The ultimate snake oil

[magiccarpetride]

Being an extreme subjectivist, I am not holding my hopes high that anyone here will take my findings seriously (since my audiophile peers seem to think I am the Taliban of audio subjectivism), but I nevertheless cannot restrain myself from sharing this anecdote:

I did an experiment over the weekend by moving my main audio system into my music studio. I decided to do that because my music studio is symmetrical in shape, while my main listening area is anything but symmetrical. And I've read a lot about the importance of symmetry in good audio reproduction, and all that jazz.

Anyway, to cut the long story short, after making the move and arranging everything to the tee (took me bloody long time to get there, was using my measuring tape a lot), I was deeply disappointed with the results and was forced to go back to square one. So, after many hours of absolutely unnecessary labor, I've managed to put things back exactly the way the were on Sunday morning, before I started with this idiocy.

So, the joke is on me, right? But not so fast -- once the system was put back in its original place and state, I've fired it up, and holly Jesus! it sounded actually better than before.

I know, I know, I ran out of cache and any street cred with my endless 'better than before!' exclamations, but there you have it. The audio now sounds better, plain and simple.

How's that possible? Is this the ultimate snake oil (i.e. gut your audio system, haul it into another area in the house, spend hours putting it up in a painstaking manner, then undo everything, put things back exactly the way the were placed originally, and voila! -- you have better sound.

[John]

Plugging and unplugging can clean electrical contact

[ourdogmax]

Plugging and unplugging can clean electrical contact

Agree with John, This just happened to me too.

The late Dave Hewitt gave me a double wall rack the day before he died.

The outcome was a major improvement in the sound.

Now it could be because of the contacts getting a wipe or the fact there is no longer a large glass and steel rack in the middle of the soundstage.

I dunno, but it worked a treat.

[AlanS]

In say early April disconnect all your kit and take the boxes, not the cables, for a drive in the country. You wont believe the difference a change of air will make.

[ourdogmax]

In say early April disconnect all your kit and take the boxes, not the cables, for a drive in the country. You wont believe the difference a change of air will make.

Very good, it does me the world of good too.:lol::lol::lol:

[AlanS]

Very good, it does me the world of good too.:lol::lol::lol:

I find any change in routine, weather, time of day (night and day), state of health, mood, any more makes my system sound different. It is a subjective experience after all. If I think I hear a repeatable difference it is just an illusion.

[Barry]

I find any change in routine, weather, time of day (night and day), state of health, mood, any more makes my system sound different. It is a subjective experience after all. If I think I hear a repeatable difference it is just an illusion.

Having been a good boy: done all the shopping; a bit of tidying-up in the garden and most importantly, washed the car, I'm now basking in a slightly smug self-satisfied state of a job 'well done'.

Can't wait to fire up my system! :lol:

[twelvebears]

I'd say it was both the 'refreshed' electrical contacts of all the cables PLUS the fact that you'd just heard the system sound pants in the other room.

Incidentally, all the logic about symmetry goes out the window if you introduce a bunch of standing waves and reflection points. In many cases, an even system layout (listening distance from each speaker) combined with an odd shape room will sound better.

[theophile]

I'll be the devil's advocate here and ask how long has it been since you last changed the position of your speakers?How long had they been in that one spot?

In some situations,with some systems very small differences in the position of the speakers relative to the walls etc,angles of toe-in all the way to some models being unduly sensitive about particular front baffle alignments.Are the speakers in precisely the same place as before(I know that this is totally possible)?

[magiccarpetride]

I'll be the devil's advocate here and ask how long has it been since you last changed the position of your speakers?How long had they been in that one spot?

In some situations,with some systems very small differences in the position of the speakers relative to the walls etc,angles of toe-in all the way to some models being unduly sensitive about particular front baffle alignments.Are the speakers in precisely the same place as before(I know that this is totally possible)?

It's been about a month since I last tweaked the speaker position. This time around, I made the right speaker slightly more toed in than the left speaker. This is because I've read some studies that claim how perfect symmetry in speaker positioning can produce troubling nodes of standing waves, and so it is recommended to have them positioned slightly off, not exactly like a perfect mirror image.

So what you're implying is that this slight change may have resulted in a sudden and unexpected improvement in the sound quality? Yeah, could be.

Or, I could turn this into a more negative reply by asking: "What on earth are you insinuating?"

[Ali Tait]

I'd agree with the breaking and re-making of contacts. I do this every so often and spray a contact enhancer I liberated from work on all connections. Makes a real improvement to my ears.