FORUMS
Yesterday I decided to repeat a tweak I applied to my JBL L-96 back in those days (remember?)
In short I added a thin layer of silicone rubber on the inner edge of the woofer. The purpose is to isolate the woofer from the cabinets, so fewer vibrations escape to the cab itself. See the pic below.
The speakers I have today are much smaller than the L-96's, but are somewhat plagued by cabinet vibrations due to a not too solidly built cabinet. Long time ago I added 1
Go, Keld, Go!
I love these posts.
Thx Elk, I always appreciate your feedback 
I have been listening to more vinyl. The above mentioned tweaks have really resulted in a major improved soundstage. It all sounds a lot more natural, and the feeling of "being there" is now very present. Even some of the less successfully mastered records I have not wanted to play, now sounds incredible! And the good ones... WOW! This is amazing!
Let me try to show it on these 2 simple graphics:
The soundstage before the tweaks:
The soundstage after the tweaks:
The instruments "flow" in the air of my living room, much clearer than ever before, as does the lead voice. The bass drum is now a distinct slam, as opposed to an "Oomp" the same way the snare drum is much more sharp and short than before. On some records I can even recognice certain guitar sounds and voices so clearly, and new details emerge on records I have had for ages. I am on cloud 9!
I bet this first tweak would be a major tweak for every Rega owner. I can only recommend it.
Edit:
I have found that there's more air to voices and instruments, like saxes, trumpets and cymbals, and more guitar body sound with the attack of the strings. Transients have approved in a major way; I hear every tiny little detail, even when a lot is going on in the recording studio/on the stage, and I can easily pinpoint every one of the details.
I have also found that these tweaks reveal the shortcomings of my speakers, not in an unforgiving way, but audible enough to notice it on some recordings. But at the same time, the stronger sides of the speakers have been revealed too, strangely enough! Feels like a have a totally new record collection!
Edit #2: Reference records:
Jim Morrison/Doors - An American Prayer
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
Kam
Your graphics are always excellent.
The ability to capture "air" is critical to good sound reproduction.
Jim Morrison/Doors - An American Prayer
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
Kam
Thanks Geoff, this is indeed a great journey!
As I am always searching for a more natural sound, I feel happy whenever I've discovered a route to more joy from my music. Funny, when I share such tweaks on forums, where there are many young music lovers, I often get the reply: "I don't like the sound of it!" or "It kills the dynamics!"
First of all, I have a feeling that some of those young dudes haven't got a clue as to what dynamics are, and secondly, I think they're mostly after "more bang for the buck" and nothing else. They never listen to classical, jazz or other acoustic music played live, so they only know live music from rock concerts. Which isn't that hard to copy - just crank the volume all the way up.
Maybe they're also so used to the sound of their cell phones and iPods, that they think high fidelity stinks?
When you start to listen to REAL music, you learn what your system should sound like: Precisely NOTHING AT ALL! All information should come from the source if possible, or at least we should try to get as close as we can. Having a real-life reference is essential.
Do anyone have similar beliefs?
I love this subject.
Freako, with your damping of the speaker attachment to the cabinet - where does that vibration go now that it doesn't get transmitted to the cabinet?
For the tonearm, it seems you've created a sort of constrained layer damping. Did you try more vibration control under the table to see if you could keep from needing the damping you've added?
I ask because you mention younger people mentioning that this sort of thing harmed the dynamics, which over-damping can do.
Also, did you adjust your VTA to make up for the changes? Perhaps you are hearing a change in VTA, as well. Maybe you serendipitously got it closer to optimal! Sometimes with tweaks we get results for reasons other than we expect!
There is a similar debate over damping and acrylic platters and reducing dynamics - and that does not even require those MP3-listening Luddite youngsters to become heated over whether those platters tend to overdamp. Of course, there are those who say the opposite, so I do not mean to generalize about platter types!
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I love this subject.Freako, with your damping of the speaker attachment to the cabinet - where does that vibration go now that it doesn't get transmitted to the cabinet?
For the tonearm, it seems you've created a sort of constrained layer damping. Did you try more vibration control under the table to see if you could keep from needing the damping you've added?
I ask because you mention younger people mentioning that this sort of thing harmed the dynamics, which over-damping can do.
Also, did you adjust your VTA to make up for the changes? Perhaps you are hearing a change in VTA, as well. Maybe you serendipitously got it closer to optimal! Sometimes with tweaks we get results for reasons other than we expect!
There is a similar debate over damping and acrylic platters and reducing dynamics - and that does not even require those MP3-listening Luddite youngsters to become heated over whether those platters tend to overdamp. Of course, there are those who say the opposite, so I do not mean to generalize about platter types!
Interesting questions indeed. First, let me try to answer the question about where the vibrations from the woofer goes. My best guess is that some of them are nulled out, and the rest goes into the chassis of the woofer. Of course there will still be some transferring of those vibrations to the cabs. A hand-on tells me that most of it has gone though. Although using a sub (yet untreated), I feel that most of the LF seems to be "free" of the speakers, and sort of "flow" in the air of my room, which tells me I am on the right track. Also that I am able to follow the notes of any bass much easier confirms this. Even during heavily instrumented passages.
As for the TT: I have tried countless damping methods of the table, with many different results. The TT is rather heavy (35 lbs), and rests on it's born feet, but with a few extra damping foam strips under it. As you may remember, the TT rests on a marble slab, damped on the lower side, which again rests on a wooden slab, fastened to the wall. I have heard overdamped music, and I agree, it does sound "dead", but none of that here. You would be amazed to listen to my TT now. I did remember to raise the VTA, but experimented a bit with it, and have to admit, that I adjusted it to deliver a slightly better and more audible treble as it is now. But the changes I mentioned according to the tweaks have nothing to do with the change of the VTA. I am not sure what you mean by a constrained layer damping, but I have listened to hifi for nearly 40 years, and live music for a great number of years too, so I feel confident I can hear a progress when there is one. This was a more than marginal improvement! I honestly feel there's more dynamics now, because the noise floor seems to be lowered, and the peaks are more sudden and distinct than they used to be. It's not very evident when playing with a low volume, but when I play a little louder, it's like a high end TT playing. Also remember that I can now play at least 10 dB louder than before, due to a relative lack of added products from the motor, or the PU/arm. The tweaks have cleaned up the mid as well - that's where I heard the most ear-tiring sounds, but many of them are now eliminated.
I have tried a number of platters too. As you may know, the PD121 was sold with a rubber/felt platter that sucked. Then I experimented with a whole lotta different materials, but ended up buying a platter-matter, which is a heavy, almost sticky rubber mat, that sucks the record onto it. I have raised the edge of it a tad bit, so the entire record has a solid contact all over (or should I say under). The sound is somewhat darker, with a more definable bass than it was with the alternatives, which suits me fine. I also use a record clamp btw.
So, to sum it up, yes. I am certain this was another step in the right direction - I just wish you could hear it!
Come to think of it: What I did wasn't as much damping as some sort of constraint of vibrations. Right?
Interesting that you can now play 10 dB louder.
I wonder if perhaps, your motor was affecting the arm making for rumble that sapped your amplifier, now allowing you more 'headroom' with the amp and speakers not working as hard.
I have my table spiked to a Brightstar Audio platform and have some very compressed dampers between that plateform and the shelf.
Then the shelfsits on Blu Tak, then a concrete brick, more Blu Tak, shelf, Blu Tak, brick, Blu Tak, carpet spikes.
I keep records on the lower shelf.
There has never been a footfall, leap, fall, jump, or heavy landing that has caused any misbehavior.
At least 10 dB. I have been wondering about the motor thing myself, but even with my ear pressed hard against the plinth, I couldn't hear a damn thing. Anyway, I don't know, but I do enjoy the music more now. I could have an elephant to jump in my living room, and I bet the last thing to be disturbed would be the TT. The shelf is tightly secured to a brick wall.
BTW did I mention that I feel like dancing?
I still have two brand new, in their sleeves, 'Platter Matter'(s).
Where you got one of them, I don't know. As far as I know, they stopped making them about 20 years back.
I also had the Sumiko Copy of the Goldmund Methacrylic/lead/barium solid mat that came with a sticky acrylic glue on the back. That mat was about $400, back then. I never should have sold it.
Bought it in some audio shop in Copenhagen 3 years ago. Never realized they were that old 
The originals were blue colored and the later editions where black/grey. Made in Canada!
I just dug mine out and found I also have two Angstrom "Ultimat"(s) They are a conductive version that is quite similar to the Platter Matter. Also made in Canada.
I should consider making some platter mats,as we, at Tri-Art (the Goo Systems side of things), actually are 'The Kings of Acrylic', when it comes to mixtures and designs.
To top it off, the chief engineer of the coatings used to design coatings for magnet wire. This means he has to know EVERYTHING about how such materials affect capacitance, in all ways possible.
So, as far as set ups go, with Taras and I on the vinyl nutcase and vibration nutcase side, and Mike on the lab design side..we have the perfect team and perfect position to make a world class mat.
And then add in my spook friend who has about 30 years of mold and acrylic design (his last well known work for public consumption was the weapons in the last star wars flick- which were impregnated with Tri-Art acrylics-for the colors), we can make actual turntable platters and turntable bases..that are beyond the ken of mortal man.
Our machinist does the most amazing things for the Canadian DOD and for the experimenters and patents people at Queen's University (about 30k students and very strong research and development arm). This guy showed, us, about 6 moths back, a machined ~2 inch long titanium strand at the end of a much thicker block....and this strand was thinner than a human hair, you needed a magnifying glass to see it. And he machined the damn thing! Holy Fuck! He told us and illustrated exactly how he pulled that stunt off, and we told him to be quiet, damn it, that is some amazing machining lore and you'd better keep it to yourself, and we'll do everything we can to forget what we heard.
So many possibilities, so little time!
Taras and I dream of designing a turntable, But neither of us have the time, even with the perfect set up of people and skills like that. The other problem is that the design people won't put aside their money making ventures unless this one pays, and pays FIRST, so no free work, just good work for good money. We would have to front load the situation with lots of cash. That's the real killer.
Some 30 years ago I sat down and made a drawing of a turntable with a circle of small strong magnets placed underneath the table, and opposite placed magnets just below them, so the table would be almost "weightless". I figured the main bearing would last a lot longer, and run with much less friction that way.
What happened? A turntable with magnets got invented along the way. I don't recall the name of it though. Anyone remember?
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Some 30 years ago I sat down and made a drawing of a turntable with a circle of small strong magnets placed underneath the table, and opposite placed magnets just below them, so the table would be almost "weightless". I figured the main bearing would last a lot longer, and run with much less friction that way.What happened? A turntable with magnets got invented along the way. I don't recall the name of it though. Anyone remember?
The Verdier tt uses a magnetic bearing for the heavy platter. The Relaxa stand uses magnetic levitation (opposing magnets) for vibration isolation. The Maplenoll tt uses an air bearing for the heavy platter and the tonearm. Ditto the Walker tt.
Ah, there they were! Thx Geoff.
Another thing: I would love if some of you guys would try out the armbase isolation tweak. If you don't want to mess with silicone, then just buy a bicycle inner tube, and cut out 3-4 "washers" of the rubber material. Place one on the upper side of the plinth or base, and 2-3 on the bottom, where I placed the "stiff foam washer", ie between the steel washer and the bottom of the plinth or armbase. I am convinced it will work just as good, and remember to tighten the nut firmly.
You'll be surprised, even if you have very expensive TT's. The whole soundstage will become much cleaner. Come on pussies! Give it a try, and report back asap!
Sharing my courage with you
Magnets? Near LP's?
Blasphemy.
The magnetism would leak all over your records!
Geeez.
You are of course aware that we live on a giant magnet? 
I have now coated the edges of the two woofers in my sub. They need to harden for a day or two, but I will be back with a report.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/146275-enabl-how-fostex-fe127e-other-speakers.html
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=119852/
http://www.goodsoundclub.com/pdf/EnABL%20White%20Paper.pdf
http://www.diffractionbegone.com/
Great links, Thanks 
I have now mounted my woofers, and will try to explain what I hear. Bass drums are a bit more distinct, and (I think) it sounds a bit louder.
A floorstanding bass has a more defined sound, especially slow vibrations of the strings has gotten more audible. It's like I sense the movement of the strings more than I used to. The sound of the bass in it's nature is more real, less boomy and somewhat cleaner. It's also more precisely located in the soundstage. There are still vibrations in the sub cabinet though. I can't say whether there's less or not. This treatment wasn't quite as effective regarding cab vibrations, as it was on the side speakers. Not so strange really, as the sub emits much more energy. Btw, while I had it open I inserted a piece of broomstick into the sub cab, from the baffle (right between the drivers) to the back of the cabinet. The two 6,5" long stroke drivers sit only an inch apart, so I thought it appropriate to strengthen the baffle a bit more than it already was.
For sure, the sound hasn't become worse with any of my tweaks, and especially when I crank up the volume, I hear a very significant improvement. This is all in all effing unbelieveable. As I mentioned ealier, it's like having a whole new record collection, and boy, do I love it!
Tweaks, if centered around an understanding of the fundamentals,and that understanding is correct enough,and if the application of that knowledge is correct enough, then these tweaks can many times be far more financially effective than buying new gear. This can also be personally satisfying for the individual committing the act of 'tweaking' and at that point far outweigh, as personal value, that of the idea of buying new gear. For there is no guarantee that the new gear will be any better, only the expectation is real until the person assesses such for themselves.
At that point it is speculation, speculation of the new gear that is being considered And data is valuable, so the experience of individuals with (and of) the new gear that is considered, is valuable. In this case the experience of the reviewer can be valuable as one can have long term experience with the evaluations of the given reviewer and thus have the data necessary to weigh the expectations of the new gear against that of the experience of the reviewer. To judge the veracity of the proffered data, so to speak. To lay waste to the English language, the reviewer is the '
I believe you're right. I don't know too much about how manufacturers think and plan, but I do have opinions anyway.
I have a hard time accepting most speakers and pick-up's as they are. A natural thing since I have never had real expensive equipment. Thus, I look, listen and think. During the years I have had the luck of being able to improve several speakers and pick-up's, and to some degree the whole setup.
Once I sadly broke one of the hair-thin wires in a Ortofon MC20, but believe it or not, I succeeded in solding it! The hardest part was to scrape off the lacker from the ultra-tiny wire. I never give up though, why I - during time - have gained a bit of expertise in these matters. Electronics on the other hand, I have no clue of whatsoever.
That I find tweaking extremely exciting, interesting and fun also helps a lot
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Tweaks, if centered around an understanding of the fundamentals, and that understanding is correct enough, and if the application of that knowledge is correct enough, then these tweaks can many times be far more financially effective than buying new gear.
We certainly don't want to veer away too far from the fundamentals, what would people think? "Sound engineering principles," that's what my granddaddy always used to say. We don't wish to give anyone the impression we're dealing in ritualism, witchcraft, new age mysticism, the metaphysics, paranormal or voodoo here. 
Besides, once you get about one sigma away from the fundamentals, that everyone is comfortable with, the knives come out and all the sockpuppets come out of the woodwork.
Yeah, made the scene
Week to week
Day to day
Hour to hour
The gate is straight
Deep and wide
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through
Break on through
Break on through
Break on through
Have you tried applying Mortite to the stamped metal baskets of your woofers? I have done this to the baskets on my sub woofers and other speakers I have access to. In each case I've heard an audible difference. I also applied it to the front and back panels of my mother's EPI speakers. In combination with the basket treatment there was a considerable improvement in the sound especially in the reduction of cabinet resonances.
No, but I did consider applying silicone rubber to the chassis of each driver. First I wanted to try out the other thing though. I also think adding "dead weight" to a driver chassis might kill a great deal of resonances, so that would be my next tweak. Thanks for sharing
Put a bar between the back of the driver and the back of the box. Not too much stress (pressure), though. That is not too bad. it works, in it's own way. It's another old trick
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Put a bar between the back of the driver and the back of the box. Not too much stress (pressure), though. That is not too bad. it works, in it's own way. It's another old trick
Just did something like that, but not from the back of the drivers. I am afraid it may losen the screws in time. Instead I put it from the baffle right in between the drivers. Thanks anyway. You are right in suggesting this, cuz there's a tremendous amount of stress on the baffle of a sub when firing it up.
Since I have only listened to vinyl for the past week, I haven't really been able to distinguish what exactly was the benefit of the speaker tweak. (The adding of silicone to the edges of the woofers, and the support bar placed lengthwise in the sub).
But listening to CD's today, I actually recognized some of the same properties in the soundstage, as I did from the isolation of the armbase on my TT.
There is much more 3D in the soundstage, and it is much deeper than before. Also a little wider. On Daboa's CD "From the Gekko" there's a track with distant thunder. It's like the depth of the soundstage streches for miles and miles. Awesome! Jungle birds are also on that specific track, and they are so easy to pinpoint way back and up high in the soundstage!
There's more throat and chest to human voices, and the very low frequenzies are cleaner (below 40-60 Hz)
Instruments of all kinds (and voices) are easier to pinpoint as well, and there's more silent space between them.
The background is much darker and more silent than ever before. This is indeed very interesting...
Edit:
On the sample CD "30 Years Fidelity" from the exceptional Norwegian label Kirkelig KulturVerksted, some of the tracks were recorded in a church. I have never before sensed the size nor the boundaries of that church room, but now they're easily recognizable.
You actually should listen to the CD. If not for the lingo (Norwegian) on the CD, but for the exceptional sound quality. Honestly, it's the best recorded redbook CD I have ever heard.
You can read about it here: http://worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20050102115650411
You can purchase it here: http://www.cdroots.com/kkv-30years.html
Great new tweak! I love these free tweaks and I have a lot of them too, reused or found new usages for... Blue tack also works well in turntable base 'junction' spots... I like silicone glue for those applications too! I'll have to try it out asap, as blue tack has issues with compression in certain high pressure applications, like some speaker applications.
I use silicone tape which self adheres due to the malleable properties as a way to terminate homemade cables (I know, I know- I own a lot of mfgs too), and it may work as a resonance 'decoupler' but I think it would be a coupler by definition. I think it does a better job of staying put than PVC or other cable termination options, or for more most home DIY options at least.
Obviously, it can work as great 'wrap' for around the tonearm, but it is delicate as you need to use some force with your tonearm's arm wand area. I feel it does a better job on older tonearms that may have resonance issues.
Never tried tape around the tonearm, or BluTak anywhere for that matter. Some years ago I did add some "grey tac" of unknown origin to the counterweight in order to damp it, and bring it closer to the rotation point of the arm (the bearing housing). This results in the least inertia for a given cartridge weight, which would be highly desirable.
I am looking very much forward to learn about your experience. Please remember to let the silicone harden before assembling the parts, or it will act like glue. You definitely don't want that.
Btw, if the instructions are not printed on the silicone glue tube, you should have a small wooden scalpel or stick ready, soaked with water/dishwasher detergent. Use it to smooth out the layer of silicone within the first few minutes, and dip it regularly.
In my case, a less than one millimeter thick layer was added, but I can't say whether a thicker layer will do the trick as well. Trust your instinct. I hope you'll benefit at least as much as I did
Someone (Sumiko? Rega?) used to make a tonearm tweak kit that included a 'rib' that ran the length of the tonearm that one would attach to damp arm vibration.
Amongst the 'safe' tweaks, I've been leasantly impressed with mods that lower the center of gravity of the counterweight.
There was an old add-on tweak that attached a paddle to the arm tube and thence into a trough of silicone, but I never heard the tweak make a significant improvement - likely because it weighted one side of the arm, was a bolt on device that added unexpected mass, and likely couldn't be really fully integrated into the arm's structure. The arms I've heard with this as a built in feature seem to do quite well with it. My own Tri Planar arm has this feature.
Yeah, I guess you're right about the fluid damping. I have heard of many audiophiles that removed the feature, and of some that are most happy with it.
The lengthwise stabiliser on the arm though, I have never heard of. Some people do add a length of duck tape or teflon tape to the tonearm, but I never wanted to mess too much with the arm.
Just so you know, the biggest danger when tweaking is the thought processes involved.
We are all human and we want and expect that what we do in a tweak improves the sonic presentation in a good way.
We have to watch for what is a difference created and then weigh if it is a real improvement, and not just that of a simple difference.
This generally takes time, time to listen and time to listen clearly ..and most importantly...the hard part -- with little emotion over and about our tweak.
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Someone (Sumiko? Rega?) used to make a tonearm tweak kit that included a 'rib' that ran the length of the tonearm that one would attach to damp arm vibration.Amongst the 'safe' tweaks, I've been leasantly impressed with mods that lower the center of gravity of the counterweight.
There was an old add-on tweak that attached a paddle to the arm tube and thence into a trough of silicone, but I never heard the tweak make a significant improvement - likely because it weighted one side of the arm, was a bolt on device that added unexpected mass, and likely couldn't be really fully integrated into the arm's structure. The arms I've heard with this as a built in feature seem to do quite well with it. My own Tri Planar arm has this feature.
I had the Analog Survival Kit which was a stretchable thin plastic tape wrapped around the length of tonearm. Not unlike the viscoelastic strips I use on my helical springs in principle. Obviously tonearms have a certain, lowish resonant frequency around 8-10 Hz that can be excited by traffic and Earth crust movement, etc., but not by motor noise or acoustic waves. Ditto the cartridge. To self: Are there really $15,000 cartridges now? 
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Just so you know, the biggest danger when tweaking is the thought processes involved.We are all human and we want and expect that what we do in a tweak improves the sonic presentation in a good way.
We have to watch for what is a difference created and then weigh if it is a real improvement, and not just that of a simple difference.
This generally takes time, time to listen and time to listen clearly ..and most importantly...the hard part -- with little emotion over and about our tweak.
Anyone with the slightest amount of intelligence would of course agree. We all know that there's lots of tweakers who jump up and dance with every CHANGE in the sound, but IMO far too many people lack the necessary insight, experience and reference.
There's also the subject of the 2 "schools" of audiophiles to be considered. If you like the "musical-type" reproduction, I think it can be more difficult to hear if the changes achieved, are actual improvements. If, OTOH you go for the "monitor-type" reproduction, it's IMO easier to asses whether a change is actually an improvement. This, I think, is due to the nature of the properties themselves in the "monitor-type" reproduction. Everything is easy to hear, but the reproduction of course lacks some of the coherence you find in a "musical-type" sound reproduction. Which type you're after is a question of taste and preferences, and also what equipment you have.
My system is on the "monitor-type" side of reproduction, but has exactly the degree of musicality I prefer and love, a tightness and dryness in sound that lifts me to cloud nine every time I sit in my chair. You guys may not like it, and you may also dislike the "improvements" I have achieved. The question is, who am I going to satisfy?
Ah, you are a sharpener.
Exactly 
I have now added silicone to the inside edges of the tweeters. I got curious to know what effect it might have. Perhaps the treble will be a tad clearer too?
Edit:
I had to tear off the felt around the tweeters in order to get to them. Strangely, the treble doesn't seem to be all over the place as I feared. HF instruments are of course a bit clearer/louder due to the lacking of the felt diffractors, but it's not a problem at all.
There's a bit more growl to brass horns, and the ringing out of cymbals sounds a tiny bit more natural now. Triangles also stand out a bit more. There's a more "full" sound to many instruments, eg pianos etc, the same way I think I hear more overtones than before. Also the strings of a violin has more resin to them now.
The strangest thing is, that the few instruments that tended to wander sideways in the soundstage according to the change of the notes on the instrument, now are much more likely to stay in place.
On the down side I also noticed how difficult it is for my speakers to reproduce a solo harp correctly. At least as difficult as a grand piano if not more. At times many strings vibrate simultaneously on a harp, and they seem to mask each other and "mud up" the sound to some degree. (Clair de Lune, Nora Koch, Naxos)
Other than the mentioned, I don't hear much of a change. I am now trying to decide whether I should add felt to the baffle again.
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Ah, you are a sharpener.
Though perhaps not the sharpest knife in the drawer
Some tweaks you might not have considered:
1. C-37 violin lacquer for wood speaker panels, speaker cones, capacitors and other things. Drawback: C-37 lacquer takes at least six weeks to fully harden, during which time system performance will vary.
2. Marigo Dots - teeny tiny contrained layer damping dots for woofer frames, woofer and midrange cones, electron tubes, capacitors, component chassis, power cord plugs, windows, etc.
3. Shun Mook Mpingo disc - one or two will blow your mind. A steal at half price of $30 over on Audiogon when they pop up.
4. Shun Mook Original cable jacket. Non-ferrous material in iconic purple wrap.
5. Herbies dB Neutralizer - small disc of unknown composition for placing under components. Unreal.
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?vendor=0&keywords=SCHURTER+t-lag
These fuses will get you to 60-75% (maybe more) of the way toward the sound of the expensive fuses, for pennies, in comparison. Non magnetic, high copper brass end caps, high quality glass and an exceedingly high transient amperage capacity for a lack of blunting of complex harmonic and clean transient information. A fuse that blows fast, is not good for sonic fidelity, it is blunting transients and blurs the sonics considerably. You have no idea how much until you try these fuses. Check first, if you are allowed to put slow blow lag fuses in the given gear, FIRST, as you may void your warranty and invalidate your house insurance, if something goes amiss. A 'fuse' is not just a 'fuse', OK? There are potential legal issues here.
However: Best quality, highest sound quality 'regular' fuse on the market, Bar none, IMO and IME. They may be using silver bearing solder on the inner filament anchor in the end caps, I'd have to check on that.... but they are inexpensive, relatively speaking, for what you get. This sort of change is a huge one, sonically, as the fuse is extremely intimate to the electrical system within the given gear, and deeply colors the final result, in a way that audiophiles care about.
The other is this, if you have DIY soldering skills:
The fuse holders themselves. Most are cheap brass, the best manufacturers use pure beryllium copper silver plated fuse holders. For a reason. Everything else - blows.
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Cat=655422&k=beryllium%20copper
The change of the fuse and the fuse holder can make for a change in the sonics of the gear that can be startlingly huge. Depending on the design of the given piece of gear it can be a minor to drastic change in the sound. But it is always noticeable and always positive.
if you start doing this, the first time you do it, you will be very surprised and you may turn into a 'fuse change' junkie.
You will find this particular trick a very inexpensive shot toward sonic nirvana and henceforth consider it to be the kind of thing you will do with every piece of get you get your hands on. You won't even think about it, you'll just do it.
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http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?vendor=0&keywords=SCHURTER+t-lagThese fuses will get you to 60-75% (maybe more) of the way toward the sound of the expensive fuses, for pennies, in comparison. Non magnetic, high copper brass end caps, high quality glass and an exceedingly high transient amperage capacity for a lack of blunting of complex harmonic and clean transient information. A fuse that blows fast, is not good for sonic fidelity, it is blunting transients and blurs the sonics considerably. You have no idea how much until you try these fuses. Check first, if you are allowed to put slow blow lag fuses in the given gear, FIRST, as you may void your warranty and invalidate your house insurance, if something goes amiss. A 'fuse' is not just a 'fuse', OK? There are potential legal issues here.
However: Best quality, highest sound quality 'regular' fuse on the market, Bar none, IMO and IME. They may be using silver bearing solder on the inner filament anchor in the end caps, I'd have to check on that.... but they are inexpensive, relatively speaking, for what you get. This sort of change is a huge one, sonically, as the fuse is extremely intimate to the electrical system within the given gear, and deeply colors the final result, in a way that audiophiles care about.
The other is this, if you have DIY soldering skills:
The fuse holders themselves. Most are cheap brass, the best manufacturers use pure beryllium copper silver plated fuse holders. For a reason. Everything else - blows.
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Cat=655422&k=beryllium%20copper
The change of the fuse and the fuse holder can make for a change in the sonics of the gear that can be startlingly huge. Depending on the design of the given piece of gear it can be a minor to drastic change in the sound. But it is always noticeable and always positive.
if you start doing this, the first time you do it, you will be very surprised and you may turn into a 'fuse change' junkie.
You will find this particular trick a very inexpensive shot toward sonic nirvana and henceforth consider it to be the kind of thing you will do with every piece of get you get your hands on. You won't even think about it, you'll just do it.
Thanks for the heads up, Ken. Any ideas are always much appreciated. I think though, that I will wait a little while before looking into the fuses; I just went and bought new speaker cables, and they need to be burned in. They are Supra 3.4/S multi-strand shielded and tinned cables. They have a very neutral sound, not smack-dab in my face like the Audioquests, and both mid and high frequenzies are much more pleasant to my ears. No more emphasized sibilants. No more tinnitus troubles from female voices it seems... And since they have a small dip around 100 Hz, I can now remove the socks from the ports. No boom-boom.
Furthermore I am fetching my new speakers on Wednesday, as I ordered them today. Some of you guys will probably laugh your fat asses off, cuz my new speakers are only the size of two lunch boxes!
They're Dynaudio DM2/7 speakers, and they sounded very sweet even though they clearly weren't burned in at all. I listened to some of my own CD's for about an hour, and the speakers got better during that hour, unbelievable but true. They sounded more crisp than my own, but also more precise, and they provided a clearer "look" into the soundstage. Sensitivity and resistance almost the same as the ones I have now, and much easier to place, even close to walls. Thus I expect no troubles when receiving them, except for the ridiculous amount of burn-in time (200 hours).
As of now, I listen to music through the new Supra cables, and try to accustom my ears to the new and pleasant sound. From Wednesday on, I will be glued to my chair, just waiting for the sweet little boxes to open up for me
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Some tweaks you might not have considered:1. C-37 violin lacquer for wood speaker panels, speaker cones, capacitors and other things. Drawback: C-37 lacquer takes at least six weeks to fully harden, during which time system performance will vary.
2. Marigo Dots - teeny tiny contrained layer damping dots for woofer frames, woofer and midrange cones, electron tubes, capacitors, component chassis, power cord plugs, windows, etc.
3. Shun Mook Mpingo disc - one or two will blow your mind. A steal at half price of $30 over on Audiogon when they pop up.
4. Shun Mook Original cable jacket. Non-ferrous material in iconic purple wrap.
5. Herbies dB Neutralizer - small disc of unknown composition for placing under components. Unreal.
those, save the herbies are products for the rich and compromised of brain.
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Some tweaks you might not have considered:1. C-37 violin lacquer for wood speaker panels, speaker cones, capacitors and other things. Drawback: C-37 lacquer takes at least six weeks to fully harden, during which time system performance will vary.
2. Marigo Dots - teeny tiny contrained layer damping dots for woofer frames, woofer and midrange cones, electron tubes, capacitors, component chassis, power cord plugs, windows, etc.
3. Shun Mook Mpingo disc - one or two will blow your mind. A steal at half price of $30 over on Audiogon when they pop up.
4. Shun Mook Original cable jacket. Non-ferrous material in iconic purple wrap.
5. Herbies dB Neutralizer - small disc of unknown composition for placing under components. Unreal.
those, save the herbies are products for the rich and compromised of brain.
Hints taken, thanks. I may look into this at a later time. Much appreciated
Quote:Quote:
Some tweaks you might not have considered:1. C-37 violin lacquer for wood speaker panels, speaker cones, capacitors and other things. Drawback: C-37 lacquer takes at least six weeks to fully harden, during which time system performance will vary.
2. Marigo Dots - teeny tiny contrained layer damping dots for woofer frames, woofer and midrange cones, electron tubes, capacitors, component chassis, power cord plugs, windows, etc.
3. Shun Mook Mpingo disc - one or two will blow your mind. A steal at half price of $30 over on Audiogon when they pop up.
4. Shun Mook Original cable jacket. Non-ferrous material in iconic purple wrap.
5. Herbies dB Neutralizer - small disc of unknown composition for placing under components. Unreal.
those, save the herbies are products for the rich and compromised of brain.
It takes one to know one, Bubba. 
Try putting your TT and electronics components on a partially inflated bicycle inner tube, Keid, and report back on what you find. If your TT has an uneven bottom, put it on some home-made roller blocks (concave plastic furniture cups and ball-bearings) resting on a light plywood board resting on the inner tube. It will probably make a bigger difference than the silicone rubber tweaks.
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