View Full Version : Worthwhile 10 minute tweak
My tweaky heads been niggling me since getting new speaker cable, took 10 minutes to do this and very glad I did.
Music flows slightly better and is a touch more open at the top end, especially on female vocals.
https://i.imgur.com/D6AiX1M_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium
https://i.imgur.com/LJY5jNO_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium
Its worth getting your cable up off the carpet folks, no audio foo required. :)
Nice one, Gaz, but you're preaching to the converted:eyebrows:
Up off the floor, and away from walls, is *exactly* where ALL cables should be (mains and signal, including interconnects), as things definitely sound better that way, and I've been doing that for years. Now you need to do the same with all your interconnects, for another similar upgrade;)
Enjoy your free upgrade, which are always the best ones!:cool:
Marco.
Lawrence001
25-08-2018, 19:16
Just out of interest, what's the theory behind this? I can see a marginal benefit from making them slightly further from any electrical cables running under the floors or in the wall, is that it?
Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk
you'd be best not looking down back of mine;)
Just out of interest, what's the theory behind this? I can see a marginal benefit from making them slightly further from any electrical cables running under the floors or in the wall, is that it?
The thinking is that cables can act as a conduit for transferring vibration, from the floor or wall, into the equipment that they're connected to, which deteriorates the sound.
Of course there's no proof that's the case, but keeping them up off the floor and/or away from walls, does seem to make a difference, as noted by Gaz, myself and many others over the years who've tried it:)
Marco.
Primalsea
26-08-2018, 08:28
Oh, my cables are all packed tightly together and stuffed in plastic trunking that is stuck to the wall above the skirting board. I have active speakers, so its all mains and signal cables bundled in there together.
Not heard any increase in noise as a result but I must admit I have not done any thorough A/B testing with the cables separate and in the trunking. I do feel better about them all being neat and tidy though.
Some say...
Depending on the dialectric used on a cable, it can emits a lesser or greater electric field which can interact with surrounding materials or surfaces, affecting the sound.
Always trust my ears with these things anyway, but static that sits in a carpet cant be good for signal flow throuh a speaker cable?
Main point if the thread was that you dont need to spend foo money to try it.
Bored of a Sunday and the Wife’s out? (so she wont laugh at you :)), get a few ‘whatevers’ you have lying around and lift the speaker cable off the floor and listen.
Maybe even make a difference?
jandl100
26-08-2018, 09:01
Cable lifters! :eek:
Go for proppa high end ones. :thumbsup: :whistle:
http://www.hifi-advice.com/images/cable%20elevators%20IMG_3259%20242pix.jpg
Used to get skirt lifters back in olden times:eyebrows:
Before we get any complaints, they are little clips that hold the hem up off ground(you young folk eh?):D
It's the shirt-lifters you need to watch out for!:eyebrows:
Marco.
Some say...
Depending on the dialectric used on a cable, it can emits a lesser or greater electric field which can interact with surrounding materials or surfaces, effecting the sound.
Confucious says: man who leaves his wires dangling in the wind will inherit much floppiness around his middle leg.
Marco.
Confucious says: man who leaves his wires dangling in the wind will inherit much floppiness around his middle leg.
Marco.
Wise words... :)
hornucopia
26-08-2018, 14:30
You can use old corks (real Cork, not the imitation!) as well.
hornucopia
26-08-2018, 14:35
You can use old corks (real Cork, not the imitation!) as well.
Then you could get serious and do THIS.......
http://jeffsplace.me/wordpress/?p=2892
When I redecorated the lounge and before we had a new carpet fitted, I had a dedicated ring main installed solely for the audio gear. Whilst the floor boards were up, I took the opportunity to run some balanced line interconnects from my sources/preamp etc. to where the speakers sit and their monoblock poweramps located just behind them.
No idea if it has improved the sound (after all, the change in carpet could make just as much a difference), but the 'no cable' looks a lot neater.
Barrie Grieve
26-02-2020, 20:17
Nothing better than a simple, easy and cheap tweak. More money to spend on cables and CD's.
Mike Reed
05-03-2020, 21:35
Could be my eyes, but Gazjam's neat hook arrangement looks like it's on the skirting board, If so, off the carpet but against (in effect) the wall. My speaker cables are under the concrete floor (all 11 metres of them) in conduits, so I s'pose they're UNDER the carpet and nowhere near walls. In previous houses I've been blessed with suspended floors when it's easy to hide!
BARRY, Was the dedicated ring main, whereas obviously an advance on sharing the domestic ring, a calculated plan, as opposed to a dedicated radial or more? Maybe the system/room ergonomics didn't justify going full hog, as it were, as everybody's situation is different.
I used to extol the benefits of full dedication when I had Naim kit, but later, as I gradually changed over to bottled stuff, developed a totally unsubstantiated theory that whereas kit with toroidal trannies can and frequently does benefit by being taken off the domestic mains supply (as far as feasible), the trannies mostly (?) found in valved kit seemed not to derive the same improvement. Could be wrong here, and I'm way past experimenting!
I've now got 8 x 6mm or 10mm T & E s in a convoluted 12 metre route to their own c.u. which are, if my theory holds water, largely redundant except for sheer convenience and debatable tidyness. They ain't eatin' anything, though, and the pain of installation is not a faded memory. :)
Hi Mike,
I don't believe it is necessary to use a dedicated 'radial' system over a dedicated 'ring'. My audio-only ring comprises 16 sockets available not only for my speakers (like you I use electrostatic speakers), but for the permanent equipment (turntables, phonostages, CD player, tuner, preamp etc.) as well a few spare outlets for occasionally used items such as tape decks etc.
The ring is protected by a separate Hager 32A RCCB connected to the meter via a 'Henley block'.
I can understand the reasoning behind using a radial system, but IMO it is only of help in reducing the the noise fed back into the mains supply generated by SMPSs used within your own audio system. In my case, none of the power supplies used are SMPSs.
Made in 1968
06-03-2020, 10:43
My tweaky heads been niggling me since getting new speaker cable, took 10 minutes to do this and very glad I did.
Music flows slightly better and is a touch more open at the top end, especially on female vocals.
https://i.imgur.com/D6AiX1M_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium
https://i.imgur.com/LJY5jNO_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium
Its worth getting your cable up off the carpet folks, no audio foo required. :)
Is this not why The Chord Company offered the 'Carnival Silver Screen' Carnival in an anti vibration secondary sleeve
To me, the difference I heard was more about static from the carpet..dialectric ‘n all that good stuff.
Far enough away from the wall to be any concern too.
Ten minutes, worth a punt even just to see if lifting speaker cable off the carpet makes a difference in your setup, it did mine.
To me, the difference I heard was more about static from the carpet..dialectic n all that good stuff.
Far enough away from the wall to be any concern too.
Ten minutes, worth a punt even just to see if lifting speaker cable off the carpet makes a difference in your setup, it did mine.
maybe i need to hang myself off the wall on a hook:eek:
Stratmangler
06-03-2020, 17:27
My tweaky heads been niggling me since getting new speaker cable, took 10 minutes to do this and very glad I did.
Music flows slightly better and is a touch more open at the top end, especially on female vocals.
https://i.imgur.com/D6AiX1M_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium
https://i.imgur.com/LJY5jNO_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium
Its worth getting your cable up off the carpet folks, no audio foo required. :)
What's in the trunking on top of the skirting board?
3 runs of Cat 6 Ethernet Chris.
To me, the difference I heard was more about static from the carpet..dialectric ‘n all that good stuff.
Far enough away from the wall to be any concern too.
Ten minutes, worth a punt even just to see if lifting speaker cable off the carpet makes a difference in your setup, it did mine.
I can't - mine run under the floor (but are not used now), along with some balanced-line cables.
How do you think the 'static' is generated by the carpet?
Stratmangler
06-03-2020, 23:42
3 runs of Cat 6 Ethernet Chris.
That's alright then :)
That's alright then :)
Aye...
If it were power cables, might not have been a good idea to run speaker cable along it.
You see how I stated it was Cat6 and not 7? :eyebrows:
I can't - mine run under the floor (but are not used now), along with some balanced-line cables.
How do you think the 'static' is generated by the carpet?
Just walking across a carpet can build up a static charge I think?
Didn’t look too deeply into it, aside to my ears there being a slight nudge towards better sound the cable looks better off the floor as well. :)
Under floor cables would be even better, but that’d be work and I have stone floors so not do-able.
Handy not having a springy floor for the turntable though.
scotty38
07-03-2020, 10:11
Hi Mike,
I don't believe it is necessary to use a dedicated 'radial' system over a dedicated 'ring'. My audio-only ring comprises 16 sockets available not only for my speakers (like you I use electrostatic speakers), but for the permanent equipment (turntables, phonostages, CD player, tuner, preamp etc.) as well a few spare outlets for occasionally used items such as tape decks etc.
The ring is protected by a separate Hager 32A RCCB connected to the meter via a 'Henley block'.
I can understand the reasoning behind using a radial system, but IMO it is only of help in reducing the the noise fed back into the mains supply generated by SMPSs used within your own audio system. In my case, none of the power supplies used are SMPSs.
Unless there's a separate Consumer Unit etc. etc, blah, blah, then the chances are that all the neutrals are common anyway so little to no isolation in reality as far as I understand it....
Stratmangler
07-03-2020, 11:36
You see how I stated it was Cat6 and not 7? :eyebrows:
No foil aerials to pick up any stray radio frequency anything :eyebrows:
Speaking of maximising mains...
I’ve found balanced mains to bring quite the improvement, run my rig of a BMU (now a 10KVA one) for some years now.
Off work Friday so had some time on my hands and wanted this weekend to simplify my setup, tweak my Network and do a bit of ‘hifi housekeeping” that’s been niggling away for a while.
So with everything disconnected from the BMU I took the opportunity to listen to my system directly from the wall.
Sometimes good to go back and do a sanity check when you can?
No comparison, noticeable component level improvement, even with a power amp.
Mains makes a big big difference folks.
Took the time to strip back the BMU external connections to fresh copper too, replacing the Henley blocks with Wago clip connectors for a better connection.
So fresh copper, better connections and tidied up and properly dressed cable runs...all good.
Choice of cable used matters too?
I use Oyaide Black Mamba v2 cable throughout the install.
I tried lengths of a few different spur cables when planning it all, these are the best I’ve heard, and came out better than both top end Furutech and Furakawa spur cable.
Its this stuff. http://www.neo-w.com/english/black-mamba-α.html)
Found my mains to be fairly stable at just over 230V, so no need for regulation or regeneration here, especially with balanced mains plumbed in.
Cant fit a dedicated run back to the CU at my property, or I would, so this is s good as it gets for me, and I’m very happy with the improvements.
No foil aerials to pick up any stray radio frequency anything :eyebrows:
Thats the Chappie!
A wise man shared some wisdom on that one once...
Unless there's a separate Consumer Unit etc. etc, blah, blah, then the chances are that all the neutrals are common anyway so little to no isolation in reality as far as I understand it....
My dedicated ring does use a separate 'consumer unit': a Hager 32A RCCB.
Ultimately all the neutrals will be connected together at the meter; the point is the length of cable between an interfering source back to the common connction point and thence on to the rest of the audio components. The longer the cable length, the more cable resistance there is to dampen the high frequency spikes generated by SMPSs.
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