I re-terminated the speaker cables, replacing the spades with the locking banana plugs. (if your amp has some fancy binding posts with a large contact area for the spade you don't to need to). Another thing I did was to move the speakers away the back wall. By the way I noticed that the OP started this thread 16 years ago. Wow.

Sabai
   
   Just a quick note on the Franck Tchang placement. I was really not expecting much.....HOLY CRAP!! was I WRONG! The soundstage opened up in height, width and especially depth. Vocals were so much clearer. I do have a fairly revealing system, so others results may vary, depending on their gear, but this is one cheap tweek everyone should try. About 3 hours of labor including research, pick up of supplies, installation and about $20 out of pocket, yielded what I would consider a $1000`s worth of improvement!

lexphin

Sabai
Just a quick note on the Franck Tchang placement. I was really not expecting much.....HOLY CRAP!! was I WRONG! The soundstage opened up in height, width and especially depth. Vocals were so much clearer. I do have a fairly revealing system, so others results may vary, depending on their gear, but this is one cheap tweek everyone should try. About 3 hours of labor including research, pick up of supplies, installation and about $20 out of pocket, yielded what I would consider a $1000`s worth of improvement!

Who knows, if you had used a SPL meter instead of a rough guide you might have considered it a $3000 worth of improvement. When you don’t place the tiny little bowls precisely on the sound pressure peak you wind up with a local maximum. If you’re off by 6" you can miss the peak entirely. Hel-loo! In addition, Franck Tchang points out that the recommended locations are intended for HIS resonators, I.e., the locations are specific to his GOLD, SILVER and PLATINUM resonators, depending on location. Which IMHO is all the more reason to look deeper into the placement of whatever resonators you’re using. For example, Franck Tchang writes,

"Step 4 should only use the Silver or Gold Special models. This position is very effective to open up the corners. The wooden base must be installed on the sidewall but butt right up against the front wall. It should sit slightly lower than the center resonator of Step 3 but no lower than 5cm from the ceiling."

lexphin,

I'm very glad to hear you are getting such spectacular results -- like me. Franck Tchang did not create his guide out of thin air. He is the original master regarding resonator placement. Everyone else followed him. Of course, variations and adjustments may further refine things. But my experience is that he got this dead right. Your experience reinforces my feeling that his placements are a good place to start -- and possibly to finish.

geoffkait,

Have you actually tried what I and lexphin are reporting here with Frank Tchang's placements using DIY resonators -- and then tried out your own theory to compare? Or is this all just speculation on your part? With all due respect, it is one thing to quote Franck Tchang for the sake of debate. It is another thing to talk from your personal experience. Since you said in your post, "Who knows ..." may we assume that you do not know from your personal experience and are just enjoying the debate?

Oh, and one of my favorites, Nivea body wash. Rinses out ear wax.