Silly Season Advice or Tweaks... (Pats of Daftness)

[May Belt]

First, Dave, can we express to you and your family our deepest sympathy on the death of your mother.

Hi May,

With the greatest respect (and I'm not poking fun in the slightest), the way I have my system configured just now I don't think it would make the slightest difference..

Also with respect, Dave, don’t downplay how effective your existing system already is.

I would like to address the comment made to you by DSJR :-

>> “The system itself should be set up as carefully as you can, using appropriate wiring etc for the units connected, before even thinking about direction of screw-slots – IMO” <<

I have the impression that you both might be thinking I am advocating an either or situation. In other words – EITHER concentrate on setting up the system carefully OR line the screw slots (plus other things). I would advocate both to be considered as a ‘whole’ – as all encompassing - to getting the best listening environment.

Let me give a quicky explanation as to how the ‘freebie’ techniques came about.

During the 1980s, as various ‘audio reviewers’ were gradually describing doing certain things with their equipment and with their environment – things which did not seem to make technical electronic or acoustic sense but yet they reported gaining improvements in their sound, people who did not actually try such things could not understand how such improvements were happening and would dismiss reviewers descriptions of “remarkable improvements”, “surprising new quality of sound” etc as ‘over the top’ as ‘exaggerating’ an effect. And, because they could not understand, they were reluctant to then commit to spending any money on so called ‘tweaks’.

During our own investigations we had also discovered certain things gave improvements in the sound so we described some of those things to various interested reviewers for people to try these ‘freebies’ for themselves so that IF people COULD hear identical improvements to the ones being described, then they would better understand what the reviewers had been experiencing and therefore have more confidence in trying (even buying) some of the actual ‘tweaks’ for themselves.

The lining up of the screw slots was just one of those ‘freebies’. So, if you try it and don’t hear any changes in the sound, then nothing lost. If you try it and gain an improvement in the sound then something gained. But, what is gained would be an understanding of what CAN have an effect on the sound !!

Another such ‘freebie’ technique was the freezing/slow defrost technique, also way back some 25 years ago.

Regards,
May.

[synsei]

Thanks May for your kind words concerning my Mum. Her funeral was lovely and Sian, the lady vicar who took the service was lovely too.

Going back to the tweaks, I'll give it a go sometime next week when I'm back on an even keel. One potential problem I should mention is that I use a
Tacima CS929 6 Way Mains Conditioner, RFI and surge filter to provide power to my gear which is currently sitting on the floor. This unit looks like an ordinary 6 way mains extension lead with all the relevant circuitry housed at one end. Which would be the best way to configure the screws in the plugs seeing as it is lying on its back on the floor?

[May Belt]

Going back to the tweaks. One potential problem I should mention is that I use a Tacima CS929 6 Way Mains Conditioner, RFI and surge filter to provide power to my gear which is currently sitting on the floor. This unit looks like an ordinary 6 way mains extension lead with all the relevant circuitry housed at one end. Which would be the best way to configure the screws in the plugs seeing as it is lying on its back on the floor?

As well as looking at all things associated with the audio equipment can you also look at things throughout your listening environment, because you also have screws fastening such as the facia plate of light switches to the wall.

For anything which is not vertical (as the example you have given) look at the shape of the object and take the largest dimension as the significant dimension. For example. If the object is rectangular, then use the longest of the dimensions and line the screw slot parallel to that dimension.

With such as a pick up arm and cartridge. Usually the headshell holding the cartridge is slightly off line (at an angle) with the pick up arm. Use the line of the pick up arm as the dominant line and line the screw slots which hold the cartridge to the headshell to follow the line of the pick up arm through - NOT to follow the dominant line of the actual headshell. Similarly with the screws attaching loudspeaker drive units to the cabinet. If the shape of the drive unit is round, line the screw slots to follow the shape round so that you could draw a round line around the drive unit using the screw slots as guidance.

When you have tried any of those suggestions, listen for a while to get used to that sound then reposition any of the screw slots away from the suggested position and see if you can still listen to the same music with the same pleasure.

A few people may not initially hear an improvement in the sound but as soon as they revert back (i.e. to the screw slots not especially positioned) they can usually definitely hear the sound to have deteriorated.

Regards,
May