Big sonic improvements for little or no $

Do you have any idea how reassuring it is to learn that you aren't using a high-dollar power conditioner?

So my thin crappy wire might not sound any worse than thick crappy wire? Cool!

Seariously, I have a some long runs, up from the gear...across the ceiling joists and down to the speakers...25-30 feet. Nothing to be gained just going from 20 guage to 16 guage?

 

Blencathra, are you following me?

 

It's not entirely intuitive. First you need a concrete floor. It just won't work on a suspended floor. But on a stable concrete floor the speakers just settle in. It is a pain in the butt positioning speakers that are floated though because you have to move the three feet around under whatever is sitting on them to get them to properly float. Everything has to be extremely level too. I floated my subwoofer on Aurios pro isolation bearings and the reduction in floor born vibrations from the sub is quite shocking.

 

That makes more sense - I hadn't thought about concrete flooring. Floorboards are more common here perhaps - I certainly have never lived anywhere with anything but wood.

 

Hi Mike the fish,

I'm sorry but I don't know what you mean by "AC multi-blocks".

What I hear with cleaned up AC is a "blacker" silence between notes (less noise deep in the background), more articulate (i.e. defined) bass and a cleaner, less "grungy" upper midrange and treble.

I can't speak for what anyone else will hear and suggest an audition in your own system if possible. As I mentioned, I got my first conditioner with a 30-day return privilege. If I didn't hear an improvement, I'd have gotten my money back pronto.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi Blencathra,

It depends on what you mean by "stable".
The speakers will jiggle when pushed, unlike speakers on spikes or cones. However, this does not mean the speakers will roll backward in Newtonian fashion, when the diaphram moves forward. The resonance of a well designed roller bearing will be well below any audio frequency, even those generated by a subwoofer.

Bass flabby? On the contrary, I hear it as better defined, more dynamic and with more "air" around it (if such is contained in the recording of course).

When I first tried this, it was a challenge to the conventional wisdom of mounting the speaker as rigidly as possible. (By this I mean the whole speaker, not the drivers on the speaker structure, which in my experience, must be rigidly mounted.) One listen told me that as far as I'm concerned, the conventional wisdom is in need of revision.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi Scott,

In my experience, the benefits on their on a suspended floor too but not as much as with a solid foundation.

By the way, I float my speakers not so much to prevent vibrations from getting out but to prevent them from getting in.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Yes, you will get a significant improvement if you replace old outlets (the ones in my apartment were originals from the '70s) with ones from Home Depot. But even among inexpensive outlets there are choices - and some are better than others. The Pass and Seymour 5242-I are my preference.

 

Gauge matters, up to a point. I suggest reading this:
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#introduction

 

Barry,

Do you mean something like these?

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/73030

Or are you referring to something custom made?

Eric

 

Hi jstraw,

Please be clear on what I said:
I suggest going by how it sounds and not looking at numbers, which ultimately don't tell you anything about how it will sound to your ears in your system.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi Eric,

Definitely not something like those. Unless I'm mistaken, that product does not allow for free motion of the ball. Without the motion, you have a coupler - the diametric opposite of an isolator.

I designed Hip Joints, my own roller bearings, after hearing some commercial varieties and feeling I could do better for less cost. That said, there are a few commercial designs where the ball rolls freely and they will accomplish the same general thing.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Barry, do you have pictures of your bearings and "egg-cup" designs. At the very least some of us are intigued I'm sure.

 

Oh sorry, I meant, say, a four gang cable/ four sockets at the end of 3ft or so of cable. You answered my question though. If I can also pick up on approval/return then I can't see a massive reason not to give it a try.

 

That is precisely what I was trying to say. Thank you.

 

Let me rephrase then... thick crappy wire might not sound any better than my thin crappy wores?

Is there no minimum guage per application? You could feed WAMM's a thousand watts with zipcord with no bottleneck, just a matter of how well you liked the sound?

 

I just purchased 2 pieces of 10"x10" Dynamat from Circuit City. I will use it to dampen the inside areas of my large Sony 333ES player.

Can glass marbles be used in place of ball bearings. I may try quarter size (boulder) marbles under each rubber foot of my CD player. Could someone describe a simple method using marbles?

 

Hi Blencathra,

I do not have any photos of the egg holders but they are available for pennies at many "crafts" stores.

Hip Joints (my roller bearing design) can be seen in action in the bottom photo on this page.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi jstraw,

I guess my communications skills are lacking these days. Sorry about that.

What I'm saying is if you're worrying about guage, you'll miss the point.
I'm suggesting you listen to the cables and make your decision based on what you hear and not on what numbers are printed on the package.

I can't suggest a minimum guage because I don't pay attention to guage.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Isolating your turntable, cd player, and amp in a closet aside from the listening room should cut down on vibrations, but you will have to use longer cable runs.

 

Barry, can you elaborate on this please?

 

Hi daved64,

Sure.

1. Find a bunch of cardboard boxes - the light brown ones things are packed in. Each should be at least 12" by 12" by something longer than that.

2. Gather all the newspapers you can find.

3. Crumple the pages, one at a time, as tightly as you possibly can. (One at a time, not a few at a time.)

4. Fill the boxes with these, stuffed as tightly as you can manage.

5. Tape the boxes shut.

6. Stack the boxes in the corners of your room. Ideally, floor to ceiling, one column in each corner of the room.

7. Listen.

The cost: A little effort and some dirty hands from the newsprint.

The benefits: If they're stuffed tightly enough, better bass control, more bass, even bass around the room, more overall clarity.

They ain't state of the art bass control but they will pleasantly surprise with just how much they accomplish.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com