Cheap tweaks...What would YOU reccomend?

Remember everything makes a difference. A tweak is a keeper and not a deceiver. So said some 21st century non Shakesperian dilbert dude. Apply this platitude while horizontal to your hi-fi. Rememeber ninty degree angles are non musical where ever you are. Tom

Here's a couple

Marbles - if a component has rubber feet with a hole in them the marble sits in the hole (cannot roll off) and isolates it very well - not sure it it works with hard plastic feet - My Rega Planar II performs very well

Squash Balls - make great isolation devices
- I have them in black ABS drainage pipes to support shelves
- A relative has them under butcher blocks supporting his turtable and CD Player
- I cut them in half and use double sided tape to secure to components (my CD Player) I also push a thumb-tack in the bottom to stop them from gripping - sorta like a cone

Hockey Pucks - a couple of uses
- you've probably spent good money to buy the little disks that prevent the spikes from wrecking your hardwood floors. So take a some hockey pucks and instert a robertson screw and place under the spikes - the rubber is also good at absorbing vibrations. If the equipment is heavy place a large washer between the puck and the screw

- Spent good money on a record clamp? - drill a hole in the puck that allows for some gripping of the shaft and GENTLY twist it on so it clamps the record. Make sure you centre the hole - else it looks wierd when rotating

- Buy a quality puck - they look nicer - of course you could buy the pucks with your favourite teams logo!

Cork - makes a great sound insulator
- I have placed it on the underside of my turntable's glass platter to prevent music-induced vibrations

Also used it on top of my CD Player to prevent music-induced vibrations

And finally - for those components that DO NOT get hot (i.e. my CD, Tuner and phono stage) - I have found that by placing the shelf above a component within 10mm of the top of the component it will eliminate a lot of music induced vibration.

CAVEATS:
- my shelves are MDF so I do not know if this is the case for any other material
- DO-NOT use the component to support the shelf!

Oooops - I forgot one...

20 amp Hospital or Lab grade power outlet - $7-$10

These are sooooo much better than those generally installed in houses and way way cheaper than the audiophile grade for a great performance improvement.

Get the 20 amp version: grips like a vice

Go to an electrical supply company - NOT Home Despot

Makes the bass really deep.

try foam, e.g., egg crate mattresses for room tratment and furniture foam under components.

Not sure if this counts as a tweak...

one guideline I picked up off of the Web for speaker placement is the 1/nth rule

Place the speakers 1/nth the width of the room in from each side wall - where n=odd number i.e.1/3, 1/5, 1/7, 1/9 etc...

So in a 12ft wide room 1/5=29" 1/7=20.5" etc...

It is not imperrative that have the Right Speaker set to the same ratio as the Left Speaker e.g. right=1/5 left=1/7 also works. As long as the ratio is odd

I have tried this a few times and it seems to get good results, you then may have to fiddle a little to get it spot on.

For Placement from the back wall - I read:
For rear ported speakers - at least 3ft
For front ported speakers Minimum 1 ft

In two rooms I have the speakers evenly spaced and in another room I have tried them at different distances both worked very well

Also I have found that with my speakers, I have to angle the speakers in such that their "point at which the sound converges" is about 2 ft behind my head i.e. when I look at the speakers from the listening position I can just see the inner sides of the cabinets.

All of the above is a guideline, since the design of the speaker can have many different effects on room accoustics

e.g. according to the Linn Rep, their latest speakers must be between 1-2 feet from the back wall and at least 3 ft in from each side wall with nothing between the speakers

Regards...