Tweaks & Mods That Don't Work

Early B. · 11-27-2005, 01:51 PM

A particular tweak or mod may work for some people, and for others it's a waste of money. What tweaks did NOT work for you?

My list includes tube dampers, rubberized vibration isolation (similar to Vibrapods), "audiophile" outlet, and "upgraded" subwoofer cables. The stupidest thing I ever did was varnish the inside of my speakers so the sound waves would not get "trapped" in the microscopic crevices of the wood.

Vr3MxStyler2k3 · 11-27-2005, 02:17 PM

Ive never tried it...

But Im going to go out on a limb and saying cable risers... are a joke... lol

cmy330go · 11-27-2005, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Early B.

varnish the inside of my speakers so the sound waves would not get "trapped" in the microscopic crevices of the wood.

Wow...I would have guessed that would be worse for a speaker. Don't you typically want to minimize reflections inside the cabinet?

Anyway, so far I am with you on the Vibrapods. Can't say that I have noticed a marked improvement.

Vr3MxStyler2k3 · 11-27-2005, 03:29 PM

Ive done something similar to vibrapods...

I took a sheet of foam and cut it to size and put it under my CDP - 3/4" Sonic Barrier Foam Pad - and my CDP is on the bottom of my TV stand.... and with a SVS right beside it - it would skip every once in a blue moon.. havnt had it skip YET with that foam pad under it...

cmy330go · 11-27-2005, 03:31 PM

I certainly see where they could be of benefit in an extreme situation like that.

Gotta love those SVS subs!

Dennis Gardner · 11-27-2005, 03:39 PM

These tweaks are the greatest! Don't laugh until you've tried it. Name of CP member withheld due to witness protection statutes.

cmy330go · 11-27-2005, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis Gardner

These tweaks are the greatest! Don't laugh until you've tried it. Name of CP member withheld due to witness protection statutes.

Aren't those made by Klipsch??

beardog03 · 11-27-2005, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis Gardner

These tweaks are the greatest! Don't laugh until you've tried it. Name of CP member withheld due to witness protection statutes.

so that was for XM satalite reception...right..?!!

PolknPepsi · 11-27-2005, 04:23 PM

Double runs of cable from my amp to my bi-wirable speakers. They now sound better with a single run of a different type.

Dennis Gardner · 11-27-2005, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beardog03

so that was for XM satalite reception...right..?!!

Actually, these were tried to enhance SDA effect.

Old Fun SDA thread.

cmy330go · 11-27-2005, 04:48 PM

Dennis,

You may want to consider a patent on those, or before you know it Bose will be selling them for $299.

steveinaz · 11-27-2005, 06:10 PM

Tweaks that flunked:

1. Bi-wiring
2. Power conditioning (actually made things worse, less slam/dynamics)
3. Monster Cable speaker wire: Do yourself a favor and buy a $6, 50ft roll of 18awg Radio Shack solid core copper hook-up wire, better results and waaaaayyyyyy cheaper.

dorokusai · 11-27-2005, 06:19 PM

Walker Audio SST Contact Enhancer

I picked this up just to find out for myself and found absolutely no benefit whatsoever. I gave it to away. You win some, you lose some.

However, I regularly use CAIG De-Oxit/Pro-Gold to clean up all my connections and it works very well on vintage gear, as they've typically seen alot of use. It's just a cleaner, not an enhancment, but dust and dirt accumulates on older gear, especially if you didn't own it.

Cable Risers

I've tried DIY Styrofoam cups and even my favorite company, Signal Cable Acrylic Cable Risers . I found absolutely no benefit whatsoever with either product. There is a market for this type of product, as it's sold by more than a handful of manufacturers. I just didn't get anything out of it. You see quite a few of these at trade shows, in ALOT of rooms, so there you go.

Bi-Wiring

I've only owned a few pairs of speakers that were Bi-Wireable but found no benefit whatsoever. I would like to try Bi-Amping sometime, but I've never been hurting for power, so it's very low on the list of priorities.

Disclaimer: Just because I didn't find value in the aforementioned products or ideas, doesn't mean you won't. You should try things on your own, and establish your own opinion, not the opinion of others.

madmax · 11-29-2005, 05:34 PM

I have a wall right behind my seating location. A tweek I played with was putting a piece of Sonex foam behind me to eliminate high frequency reflections from that wall. It was weird. I had the impression of total silence behind me and a big full sound in front. VERY unnatural.
madmax

Vr3MxStyler2k3 · 11-29-2005, 05:53 PM

I have done decided that when I get my own house...

Im going to have atleast 3 feet (if not more, much more) space behind me when I sit down... even if it looks weird.

Music just sounds better away from the rear wall. Completely IMO.

Ricardo · 11-29-2005, 05:58 PM

-I have a denon 3803 driving RTi8's and CSi5 in the front stage; I bought 3 Outlaw monoblocks because I thought I'd hear a difference. I Did not. Returned the Outlaws.

Early B. · 11-29-2005, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTrookie

-I have a denon 3803 driving RTi8's and CSi5 in the front stage; I bought 3 Outlaw monoblocks because I thought I'd hear a difference. I Did not. Returned the Outlaws.

I'm surprised you didn't hear a difference, i.e. improvement. Those monos should have smoked that Denon.

Well, that's the weird thing about this hobby -- it's so freakin' super subjective.

Ricardo · 11-29-2005, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Early B.

I'm surprised you didn't hear a difference, i.e. improvement. Those monos should have smoked that Denon.

Well, that's the weird thing about this hobby -- it's so freakin' super subjective.

Yeah..I was looking for an $800 improvement...was not there....for me.

Early B. · 11-29-2005, 07:50 PM

I hear ya. Sold my HT amps a couple of months ago. Sounded great, but I preferred the cash instead.

dbnh · 11-30-2005, 06:46 PM

Sorry to hear one forum writer didn't have a good experience with SST; my time with the product has been the exact opposite. As for cable risers - I never bought any, but I do fashion cable lifters from wine corks (not the rubbery corks, I use the real cork and notch a piece out for the cable to rest in and get it off the carpet) and at least I haven't heard any sound degradation. Never bought isolation platforms outside of Vibrapods (I have had success with Vibrapods), but got free slabs of granite and marble from a local stone business that work great under my amps, preamp, JD-100, TT.

In my earlier days of audio, I purchased Monster ICs. That was a mistake $onically, esp. when compared to some fairly low cost ICs out there. I should say that at least the Monster ICs were better than the crappy ICs that shipped stock with my old Sony carosel CDP, old Teac cassette deck, etc.

dragon1952 · 12-01-2005, 02:31 PM

I've got the Vibrapods and the Signal Cable risers. I can't begin to tell you the improvements they make in my system. It probably sounds 100 times better.....no , 1000 times...no, wait....1,000,000 times better! Yeah, that's the ticket! 1 million times better! It's like a sheet of concrete was removed from in front of my speakers

cmy330go · 12-01-2005, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon1952

I've got the Vibrapods and the Signal Cable risers. I can't begin to tell you the improvements they make in my system. It probably sounds 100 times better.....no , 1000 times...no, wait....1,000,000 times better! Yeah, that's the ticket! 1 million times better! It's like a sheet of concrete was removed from in front of my speakers

You must work for Mapleshade.

dragon1952 · 12-01-2005, 03:07 PM

Not quite

But I did get one of their catalogs in the mail the other day. Not sure how I got on their mailing list but talk about tweak city

Dennis Gardner · 12-01-2005, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon1952

sheet of concrete

No need for handcuffs or date rape drugs at Dragon's house.............come here honey and slip between my sheets.... if you can lift them.

phoneisbusy · 12-01-2005, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon1952

I've got the Vibrapods and the Signal Cable risers. I can't begin to tell you the improvements they make in my system. It probably sounds 100 times better.....no , 1000 times...no, wait....1,000,000 times better! Yeah, that's the ticket! 1 million times better! It's like a sheet of concrete was removed from in front of my speakers

This coincide with the time you moved the speakers from behind the concrete columns?

regards

Dave

dragon1952 · 12-01-2005, 07:25 PM

Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck. Wise guys! (he says in his best Curly the Stooge voice)

wingnut4772 · 12-01-2005, 08:07 PM

I tried something siilar to Vibrapods. I can't say I noticed an improvement but they did really help me place my equipment in the rack without scratching. I also tried that whole cable elevation thing but for HT it's a little ridiculous.

dragon1952 · 12-01-2005, 10:22 PM

I don't know man. That static electricity thing is real. We recently went through a period of very low humidity and I was getting zapped really good every time I touched my gear. If you've got carpet and low humidity it's not that far fetched that it could create havoc with your speaker cables.

dbnh · 12-01-2005, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon1952

I don't know man. That static electricity thing is real. We recently went through a period of very low humidity and I was getting zapped really good every time I touched my gear. If you've got carpet and low humidity it's not that far fetched that it could create havoc with your speaker cables.

This is one reason why I put cork under my cables, to get them off the carpets (as well as off the baseboard FHW heat covers). I also like to use corks to keep ICs from touching one another, etc.

wingnut4772 · 12-02-2005, 12:02 AM

I dunno..maybe because I always have had tile?

11-27-2005, 01:51 PM	#1
Early B. Polk Guru Member Sales Rating: (19) Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 8,172	Tweaks & Mods That Don't Work A particular tweak or mod may work for some people, and for others it's a waste of money. What tweaks did NOT work for you? My list includes tube dampers, rubberized vibration isolation (similar to Vibrapods), "audiophile" outlet, and "upgraded" subwoofer cables. The stupidest thing I ever did was varnish the inside of my speakers so the sound waves would not get "trapped" in the microscopic crevices of the wood. __________________ HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub "God grooves with tubes."

11-27-2005, 02:17 PM	#2
Vr3MxStyler2k3 Sid the Kid Member Sales Rating: (21) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: NC Posts: 15,664	Ive never tried it... But Im going to go out on a limb and saying cable risers... are a joke... lol __________________ Da Rig- Mains- Tyler Acoustics Super Towers Subwoofer- Tyler Acoustics Custom Seas 10" Stereo Subs Amplifier- Odyssey Stratos Extreme Mono Blocks Preamp- Odyssey Candela CD Player- Symphonic Line Vibrato The CD Player Power Conditioner- MIT Z Center Speaker Cables- MIT Shotgun S2 Bi-Wire Signal Cables- MIT Shotgun S2 Subwoofer Cables- MIT AVT 1 Power Cables- MIT Shotgun AC1 (Amps/Pre/CDP) MIT Z Cord II (Conditioner/Subs) Polks are in the truck!

11-27-2005, 03:39 PM	#6
Dennis Gardner Polkologist Member Sales Rating: (1) Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sooner Country Posts: 3,468	These tweaks are the greatest! Don't laugh until you've tried it. Name of CP member withheld due to witness protection statutes. Attached Thumbnails

11-27-2005, 04:23 PM	#9
PolknPepsi Polkazoid Member Sales Rating: (0) Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 786	Double runs of cable from my amp to my bi-wirable speakers. They now sound better with a single run of a different type. __________________ Denon #2900, Denon stereo receiver, Conrad Johnson Sonographe 120 amp, Blue Jeans cables, and Klipsch RF-7's

11-27-2005, 06:10 PM	#12
steveinaz Polk Guru Member Sales Rating: (6) Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Javelina Highway Posts: 9,685	Tweaks that flunked: 1. Bi-wiring 2. Power conditioning (actually made things worse, less slam/dynamics) 3. Monster Cable speaker wire: Do yourself a favor and buy a $6, 50ft roll of 18awg Radio Shack solid core copper hook-up wire, better results and waaaaayyyyyy cheaper. __________________ - C.E.C. CD-3300 CD Transport - Belden 1694A Digital Coaxial - Benchmark DAC/PRE Preamp/DAC - Kimber Hero Interconnects - Parasound HCA-1500A Power Amplifier - Kimber 8TC v.2 Speaker Cable - Energy Connoisseur C-9 Speakers Last edited by steveinaz; 11-29-2005 at 07:03 PM..

11-27-2005, 03:29 PM	#4
Vr3MxStyler2k3 Sid the Kid Member Sales Rating: (21) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: NC Posts: 15,664	Ive done something similar to vibrapods... I took a sheet of foam and cut it to size and put it under my CDP - 3/4" Sonic Barrier Foam Pad - and my CDP is on the bottom of my TV stand.... and with a SVS right beside it - it would skip every once in a blue moon.. havnt had it skip YET with that foam pad under it...

11-27-2005, 03:31 PM	#5
cmy330go Polkologist Member Sales Rating: (1) Join Date: May 2003 Location: West Des Moines, IA Posts: 2,203	I certainly see where they could be of benefit in an extreme situation like that. Gotta love those SVS subs!

11-27-2005, 04:48 PM	#11
cmy330go Polkologist Member Sales Rating: (1) Join Date: May 2003 Location: West Des Moines, IA Posts: 2,203	Dennis, You may want to consider a patent on those, or before you know it Bose will be selling them for $299.

11-27-2005, 06:19 PM	#13
dorokusai Hardcore Member Sales Rating: (41) Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: 6 Feet Under Posts: 17,650	Walker Audio SST Contact Enhancer I picked this up just to find out for myself and found absolutely no benefit whatsoever. I gave it to away. You win some, you lose some. However, I regularly use CAIG De-Oxit/Pro-Gold to clean up all my connections and it works very well on vintage gear, as they've typically seen alot of use. It's just a cleaner, not an enhancment, but dust and dirt accumulates on older gear, especially if you didn't own it. Cable Risers I've tried DIY Styrofoam cups and even my favorite company, Signal Cable Acrylic Cable Risers . I found absolutely no benefit whatsoever with either product. There is a market for this type of product, as it's sold by more than a handful of manufacturers. I just didn't get anything out of it. You see quite a few of these at trade shows, in ALOT of rooms, so there you go. Bi-Wiring I've only owned a few pairs of speakers that were Bi-Wireable but found no benefit whatsoever. I would like to try Bi-Amping sometime, but I've never been hurting for power, so it's very low on the list of priorities. Disclaimer: Just because I didn't find value in the aforementioned products or ideas, doesn't mean you won't. You should try things on your own, and establish your own opinion, not the opinion of others. __________________ Death is my set, guess my religion Last edited by dorokusai; 11-27-2005 at 06:24 PM..

11-29-2005, 05:34 PM	#14
madmax Polk Guru Member Sales Rating: (13) Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Northern Colorado Posts: 9,983	I have a wall right behind my seating location. A tweek I played with was putting a piece of Sonex foam behind me to eliminate high frequency reflections from that wall. It was weird. I had the impression of total silence behind me and a big full sound in front. VERY unnatural. madmax __________________ Vinyl, the final frontier... Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want...

11-29-2005, 05:53 PM	#15
Vr3MxStyler2k3 Sid the Kid Member Sales Rating: (21) Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: NC Posts: 15,664	I have done decided that when I get my own house... Im going to have atleast 3 feet (if not more, much more) space behind me when I sit down... even if it looks weird. Music just sounds better away from the rear wall. Completely IMO.

11-29-2005, 05:58 PM	#16
Ricardo Polk Guru Member Sales Rating: (21) Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,132	-I have a denon 3803 driving RTi8's and CSi5 in the front stage; I bought 3 Outlaw monoblocks because I thought I'd hear a difference. I Did not. Returned the Outlaws. __________________ _________________________________________________ *\\\\\........................... My Audio Journey ............................./////* 2008 Football Pool WINNER SOPA Last edited by Ricardo; 11-29-2005 at 06:00 PM..

11-29-2005, 07:50 PM	#19
Early B. Polk Guru Member Sales Rating: (19) Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 8,172	I hear ya. Sold my HT amps a couple of months ago. Sounded great, but I preferred the cash instead.

11-30-2005, 06:46 PM	#20
dbnh Polkster Member Sales Rating: (1) Join Date: May 2002 Location: NH Posts: 160	Sorry to hear one forum writer didn't have a good experience with SST; my time with the product has been the exact opposite. As for cable risers - I never bought any, but I do fashion cable lifters from wine corks (not the rubbery corks, I use the real cork and notch a piece out for the cable to rest in and get it off the carpet) and at least I haven't heard any sound degradation. Never bought isolation platforms outside of Vibrapods (I have had success with Vibrapods), but got free slabs of granite and marble from a local stone business that work great under my amps, preamp, JD-100, TT. In my earlier days of audio, I purchased Monster ICs. That was a mistake $onically, esp. when compared to some fairly low cost ICs out there. I should say that at least the Monster ICs were better than the crappy ICs that shipped stock with my old Sony carosel CDP, old Teac cassette deck, etc. __________________ My system A-Gon Feedback; Head-Fi Feedback; ebay Feedback

12-01-2005, 02:31 PM	#21
dragon1952 Polkologist Member Sales Rating: (13) Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Beautiful Central Oregon Coast Posts: 3,139	I've got the Vibrapods and the Signal Cable risers. I can't begin to tell you the improvements they make in my system. It probably sounds 100 times better.....no , 1000 times...no, wait....1,000,000 times better! Yeah, that's the ticket! 1 million times better! It's like a sheet of concrete was removed from in front of my speakers

12-01-2005, 03:07 PM	#23
dragon1952 Polkologist Member Sales Rating: (13) Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Beautiful Central Oregon Coast Posts: 3,139	Not quite But I did get one of their catalogs in the mail the other day. Not sure how I got on their mailing list but talk about tweak city

12-01-2005, 07:25 PM	#26
dragon1952 Polkologist Member Sales Rating: (13) Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Beautiful Central Oregon Coast Posts: 3,139	Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck. Wise guys! (he says in his best Curly the Stooge voice)

12-01-2005, 08:07 PM	#27
wingnut4772 Polk Guru Member Sales Rating: (19) Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fifth Ring of the Hot Place Posts: 7,231	I tried something siilar to Vibrapods. I can't say I noticed an improvement but they did really help me place my equipment in the rack without scratching. I also tried that whole cable elevation thing but for HT it's a little ridiculous. __________________ Pioneer Kuro 6020 Plasma Display Integra 9.9 Pre Pro Parasound 5250 AMP Parasound HCA 1000 AMP (rears) Von Schweikert VR4 Jr R/L Fronts LSA Audio Center & Surrounds (X4) Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive Subwoofers Velodyne SMS-1 Sony PS3 XBox 360 PSN & XBL......> wingnut4772

12-01-2005, 10:22 PM	#28
dragon1952 Polkologist Member Sales Rating: (13) Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Beautiful Central Oregon Coast Posts: 3,139	I don't know man. That static electricity thing is real. We recently went through a period of very low humidity and I was getting zapped really good every time I touched my gear. If you've got carpet and low humidity it's not that far fetched that it could create havoc with your speaker cables.

12-02-2005, 12:02 AM	#30
wingnut4772 Polk Guru Member Sales Rating: (19) Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fifth Ring of the Hot Place Posts: 7,231	I dunno..maybe because I always have had tile?

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