Setup vs. equipment
Join Our Community Subscribe to Paul's PostsEquipment in skilled hands performs differently than it does for a first time user. One of the best examples of this can be found in a video on YouTube. NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon plays the role of an inexperienced bumpkin taking a fast car for a test drive. Watching the video you have to feel sorry for the salesman taken by surprise, but at the same time, impressed with Gordon’s driving skills.
Without Gordon’s level of skill, it’s just a fast car. With it, the experience is transformed.
The same can be said for our stereo systems. Even the very best equipment can be transformed by skilled setup hands.
I am pretty good at setup, though there are plenty better than I. Jim Smith of Get Better Sound, Peter McGrath of Wilson Audio, and John Hunter of REL Acoustics come to mind.
The problem with sharing our skills is scarcity and distance. While any one of us might help you get better sound, there are far more of you than us and you likely don’t live close by. Which is why one of my long-term goals has been to put together a step-by-step setup package that is based around specific recorded materials and instructions of what to do with them and what to expect when they’re right.
Not to say I’ve actually made such a package. Just to suggest it’s an idea rattling around in my head and one day I’ll do it.
Unless someone else comes along first.
While this expertise is solely needed, we have to be careful to remember all such choices are still a matter of personal taste and experience.
Not to overstate my ability, but I recall the time I spent about 30 minutes tweaking a Wilson Alexia setup that had been done by Peter McGrath himself as it sounded a bit thin to me.
To my astonishment (as well as that of the store owner and staff) I was able to get it sounding what I felt to be more balanced overall.
Who was right? I assume Peter, as he has forgotten more about setting up Wilson Audio speakers than I will ever know – but we all agreed that, at least to us – my tweaks left the system improved.
One can only speculate wildly about the reasons for that.
That‘s the basic dilemma with classic stereo being based on the doubled reproduction of a single (!) sound source (one orchestra) via a pair (!) of loudspeakers. Thus there is a crosstalk phenomenon between left and right speaker output creating heavy comb filtering depending on the speaker set–up in the room. Then there are room modes too. Both effects in your listening room are unknown to the mastering engineer! And are you sure that both speakers present an identical output when even the volume setting of the preamp shows significant deviations from channel balance? Thus I like the idea of calibrated active speakers fed digitally.
Never heard of Jeff Gordon, but a British F1 driver recently pulled a similar stunt for an insurance advert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db7shqH9d6M
The Advertising Standards Authority then banned the advert for encouraging dangerous driving.
Assumed knowledge should be avoided. One should start at the beginning and provide a guide that can be used by someone who has never owned an audio system before. It may also avoid lawsuits. See for example:
http://www.harbeth.co.uk/speakers/userguide.php#Setup%20A
I googled Genesis speakers the other week and they had what looked like a sensible if detailed set-up guide for speakers generally.
http://www.genesisloudspeakers.com/whitepaper/Genesis_Loudspeaker_Setup_Procedure.pdf
There is tons of stuff on youtube. Mark Baker, who makes the extremely popular Origin Live tonearms, has put up some very clear videos on basic tonearm setup and cleaning.
https://www.youtube.com/user/OriginLiveInfo/videos
What I think should be avoided is:
– Assuming people are at liberty to place big amplifiers in the middle of the floor. For most people the location of kit is likely to be predetermined.
– Any advice that involves spending money. It is one thing to tell people to make sure a unit is level, it is another to tell them to go out and spend $1,000 on some levelling isolation device.
So anything to help people get the most FROM WHAT THEY ALREADY HAVE is most appreciated.
Do you know of any people who specialize in system setups in the Nashville, TN area? One would think with all the music and recording studios around here that surely there are some here?
Thanks
The best attempt at such a setup guide (that I have seen) is on the Cardas website:
http://www.cardas.com/room_setup_main.php
I would be interested in what you think, Paul. It has many of the right components. It addresses differing room shapes, room dimensions, provides a calculator for speaker placement, listening chair placement, discusses toe in, etc. I find it interesting that he provides a different setup calculation for dipole & monopole speakers.
It lacks subwoofer(s) setup and accoustic treatment advise, but I like how it’s organized and the tools provided. I just happened to see it when browsing the website.
Yup and this is a good example of a valiant effort that doesn’t work well. The reason is simple. How does anyone know when it’s right? My idea is to make an actual disc with instructions specific to the track on the disc. Perhaps a singer on track one. The goal would be to get that singer at an exact height, width, depth, etc.
I am sure that only you do not remember that such discs already exist, and it is called the one: “DENON Diigital Audio Check CD”. It contains 26 tracks of which the first 14 are for audio check with different test signals for basic checks, sweep signals, white noise, and anouncement for basic checks. The rest of the tracks contain carefully chosen segments of classical music in which the different instruments are highlighted, including the organ and the most beautiful of all: The Human Voice. Once you have become intimately familiar with the sound of these last tracks, you may notice when there is something wrong with your equipment or when you need to clean your connections.
And the other: David Cheski has done a similar job called: Sampler & Audiophile Test Compact Disc contains 30 tracks, being from track 10 to 30 Listening and Technical Tests.
Personally I feel more comfortable with the Denon, but this is a matter of familirity with any of them. Maybe Cheski’s album is more complete.
This with regard to the goal you say about the singer of your project.
It is Chesky, spelled with a “Y”.
There have been test discs/records going back at least 50 years. Shure used to offer one, I think the offer came with their cartridges. That one like the Hi-Fi Test Record was mostly turntable specific. Stereophile has I believe three generations of their disc, including correct channel and phase, along with test tones, and some music.
If I followed Paul’s post correctly, his would go in to more depth, using different music to illustrate what you should be hearing and how to get it. One track might cover imaging, another treble, and everything else, all the way through to bass.
I have never heard the Denon, but I have one the Chesky CDs. It tells you what you should be hearing, but not what to do if you don’t.
As a side note, it is either Vandersteen or the Sumiko method that recommends using Jennifer Warnes and Rob Wasserman’s “Ballad Of A Runaway Horse”. They tell you where to find it, either on the “Duets” album or on the 20th anniversary of Warnes “Famous Blue Raincoat”. My friend had played the K2 rerelease of “Duets”, so when I got home, I put on the 20th version. It sounded horrible, so he brought over the K2 version. The difference was extreme, so if someone wasn’t aware of the better recording, they would probably want to return their speakers. It is good for bass and her very pure vocals.
In the past I have used Huston Persons and Ron Carter’s “Now’s The Time” and the bonus track 10 on Chet Baker’s “Chet” for bass.
So I think Paul’s disc would be unique, compared to the other test discs, at least the one’s I have heard. I have never owned any Denon gear, other than a used CD player I bought for about $30 that I used in a second system. So I wasn’t aware they had put out a setup disc, actually I doubt most people are familiar with the Denon disc.
Hey, when did Bill retire from Legacy? A few months ago, I got their email newsletter with a picture of Bill premiering the new statement Valor speakers at one of the audio shows.
First of all my apologies for the typographical error, more remarkable still, for having had in my hands the Chesky JD37, whose track 12 is Acoustic Soundstage Depth Test.
If you read my comment carefully, it refers in its entirety, to what Paul indicated in his post at 8:09 a.m., for a greater objectivity I transcribe it here:
….. “The goal would be to get that singer at an exact height, width, depth, etc.”
The goal here proposed, was already developed 42 years ago in the Soundcraftsmen LP to calibrate the PE-2217, so I put only 2 examples of the digital age, which already meet these goals.
As for the instructions step by step, on what to hear and what not, I think that this goal is humanly impossible, because each room is acoustically different for each case, and in the post to which I refer, he does not offer this.
It is not my intention to be presumptuous, and I am honest to say it, but I have 4 sound rooms and 31 power amps. that I am constantly exchanging with several speaker systems, and for this work I find the disc Denon 33C39-7441 a very valuable tool, which I use almost daily.
About Legacy who retired was co-designer and technician: Doug Brown in December 2016, my apologies for the confusion.
You have 31 amps? You wouldn’t want to send me one or a pair that are high powered, and are voiced similar to the Legacy Coda amp. Since a friend gave me a Lindemann 825, my first upgrade, if I wasn’t broke would be to move up the Coda line to either their MS, MTs, or model 40 or a pair of model 60s. Before the Lindemann it would have been a Directstream, but the 825 is an exceptional DAC.
Although it would take a miracle to have enough money to first do home repairs, and have the money to buy amps.
I bought a couple of Legacy mono power amps a few years ago. and they were a real failure sonically speaking, fortunately I sold them practically without having used them, to someone who said that they had been manufactured by Coda, the power cable of these Legacy amps were 18 Ga. so that they were not designed to deliver the current that the Focus need.
I have tried an original (balanced) Coda of 110 w / ch stereo, that works in pure class A, It is from a friend who has the Whispers. This Coda, sounds quite warm and transparent, handling only the midrange and the treble of the Focus.
I am a recently retired civil engineer, and I play with my amplifiers every day, so I can not give them away because I am improving them very often and most of them sound better than when I bought them new ones.
A while back a guy had the Legacy Coda monoblocks for sale at $2500 for the pair. In my state, about an hour’s drive. I didn’t have the money.
They should have plenty of current, the transformers would have been a minimum of 1kv. I am using the stock cord on mine, it is 20 years old, and has been back to Coda twice. The last time they upgraded all the caps. I had problems with aftermarket cords, the inlet for the cords wasn’t able to grip them, and I was getting some transformer buzz. The stock cord I have is 16/3 I believe. I don’t think the cord is the determining factor. It is the size of the transformer, and the overall size of the caps in the power supply.
Did you listen to the monoblocks, with different power cords?
The only reason I would want more power is so the amps can cruise, mine plays louder than I would ever listen, and it controls those three woofers. You are right, it is not just a speaker that has full range bass, it is good from top to bottom. A good recording of female vocals, is impressive.
I can’t imagine screwing around swapping amps all the time. I find it very easy to forget about the gear, and get lost in the music. With a tube preamp, the Legacy [Coda] amp, is good. If I had the money, I would buy another Coda amp, and move mine to the bedroom system.
I respect your opinion about the Legacy amplifiers, but having tested the Focus with different power amps I found them totally anemic, lacking in authority, thin sound, and unable to handle the complex load that the passive Xover of those speakers means. Here I’m not talking about strength to get a high volume but the quality of the sound.
Since I had only one pair, I had to use them in Bi-wiring, and the result for me was disappointing, it’s true that I only used them around 48 hours to disappoint me, and I was lucky to get my money back thanks to someone who believed more in the Fame of Coda that in the sound of the amplifier.
The power cord tells you how much current you can drive to power the collectors in the output stage of an amplifier.
The Focus sounds delicious with a pair of Counterpoint SA-220 in vertical Bi-amping with the SA-5000 preamplifier, which is the ideal combination for listening to music such as Metamorphoses and Death an Transfiguration by Richard Strauss. The SA-5000 I have improved them by changing all the electrolytic capacitors with top audio grade Nichicon caps. The front end that I use in this arrangement consists of a Phillips 963 SA as transport, an Audio Alchemy Pro-32 antijitter and the DA-10 (20 bit zero feedack) Counterpoint DAC.
I have also used them with a pair of Luxman M-117, (not modified) they also have Mosfets in the output and I use them with a pre: Van-Alstine, I get a more dynamic sound than with the SA-220.
I’ve also used them with a pair of Adcom 5800 fully enhanced with Nichicon Fine Gold capacitors, always in vertical Bi-amping, using the balanced inputs that are fed by a Theta Jade transport with AES-EBU output, and the Benchmark Converter: DAC -1, using the balanced analog outputs.
I have also used them with a pair of Sumos: The Half Power, modified under the instructions of J. Bongiorno himself, who was my idol as a designer and who was ahead of his time, since they were the only amplifiers for home use, completely balanced From the input to the output, that is, each stereo amplifier has 4 amplifiers inside, I use the front end described above, obtaining maximum transparency using the Focus.
But when I want to listen to more dynamic material I use a pair of Crown Studio Reference 1, likewise in vertical Bi-ampiing with the balanced front end already described. These amplifiers are known as the Krell of the poor man because of the quality of their sound. The Focus really feel comfortable with such beasts (Damping factor: 20,000).
Without being a bit of arrogant, I think I have some experience in amplifiers acquired this, for decades.
Have you, a happy 2018.
It’s a great point. It does a good job of getting you to the first part of ballpark setup, but kind of stops there. I guess I never really thought of it from that perspective. I have my favorite setup tracks, and more or less, go through a somewhat tedious process after that that to optimize setup that I take “for granted”. I consider my self decent at the refinement piece, but I constantly get a dose of reality when a friend of mine comes over for a listen. My friend is an audio engineer who make his own line of stereo gear.
About a month ago, he came over with our regular listening group and within minutes noticed that the sound stage height was lacking…which he fixed. I’m not sure how you take years of experience and convert it to a formal method.
I wish there was a certification process for Audio like there is for video and I could have someone, like Jim Smith, audit my system and offer suggestions and tweaks. I’d like someone who is trained in Room acoustics to offer suggestions too.
The “danger” here is that with a better set-up and a few tweaks, you might find that you don’t really need to buy that new amp or speakers that you’ve been lusting for. Reflecting on yesterday’s post, it seems (from my very distant viewpoint) that there is a lot less development on the Pro Audio side regarding more accurate microphones than there is on the consumer side of the fence where virtually every category is “reinvented” on almost an annual basis. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
I dunno how big a danger that is – good setup would also make the better components better.
Re: accurate mics – there isn’t a whole lot of need for more accurate ones when we have some amazingly accurate ones available (such as DPA, TC, etc.), and accuracy is not always what is wanted for a given application. Not all instruments and singers sound their best without a bit of help from a mic with a given coloration.
Personally, I think if you only used accurate gear from mics to speakers, it would sound pretty awful on most performances in most venues.
There are also new sorts of things going on in mics, like the Slate mic system (forget the name) that uses a basically flat, characterless mic that you then add famous mic emulations to. So with one recording, you have a choice of virtual microphones in post. This is a bit against the current trend, which is to commit to a sound “going in” (going to tape or disc) as in the “olden days” rather than leave all options open and make endless choices in post.
Multitracks (and especially digital technology) made it possible to defer decision making for the first time. Prior to that, you had to choose your mics and get the best performance possible of a whole piece – and that was it. No “fix it in the mix”. Then we had decades of capturing everything with unlimited tracks and multiple mics, leading to some pretty excessive production, and famously long and expensive album recording processes.
Thanks for your insight, BB. I was aware that some singers insisted on using their own special mic. And was it Les Paul who invented multi-tracking? Or was it over-bubbing?
I quite agree with what you said about accurate mic to accurate speaker chains. A lot of times reality isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Same thing with live performances.
The Slate mic system sounds fascinating, btw.
Also, I haven’t heard much about tube based mics. I know Manley makes some. Are they still in use? Still (if ever) popular?
Absolutely – more popular than ever. An interesting new one is the Chandler Limited REDD mic – the first EMI branded mic in over 50 years, based on the REDD tube mic amps in the consoles in Abbey Road. Only 4,500 clams : )
And yes Les used to use a couple of machines and go back and forth, adding vocals and guitar parts, as on “How High the Moon”.
I checked this mic out, and they confirmed my suspicion that there has been precious little R&D in tube mics (at least). I quote: “Chandler Limited and Abbey Road Studios introduce the first new EMI badged microphone in over a half century, the ‘REDD Microphone’.” It looks to be quite a microphone from what I read. I also noted that it comes equipped with a 25′ length of Mogami microphone wire–something I experimented with as a budding audiophile for my home-brew interconencts. (It was decent, but I eventually moved on to thinner gauge, mil-spec silver plated copper wire which I boondoggled together.)
I once visited Abbey Road Studios back in the 1970’s, but that’s a very small footnote in my life.
Happy New Year, BB, and all.
Chose an admittedly retro mic as an example, sorry. And I also realized I was conflating TC (an altogether different company) with my old Earthworks TC30 mic matched pair (re: the accuracy thing). I sold them a while back, as they were fairly noisy.
Earthworks currently makes the M50, a pair of which I recently used in the studio, which are flat-as-dammit from 5Hz to 50kHz. Amazingly “accurate” mics, but they PICK UP EVERYTHING, including footfalls on the wooden floors, HF info you don’t want, etc.
Still – awesome.
Retro is cool, BB. I’m a tube guy. 300B, 845, etc.
Still waiting for Paul to catch up. 8-)
As far as I am aware, when you have the bucks to purchase Wilson, Vandersteen, or any of the other five figure speakers, it is expected that the dealer will deliver and setup. Many of the high bucks speaker companies, require the dealer to go to training seminars. Get into six figures and the company itself may send out someone.
Of course if you buy used, well unless you have spent a lot at your local dealer, and developed a relationship, you are on your own. Jim Smith makes house calls, but I’m sure he is not cheap, you’re looking at plane fare, hotel, and his time.
These days there are numerous tutorials online, giving guidance. Unless you recognize the author, or it is on the speaker company’s website, I recommend that you read a number of different setup techniques. Then start with the one that makes the most sense to you.
I personally get a kick out of the rule of thirds. Unless you have a very large room, it is not going to work. Well it might with stand mounted two ways, if you want to listen in the near field. But if you buy large speakers with multiple drivers, there is a minimum distance before they come together. I would need at a minimum a 30′ room to achieve the correct listening distance.
And then there is personal preferences and idiosyncrasies that come in to It. If you are a long time audiophile, you will know your room, that could be why Billk was able to better McGrath’s setup. We have a local dealer who told me he is not fond of room treatments. He setup my friend’s Vandersteen 5A, they sound really good. The room had a number of limitations, so I found it interesting when he told my friend that it was the best he had ever the speakers sound. I think that was the salesman in him talking.
One tool every audiophile should own is an SPL gauge. Radio Shack used to sell a decent reasonably priced unit, I have no idea if they can still order you one, or offer it on their website. I just looked, no you can’t. I would think Parts Express, or maybe Sweetwater would have one. There are apps available for your smart phone, but it won’t be calibrated, or accurate, but if you set the level using a 1k test tone, at 80db, it will give you an idea of whether you have any gross bumps or suckouts in the bass region.
One thing all of the setup tutorials I have read don’t mention is that a component change may require some adjustments to your speakers. In my limited experience it is mostly toe in, but a power amp change may require more.
Paul:
…a great idea for a project; I hop you find the time to pursue it.
Denizens of the fora:
Why don’t we start a new thread/topic called “Room/Kit Setup Tips” and see what our collective “wisdom” yields? Or, is there a similar thread out there that I overlooked?
Regards.
No takers thus far, but I hope this gets some legs:
https://www.psaudio.com/forum/accessories-cables-tweaks-tuning/room-and-equipment-set-up-tips/#p84092
A place to list proven reference material would be nice…
Hello Paul,
Jim Smith beat you to the idea. About 3 years ago he had a highly successful Kickstarter campaign to finance it. Unfortunately, it turned into so much complex work for one guy, he was unable to finish the project. Perhaps you could work out a deal to have him finish the project for PS, the way you had BHK do your amps. My impression is that it is 1/2 – 3/4 complete. He has the experience to give us what you want
– JAS.
Did he refund the Kickstarter money?
Hello Jeffstarr, Jim still dearly wants to finish the project. He has significantly upgraded the project beyond what was originally expected to include 2 books, cd and video. He has the integrity to update us several times each year with his progress, and responds to personal emails of inquiry. My guess is that, like me, almost nobody wants money back; we await the project completion.
The only reason I brought it up is that it seems to dovetail with Paul’s idea. I thought Paul might be able to bring it to fruition more rapidly than he imagined by joining forces with Jim, if Jim would be interested. Just a thought.
Got you, makes sense. Those of us who have had contact with, or have met Jim have great respect for the man.
I met him when he was involved with Avantgarde speakers, when BAT and Avantgarde were doing a seminar at a local dealer.
To Paul’s point of is the advice correct, I have a pair of of JL Audio E-110s on the way. The company provides a very detailed set up guide and a phone call will get one even more refined instructions. However, the very first steps are about speaker placement and crossover point, and on those are disagreements. The instructions say to start at 80 Hz or 90 Hz crossover point and crawl around the floor to listen find the best locations, while in Jonathan Valin’s TAS review he thinks subs belong next to the main speakers and the crossover point should give priority to the sound of the main speakers, i.e., be much lower. And he’s hardly alone in that view (including the main speaker company, ATC, which suggested starting at 55 Hz).
When I got the ATC’s (SCM19A actives), I set them up to where they seemed about right, then hired a local shop to fine tune it. My setup wasn’t much off and they did a great job, with me listening too, for a couple of hours charge for two people.
Having spent literally years setting up my system, I understand Paul’s reluctance to commit to describing all the steps in setting up a system. How about starting with something simpler? Since Paul first suggested using track 10 of the Boz Scag’s “Dig” to determine if a system can reproduce the lowest tones, I’ve used that disk to ensure that I’m not deceiving myself when I believe the bass is fine. The strength of this test is that it is yes-no: either you hear the tone or you don’t. How about assembling a list of tracks that can be used for other yes-no tests? I’d certainly use it.
Set up is easy…. Put the speakers in front of you and hook everything together.
The real problem is not so much with “setting up.” Its got to do with having intuition for fine tuning.
We are dealing with an illusion called “stereo.” Its precision demanding.
I have learned in my nearfield listening position that very tiny changes in height.. separation…and speaker angle, can make a big difference between hearing something coming from a high fi system, or hearing a convincingly real sounding group of musicians playing in front of you. It required me to devise several jigs to get both speakers to match in height and angle. Speaker separation is following the nearfield rule of the equilateral triangle.
Here is an example of what I speak, as presented by Steven Stone in regards to one of his nearfield experiences.
Steven Stone was reviewing the audiophile Role Audio, Canoe Desktop speakers….
“After initial setup, I found that extremely small changes in the speakers’ physical locations
could result in big differences in soundstage presentation. Even a cat brushing the speakers
as it walked across my desk could move the speakers enough that they required repositioning. ”
https://hometheaterreview.com/role-audio-canoe-loudspeaker-reviewed/
Fine tuning!
Genez, you triggered a thought! Instead of a complicated jig to help with alignment, how about pieces of blue painters’ tape on the wall behind the speakers, spaced 6″ apart and equidistant from the center line? From the listening chair you would be able to line up the vertical edge of each speaker with the corresponding piece of tape. Of course you would need to first measure with a tape the distance out from the front wall behind the speaker. Just a thought. (In my mid-field triangle I am centered on a large wall of windows, so I just use the vertical edge of the window as a gauge.)
Longplayer…. I think you misunderstood. Jigs do not have to be complicated. If I could post a photo here you would see what I am talking about. Its not about distance from the wall so much. Its about when you have both speakers at the right height sitting in front of you, and being about being able to ZERO in on the inward angle for both speakers.
If you are thinking distance listening with in room speakers, it would probably not require such exactness. I am talking about focusing the image in such a way that tiny changes in a speaker’s angle would alter it to make it stop sounding like real instruments. I watch music videos which gives the hearer a point of reference to sense realism that just listening to music alone can not provide.
I guess I’m thinking of jigs like in woodworking, and like you, I sure wish we could post photos here, too.
Your comment about watching music videos strikes a chord. I watch them on my desktop on a 22″ high def screen wearing headphones. I’ve often thought it would be cool to do that in the listening room with the good system, but I enjoy looking out the window behind the speakers in the big room and sliding a TV in and out of position to watch the videos seems cumbersome. There are always trade-offs.
In your nearfield triangle, I expect your ear-to-speaker distance is about 3′ to 5′. What size screen are you using, may I ask?
I can not post pictures here. But I think this link will tell you more than I could possibly describe.
A picture is worth a thousand words. The link is to Computer Audiophile. You might have to sign in to see the pictures.
Scroll down to the first one for Aug 6th. Under the same name GeneZ. I put my retired drum rack to excellent use…
Click on the pictures to enlarge.
https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/3219-show-us-your-equipment-kit/?page=38&tab=comments#comment-704242
Longplayer… Just located this one.. Forgot I showed one of the jigs I use to set the speaker angles …
Same thing. Computer Audiophile. Might need to sign in, and click on the pictures to enlarge.
https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/3219-show-us-your-equipment-kit/?page=31&tab=comments#comment-539515
Very cool rig, Gene. But why did you give up the drums? 8~) With all that precision alignment, I presume you sit in a dentists’ chair with your ears precisely aligned. LOL. But I tell ya, that Porsche yellow keyboard has to go. Try a nice Logitech with backlighted keys and variable illumination. Helps a lot when listening in the dark, which is the preferred situation for viewing YouTube concert videos, and it’s frequently on sale at Staples. Your speaker cables look like the mil-spec silver plated copper wires I run in my TV audio system. Decent wire, priced right, if you can find a source that will sell you some in small quantity. Overall, your rig is a much higher grade than what I used to run at my computer, except my vintage Realistic receiver died, making the cast metal Optimus mini-monitors useless, so I just went to my trusty, workhorse Grado headphones. (There are many ways to rock.) Interestingly, on a whim I tried some Synergistic Research MiG footers under my laptop and experienced a quite noticeable improvement in SQ. You might try some footers under your electronics if you get a chance. Start with your source, first.
Sure wish we could post some photos here like the computeraudiophile site you linked to above. It was easy to understand your home-made jig from the photos–quite ingenious. I quite agree with your attention to precise alignment, as I’ve experienced the efforts of Peter McGrath with Wilson speakers on a much larger scale at audio shows. I like to think I get 90% of the quality with 10% of the effort. Thanks a lot for sharing, Gene, and have a great 2018.
Longplayer… And, a Happy New Year to you, too!
Those speaker wires I have had with me since the late 80’s. Simple raw served Litz type 2. Got a solder pot, and tinned the ends with Cardas solder. Then I used silver coated copper bananas to finish the ends. http://www.douglasconnection.com/Furez-TSTW38Ag-Silver-Plated-Copper-Banana-Plug-Connectors-Pair-FZTSTW38Ag.htm
Cables I know looks like crap… But, sounds phenomenally accurate for my needs.
Wow! Those are the nicest banana plugs I’ve ever seen. Reminds me of Harry Belafonte singing “Day-O” at Carnegie Hall. 8-)
It seems to me the only thing there is to set up once you have bought all your equipment and connected it together is placing your speakers and your place to listen from. All the other controls that were once common or could be acquired have been removed from high end audio systems. If you have a subwoofer you could play with the level, phase, and any equalization if it has any as well as location but that’s pretty much all there is. If you have a phonograph all there is once the cartridge is mounted is adjusting the overhang, the vertical tracking angle, the stylus force and the antiskating force. If you can’t handle that, you can always call Michael Fremer. Setting up turntables is his life’s work.
Anything else you might want to do requires you to go out and spend more money. Even that is limited to purchasing and placing diffusers, absorbers, and other acoustic treatments in your room.
Am I missing something here? is there something about setting up equipment I left out? Oh yeah, when you set up your speakers, be sure to have all the tools you’ll need. A tape measure and a micrometer. Ken Kantor spent two days adjusting the position of his NHT 3.3 speakers for Stereophile magazine before they tested them. When he was done and satisfied they had only moved an inch or two from where they started.
And then the reviewer slouched down in the chair and messed it all up? 8-)
Happy New Year, SM.
You can slouch., That only changes height. Not really much difference in what’s heard. Its all about getting exact timing between the left and right speakers caused by distance and angle. Apparently, our ears can detect very small time shifts between channels if the signals do not reach simultaneously at an exact moment. I stumbled upon it one day. Unless I could do a hands on demonstration I would find myself very frustrated in trying to convey what needs to be done. If someone can hear for themselves what the desired goal is, then I believe they would be willing to learn the discipline.
Quite agree on left/right being critical, Genez. But I also auditioned a speaker once that had a tweeter about 6″ above my ear level.
When I put the listening chair on a 4″ riser the tonal balance shifted and the music became much fuller. Unfortunately, stepping up into the chair each time after flipping an LP became a bit tedious. This was from a mid-field listening distance. If I had been able to move the chair further back, perhaps the tweeter and midrange might have blended better. Oh well.
Except for Portland, Oregon, where the slogan is “Keep Portland weird.” 8-)
The challenge in audio is there are few best of anything’s, just what’s best for any given individuals application, room, taste and budget and these vary immensely from person to person even if you had carte blanche, the trust and luxury to build a dedicated room to spec from the ground up.
Modern home entertainment solutions encompass a wide range of disciplines from architectural, electrical and hvac engineering, interior & lighting design, audio video & network integration, so general guidelines are always a good beginning, but designer skills require multitudes of experience and as Paul likes to points out, learning from your previous mistakes, owning the knowledge of what not to do is most instructive in creating the best experience.
Happy New Year everybody, let’s hope 2018 is nowhere near as weird as 2017 was :-)
Oops! Positioned this reply above your comment, dr.
I’ll try again:
Except for Portland, Oregon, where the slogan is “Keep Portland weird.” 8-)
Best of music to you in 2018!
Some fine loudspeakers are more forgiving in placement than others, are not as sensitive to boundary walls and have a broader sweet spot, and yet still image beautifully and convincingly with outstanding soundstage. This should be something consumers consider. Not everyone can or wants to pull their speakers way out into the room or wants to listen to music alone in a single position listening chair. Speakers that only sound good at a pinpoint listening spot where if you move your head the sound changes often sound artificial and not like a live venue where sound is more dispersed.
Regarding placement, the biggest challenge is the time, patience and muscle required to roughly position the loudspeakers in equilateral triangle relationship with an initial preferred listening position, and then with the aid of test CDs and measuring tape methodically adjust the positions and toe-in of the speakers relative to walls and listening position as well as adjust the listening position until the “stereo ball” is perfectly defined and floats holographically exactly between the two speakers. Of course, In addition to the development of the stereo image focus, the soundstage width and depth is also being optimized, being affected by the separation distance between the speakers, their toe-in and distances of the speakers from walls. Once the speaker and listening positions are set, it’s now time to work on the speaker feet! Will the speakers sit directly on the floor, on spikes, on Stillpoints, spikes on a platform with spikes, etc.? Any raising of the speakers height may trigger another round of speaker or listening position tweaks. And the type of feet or platform can affect tone and sound-staging prompting additional tweaks. Ideally, in the initial location of the speakers they should have been raised on a slideable support that is the same height as the final feet or platform, but that may not be practical.
The variables are numerous, which is why experienced people come in handy for those who want to get their systems set up quickly and lack the patience and aptitude to approach things experimentally and methodically. A detailed set-up instruction package by Paul would be great for first timers and would be a good check for those of us who think we’ve done it right. I might have done it all wrong!