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referencing vs plug & play

This last couple of months more of you have been getting ahold of me, it's cool don't stop. I enjoy working on your systems and especially enjoy some listening together. Something though is coming up often and it's making me wonder if somewhere along the way someone has dropped the ball when it comes to comparing components. In talking with a few of you I've learned that a lot of you are dropping components into your systems and comparing without dialing your system into the new set of conditions. Back in the early days of referencing, before plug & play, when we made changes to a system we treated the system as if everything was starting from scratch. We knew that if making a component swap took place that we were going to need to make the rest of the audio chain suitable to accommodate the new signal path. "make a change anywhere in the flow and you've made a new flow"

When the plug & play audio clubs started popping up my friends looked at me as if these folks were off their rockers. I just figured they were doing something interesting but weren't really serious about club night, more than a chance to mingle. It's kind of the same thought as a trade show. You don't really take them serious, but it gives a chance to meet and greet. Saying this, I'm starting to think possibly I was wrong and plug & play has become the norm over actually referencing systems. My mind tells me this is nuts, right, but I'm hearing more and more that HEA folks are actually simply dropping components in mid chain and that's it. So I have to ask.

You do realize plug & play is different from referencing a system change don't you?

please be respectful to each other, thanks

Michael Green

128x128michaelgreenaudio
michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio OP
1,019 posts
 

May I add this video of my friend Evelyn too.

This is also good for the thread "Vibratory or Not".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3V6zNER4g
glupson
7,842 posts
 
Amplifiers are just one proof our hearing is quite limited.

Sure, hearing is important and all that, but once we start hearing leaves falling, we may be overestimating ourselves.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,795 posts
 
You can't hear them fall? 😄
tjbhuler's avatar
tjbhuler
55 posts
 
Oh wow this so cool discussing on tuning those outlet screws. Its great that Elizabeth tried it, I did mine 3 years ago just a tad and it opened up the sound along with a bigger sound stage and bass extensions was more too. I had to turn down the volume on my pre, its like i gained some extra dB. But one must becareful not to over do it there is a sweet spot getting them tuned in perfectly.

Maybe once you get the hang of it then can work on your equipments side. Turning those screws doesn't take long at all but getting them tuned in and reap those benefits can take a while at the beginning. But once you get the hang of it then it will be pretty fast to work on them. Tapping on the equipment chasis and hearing that resonance gives a good clue on how would they sound. 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that mechanical stress and strain are not good for the sound. Without getting too far afield you can test this theory by using ordinary plastic spring loaded clothes hangers, attaching them to interconnects and hearing how it hurts the sound. One of the benefits of Cryogenically treating audio related things, e.g., CDs, LPs, cables, tonearms, even musical instruments such as trumpets, flutes, etc. is the reduction of mechanical stress and strain 🥵 Coincidence? You decide. So, you could say there’s a fine line between adjusting pressure on audio things like speakers and components, trying to reduce vibration, and producing mechanical stress and strain that hurts the sound - either directly or indirectly.

If tapping on a component or shelf hurts the sound don’t tap on them while the music is playing. So I disagree that tapping gives you much of a clue about what’s going on. For example, the ringing or clunking sound produced by tapping a large thick slab of granite with a small hammer 🔨 cannot be reproduced by acoustic waves or seismic vibrations in the room. They aren’t energetic enough. Thick granite slabs are not very vibratory. Obviously, it depends on the material, mass (inertia) and size especially thickness.
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