Tweak of Tweaks

[rollo]

    So what tweak has given you the biggest ah ha moment ? Which one had the biggest bang for the buck ?



charles

[Werd]

Definetly my shakti Stone. I can see how people crap on them though. They do nothing placed on any amps I've tried. Mind you they have all been toroidal supplies. They also need to be placed over vented gear too i have noticed. Where it shines and worth trying for sure are in and around vented dacs. The BDA 2 is a great dac for this. Although the dac isn't vented both BDA 1/2 have ample room inside the dac, where you can place the Shakti right in the dac and close the lid.  

This thing works good for sinking emf noise. EMF adds a shroud of glare around the entire soundstage. Its not as bad as you think but it adds more glare with out the stone. But it could be the straw that breaks the camel's back on a mediocore system. Lousy treble and emf glare can kill. There is way more air around the instruments now with Shakti.
You got to get the stone in the component (if you can), avoid putting it on top of the lid for it to work the best.

[rollo]

  I could have bet my house that you would be first to post. Cool, loving it.
   One of my buddies likes it at the incoming elec. service and outboard power supplies.

charles

[KLH007]

In terms of "biggest bang for the buck", I would say Mapleshade Silclear contact treatment after a good cleaning makes an audible difference for less than $5 per use.

[BobM]

Several over the last couple of years ...

- Buying a laser measuring device and using it to properly set up my speakers in the room. Now, I have Apogees, which need as precise a set-up as possible, to within 1/4-1/2 inch. This allowed me to accomplish that.

- Tacking a quartz crystal to the front of my phono cartridge - aka Black Diamond tweak from Walker audio. You simply have to try this to believe it.

- And this one we all know, but not all of us actually do it ... clean all your terminals and connections once a year. And while you are there make sure your cables are dressed as properly as possible.

- Room treatments - proper absorption and proper dispersion. Enough said.

- Turning my down-firing REL sub upside down so it is now up-firing (with a board placed on the up-facing feet) and re-balancing it's output. Much quicker, faster, better integration with the fast ribbon speakers.

[rollo]

  Good stuff Bob. It was published either by ASC tube Trap that stated a subs driver should be placed 20% of room height to center line of driver. Every down firing sub that is turned to face you or point upwards. Using the board on top is a good addition Bob.
   How big is the crystal ? Just ordered the Synergystic PHT's to check out. It would be interesting to compare the two methods.


charles
   

[rollo]

  After reading Furutechs reasoning for resonance control for their Receptacles and plugs I tried damping the receptacle and utility box holding the receptacles.
   Lined the box with Dynamat and installed a Herbies cable damper to wires.
    It was affective as I can hear more info like a veil was lifted. Almost forgot to mention the incoming wire to the utility box was caulked with acoustic caulking at the entry point. Installed a strip of dynamat in between the box and receptacle screw in points.
   


charles

[BobM]

Here's a link to my initial thread on this. The crystal I'm using is probably a bit oversized and could be smaller. It is unfortunate that it looks so much like a pimple, but it works.

http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=4811.0

[rpf]

- And this one we all know, but not all of us actually do it ... clean all your terminals and connections once a year. And while you are there make sure your cables are dressed as properly as possible.

- Room treatments - proper absorption and proper dispersion. Enough said.

These two are definitely the biggest for me. But I'd advise cleaning terminals and connectors more often, particularly if they're un-plated copper, as many of mine are. These I find need to be cleaned every season.

[satfrat]

Unlike what Tommy of Digital Amp Company preaches in his commercially driven "Truth in Audio" thread on AC, whereas he calls tweeks bullshit ripoffs, I would personally call his thread BS in general.

In my mind, the only truth in audio is of a personal nature,,, there's no "one size fits all" audio. Plus I am a tweakfreak at heart, my system reeks of snake oil. 

Of the many many tweaks in my system, I would highlight Acoustic Revive's RR-888 Ultra Low-Frequency Pulse Generator. Not only does this Schumann Resonance widen the sound stage and sharpen video in my A/V system, I feel at ease when it's on. I feel there's a health benefit happening here. I actually own the original RR-77 with a KingRex power supply but I've read the 3rd generation RR-888 has 4 times the strength of the RR-77. Makes me wish I wasn't retired and unable to afford upgrading my tweaks.   

And that's my truth.

Cheers,
Robin

[richidoo]

I used to wear a wristwatch that did the same thing. The funny part was when I brought it in for a replacement battery to the local watch repairman.

"What's all this shit in here?"

It ain't easy being crazy.

[satfrat]

I used to wear a wristwatch that did the same thing. The funny part was when I brought it in for a replacement battery to the local watch repairman.

"What's all this shit in here?"

It ain't easy being crazy.

Nooo,, it ain't. But it sure is a hellva lotta fun.

[mfsoa]

Tommy:

Engineer>>Marketing Guru

 

[rollo]

  Guys lets please stay on topic


charles

[rollo]

     Yes the Acoustic Revive products in general are very affective. I;m using several Salt Crystal lamps instead. not the same power of the AR generator however affective.
    Yes Robin creates a very relaxing environment and cleans the air at the same time. noticed a more open sound with better focus and clarity how about you ?
   


charles