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Post by MartinT on Apr 6, 2024 18:01:52 GMT
If it's at all possible, have a sparky install some more double sockets in the wall. Direct to the ring mains is going to be lower impedance.
Change them to unswitched for further improvements.
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Post by palace on Apr 8, 2024 13:09:49 GMT
It was Tony who told me to "get those ferrites off that cable" when he came over once, and light started to dawn on me as to how they are a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Not only did I remove all snap-chokes from my system, I also removed all the Mad Scientist Magic Tubes, too. Let the cables and isolation do their job. That sense of "sat on" lifted completely with the music allowed to breath, and finally I was on a good path to where I am now. I only use ferrites to suppress SMPS power supplies of other equipment around the house. Without the encouragement & contributions of MartinT to keep exploring, Mike Music ferrites on switching PSU's, HD Music & Test re the removal of ferrites from digital leads on this thread plus others contributions on other threads culminating in a sound that I dreamed of... I'm watching a video recorded on my Virgin HD Tivo box of a 2017 50th Anniversary live Toronto gig Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues who played the whole of the 1967 album, for the very first time live, though opening with I'm Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band) with the brilliant Norda Mullen on flute, I had never before noticed the flute part of I'm Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band) was so so similar to Ian Anderson's flute on the 1969 single of Living In The Past by Jethro Tull. I'm not suggesting Ian anderson copied just a coincidence. I watched this video last year before my efforts to combat RFI/EMI 50hz hum at that time the sound was "cluttered" for want of a better description, now both recorded & replayed with reduced noise it's almost sounding "slower" it is more open, it is a performance not just a recording even the audience sounds real, real bass, the voice over by Jeremy Irons now sounds authoritative Like the man I once spoke too, neither do the Moody sound well past their best now. I'm seriously enjoying this. MartinT has a point about streaming which I suppose this technically is, it's now a bloody good way to listen to music, though a similar openness & depth has also become apparent to the vinyl side, for me I can't/won't chose twixt my children
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Post by palace on Apr 13, 2024 18:47:59 GMT
Early on in this thread I wrote about covering the unused phono inputs with brass phono plugs wrapped with anti-interference tape on the spare MM phono sockets on the Croft phono stage. Today I read about Shorting Plugs on the front of a Russ Andrews brochure, so I took 2 copper foil wrapped phono plugs & connected the centre pin & case. Knowing they can only be used on inputs NOT outputs where their use will result in loud expensive bangs. I took out the single phono plug from the Croft, there should have been 2 , then I fitted the 2 new shorting plugs total silence the same when I put on a record. Mark Manwaring-White at my request did not use a switch between MM & MC for less degradation of sound, after fitting the SUT's my plugs shorted the cartridge, a potential problem I had considered so out they came I clipped out the shorting wire from both phono plugs and being thankful that I'm ambidextrous used my left hand as earlier to plug the just shielded phono plugs back in, quietly played part of an LP, and whilst arm on the rest volume on full now both channels are matched very quiet not just the left channel being slightly quieter. As my wife has tiitus I will wait until Monday to evaluate another possible improvement. On monday I will also order from Stack Audio 8 x Auva 50 anti-vibration feet with M6 adapters for my One Thing Audio Rupert stands under my OTA Quad 57's. They are getting superb reviews. I was born left handed my school in the early-mid 1950's forced me to use my right hand hence being ambidextrous.
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Post by palace on Apr 13, 2024 20:57:32 GMT
Tonight I ordered online from Stack Audio 8 x Auva 50 anti-vibration feet with M6 adapters for my One Thing Audio Rupert stands under my OTA Quad 57's unfortunately I had to pay full price the discount code "7.5wigwamgroup" was shown as expired.
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Post by palace on Apr 14, 2024 7:56:13 GMT
Tonight I ordered online from Stack Audio 8 x Auva 50 anti-vibration feet with M6 adapters for my One Thing Audio Rupert stands under my OTA Quad 57's unfortunately I had to pay full price the discount code "7.5wigwamgroup" was shown as expired. After ordering I found that the price of £441.50 I paid was dearer than the Ebay price of £435 plus £5 standard delivery? I sent Stack Audio a query message on their system...
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Post by palace on Apr 15, 2024 10:53:26 GMT
Tonight I ordered online from Stack Audio 8 x Auva 50 anti-vibration feet with M6 adapters for my One Thing Audio Rupert stands under my OTA Quad 57's unfortunately I had to pay full price the discount code "7.5wigwamgroup" was shown as expired. After ordering I found that the price of £441.50 I paid was dearer than the Ebay price of £435 plus £5 standard delivery? I sent Stack Audio a query message on their system... The salient points of a reply to my message to Stack Audio, from Josh "Thank you for bringing these issues to our attention. The code had no end date so i'm surprised to hear that it didn't work. I have refunded the 7.5% and the shipping, this should now be back in your PayPal account." What brilliant customer service... So the discount code "7.5wigwamgroup" should still be valid...
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Post by palace on Apr 16, 2024 13:43:05 GMT
Josh at Stack Audio email'd me conforming the discount code is valid.
My Auva 50's should arrive by Fedex tomorrow, I was just listening to Minnie Riperton Perfect Angel & Adventures in Paradise on a single CD so sad she was taken so young leaving her child & husband.
I played a few tracks on my Sony BDP S6700 DVD/CD & several other formats player via my Caiman SEG50 & Dorado 3, including of course the track "Lovin' You" it sounded good, as was once posted I'm an inveterate tinkerer so I switched to my old Cambridge CD4se CD player via the Caiman SEG50 what an improvement dare I say stunning, finer detail, deeper bass & Minnie Riperton's voice more articulate more body smoother particularly with her famous high notes on "Lovin' You" I should not be surprise since I was led to understand the CD4se was discontinued because it was relatively inexpensive & outshone far more expensive models in the range. The BDP S6700 is a good DVD player that does play CD's well just that the CD4se though a one trick pony does it better.
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Post by palace on Apr 17, 2024 11:19:13 GMT
Regarding entry above I received an email this morning
wed 17/04/2024 10:39
Hey John,
Hope that you are well. Theo said it was a pleasure speaking to you a moment ago. Just for clarification on the code, it works with Loudspeaker Isolators and our Equipment Isolators. At this time it is not active on the SmoothLAN Network Filter due to excessively high demand at full price vs stock levels.
The code is 7.5wigwamgroup, it is currently active until the end of May.
When I spoke to Theo a while ago he was apprehensive that the Aura's would work with Quad 57's indeed any electrostatics as did not feel they produce the energy of other types of speaker.
Since I have good bass in my room & when touching the OTA Quad 57's when playing music there was considerable vibration in the knowledge there is a return period I ordered 8 x Auva 50's
The Auva 50 footers arrived earlier this morning than expected beautifully packed & substantial, very well engineered.
I had them assembled & fitted in minutes. I immediately heard the bass though just as deep has lost a "bloom" making double bass, though still with it's plummy note, sounding even more natural, bass drums whether pop or orchestral still have a distinct punch.
Trebel & midrange are cleaner, subtle sounds are easily discerned, like the sound of snare drums or Tabla indeed the difference twixt wooden Tabla & metal Punjabi Dholl, is more distinct, the strings of Sitar or Rudra Veena & Sarod are vibrant as are the guitars on a recording of the Shadows farewell tour concert.
Voices on complex coral works have more separation, on a recording of Cat's on my Virgin HD Tivo box of Cat's, on one number 3 "cats" sing a background corus their voices sounding very Andrews Sisters which I think was the intent. This also applies to male voices. There is a greater sense of the acoustic on live performances or the the studio reverb applied by the engineer...
Touching a OTA Quad 57 frame after fitting the Auva 50's playing music the perceived vibration is reduced in amplitude. Theo Stack did say as the contents of the 50's settle they should improve things further. After 3 hours that appears to be verified.
The music used to asses the Auva 50's : while(1<2)(deadmau5) CD, The Mikado on DVD, several performances of Indian classical music also Tubular Bells(Mike Oldfield) & War of the Worlds (Jeff Wayne) The Shadows farewell tour concert & snippets of orchestral recordings including The Messiah (Handel) with Iestyn Davies countertenor, via recordings on my HD Tivo box. Snowflakes are Dancing (Tomita)LP Tapestry (Carole King)LP, Dark Side of the Moon & Wish you Were Here (floyd) LP's.
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Post by MikeMusic on Apr 17, 2024 14:17:01 GMT
Interesting to find isolation works so well on Quads
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Post by palace on Apr 17, 2024 15:04:55 GMT
Interesting to find isolation works so well on Quads Whether it's because my OTA Quads sit on OTA Rupert stands beneath is a concrete floor, with extra joists screwed to it then 3/4" particle board floor with underlay covered in laminate flooring having a peculiar resonance or room shape together with my efforts to reduce RFI/EMI 50 hz hum & Rogue Atlas power amplifier have delivered more bass than most 57's though all are capable of better bass.
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Post by palace on Apr 18, 2024 11:15:17 GMT
This morning after a good sleep I woke up realising I had put the comprehensive fitting instructions for the Auva's to one side before fitting them having spent hours pouring over video's of Auva's in all 50,70 & 100 guises in my excitement at the sound when first fitted, I had not adjusted them for height, just set them all at minimum.
The fixing adapters are M8 at one end the other end specific to your application in my case the OTA Rupert stands have brass M6 inserts. I had firmly locked the M8 thumb nuts fixing the adapters to the Auvas before fitting.
l had not locked the M6 thumb nuts to the bottom of the OTA Rupert stands, I rotated the front Auvas only lifting the front of the OTA Rupert's a few millimeters until minimum movement of the speaker by rocking at the top, I then locked what are described as thumb nuts, though they are not knurled like the M8 thumb nuts possibly a later addition to the printed instructions round but with "flats" to fit a supplied spanner. Though Stack Audio sent sets of screw in spikes with a hard floor, I have used the felt bottoms that Auva 50's come fitted with .
Now the bass is even tighter, a Virgin HD Tivo recording of Norah Jones at Ronnie Scotts is so life like & so intimate with drums & bass homogenising with her piano & voice though each remaining a separate entity. On another recording Carly Simon on the QE2 her voice has a slight change of timbre with a warmer or more relaxed backing orchestra & singers but all more distinct. Even TV adverts sound has improved with less fuzz? bloom around baritone/tenor male voice overs.
On another HD Tivo recording with Anna Lapwood playing The Albert Hall organ (the voice of Jupiter) on the Saint-Saens organ symphony 3rd Symphony (the organ symphony) is outstanding.
I wonder whether my next moves might track the approach that MartinT & others have taken on the digital side though I am happy with the Caiman SEG 50 & Dorado 3, perhaps a couple of linear PSU's, though I'm not pleading poverty my wife pranged our Audi a couple of weeks ago her first in 47 years of driving & we are in the process of buying our freehold so not a good time to add much.
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Post by palace on Apr 29, 2024 11:41:04 GMT
I would also suggest digital interconnects as well Not in my experience, however your take may be different in your undoubtedly sophisticated set up... HD Music & Test Wrote "I would also suggest digital interconnects as well" this was the reason that I removed the ferrites from my coax digital leads with stunning results, after my latest foray with extra ferrites on switching PSU's & adding Y1 capacitors to plugs, I noticed whilst the TV picture was clear it was perhaps a little washed out. with the sage words of HD Music & Test in the forefront of my mind I removed 30 plus ferrites from the Virgin wall entry point to Hub 4 then DVD player HDMI to TV also Virgin box to TV leads, the last digital leads that had ferrites. I put the redundant clip on ferrites on to power leads particularly on to the switching PSU's leads. The colour saturation of the TV picture improved dramatically. Today I have played Virgin recordings, DVD's & LP's all show an improvement in lower RFI/EMI 50HZ noise, wider soundstage, better defined bass, nice, balanced and clear. again also an improvement in the acoustic & space around voices, instruments. My thoughtful wife had delivered a short 2 not 3 seater settee there was space for, so that it did not impinge on the R/H OTA Quad 57 the cloth covered settee deliberately chosen by her over possibly audio reflecting leather. Whether the settee has helped with improving the bass as well as the ferrites or even more than the ferrites would be a guess. I'm listening as I type to a mono reissue of Pet Sounds incredible clarity bells/triangles & tamborine tinkle like never before, it is so laid/spread out between the OTA Quad 57's it sounds like a stereo soundstage the Croft phono modded by Mark Manwaring-White IS set to mono, bass clean & clear, voices, electric organ & guitars likewise. What a good digital transfer this is...
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