What has produced the greatest sound improvement for you?

[esmit]

On 8/17/2020 at 2:38 AM, bobbmd said:

the only alcohol should be Lagavulin with a NUB cigar and never when purchasing only when listening 

If you think alcohol helps for music appreciation you really should try the stuff they sell at the store @sphinxsixposted a picture of (which happens to be in the town I live too). Same particles as that cigar, much different experience.

[esmit]

And now on topic: I am still trying to pursue that state (of equipment) where I can indeed make out the differences in cables etc. I have tried a speaker upgrade (from Totem Model One Signatures to Dynaudio Heritage Special) and that really made a difference but when I took my Chord TT to the local Chord dealer to compare to TT2 I realised those model ones already let me hear some faults of the TT1... So now I have to do both (trying to ignore the additional costs for the mscaler), and I guess source indeed comes first.

I initially was very surprised by the difference USB (cleanup and cable) gear, and even more surprised by the difference network gear (Etherregen) can make, but goosebumps really come from source & loudspeakers. I think, still discovering.

 

And do put a carpet in your room.

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

I doubt there is a universal answer to this question as the improvement really depends on the starting point. Also, a change of one component can reveal the quality of other components...or vice versa (a good component may have no benefit if the rest of the system is "compromised'). 

 

That being said, I recently changed my speaker cables to flat copper cables (DIY) and was pleasantly suprised. 

[AnotherSpin]

The real improvement happens within a head. Quite naturally, this coincides with the cessation of endless urge for improvement of individual components and the system as a whole. Less is more. By the way, this applies not only to audio :-)

[fas42]

The thing that produces the greatest improvement in any gear that you happen to have, is gaining the understanding that you have locate and remove obstacles, bottlenecks in the chain, that will always limit the achieved SQ, as compared to that which is intrinsically possible ... 🙂.

[sphinxsix]

6 hours ago, esmit said:

@sphinxsixposted a picture of (which happens to be in the town I live too).

 

Errr.. sorry.. I just woke up  which picture, which town.? 

 

[Vincent des Champs]

I got flabbergasted by the SYNERGISTIC RESEARCH ORANGE fuse I recently introduced in my amp. Darn, this thing is goooood! 🤩

[Summit]

4 hours ago, fas42 said:

The thing that produces the greatest improvement in any gear that you happen to have, is gaining the understanding that you have locate and remove obstacles, bottlenecks in the chain, that will always limit the achieved SQ, as compared to that which is intrinsically possible ... 🙂.

 

Yes as long the whole system isn't the bottleneck 😆

[esmit]

8 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

 

Errr.. sorry.. I just woke up  which picture, which town.? 

 

Bebop, Leiden

[AudioDoctor]

In addition to getting my speakers precisely aligned with the laser measuring tape, moving from a direct USB connection between source and DAC, to a network connection between the two, also made a huge difference in the quality of playback, for me.

[fas42]

8 hours ago, Summit said:

 

Yes as long the whole system isn't the bottleneck 😆

 

Said in jest - but, reflects the belief that somehow, 'premium' components add magic to a recording - ummm, it doesn't work that way 😉; the specialness is something that is inherent in the recording itself - it's the job of the system to get out of the way; and allow the music on the track to come through, full bore ... this is becoming easier to do, as compared to earlier decades where one had to do a lot to patch up the leaks, and cracks in the chain, 😁.

[Nikko1960]

Addition of Lampizator!

[ASRMichael]

Dedicated listening room away from the wife & kids! 😂

[ssh]

Replacing my Yggy with a Bricasti M3.

[sphinxsix]

On 4/2/2021 at 8:31 AM, esmit said:

And do put a carpet in your room.

Most definitely! 

 

On 4/2/2021 at 8:31 AM, esmit said:

goosebumps really come from source & loudspeakers.

IME loudspeakers usually make bigger difference than sources.

The last time I heard Totems, most of them sounded quite dark, I'm not surprised at all that switching to Dynaudio made quite a difference, I personally have a lots of respect for their speakers (they also don't use extremely cheap Polish drivers in their cheapest models like Totem used to do..). I'm also not that surprised that you couldn't hear e.g. differences between cables with Totems, definitely not the most detailed transducers on the market.

[manueljenkin]

On 8/5/2020 at 9:00 AM, Audiophile Neuroscience said:

In your audio system, what has produced the greatest improvement impacting on sound quality or better musical experience? Not just 'maybe a bit different' but in your opinion clearly better.

 

It could be software, hardware, room treatments, tweaks whatever. What single thing or things stands out that you would definitely recommend to others?

The playback software and noise (or lack thereof) from pc. Xxhighend being my favourite, wtfplay my favourite free player and playpcm being the most convenient yet sounding great. The interpolation algorithm too, I really love the arc predict function in xxhe.

 

I hope to code a customized one myself, with my own learnings in some time. May not be as good as Peter's but I'll learn something and gain experience along the way.

[MarkS]

I was amazed at the improvement generated by replacing my wall outlet with Furutech at a modest cost - BUT hire an electrician if you don’t know what you’re doing.  

[Rexp]

Back in the day, my first high-end pre amp, a Conrad Johnson PV6. 

[Mike48]

In my experience, treating the room (acoustic treatment) has made the biggest positive difference. It evened the bass, reduced irritation, and improved imaging and clarity remarkably. In my current room, it's improved a basement room from an acoustic disaster to a very good sounding audio space.

 

Of course, the room itself is fundamentally important, but how many can choose our rooms? We city dwellers, especially, often have to compromise. Fortunately, proper treatment allows any speaker to perform far better in any room -- quite remarkable.

 

Next in importance, I'd say, are the speakers. But still, decent but modest speakers in a well-treated room will sound better, in my experience, than superb, expensive speakers in a room with bad acoustics.

 

[Richard Dale]

4 hours ago, Mike48 said:

In my experience, treating the room (acoustic treatment) has made the biggest positive difference. It evened the bass, reduced irritation, and improved imaging and clarity remarkably. In my current room, it's improved a basement room from an acoustic disaster to a very good sounding audio space.

 

Of course, the room itself is fundamentally important, but how many can choose our rooms? We city dwellers, especially, often have to compromise. Fortunately, proper treatment allows any speaker to perform far better in any room -- quite remarkable.

 

Next in importance, I'd say, are the speakers. But still, decent but modest speakers in a well-treated room will sound better, in my experience, than superb, expensive speakers in a room with bad acoustics.

 

I’ve got and all active system with two KEF LS50Ws and a pair of sub woofers. I’ve spent more on acoustic treatment than the HiFi components (it is a pretty large room). But as the system was pretty much unlistenable before treatment and sounded like a bad church hall disco, I would have to say it made the largest difference.

[AnotherSpin]

1 hour ago, Richard Dale said:

I’ve got and all active system with two KEF LS50Ws and a pair of sub woofers. I’ve spent more on acoustic treatment than the HiFi components (it is a pretty large room). But as the system was pretty much unlistenable before treatment and sounded like a bad church hall disco, I would have to say it made the largest difference.

 

What you've made for room treatment?

[Richard Dale]

8 minutes ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

What you've made for room treatment?

I’ve described my room on this thread:

 

 

[Hiker]

What has produced the greatest sound quality improvement,...For me it was a server , 432 Evo Aeon . In the past I always focused on the dac that thinking has changed though everything is important it really all starts with a great recording so what’s upstream of the dac will have a greater influence on what you hear ,,.Just my 2 cents ,,..

[Summit]

On 5/7/2021 at 9:14 AM, Mike48 said:

In my experience, treating the room (acoustic treatment) has made the biggest positive difference. It evened the bass, reduced irritation, and improved imaging and clarity remarkably. In my current room, it's improved a basement room from an acoustic disaster to a very good sounding audio space.

 

Of course, the room itself is fundamentally important, but how many can choose our rooms? We city dwellers, especially, often have to compromise. Fortunately, proper treatment allows any speaker to perform far better in any room -- quite remarkable.

 

Next in importance, I'd say, are the speakers. But still, decent but modest speakers in a well-treated room will sound better, in my experience, than superb, expensive speakers in a room with bad acoustics.

 

 

Can you publish a picture showing your acoustic treatment?

[Mike48]

11 hours ago, Summit said:

 

Can you publish a picture showing your acoustic treatment?

Yes, here are two. There have been slight changes, but this shows the basics.