Best tweak?

What's the best tweak you know of or use?

One that made a small but worthwhile difference for me, and it's free, was the simple action of twisting L and R sides of my interconnects round each other. I think this helps to reject RFI (same principle as Kimber weaved cable).

I'm also a fan of the Ringmat support system - simple and easy way of adjusting VTA (and thus tracking force) record by record.

Finally, more an accessory than a tweak, but Pledge fluffy dusters are great for flacking surface dust off CDs and vinyl...

 

Sad I know but I read an article on CD static build up - selling some expensive anti static spray - and figured it was worth a look. Down to the local hardware £1.65 Sparkle anti-static (stops dust build up) polish. Pulled out an old unloved CD and polished the lable side. Yep the wife thinks I'm mad, however they all get polished now. A bigger difference than any cable upgrade I've made. Others who've tried have been impressed...

 

that must be cdp dependant .....I gave it a whorl but could not tell if there was any change ...certainly not big enough to notice. Which just goes to show..... having a source with two outputs to rca I can fit two dissimilar ic's and switch between each cable with appreciable sonic differences ....not nessesarily better of course that a personal taste thing.

As for free tweaks [or very nearly] try the small amount of hand cream and I mean small ! rubbed onto the label side of a cd....

tweaks for a few pounds ..... wooden feet made by a member on this forum, these have blown away 20 to 30 people who continue to use them, several being tweak skeptics ! .....you'd think a belcanto cdp on a posh support would be immune to the wooden puck trick ...but its not !

 

pete - we all know that the hand cream twaek is a hoax - and it orignated on here...I just can't belive you're telling people to use it...shame on you!

https://www.audio-forums.com/as-rediect/showthread.php?t=16666&highlight=hand+cream

 

sorry to disappoint you but your information is incorrect ....

this is a generic tweak ....you can use all sorts of viscous oily fluids even sebum if you wish.

This has some origins in peter belt ...use of there so called electret creams ..

the basic idea is reduction of static ..imo but it's a littlemore complexed than that as a zerostat will remove static.

if you've not tried it ...don't be so quick to dismiss it !

you will of course need two identical discs ...one treated and one not.

oh and I thought it was bunkum too ....till I took the time to experiment a little.

I did and now again pass this on.......

As with all tweaks some systems are more sensitive to them than others .....so if your not hear any changes or difference etc ....it just means your not hear any change or difference ...and not that it doesn't work.

Having just reread through your link again twice I must have missed the "This is a hoax" post ?

or are you taking someone elses word for it without trying it yourself ?

 

give me strength

 

but I did try it - http://www.zerogain.com/forum/showpost.php?p=209411&postcount=4

more fool me I guess...

the larkrise (the original poster) went on later to say something like about the power of persuasion can make people try out these foolish methods...and if you remember correctly larkrise bever actually tried it out himself and later went to to say that he wouldn;'t recomend anyone else trying it!

 

see this thread -
http://www.zerogain.com/forum/showpost.php?p=209465&postcount=35

eventho larkrise managed to edit all of his thread - some quote do remains...

 

Zanash, surprised it did nothing for you. It was repeatable and very noticeable with a Copland 823. The most striking difference - the way sounds lost in the mix gained body and became noticeable parts in the music - detail retrevial I guess. I haven't done a disc since I got the Wadia, stable platter mech may mean there is a less noticeable effect? Will have to see...

 

getting ears syringed

cupping ears behind head to hear the treble better and also to understand the influence of the room

buying only well mastered copies of my favourite music

buying 80s cds
selling remastered cds from the past ten years

not fucking about with my hifi

 

kt66

what's the deal with 80s cds - were they mastered better than Cds of other periods? or is it that the music of that era is more to your liking?

 

I think he's probably meaning that most modern music has been mastered for the mp3 market - and therefore sound shite...

one of the worst example I have is hard fi's stars of cctv - I had that in my auld banger and it sounded ok (car noisy as hell tho), but then I played it on my system, is sounded really bad...

 

Fair enough kt66, having said that if fucking about with the system makes you happy does it matter... hey just think of all that money left to spend on music if screwing around means you dont feel the urge to pop another £!K on an amp. Come to think why waste time on a thread your not interested in, you could be listening to well mastered tunes!

 

I find persuading the kids to play outside helps enormously .

 

Yes, I tried that a day or two ago.

It worked very well, for me, I have to say.

Major difference in sounds stage.

Cheers Pete, the cones will have to wait. House work I'm afraid is now on the cards before the damn place actually falls in around me.

 

most 80s CD were just LP transfers to digital , they are straight EQ'd copies - remastered CDs used noise reduction, smiley EQ, sound LOUD, compressed

Look at stevehoffman.tv
or search epay for Target CD and prepare to be shocked.
So hang on to those early CDs they will go up in value,

 

i am !

 

You're prob right re some 80s CDs, having said that a fair few of those I've returned to have turned a nasty shade of gold and won't play any longer.

Enjoy you're tunes - I finally got around to getting Wellers Wildwood, its humming along nicely for an artist I'm not usually that keen on!

 

I recently 're-discovered' Wildwood, excellent album.

Isn't it great when you pluck out an album you haven't listened to in ages and are gobsmacked at how good it is? Of course, the opposite also happens...

 

I like Wildwood but its Stanley Rd that does it for me. I dont really know his cataloge. Anything else worth looking out?