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A Big DIY Bang for Your Buck?

I believe in getting the biggest bang out of my audio buck that I can. I don't know about you but my audio budget is actually limited. I find it interesting when I hear about folks spending a zillion on the best magnetic cables and then someone comes along with some new cable technology like new liquid-infused cables that equal or best the magnetic cables at a fraction of the price. Some makers of magnetic and other cables may want you to believe that a patent pending means there must be something there that ordinary Joe Audio could never make himself. My experience leads me to say -- don't believe it.

I have been using neodymium magnets for years in my cables and around my system to improve SQ -- at a fraction of the cost that makers of magnet-containing products charge. OK, mine may not be at the very top of the performance chain when compared to those expensive products, but who cares? I have managed to get stunning returns for a pittance. It would have cost thousands, or tens of thousands, to obtain similar results from various makers.

The same applies to audio makers with a patent pending (or an actual patent) who market little aluminum audio resonators the size of pimples. I make my own resonator pimples for about a buck apiece -- with stunning results. I saved over $4,000 making 70 of my own. Maybe they are not at the very top of the performance chain compared to those expensive products, but who cares? I am very happy with results that are far beyond what I expected when I started out.

I am having a lot of fun doing DIY projects at home that reap wonderful results at a small fraction of the cost charged by audio makers for their similar products. Have others had similar experiences making their own audio products at home? Can you share your DIY experiences with us?
sabai
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
mains,

I use Tupperware containers filled with sand to top and bottom load. This varies from one component to another depending on how each placement sounds. I also have a few solid wood chopping boards in the mix along with some cork panels. Of course, this is all trial and error.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Well, first let me just say perfectly round glass microspheres are quite superior to sand which by comparison is all like knarly and won’t move in fluid like motion like the microspheres. Second, just reporting very good but surprising results experimenting with my trusty new RFI meter. Why guess when you can find the peaks of RF around the room. Like acoustic waves electromagnetic waves form standing waves in the room and energy peaks in various locations around the room. That’s why you might notice your iPad signal performance varies around the room. Of course this second point relates to our old friends, the tiny little bowls.

sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
In my experience, sand boxes work just fine. And, in my experience, having used my meters extensively, this is far more complicated than peaks and nodes. Using various measuring devices is a good start. But there is a lot that cannot be measured by modern testing devices. There is an old saying -- not everything that counts can be counted. You may note that Franck Tchang often moves about the room sensing intuitively where the next bowl or sugar cube belongs. His basic design is excellent -- to be followed by personal experience.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Sabai, just curious, is English a second language? You seem to misunderstand my posts frequently or else put words in my mouth. I never said sand boxes don’t work. What I said was glass microspheres are superior to sand. As far as the tiny little bowls go there is no mystery about them except in your mind. Both acoustic waves and electromagnetic waves are like germs, what you can’t see can hurt you. One cannot really solve the puzzle of the tiny little bowls with getting his hands dirty and measuring the relevant parameters. Using intuition only scratches the surface. It’s like trying to solve a set of three simultaneous equations in ten unknowns. It’s the same idea as trying to position your speakers by trial and error and listening - you would be destined to find a local maximum, not the real maximum. I’ve already told you exactly how to solve the Riddle Of the Tiny Bowls. So, where’s the beef, Sabai? As for some things not being measurable who would know better than I?

Never get behind anyone 100%. - my old boss at NASA

cheers
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
geoffkait,

English is my 7th language. How about you? Lol.

You should add "in my system" when using the word "superior", referring to what works in audio systems. Sand boxes work just fine, in my system. If that's OK with you.

"... except in your mind". Did you come to this profound conclusion by also reading the minds of others on the forum? Doing a bit of amateur psychology again, are we? Lol.

Trial and error ends you up with "not the real maximum". Ooooh, that's too deep for me. Lol.

"... who would know better than I?" Who, indeed? The forum needs a know-it-all to keep us in line. You fill the position with unqualified success. Excuse the pun. No need for a 4th lol yet. Still laughing from the previous 3.

" My old boss at NASA". Always tooting your own horn when the opportunity presents itself -- or when it doesn't. I know, I know. You have a business to run. Got to keep a high profile. Lol. That makes 4.

Keep it coming. You may end up winning an Audio Sit-Com Award. Grand Prize -- a set of geoffkait ceramic resonators -- value $100 each. Lol. That makes 5.
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