View Full Version : Where to put your hifi
Mikeandvan
10-04-2019, 22:45
Does it make a blind bit of difference where you site your hifi? Which components benefit from proper siting? i.e. cdps, phono stages. The obvious one is a TT, I have that wall mounted. Then I have an old 2 shelf Target stand a customer gave me, on this I put my cdp and streamer. Then I have a long Ikea Kallax shelf, of the the bottom row is taken up with my records, then on one end of the to is my Quad 306, phono stage and passive. Am I likely to hear any benefit from changing any of this?
That's the TT shelf, probably not the best out there...…
https://live.staticflickr.com/1942/31899284008_13f9d88808.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/QAQaMj)IMG_20181016_163755580 (https://flic.kr/p/QAQaMj) by Mike Van (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145505522@N02/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/4896/30830717227_fd1bd0e0f8.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/NYpu78)IMG_20181016_163751351 (https://flic.kr/p/NYpu78) by Mike Van (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145505522@N02/), on Flickr
My set up now is roughly the same, only with Quad/passive/phono stage on Ikea shelf where streamer is, and cdp and streamer now on black Target 2 tier shelf.
https://live.staticflickr.com/4800/40065691424_6033343f3a.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/243t9cb)IMG_20180312_212246348 (https://flic.kr/p/243t9cb) by Mike Van (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145505522@N02/), on Flickr
Pepperamip
11-04-2019, 05:18
If your discounting speakers for their obvious and sometimes massive differences in placement, anything with moving parts benefits from from a solid base. For instance, the less error correction a cdp has to perform the better it sounds.
Only other consideration I can think of is heat and allowing components that get hot the room to dissapate that heat. Other than that I wouldn't care too much where they are placed. Becomes more about aesthetics than anything else imo.
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Lawrence001
11-04-2019, 06:21
There's also the distance apart/cable length issue for both speaker cables and interconnects. Should monoblocs always be near the speakers? If you have asymmetric speaker placement relative to the amp should you run both cables tree same length? Etc.
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. For instance, the less error correction a cdp has to perform the better it sounds.
This is incorrect.
Pepperamip
11-04-2019, 07:02
What I was trying to say was a player that doesn't skip when playing sounds more appealing than one that does.
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I’ve just recently bought an old radiogram/stereogram. A nice piece of ‘mid century’ furniture. It only had the radio and speakers left inside. I’ve taken what was left out, made hinges so the front drops down and put all my equipment inside. All the hifi except the turntable and speakers is now hidden from view. I think it is a very ‘tasteful’ solution.
Pepperamip
11-04-2019, 08:15
I've got a similar arrangement Andrew with all my gear inside a wide low level unit with ir repeaters getting the remote signals where they need to go
Only hifi bits on show are my preamp and the speakers. I prefer it all out of sight.
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There's also the distance apart/cable length issue for both speaker cables and interconnects. Should monoblocs always be near the speakers? If you have asymmetric speaker placement relative to the amp should you run both cables tree same length? Etc.
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In my system I have a monoblock amplifier placed directly behind each speaker. They are connected back to the preamp using balanced line cables; which because they run under the floor are not of equal length. The unequal length makes no difference to the overall performance.
In my system I have a monoblock amplifier placed directly behind each speaker. They are connected back to the preamp using balanced line cables; which because they run under the floor are not of equal length. The unequal length makes no difference to the overall performance.
mine are directly on top of each speaker. it doesnt seem to cause an issue. all cable lengths are equal
mine are directly on top of each speaker. it doesnt seem to cause an issue. all cable lengths are equal
Can't put my amps on top of the speakers - they're Quad 57s. The speaker cables are of equal length (30cm).
Lawrence001
11-04-2019, 10:47
In my system I have a monoblock amplifier placed directly behind each speaker. They are connected back to the preamp using balanced line cables; which because they run under the floor are not of equal length. The unequal length makes no difference to the overall performance.Balanced cables should be less affected by length by virtue of their design, I was more thinking eg. 1m vs 5m of speaker cable.
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What I was trying to say was a player that doesn't skip when playing sounds more appealing than one that does.
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There's no disputing that!
Pepperamip
11-04-2019, 10:55
How's yours set up Macca? I think I've seen a pic of your gear on an open stand or did I imagine that? Does it buckle under the weight of the Krell?
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Balanced cables should be less affected by length by virtue of their design, I was more thinking eg. 1m vs 5m of speaker cable.
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that swing of size of speaker cable might have an effect, depending mostly on capacitance of cable and the amp in question. if in doubt try and use relatively equal lengths. I prefer longer interconnects and shorter speaker wires personally if its possible(ie with monoblocks)
How's yours set up Macca? I think I've seen a pic of your gear on an open stand or did I imagine that? Does it buckle under the weight of the Krell?
I have an Apollo rack I bought about 25 years ago for the turntable to sit on. It did make quite a big improvement to the turntable's sound.
The Krell will not fit in it so it just sits on the carpet in front. WAF is through the floor and I don't use the TT anymore so could probably get rid of the rack altogether and improve the look of things but as always it's getting round to doing it. I'm not good at getting none-essential things done.
Pepperamip
11-04-2019, 13:52
Someone who is more interested in what's coming out the speakers than making things look pretty. Nowt wrong with that.
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Mikeandvan
11-04-2019, 18:14
I have an Apollo rack I bought about 25 years ago for the turntable to sit on. It did make quite a big improvement to the turntable's sound.
The Krell will not fit in it so it just sits on the carpet in front. WAF is through the floor and I don't use the TT anymore so could probably get rid of the rack altogether and improve the look of things but as always it's getting round to doing it. I'm not good at getting none-essential things done.
what's WAF?
Wife acceptance factor
For some it's one of the main restrictions on where you can put your hi-fi.
If its a shared area then it's understandably an issue to a point
Mikeandvan
11-04-2019, 21:45
Wife acceptance factor
Aaah. I have no wife. Just me and the dawg.
Mikeandvan
11-04-2019, 21:47
There's also the distance apart/cable length issue for both speaker cables and interconnects. Should monoblocs always be near the speakers? If you have asymmetric speaker placement relative to the amp should you run both cables tree same length? Etc.
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Emm, its a bit uncontrollable in that respect.
Mikeandvan
11-04-2019, 21:50
Thanks for all replies. Think most of my stuff is supported pretty well really. A few more pics, any obvious faults, please point them out.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7853/46673018465_93729acbe2.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e7kqjV)IMG_20190411_215058605_HDR (https://flic.kr/p/2e7kqjV) by Mike Van (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145505522@N02/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/7828/46864548294_156493f4fc.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2epg4tm)IMG_20190411_215126077_HDR (https://flic.kr/p/2epg4tm) by Mike Van (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145505522@N02/), on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/7813/40622478303_a24715af7a.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24TEPwX)IMG_20190411_215139241_HDR (https://flic.kr/p/24TEPwX) by Mike Van (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145505522@N02/), on Flickr
Still got old Naim A4 cables as Nait is still here waiting to be sold, as buyer might wanna hear it. Apart from that, speaker cables on top of intereconnects etc, is this wrong?
https://live.staticflickr.com/7914/46673017575_52eb3e66c7.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e7kq4z)IMG_20190411_215201779_HDR (https://flic.kr/p/2e7kq4z) by Mike Van (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145505522@N02/), on Flickr
Speaker cables, because they carry relatively high currents, might induce signals in interconnects.
Is that a bird's nest in the corner?
Mikeandvan
11-04-2019, 22:26
Speaker cables, because they carry relatively high currents, might induce signals in interconnects.
Is that a bird's nest in the corner?
Its a coiled up Naim cable, still connected to naim amp which i'm selling, so not powered up.
Looks nice and neat. So many people seem to be constantly looking for perfection and tweaking stuff it baffles me I wonder do they ever have time to play music or is faffing about more important.
im guessing faffing is fun.
im guessing faffing is fun.
Indeed, ask Jerry. :P
Looks nice and neat. So many people seem to be constantly looking for perfection and tweaking stuff it baffles me I wonder do they ever have time to play music or is faffing about more important.
I don't know for certain but I suspect some of the box swappers spend a lot of time listening to music, more than the average 'Had the same system for 20 years and am perfectly happy with it' bloke.
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