What did you do to your stereo rig today?

daddyjt · April 2020

gp4jesus wrote: »

@daddyjt: please grab one or more wide angle shots of the frame before placing shelves.

I think you built something very similar to what I have but you got to decide* the distance between the shelves*. That said I’d like to copy and mod (slightly) 😊
*instead of the manufacturer

Tony

@gp4jesus - sorry for the slow reply, we had some family issues to deal with the past few days.

Here’s a shot of the frame with some of the basic measurements:

I moved it into place tonight in the theater room. Overall I’m happy with the look, however I wish I hadn’t done as much of a setback on each level. As it sits, it’s 10” back on the middle, and another 10” on the top. I may adjust it later for 5”. I will be adding more amps to the bottom shelf in the near future, so it won’t look so sparse:-)

gp4jesus · April 2020

@daddyjt: wow! 5 stars! LOVE ❤️ the minimalist rack frame😊 etc!

Janet would not like the “gym bleacher” look: protrudes too far into a major flow of foot traffic but that appears EASY to change.

I must download your build pics before they get too tough to locate. Perhaps copy/paste to a separate thread adding more details. BTW: your shelf sizes & vertical spacing DOES work😊

Side note: sub - make & model?

Tony

treitz3 · April 2020

The fact that you kept those sides open helps with your sound stage and imaging. nice job Mark! That fits the room and gear nicely.

Tom

daddyjt · April 2020

treitz3 wrote: »

The fact that you kept those sides open helps with your sound stage and imaging. nice job Mark! That fits the room and gear nicely.

Tom

Thanks Tom - I appreciate the kind words. Even though it is for the HT setup, I do use the room for what little multi-channel music listening I do. Getting the center up as high as it is made a big difference too, vs elevating the front of it.

daddyjt · April 2020

gp4jesus wrote: »

@daddyjt: wow! 5 stars! LOVE ❤️ the minimalist rack frame😊 etc!

Janet would not like the “gym bleacher” look: protrudes too far into a major flow of foot traffic but that appears EASY to change.

I must download your build pics before they get too tough to locate. Perhaps copy/paste to a separate thread adding more details. BTW: your shelf sizes & vertical spacing DOES work😊

Side note: sub - make & model?

Tony

Yea, my wife roller her eyes, but she knows better than to ask, lol.

Sub is a Velodyne DD18. It is flat-out ridiculous - I actually have two, but one is WAY more than enough in that room!

gp4jesus · April 2020

To chime w/treitz3 @daddyjt: the wide open design allows easy mega air circulation😊

audioluvr · April 2020

And with a little of modification you could use a mechanics creeper to slide behind it for wiring!

BlueBirdMusic · April 2020

^^^^^
@audioluvr that is really clever and funny.

@daddyjt you should tell your wife you are ordering one.

gmcman · April 2020

Currently debating a preamp upgrade, either stay with the RLD-1 or try a few others and compare as this stock unit is 21 years old and still performs admirably. This is the only component in the current chain that hasn't been messed with and is also the oldest.

So I removed the lid and looked around to get myself into trouble. I figured I would try a small DIY project and replace one of the main outputs solid wire leads as well as the CD input.

Perhaps when it was new, the solid leads were what was best for the performance of this preamp. By solid leads, I'm referring to these.

Best part of this hobby is to experiment so I had some 15.5 ga Cardas Litz laying around and while not the ideal gauge for this application, I had to give it a try.

The stock leads are about 22-24ga so the 15.5 won't stay but will for this week.

I have some Jupiter solid silver 23 ga, Mundorf silver /gold 23ga, and also more Cardas 23.5 ga on order to try as well.

The 15.5 won't go through the hole in the board but I have a good bond for now, sorry, no pics.

I let everything warm back up and was PLEASANTLY surprised at the increased detail. Initial observations are the vocals seem to further seperate from the instruments with a darker background in between.

This needs more time before I can make a ruling, as well as the current time of day which won't allow me to crank it up.

Will keep you posted.

Gardenstater · April 2020

These diamond points for a dremel type tool work great for me for drilling holes in PCB. Just pick the right one for the wire you are using by measuring with a caliper or micrometer. I would think that the 15.5 litz should be best and there is no worry of skin effect.

https://www.harborfreight.com/diamond-point-rotary-bit-set-20-pc-69653.html

GlennDog · April 2020

Gardenstater wrote: »

These diamond points for a dremel type tool work great for me for drilling holes in PCB. Just pick the right one for the wire you are using by measuring with a caliper or micrometer. I would think that the 15.5 litz should be best and there is no worry of skin effect.

https://www.harborfreight.com/diamond-point-rotary-bit-set-20-pc-69653.html

I really hate to say it, but that’s my next Made in Wuhan purchase

mantis · April 2020

Today my stereo rig play the L200 Polk's Legends. I have been running them for 2 days now and I'm digging them to a point.
My 2 channel rig right now is a Rotel RX1052 in silver, a Sony DVPNS-9000ES SACD player, Pananmax 5100 Surge, Rocket 33 speaker wire single ended, Makenzie RCA Stereo cables for the SACD to the Rotel which are audioquest for those who don't know those model numbers.

gmcman · April 2020

Gardenstater wrote: »

These diamond points for a dremel type tool work great for me for drilling holes in PCB. Just pick the right one for the wire you are using by measuring with a caliper or micrometer. I would think that the 15.5 litz should be best and there is no worry of skin effect.

https://www.harborfreight.com/diamond-point-rotary-bit-set-20-pc-69653.html

Thanks for the link! This is surely an option, as I don't need to enlarge the hole too much more.

Will have to try the others first though.

motorstereo · April 2020

GlennDog wrote: »

Gardenstater wrote: »

These diamond points for a dremel type tool work great for me for drilling holes in PCB. Just pick the right one for the wire you are using by measuring with a caliper or micrometer. I would think that the 15.5 litz should be best and there is no worry of skin effect.

https://www.harborfreight.com/diamond-point-rotary-bit-set-20-pc-69653.html

I really hate to say it, but that’s my next Made in Wuhan purchase

Then don't do it. Make it a priority to buy American. Wuhan has given you plenty of time to do the research.
FWIW I used a very small drill on a dremel when I had to enlarge a hole on a circuit board.

Gardenstater · April 2020

There needs to be some sort of law passed by Congress to make it easier to distinguish and search for Made in USA vs Made in China products. Maybe even point of origin prefixes for the SKUs or something, I don't know.

marvda1 · April 2020

Gardenstater wrote: »

There needs to be some sort of law passed by Congress to make it easier to distinguish and search for Made in USA vs Made in China products. Maybe even point of origin prefixes for the SKUs or something, I don't know.

why don't we just stop doing business with any U.S business that deals with China

see how far that will get you.

Gardenstater · April 2020

That's a thought too of course. My point is that in order for those so inclined to try to buy american to do so easily (because people are lazy), there needs to be some facilitation involved, so that people don't have to spend hours doing research. In your case, there would have to be a law passed that it was up front in some way, how much of a companies business was associated with China. I guess you are saying that you wouldn't even buy a made in america product from harbor Freight, even if you could possibly find one?

marvda1 · April 2020

what I was saying was tongue and cheek, where do you draw the line? this is a worldwide economy, you say buy American, great but what if that American company uses electronics made in china or the Korean company that the American company buys from uses Chinese parts in their products. see how it would be impossible to find 100% "American".

here's one for you, let's say you were looking to buy a pair of speakers from Salk and they have a speaker, model a and model b, both the same exact speaker.
model a is made in the u.s. and model b is made in china, the only other difference is model a is $2500 more, which would you buy?

Sorry for derailing the thread, my last thoughts on the subject.

Gardenstater · April 2020

Very true. This topic definitely deserves its own thread (which will get taken down by Alma

in short order). I did recently buy a MADE IN AMERICA gas can for $20 instead of the other one for $10

Gardenstater · April 2020

gmcman wrote: »

Gardenstater wrote: »

These diamond points for a dremel type tool work great for me for drilling holes in PCB. Just pick the right one for the wire you are using by measuring with a caliper or micrometer. I would think that the 15.5 litz should be best and there is no worry of skin effect.

https://www.harborfreight.com/diamond-point-rotary-bit-set-20-pc-69653.html

Thanks for the link! This is surely an option, as I don't need to enlarge the hole too much more.

Will have to try the others first though.

Yes since it is all about the joy of experimentation you might as well! These diamond points were just something that I already had on hand for enlarging some cracks in my exterior stucco, prior to injecting two part epoxy, so since fiberglass is very abrasive and should really be drilled or ground with carbide or diamond tools or the like rather than high speed steel I figured I might as well use them. The pointed ones worked very well for drilling brand new holes and especially for rectangular shaped holes for cable ties to secure the capacitors in my crossover mods for my 7B's.

pitdogg2 · April 2020

My Leaf blower is made in Arkansas by way of Sweden

Gardenstater · April 2020

Nice! Make and model? Any sound improvement? What do you use.....bananas or spades or bare wire?

motorstereo · April 2020

I installed a 2'' base for my tt which replaced the 3/4" plywood base it had been sitting on forever. I wasn't expecting a change but there is no doubt an improvement with the much more solid base

treitz3 · May 2020

You don't know what you dont know until you discover what you didn't know is possible. Enjoy.

Tom

Clipdat · May 2020

Very nice @butterbean, rock on! Good for you for being open minded and willing to experiment. A lot of people never venture beyond that regular 12-14ga wire unfortunately.

Clipdat · May 2020

I don't have a ton of experience with speaker cable, but this was a pretty interesting experience for me: https://theaudiobeatnik.com/review-acoustic-zen-sartori-speakers-bring-music-to-life/

I went from a $120 pair to a $~900 pair.

Thorton · May 2020

Added a subwoofer to the pontoon boat. Definitely helps out the low end and driving capabilities of the 6-1/2 inch speakers. Actually sounds pretty good right out of the box. Can’t wait to hear the difference when I have it in the water in about 1-1/2 weeks.

audioluvr · May 2020

butterbean wrote: »

I can only imagine what high end wire does!

What I like about good cables is you don't have to have the volume very high to hear micro-details.

gmcman · May 2020

I removed the recent trial of Cardas litz 15.5 ga wire from the CD input and one of the outputs of my RLD-1 preamp, and swapped in some Mundorf silver/gold 24ga solid wire.

I let it play overnight and it may need more time, but I did expect this wire to possibly be brighter. While I can easily tell it's "brighter", just not in a fatiguing way. The overall clarity from maybe 1kHz on up, is noticeably improved and the extensions and sparkle are evident but not overwhelming to the point it sounds like a treble knob was turned.

The only drawback as of now is the slight absence of lower midrange weight and soul. I really do like it, the cymbals, snare, both have that slight airy extension. Also the electric guitar sounds much more accurate. The overall upper frequencies are very clean, detailed, and smooth. Maybe it needs more time, but I feel the smaller gauge of the wire are likely attributing to the lower frequencies being affected, not sure though, but had to try it.

Parts Connexion has the 18ga and I may need to try that as well.

I have a few more wires to use and next up is 21ga Cardas Litz. The 15.5 is too large at the moment to use without modifying the PCB slightly.

Dr_Wu · May 2020

I've been enjoying new for me WW Silver Eclipse speaker cables. This past week, thanks to our old friend Skip, I was able to add High Fidelity's Reveal interconnect. Another big step toward the ideal sound I've been chasing.

The CRS+4.1TLs continue to amaze. I was starting to doubt that they were capable of the clarity I want. No more. Now, I'm thinking that a touch of silver in their internal wiring might pay big dividends.

What did you do to your stereo rig today?

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