Power to the People

Power conditioning is a big issue amongst audiophiles.  There are some exotic, expensive gear out there that supposedly provide better AC power to your gear.  I have some doubts about the necessity of some of this gear, but if you have the dough, try them out.

When I rewired my house, I put my stereo system on a separate circuit.  This made some sense, but may not be possible if buying an existing house.  I also used 12 gauge romex, houses today have downgraded to 14 guage (smaller diameter) electrical cable, which may be OK.  I also used 20amp, outlets which guaranteed a tight fit for my power cables.  These were not much of an additional expense.

I was also impressed by comments from Bob Carver that all decent audio gear has filtering built in.  I know enough about circuit analysis to see all the filtering and bypass caps universally used in gear.

Today you can buy super boxes that protect, filter, even regenerate the AC into your gear.  But why go from sine wave AC to square wave back to sine wave?  Seems like losses would enter into the equation.

I did find several recommendations for this power strip, even from Absolute Audio!  This strip provides plenty of outlets, has sophisticated surge protection, and noise filtering, all for under $200!  And all your equipment grounds are tied back to the same point. You can find it on Amazon and some local dealers.

 

Tributaries - T10 - 10 Outlet - Swivel Power Strip

Speak to Me, Mr. Cable

 

Oh, boy!  Religious arguments about speaker cables abound.  Well, I'm an atheist when it comes to such arguments.  Lots of exotic, very expensive, options to worship.  Me, as a cheapskate, just give me generic, but quality cabling, no supernatural needed.

One day in Home Depot I saw a roll of bulk speaker cable, branded Monster Cable, 14 gauge (might even be 12 gauge, not labeled on the insulation).  About $1.00 a foot, or somewhere in that range.  So I bought about 40 feet and created my own speaker cables.  Cheap, thick, flexible...  perfect!  Capable of handling lots of amp power with no audio additives.  Worth checking out your local home improvement center.

 I can't believe all those expensive, exotic cables really sound any better unless maybe you have $1M invested in gear, but even then...   By the way, according to my copper mining engineer friend, all copper is essentially 5 Nines pure, so ignore the vendor hype.  

I have bought really nice and reasonably priced cables from SVS.  Blue Jean cables are also a good source.  Maybe even Monoprice.

Connectors are another story.  I use banana plugs since I like to switch between amps or speakers easily.  As long as there's a tight fit, all is good.  Lots of good quality options are found on Amazon.  14 gauge means a little work to get thing together, but not that difficult.  Crimping would be best, but crimp type banana plugs are hard to find.  If you use screw tightening connectors, just remember to retighten periodically.  Maybe I should investigate using lock washers.

Note that due to some sort of European Union regulations, many years ago the spacing between speaker terminals changed, so dual banana jacks can't be used, unless you have old speakers.

Good Vibrations

Well, maybe not so good for audio systems.  I suspect the amount of vibration and its audio effects in a system is minimal, if even audible, but at least there are cheap ways to deal with it if it is a concern.

Vibration control seems divided between two camps, the spikers and the absorbers.  Some feel all gear and shelving should be spiked solidly down through the carpet (if using) to the concrete foundation (if in a basement).  This may not be practical (wood floors, many shelves, much gear).

The alternative is to absorb vibrations.  There are some exotic footers out there claiming very sophisticated materials and technology to rid systems of vibrations.  And the cost can be astronomical!

But years ago I saw mention of a simpler kind of footer in a couple equipment reviews in Stereophile magazine.  Checking it out, I found these rubber/cord squares offered by many sources on Amazon.  A set of four for $10-$15 bucks!  I've since discovered that cork is a magic material that, along with duct tape and white vinegar, will save the world...  

Anyway, I've used these footers for years between shelves and under all my gear, including hard drives on my computer.  Here's one Amazon source:

There are other vendors on Amazon that offer different sizes.  I use 4x4 inch rubber/cord footers under my Oppo players and between some shelves.  

One caveat...   When you receive this product, it stinks to high heaven!   Place them outdoors for a few days (where they probably destroy the ozone layer) to get rid of the stink.

Cheap But Good

 Just started this blog.  I thought I would use this forum to give tips on improving audio sound without paying a bundle.  There's lots of hype in the audiophile world, and some may be justified, and, if you have the dough, you may get a little better sound, if you still have ears after that Metallica concert!

Some future posts:

--cheap but great anti vibration feet

-- a great power strip, noise filtering and protection for $200

--an inexpensive turntable, well, table

--Class D amps, lots of clean output power with reasonable cost

--How to convert your LP collection to digital

--A great turntable at a great price

--Reasonably priced cables