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.

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...

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.

Interesting to find isolation works so well on Quads

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.  

I have not had much chance to listen to my essential calming music since my last somewhat shorter post, I have been dealing with the results of my wife having her first collision in 47 years of driving fortunately my wife though shocked was uninjured,it would seem at 40 mph the vehicle in front dived out of her line of traffic presenting her with stationary traffic, the boot of the car in front helped with her braking,  this was just a few days away from our car insurance renewal the insurance brokers on the night were recalcitrant & unhelpful to me when I phoned from home to say my wife was on the M25 London Orbital motorway refusing to authorise/arange removal they just gave me a reference number, not even enquiring as to whether my wife was ok, eventually at the scene after 40 minutes on the phone to a couple of agents my son who had gone to his mothers assistance extracted a phone number for the underwriters who were the total antithesis of the brokers  exceptionally helpful & careing enquiring during 3 or 4  phone calls how my wife was & ensuring that what was on their screens was the same on the ground, I have without hesitation renewed direct with LV the underwriters.

My very qualified son once the parts arrived, has stripped & rebuilt the nonstructural damage to the car in 3 days of work on his driveway with used bodywork & crash bar (just in case) of the same colour he made a 500 mile round trip to collect he bought a new radiator, intercooler & power steering pump, the air con was intact & is working.

The car we bought new is now quicker & more responsive than prior to the collision, it belies its 101000 miles, there was before an occasional slight hunting at tickover now bang on the correct 800 rpm, it is probable the intercooler had a slight leak they can develop due to having plastic end caps...

Whilst I was waiting for phone calls etc I ordered another 20x5mm clip on ferrites i spread them over 4 switching PSU's

yesterday I had a chance to listen to music there was another improvement to the definition of TV & computer monitor pictures & to both digital & analogue music both clarity & timbre have become more natural & to the acoustic as well sibilance is not distracting, to the extent that I may buy a few more.

I had of late noticed a slight problem with the selector switch not connecting correctly on the Ming Da MC7R preamp dismantling & cleaning with kontakt 10 (the old Servisol) has eliminated it for now, I have spoken to my valve go to & dear friend Mark Manwaring-White, when I have time for the long drive to him at Malvern Audio Research, he will replace the selector switch & fit a better quality volume control which I believe currently is an Alps blue.

stelabagpuss, The best part was my wife was unhurt just a bit rattled.
Officialdom has decreed there are no longer any accidents but collisions however to my pedantic mind even allowing for stupidity, anything other than an accident would be deliberate.  

Our previously immaculate Audi Q5 2.0 diesel, with air bags intact the triggers were not touched neither were the front parking sensors, our Audi fared better than the other car who was stopped minding his own business. Our son thankfully is a senior multiskilled technician at an airport  and fettles his VXR8 with 440hp at the back wheels plus Skoda VRS estate & BMW Touring

The Audi which I had the oil changed at 2000 miles from new (i'm old school)always serviced early still does 45-50 mpg on a run, the car goes to a tried & trusted paint sprayer for for bonnet & front panel on Monday. 

Last week I received an unexpected email from Josh at Stack Audio asking if I would like to try the Stack Auva EQ's under a piece of my equipment a couple of emails back & forth it transpires that Josh at Stack liked my previous write up about the Auva 50's & were offering 4 x "B" grade EQ's as a gift.

I decided that my Rogue Atlas Magnum power amplifier would be a suitable case for treatment. The 24kg Atlas Magnum sits on the floor on a pair of 22" square HDF boards separated by 4 rubber bobbin electric motor isolators.
This necessitates it being immediately behind the right hand OTA Quad 57 on its OTA Rupert stand.
The appropriate EQ's were the CSA 2's 16-40kg using 4 or individually 4-10kg each.

The Stack EQ's arrived this morning, it was a matter of a few minutes to place them fore & aft under the flat bottomed Atlas Magnum.

To be honest I was not expecting a vast difference, I played a Virgin box recording of Cat's it was instantly obvious something was happening it was louder on my usual MC7R preamp setting, after turning the volume down,it was not just that the bass deeper, it was cleaner sharper or more precise the lower & upper mid range recording was a little more forward & had better definition with treble to die for, not sharp/harsh or pipe & slippers smooth but clearer & more detailed everything has become more musical. Sound stage deeper & wider even more height information on a Chesky CD test disc. Voices stand out in the mix whether male or female recording after recording exhibited similar characteristics & the EQ's like the Auva 50's appear to improve over a couple of hours as they settle?
I have been very surprised at the difference that the EQ's have made I have said the EQ's were a gift had they not worked I probably would not have posted, however since they have proved remarkable I have,posted about these additions to the system removing/damping vibrations allowing an even cleaner signal to be amplified...

Music used Virgin box recordings Cat's 1999 not the recent crap film, performances of Indian classical music including Tabla,Sitar,Rudra Veena,flute's etc, Tubular Bells( Mike Oldfield) & War of the Worlds (Jeff Wayne) The Shadows farewell tour concert & highlights of orchestral recordings including The Messiah (Handel) with Iestyn Davies countertenor, on CD while(1<2)(deadmau5), LP's Transformer (lou Reed) Snowflakes are Dancing (Tomita)LP Tapestry (Carole King)LP, Dark Side of the Moon & Wish you Were Here (floyd).

Switched the system on today it sounded dire, then I realised that there was no sound from the right OTA Quad 57, when I looked, the positive speaker lead 4mm banana plug had snapped off, probably happened when I moved the speaker to straighten up the valves on the switched off Atlas Magnum power amp accidentally moved fitting the Auva EQ's during yesterday's session.  Thankfully the broken bits came out of the socket in two pieces with needle nose pliers

Once back in action if anything the sound was even more musical, it was apparent that resolving the minisual vibrations affecting the Atlas Magnum, either by being 12" behind a speaker or via the floor which is over a concrete void the previous owners had added extra joists screwed to the concrete through plywood spacers, then covered with 3/4" flooring chipboard, HQ underlay laminate flooring, were being attenuated by a lossy element &/or converted into heat according to the description in Stack literature of the Auva 50's & EQ 2 level function in removing vibrations.  

After fitting the Auva EQ's fine detail is more apparent when listening to a Darbar Festival Virgin box recording of an Indian Santoor performance (like a Dulcimer/Zither played with shaped bent sticks held between 2 fingers seemingly more flexible than the mallets used with a Dulcimer)  I have had the recording  for quite a while I realised I could now hear not just the strings vibrate when struck but also the faint sound of the Mezrab (sticks/mallets) hitting the strings. I played Walk on the Wild side the opening bass notes, double tracked,  double bass & bass guitar played by Herbie Flowers were the best yet, deep and detailed, the little guitar notes in the background in places also cleaner...   
The coloured girls   Dari Lalou, Karen Friedman, and Casey Synge collectively Thunderthighs now fill the soundstage.

Yesterday I hit information overload & had to just listen to The Mikado to level/chill out, what is next for me is open to suggestion.