NJF
Joined: 05 Oct 2007
Location: Luxembourg, Strassen
Posts: 356
 
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| Hi-Fi, cables, crosstalk, and other kit myths |
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I had dinner tonight with some colleagues and talk got onto Hi-Fi kit and connections. We found that we had a shared interest in some of the kit sold by Russ Andrews (http://www.russandrews.com). I've bought some of their power cords, with special plugs and power filters and some of their component cable, and I've been very happy with it.
Now the Russ kit is very good but there are limits to my imagination and my hearing. For example, I can't quite bring myself to believe that putting my DVD player on oak cone feet will make it sound better. (Russ says, "Placing Oak Cone Feet under your Hi-Fi equipment - even if you are using Torlyte - will give a large and obvious improvement. The sound becomes clearer, cleaner, more dynamic, and much more stable and 'solid'. Astonishing... but true!") One of my colleagues insisted it was true. He also said that the best upgrade for a Linn turntable was to put a reef knot in the power cable. I have no doubt that he was serious.
Any views? Should I upgrade my speaker cables to the "BiFocal-XL KIMBER Speaker Cable Mono", a bargain at £925 for 8ft, or leave the wax in my ears and buy a winch instead?
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 Thu May 15 2008 8:57pm |
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NoDo$h
Joined: 02 May 2006
Location: Dodging peanuts
Posts: 5710
 
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Buy the winch.
I confess the sound of my gear is way better since I put it on an Atacama Nexus stand and I do have a mains conditioner (Isotek) that really does remove huge amounts of interference, but I draw the line at cables over £15/m as you start getting into the crazy world of ever-decreasing returns, especially since I pushed in the tweeters on BOTH speakers by accident when moving them recently  wd40 has lubrication properties similar to spit. And what's good enough for the girls......  Going, going...... Gone!
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| Thu May 15 2008 9:31pm |
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blue meanie
Joined: 04 Aug 2005
Location: out of sync
Posts: 2474
 
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accidentally damaging one tweeter is unlucky, two though...?
definitely buy D3 stuff NJF though  " take two chicken nuggets and sti..."
Last edited by blue meanie on Thu May 15 2008 9:36pm; edited 1 time in total
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| Thu May 15 2008 9:36pm |
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Shrinky
Joined: 05 Jul 2007
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 760
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Maybe I should try that cable on my AMSTRAD Tower system  Global Warming.... I'm luvvin it.
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| Thu May 15 2008 9:36pm |
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NoDo$h
Joined: 02 May 2006
Location: Dodging peanuts
Posts: 5710
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blue meanie wrote:accidentally damaging one tweeter is unlucky, two though...?
Didn't realise I'd done it until afterwards.
New tweeters are about £30 each (MS906 speakers) but the only people in the UK to sell them are Richer Sounds and they won't sell them over the phone or net, insisting I come in to buy them. On top of that, they insist I bring the whole speaker in rather then just taking in the tweeter. I'm probably going to buy new speakers elsewhere rather than put up with that kind of disservice wd40 has lubrication properties similar to spit. And what's good enough for the girls...... Going, going...... Gone!
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| Thu May 15 2008 9:40pm |
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NoDo$h
Joined: 02 May 2006
Location: Dodging peanuts
Posts: 5710
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£52 each  is too steep given the original purchase price of the speakers. Nah, I feel something from Monitor Audio or KEF could be gracing my lounge soon(ish). Got to get a new laptop first wd40 has lubrication properties similar to spit. And what's good enough for the girls...... Going, going...... Gone!
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| Thu May 15 2008 9:53pm |
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Maverick
Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Location: Aberdeenshire!
Posts: 1474
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Its not still on fire is it?  Happiness is a vectored thrust! (As seen on a Harrier GR3)
 1980 Series 3 restoration - Mine
 Very dirty 1996 Defender 90 - Soon to be mine!
 Stornaway Grey D3 HSE - Dads!
Asure Blue S1 Lotus Elise - Also dads!
Relentless in one hand, Strongbow in the other!
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| Thu May 15 2008 9:58pm |
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DrLex
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Location: Ciderspace [Oi be in Zummerset]
Posts: 1273
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NoDo$h wrote:... Nah, I feel something from Monitor Audio or KEF could be gracing my lounge soon(ish)....ll:
Canton might be of interest - reasonable price and good sound - a good offer here, if Richer Sounds doesn't have a good alternative. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana
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| Thu May 15 2008 10:02pm |
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NJF
Joined: 05 Oct 2007
Location: Luxembourg, Strassen
Posts: 356
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For the last 5 years I've had these on the wall around a Panasonic plasma screen:
http://www.podspeakers.com/Products/Cinepod.aspx
http://www.podspeakers.com/Products/Minipod.aspx
In black with yellow cones mounted on an anthracite painted wall, they look the dogs  . They're fine for films and with a TD Eclipse sub-woofer they pass the surround sound test (Master and Commander, first battle scene, volume well up, make sure the neighbours are out) but they don't really cut the mustard for audio. Tweeters are pretty much indestructible, though: tested by kids below 5 years, for 5 years, no damage.
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| Thu May 15 2008 10:10pm |
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Neil Pettersen
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Location: Trinity Beach Cairns Queensland
Posts: 421
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| Re: Hi-Fi, cables, crosstalk, and other kit myths |
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NJF wrote:... Should I upgrade my speaker cables to the "BiFocal-XL KIMBER Speaker Cable Mono", a bargain at £925 for 8ft?
I've upgraded to ; http://www.kimber.com/Products/LoudSpeakerCables/8TC/8TC.aspx
GBP 300 for 2 by 2.5m terminated with pins.
Running Quad 989 by ARC D115 with Naim CDX2.
Noticed a good improvement over Van Den Hul hybrid CS112
Going crazy on price is a real diminishing return.
Made my own eqip. feet from sorbothane sheeting......use a voltage regulator here due to low volts......
especially in the summer when everyones A/C is running. disco3.co.uk : We all know nothing about something
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| Thu May 15 2008 10:17pm |
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dick dastardly
Joined: 29 May 2007
Location: wot satnav says
Posts: 342
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 use winch cable for the speakers, best of both worlds  Red Indian wisdom: If you must jump canyon, dont do it in 2 steps.
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| Thu May 15 2008 10:30pm |
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Neil Pettersen
Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Location: Trinity Beach Cairns Queensland
Posts: 421
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Need a front and rear winch for stereo disco3.co.uk : We all know nothing about something
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| Thu May 15 2008 10:36pm |
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monkey hanger
Joined: 17 Jan 2008
Location: London
Posts: 211
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the best Cables and connections are only ever as good as your source- what do you have?
Get a granite/marble place mat from some discount shop or leftover from your kitchen and put your kit on it on the floor if you have to.
Cut two squash balls in half and put them under the player on the granite. - i like the sorbothane suggestion!
I dont think Biwiring makes any difference unless you biamp.
Make sure the kit is properly earthed and has a deacent power source from your home circuit but I dont use those power supplies/conditioners
Theres a nutter neighbour of mine who has a completely seperate consumer unit for his hifi and copper earthing cables going out the wall into his garden to a gravel pit which is watered when he listens to music.
He is into Linn though.......and he hates my Naim kit so there you go "its probably a virus, you'll be right as rain in a few days and if you're playing sport try to favour the other leg"
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| Thu May 15 2008 11:41pm |
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