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Speakers:
1) Stone slabs under speakers
2) Nano Pads under speakers
3) Heavy weight on top of speakers

Subs:
1) Close the port
2) Stone slab under sub
3) Heavy weight on top of sub
4) Adding smooth layer of silicone between woofers and cabinet
5) Good power cable
6) Lifting sub off floor
7) Good vibration damping under sub

CD-players:
1) Nano Pads under chassis
2) Good power cable
3) Good IC's
4) Weight on top of CDP

Turntables:
1) Level TT carefully
2) Mount cartridge carefully
3) Fill empty space inside deck with damping material
4) Place TT on a shelf bolted to the wall
5) Make TT "float"
6) Add vibration damping between cartridge and shell
7) Add vibration damping between arm base and deck
8) Change litze cables in arm

Cables:
1) "Dressing" eg keeping them apart from each other

YES! These tweaks DO actually work. Thanks for posting.

Mark Evans

Quote:
Speakers:
1) Stone slabs under speakers
2) Nano Pads under speakers
3) Heavy weight on top of speakers

Subs:
1) Close the port
2) Stone slab under sub
3) Heavy weight on top of sub
4) Adding smooth layer of silicone between woofers and cabinet
5) Good power cable
6) Lifting sub off floor
7) Good vibration damping under sub

CD-players:
1) Nano Pads under chassis
2) Good power cable
3) Good IC's
4) Weight on top of CDP

Turntables:
1) Level TT carefully
2) Mount cartridge carefully
3) Fill empty space inside deck with damping material
4) Place TT on a shelf bolted to the wall
5) Make TT "float"
6) Add vibration damping between cartridge and shell
7) Add vibration damping between arm base and deck
8) Change litze cables in arm

Cables:
1) "Dressing" eg keeping them apart from each other

That's a nice beginning list.

The opposite of Maxi-Pads?

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Funny, I first mentioned Nano Pads months ago, and not a single person has ever asked me what they are. Honestly, I refuse to believe anyone of you have ever seen one.

I know I'm goinjg out on a limb here, but are they similar to hemorrhoid cushions? Am I close? Is there a prize?

I'll agree with all of the above EXCEPT

1) Stone slabs under speakers

( unless the speaker cabinet is vibration prone and transmits the sound through the floor they aren't needed)

2) Nano Pads under speakers
3) Heavy weight on top of speakers
2) Stone slab under sub
3) Heavy weight on top of sub

(Same as the above)

5) Good power cable

(Not needed, prove with measurments that it changes anything)

7) Good vibration damping under sub

( Again unless the cabinet is transferring vibrations through the floor then not needed)

CD-players:
1) Nano Pads under chassis
2) Good power cable
3) Good IC's
4) Weight on top of CDP

(If the CD player needs all of that then it's crap to begin with)

Ironically I'll agree with all the tweaks for the tuntable since those things are prone to so many play back errors, it's not even funny

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Funny, I first mentioned Nano Pads months ago, and not a single person has ever asked me what they are. Honestly, I refuse to believe anyone of you have ever seen one.

Why ask? How could we forget? Two pages complete with drawings! NANO PAD TWEAK

"(Not needed, prove with measurments that it changes anything)"

This philosophy assumes that everything of importance can be measured. I think that is the height of silliness! Anyone familiar with the history of science knows that we measure what we can today, but expect to find more to measure tomorrow. And that is still within a materialistic world view.

Trey

Your on record claiming you refuse to believe this and you firmly believe that.

Enjoy your beliefs.

We don't mind.

We hope you don't mind our beliefs.

"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible."
-Stuart Chase

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I'll agree with all of the above EXCEPT

1) Stone slabs under speakers

( unless the speaker cabinet is vibration prone and transmits the sound through the floor they aren't needed)

_All_ speakers (with the exception of a couple of very expensive models) are vibration-prone. See the measurements accompanying Stereophile's loudspeaker reviews.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

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I'll agree with all of the above EXCEPT

1) Stone slabs under speakers

( unless the speaker cabinet is vibration prone and transmits the sound through the floor they aren't needed)

_All_ speakers (with the exception of a couple of very expensive models) are vibration-prone. See the measurements accompanying Stereophile's loudspeaker reviews.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

Side, front and back vibrations perhaps but top and bottom? Most well braced cabinets won't transmit vibrations to the floor. Sure poorly braced and built cabinets will vibrate but then should any manufacturer be building shoddy cabinets?

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"(Not needed, prove with measurments that it changes anything)"

This philosophy assumes that everything of importance can be measured. I think that is the height of silliness! Anyone familiar with the history of science knows that we measure what we can today, but expect to find more to measure tomorrow. And that is still within a materialistic world view.

Trey

The classic silly excuse as to why power cords affect the amps output.You claim the sound has changed yet you dismiss making any measurements for the above crazy reasoning

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Couldn't agree more. Asking for measurements right and left is plain stupid!

You and snake oil salesmen have the same attitude

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"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible."
-Stuart Chase

Typical religious type of reasoning. Faith based with no science required.Hey lets say I believe that the sun revolves around the earth! Your above quote fits right in

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Next I'll be tweaking my ears!

You should, you posted this under "Tweaks That Actually Work" You should have added ".....well in my opinion"
Q-tips used everyday with rubbing alcohol might unplug your ear wax laden hearing devices.

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I'll agree with all of the above EXCEPT

1) Stone slabs under speakers

( unless the speaker cabinet is vibration prone and transmits the sound through the floor they aren't needed)

_All_ speakers (with the exception of a couple of very expensive models) are vibration-prone. See the measurements accompanying Stereophile's loudspeaker reviews.

Side, front and back vibrations perhaps but top and bottom?

Yes indeed. Again I refer you to the measurements of cabinet vibrations I publish in Stereophile's loudspeaker reviews. Do you not read those reviews?

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Most well braced cabinets won't transmit vibrations to the floor.

Not true, in my experience. I tested this with blind tests back in the early 1980s and found the change in coupling to the floor introduced by carpet-piercing spikes to be audible.

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Sure poorly braced and built cabinets will vibrate but then should any manufacturer be building shoddy cabinets?

As I said, all speaker cabinets have vibrational problems, and their resonances can be damped, or even shifted in frequency. See my research into this subject at http://www.stereophile.com/reference/806/.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

Too bad the blind tests were back in the 80's and not continued on anything else lately and I still say if the cabinets weren't poorly made then there wouldn't be any need of a stone slab.

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David_L wrote:

" Side, front and back vibrations perhaps but top and bottom? Most well braced cabinets won't transmit vibrations to the floor. "

" The classic silly excuse as to why power cords affect the amps output. You claim the sound has changed yet you dismiss making any measurements for the above crazy reasoning. "

" You and snake oil salesmen have the same attitude. "

" Typical religious type of reasoning. Faith based with no science required.Hey lets say I believe that the sun revolves around the earth! Your above quote fits right in. "

" You should, you posted this under "Tweaks That Actually Work" You should have added ".....well in my opinion" Q-tips used everyday with rubbing alcohol might unplug your ear wax laden hearing devices. "

(Hmmm. Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in a church pew, attending a snoozer of a sermon?)

Good list, Freako. I'm sure those tweaks are ones that worked well for you. This business about "DO" actually work and "DON'T" actually work is as, always, a personal thing. So I'm not sure what is being implied by it. I don't know what nano pads are made of, but I have synthetic rubber footers that are probably similar. I have used teflon tape to insulate the litz wires in a headshell, but these are very delicate operations, not for everyone. I generally do prefer the sound of a closed speaker port. People might also wish to experiment with straws, instead, to change the Q. I'm less a fan of damping, concrete slabs and weights on top of things. I feel it does more harm than good. Needless to say, David_L is, again, ridiculously incorrect in his personal opinions on audio. Nothing transmits vibrations more than a speaker.

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Needless to say, David_L is, again, ridiculously incorrect in his personal opinions on audio. Nothing transmits vibrations more than a speaker.

Your reading abilities gone south again "Eric"? I said poorly designed cabinets shouldn't be made. How's those magic bowls working out for you? Got them back in place so they sound "oh so good!"?

So, you're saying you haven't thought of anything new since the '80's? Well, at least you've made it all the way up to MDF enclosures. Mmmmmmmmmm, tasty stuff for sound quality.

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So, you're saying you haven't thought of anything new since the '80's? Well, at least you've made it all the way up to MDF enclosures. Mmmmmmmmmm, tasty stuff for sound quality.

Those are all built by the average audio enthusiast, well I should have said those that actually DO something besides spouting drivel like you are so good at, NOT some high end manufacturer. You see "Sandy", instead of sitting on their asses like you, they got up and learned something by doing.

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Too bad the blind tests were back in the 80's and not continued on anything else lately

Why? Surely the results of a properly done test are valid no matter when they were done. And of the 750 different loudspeakers I have measured since then, not one of them has convinced me that those listening test results were invalid.

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I still say if the cabinets weren't poorly made then there wouldn't be any need of a stone slab.

Did you not even read the article I referred you to? The measured effects of the support on the cabinets of typical commercial loudspeakers were clearly demonstrated.

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... instead of sitting on their asses like you, they got up and learned something by doing.

They learned how to kill sound? Ewwwww, those wascally wabbits! I bet you taught them everything you know about killing sound that afternoon. Lots of MDF and lots of fiberfill. Yikes! it looks like they skinned and field dressed the sound too! Mmmmmmmmmm, MDF.

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The heavier you can make a speaker by adding weight to it, the less it vibrates.

That's only 1/3 of the story at best. It's rigidity that minimizes vibration not weight; http://www.ls35a.com/ Weight and mass equal lower resonant frequencies and delayed release of what resonance does exist in the structure, neither of which are good for overall sound quality. It's the same idea when you place your components on a heavy shelving unit. I know of nothing in this hobby, Freako, that isn't a trade for something else. If you gain one thing, you'll probably loose two others.

Hey! Maybe we could gain one more eric and get rid of two "d'ethans"! I'm up for that!

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Yeah, whatever

Great thread Duck.

One of the best things I ever did was having a piece of 3" granite cut to the dimensions of the top of my speaker cabs of my JBL L-80's, and placing it on top.

That seriously tightened up the bass. A tweak that clearly made an audible difference.

Mark Evans

it's not about what ought to work. It's about what works. If you dump concrete on your speakers, and it works, then let it be (I vaguely recollect a song of that title..).

Jan, if your speakers don't take well to the added load, then by all means leave 'em as they sit and enjoy the sound.

The point is to get your system closer to the live experience, as I see/hear it. Whatever works is a good deal,

But the measure is in the listening, not in the abstract arguing over what ought to be. If you dump weight on your speakers and they sound better, then tweak away until you get the right weight.

After all, which are you after, the better argument, or the better sound? Think about it.

Happy tunes, and happy tweaks.

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Yeah, whatever

Great thread Duck.

One of the best things I ever did was having a piece of 3" granite cut to the dimensions of the top of my speaker cabs of my JBL L-80's, and placing it on top.

That seriously tightened up the bass. A tweak that clearly made an audible difference.

Mark Evans

I just had a flashback.

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Cute! And which one is you?

Now you gave me a flashback! There's no price for guessing who's me (1963)

The one in the back?

Clifton, I never said anything about concrete. But then, I don't think I'd ever buy a speaker that needed bricks on top of it to sound good. That must be a interesting demo at the dealer's though.

L80's aren't that "vintage", geoff. Original L100's = "vintage", L80's = "not so much".

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Clifton, I never said anything about concrete. But then, I don't think I'd ever buy a speaker that needed bricks on top of it to sound good. That must be a interesting demo at the dealer's though.

I wonder why the talk goes on and on with the word "needed". NO tweak is ever needed if you've purchased something decent in the first place. But as I keep on repeting, tweaks can .... nah, never mind

Pt 1 - One wonders why nobody's come up with a speaker made of depleted uranium...or have they? Hmmmmm....

Pt 2 - The Rockport Hyperions (100K clams/PR) tip the scales at 500 lb each. One wonders if a coupla bricks on top would tighten the bass up...hmmmm

ST claims a $1.25 in coins works wonders on them.