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The true experimental tweak thread

Cornan

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted
Aaah! I just got fed up with the constant failure with my special DIY SAT cable. Tried it again without success and everytime I experiment with it my whole family complains about lost internet connection. To spare my family from sufferings I just pulled the plug on 1,5m of this QED Reference cable instead QED Reference STV Satellite Cable - 1.5m - FutureShop.co.uk

 

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It looks very well constructed and got some great reviews. Time to move on to another project! ;)

 

I am happy for your family Cornan :)

 

 

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted
BTW r_w. Have you tried to cover the USB barrels with electrical tape? This is a very simple tweak that is a bit of an eye-opener when you think about what it achieves! ;)

 

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My plugs is still covered! :)

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

 

I tried your tweak and covered my exposed USB barrels with electric tape.

My system is Nimitra Win 10 (JS-2)>Curious 20cm Regen link>Intona Industrial>Curious 20cm Regen link>RUR (LPS-1)>Curious 28cm Regen link>Brooklyn (VR MINI)>Naim SN2

I did listened to it over 3-4 days and it seems that the sound became more a bit more rounded, leaned more to the warm side and the highs were rolled off. I also lost some air around instruments. I don't know if this makes sense or if it is my implementation as I may have tightened the electric tape too much around the barrels. Now I removed the electric tape, so the highs are more extended and more air around instruments just like it was.

Thanks Cornan for sharing your ideas, I always like to experiment as well

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted
Thanks for sharing moussaobeid! Always good to know how it affects different systems! :) Not the same changes at all in my own system but never the less interesting. I would have expected clearer treble, lower bass, more natural presentation and improved mid-range. Since this is a fairly new tweak I do not have a crystal clear idea what might cause your rolled off hights. Could be due to Curious cables special design and the fact that all of your cables are shielded. Ground currents are tricky business to control. If they have got another path to ground they will choose to use it...whatever you like it or not. They can travel in any direction if they find a suitable pat h for the purpose. It seems likely that the shield noises have chosen a worse path to ground in your case affecting other devices in the chain.

 

Did you cover the USB plugs on all of your three USB cables and on both sides of the plug?

You could also cover just one of the USB cables to see if you get another result. I would personally start with the 20cm Curious Regen Link close to Nimitra or after RUR were it most likely could end up with the best result.

 

:-)

 

 

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I covered only the curious cable after the RUR on the end close to the RUR. I am happy with it this way. Took a bit of glare away and made the sound more natural but without losing the air and the highs

 

 

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted

I noticed that in my system every time I change any wire the system like gets a shock and even if the new cable is better it usually sounds much much better after a few days. I tried this trick where I go bac to old cables or gear after a month or more and I was surprised with the improvements which were not so clear if I hadn't done this swap

 

 

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted
That's true! I usually blame ground currents for that behaviour rather than cable burn-in. Usually ground currents will seattle (find their path to ground) within 24 hours...so I never re-evaluate anything before that.

 

Cables with silver content do however need a longer break-in time to soften up.

 

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Well this is very interesting I never came across such an explanation before. I still find it strange that ground currents can take this long to find their way to ground. Shouldn't this be instantaneous? Electricity travels at the speed of light or I am missing something.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted

Cornan, that's an interesting project on your hands. It will be great to hear the results once you are done. I take things a bit more conveniently it seems. I have a pair of Neat IOTA speakers Neat Acoustics IOTA product information and to isolate them I got ISO-L8R130 ISO-L8R130 Isolation Stands | IsoAcoustics

They sound great this way, of course it takes a lot more effort to isolate them even more :)

 

 

Great to hear moussaobeid! 

Isolation is da thing! My problem now is to isolate the bench under my speakers as well. I am figuring I'll need to buy 8 PC's sorbothane feets for the bench legs (yes, it is two benches side by side, ie 8 legs), sorbothane sheets in-between the two benches (since they are touching each other) plus find a solution to dampen the 1950 style sliding-doors. I am not at the finish-line just yet! 

 

Next after that will be room treatment, but I (well someone else as well ?) refuse to use more than 9-12 PC's of these on the wall behind my speakers 30x30x5cm Red Acoustic Soundproof Foam Sound Absorbing Waved Sponge Sale - Banggood Mobile

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted

BTW, one of the best tweaks that gave me a great result is to cut a foam cylinder into small pieces to have foam rings and use them on all of my cables so no cable touches another whatsoever. This includes ICs, speaker wire and power cables. Immediate extra clarity and focus is the reward

 

That`s my isolation tweak, not technical and anyone can do it!

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted

Ok I will confess, I used my son`s swimming foam tube :))) like one of these https://www.google.ca/search?q=swimming+foam+tube&biw=1920&bih=940&tbm=isch&source=lnt&tbs=isz:l&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjd6aibhonSAhWI3YMKHdlTDxoQpwUIFA&dpr=1#imgdii=YOrUtxImIZWG7M:&imgrc=UtXcrC64nXA8sM:

Don`t tell anyone, he didn`t miss it till now!

 

Great idea! Since I use unshielded cables the distance between cables are a great concern to me. I just might steal that trick! 
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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted
*Haha* Great work! A truly great tweak is simple but yet forfill the purpose. I used my kids "Magnetix" metal balls for my DIY ball & cup isolation. It did'nt work well on my benches, but I do not see why it will work great on a hard floor surface? [emoji3]

 

Great to have kids! [emoji23]

 

When I go home I will take some pics to show you how I did it

 

 

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted
I just thought of another thing to use under the bench feets. I have got a lot of clear quartz sand laying around due to previous experiments. When I found this http://m.banggood.com/3-Inch-Black-Round-Grinding-Stone-Thread-Inkstone-p-90935.html?utm_campaign=android-share&utm_source=www&android_share=1utm_campaign=android-share&utm_source=www&android_share=1 I got an idea to use eight of these under the bench. Clear quartz turns pressure into heat and this inkstone have the right construction to apply pressure when filled with clear quartz. Not expensive either. I think I will actually order them and see how that turns out instead of sorbothane feet's. It will be a fun experiment! [emoji3]

 

You never run out of ideas loll

 

 

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted

Austin, this is the fun part of this hobby, improving performance with things we have lying around without throwing money at each and everything even if we can afford it

I am really enjoying reading about all the creative tweaks in this thread.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

@Cornan - you're the Captain Kirk of tweaks, for sure. You go where no man has gone before.

 

@moussaobeid - I will never look at swimming tubes the same way again. :)

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted

Ok let me clarify this. My router is on the main floor and my music room is in the basement. I use a TP-Link 802 nano router (powered by a powerbank) as a wireless bridge which connects via a 1 foot ethernet cable (BJC 6a) into Accoustic Revive RLI-1 Ethernet isolator that is plugged into the Nimitra.

I tried a direct ethernet connection, but didn't sound as good. I have tried many iterations before including a 3 meter Supra Cat8 and Baaske isolator, but what I have now is the best in my system (till now :) )

I will moussaobeid! :)

Do you mean that the wireless distance between your router and bridge is 1 foot or that your ethernet cable is 1 foot?

 

My own distance between the router and the wireless adapter (bridge etc) is about 11 meters (but with good reception with roughly -37 to -40dBm) and the DIY 100Base-TX ethernet cable is about 15 cm long.

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted
Connected my TP Link RE450 wireless adapter to my Peaktech2240 isolation transformer tonight instead to the on/off power strip with all DC chargers. This have two advantages. I can now turn off the power strip when listening to music plus the RE450 (which is ac) is galvanicly isolated. Impressions? Wow! A great improvement with a pitch black background and clearer presentation. Big difference compared to the FMCs now! A much more realistic sound! Tomorrow I hope to see if the network switch on batteries will make it or brake it. Hard to see if it can be improved more than this right now...but I am too old in this hobby to never to say never! [emoji3]

 

No no don't give up :)

 

 

 

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted
Unfortunately it seems that Voltcraft FPS-1134 is not available with 110v input as you already noticed. This means that you will have to find another 13,8 VDC (with fine adjustments of the output voltage) linear regulated safety class 1 (galvanicly isolated) bench power supply. It is very difficult for me to find anything without knowing where to buy them when you live in Canada and which brands to trust (which I know about in EU), but If you get me a pointer to a couple of big companies with laberatorie equipments I can see what I can find. :)

 

Thanks Cornan, I will do some research about it and share what I find.

 

 

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mozes

mozes

Posted
Posted
If things continue like this I might be running out of Wow! words!

 

Installed the D-Link network switch and my brand new Cat 6A U/UTP cables (30cm + 50cm) between the Aries Mini>switch and switch>TP Link RE450.

 

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Listening to familiar tracks and have a hard time to choose the right words for it. It is a really great improvement in my book. No doubt about it. Not to bore anyone with long descriptions what I heard I just put them down as they popped up inside my head:

 

* Dynamic depth

* The sound makes me feel calmer and more relaxed

* 3D placement & stereo placement improved

* Improved attack in the whole register

* Improved mid-range

* Joyful listening experience

 

As you might have noticed I am thrilled about the SQ that little battery powered switch delivered. Amazing really!! To be honest I am sure those Ethernet cables must have a part in the overall SQ as well. Too early to say with how much, but I will surely evaluate it when time for it is available.

Since last night when I added the RE450 to my tech IT until now my sound have jumped big time. I'll guess those FMCs will have to enjoy their new life inside my drawer, because I am not putting them back any day soon! [emoji3]

Very interesting findings @Cornan. I wonder if this battery powered switch would improve things over my wireless bridge (1 foot BJC cat6a + Accoustic revive RLI-1 ethernet isolator)

I guess I have to try to find out :)

 

 

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