Tweaks that convince others you're truly nuts...

Rushton you hit it with this thread. A great subject for a group of what most people would call Nuts for sure. When it comes to the (i would not allow my man to subject our home to this) i say its my home to and i make enough to support this super hobby. I've always been into stereos spending all of my free time when young visiting the Hi Fi stores. Of course at that time going first class was out of the question. I still put all i could afford into my systems at that time.

On the subject i have Holographs and believe they make a positive difference. My wife likes the looks so we have a winner.
I also like using Mapleshades isolation products to my ears they most definitely sharpen the musial picture and look good to.
Walkers links did nothing for me as did Shakti stones and onlines
I like PS audios Noise Harvesters they have a good effect on the noise floor.
I also have Quite Lines through out the house.
On of the best yet for me was a Audiav Cristal Rack with granite top for my TT.

Sirspeedy at one time i was big into Lionel trains but that was kid stuff. Ha Ha ya right. Another big buck hobby.

Stiltrains,when I worked in Manhattan,there was a superb hobbyist train store on 45th street.Right across from Harvey Radio,and some audio/electronics stores.I always took a good look in that place,just as a memory of my train days(in my youth).

Gorgeous stuff!!

A friend,the owner of the "new" Lyric Hi-Fi,always tells me of his amazing train collection!He has enough stuff to take over his whole home,but only sets up for the Holiday season.

A hard worker,and he can do as he pleases.A very nice guy too!!

Best.

Here are 4 tweaks that cost nothing and significantly improve the sound of any system, tube and ss, vinyl and digital.

1. Disconnect all unused inputs. E.g. if you're listening to vinyl, unplug your CD interconnect from the preamp as well as any other input connections. I have found that you can disconnect the cable at either end, so if it's more convenient to unplug it at the CD player end, that's ok. By the way, this rule applies regardless of whether the unused input source is powered up or even plugged into the wall. Disconnecting unused inputs results in an important improvement in overall detail and reduction of grain and edge, even if you thought you didn't have any problems in those areas.

2. Unplug all unnecessary power cords that are on the same house circuit breaker as your system. At an absolute minimum, all unused equipment should be turned off, but even better is to unplug the power cords. This not only applies to all unused components, such as your CD player when you're listening to vinyl, but also any other appliances such as lights, TVs, and record cleaning machines. Anything plugged into the wall. Again, this applies whether the appliance or other device is turned on or not. You should experiment to figure out which devices may have an acceptable effect on the sound quality, and which are not acceptable. It's best to start by unplugging everything not in use and, after you are used to the sound, reintroduce items one at a time to see the effect. In my room, I can leave a particular lamp plugged in and it makes no difference I can hear. My Nitty Gritty record cleaner, however, absolutely must be unplugged when I am listening because it has a dramatic effect on the sound (and Yes, I am referring to when it is not turned on). By the way, after-market audiophile power cords can be the worst offendors, even if the power cord is unplugged at the component end.

3. Let your equipment warm up, with signal, for 30-60 minutes before critical listening. Every system sounds better (greater lucidity) after it's fully warmed up, and this means with music playing. The signal level doesn't seem to matter. This is easy to do with CD, but it applies with vinyl too. Even if you don't want to leave your turntable playing a record when you're not present, you should at least have the turntable spinning. This can make a difference.

4. Bypass speaker binding posts whenever possible. Those handy binding posts that let you connect and disconnect your speaker cables easily are a major roadblock sonically. Fortunately, it is often possible to bypass them with little effort. You may find that the internal wires connected to the posts inside your amp (and possibly inside your speakers) have spade lugs that are bolted on to the back end of the binding post. If this is the case, you may be able to disconnect the spades from the inside end of the binding post, extend the wires to the outside of the amp and reconnect them at the outside end of the post. The net result of this is that both the speaker cable spade lug and the amplifier spade lug are touching each other and crimped together by the binding post. The binding post only serves to hold the two together, not to conduct any signal. If you can do this, you will experience such an improvement in musical detail, that you will never go back. Of course, you can accomplish the same thing even if your amp wires are soldered to the inside end of the binding posts but this will require a little soldering work on your part. Years ago, when I was using Classe amps, I tried this and was amazed by the improved clarity. Same thing with Martin Logan CLS speakers when I was using them.

Dave

>>Even if you don't want to leave your turntable playing a record when you're not present, you should at least have the turntable spinning. This can make a difference.<<

How so?

Audiofeil, the change in sound of the turntable spinning for a while is probably due to the lubricating oil in the bearing warming up. At least, that's my semi-educated guess.

I can't say that this will be true of all turntables, but it's true of my Galibier.

Dave