[RnB180]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotoriousBIG_PJ Oh wow, I looked in the manual of my uber moddifed teac cd player and to my suprise, it doesn't have an eq! Hmm maybe I should sell it and buy an iPod. I've tried correctly weighted sorbathane footers under my cd player to no effect. I've also had 28guage copper ic's and their bass was still very present and full. However I have never owned an interconnect with bullet plugs so that is something to consider. Biggie.

not copper, silver plated copper

, theres a lot more dyanmics and quicker bass response over regular copper. IMHO of couse

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 not copper, silver plated copper , theres a lot more dyanmics and quicker bass response over regular copper. IMHO of couse

You said it was silver plated return line. The cables I had were silver return line, and I've little doubt they would better the venhaus ic's in many areas. Unfortunatly I did not dig their tone and returned them.

Biggie.

 

[RnB180]

actually recstar recommended silver plated return,

I opted for silver plated signal and return.

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotoriousBIG_PJ I've tried correctly weighted sorbathane footers under my cd player to no effect. I've also had 28guage copper ic's and their bass was still very present and full. However I have never owned an interconnect with bullet plugs so that is something to consider. Biggie.

Since we're talking about footers, sorbathane and soft footers are the last thing you want if you want to tighten up bass. Soft footers tend to soften the sound across the board with more bloomy mids and bass.

As much as I hate cones for their unnatural tone, there's nothing like rigid metal cone to solidify bass. Those Walker lead/brass cones, Audiopoint brass cones, etc all will tighten up the bass greatly, especially in a speaker system.

A fair compromise is something llike Black Diamond Racing cones or DH Cones, both doing a decent job of hitting the middle between soft and hard footers.

Another option are those ball-bearing devices, such as Symposium rollerblocks, which really gets rid of bass bloat. But as usual, there are consequences at other places..

 

[eric343]

WBT Nextgen and Eichmann plugs will provide more detail; the Eichmann (copper) are a bit bright and bass-shy. Replace any non-SRCA Cardas plugs in your system, they are warmer and bassier. Roll some tubes in that amp!

Switch the amp to transformer- instead of OTL-mode if possible.

How big of a bass problem do you have? If it's quite substantial (like the stock PS-1s that I heard), you'll probably want a new source or something equally drastic. (new headphones?)

PS-1s are a pretty bassy headphone to begin with and tube amps traditionally don't like the low impedance of Grados (low damping factor equals sloppy bass). Your transformer upgrade may have simply revealed a weakness in your system. You've obviously sunk a fair bit of money into it; this is a logical and difficult-to-avoid stage in the upgrade cycle that most of us experience. A quick and/or cheap fix may not exist. Like me and my source problems... $800 Arcam driving KGSS/HE90s. Here in Germany there's a local audio shop that has the brand new EMM Labs/Meitner rig. F--k.

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotoriousBIG_PJ Oh wow, I looked in the manual of my uber moddifed teac cd player and to my suprise, it doesn't have an eq!

I've never seen an "uber moddified" (sic) CD player that did.

Take a look at outboard equalizers. No speakers or headphones are perfectly flat. You can try and come up with a combination of equipment that comes sort of close, but you'll never get all the way there with those sorts of tweaks. Even if just a few frequencies are out of whack, they can mask frequencies further along in the spectrum.

If you want accurate reproduction, you have to EQ. A good equalizer doesn't cost that much, and it makes a huge improvement in the quality of the sound. Trying to EQ by changing cables is like trying to bail water out of the Titanic with a thimble.

See ya
Steve

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric343 WBT Nextgen and Eichmann plugs will provide more detail; the Eichmann (copper) are a bit bright and bass-shy. Replace any non-SRCA Cardas plugs in your system, they are warmer and bassier.

So which of these 3 plugs are you recommending?

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric343 Roll some tubes in that amp!

I already rolled my tubes when I switched from rs-1 to ps-1 to compensate for the new found bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric343 Switch the amp to transformer- instead of OTL-mode if possible.

This ain't no sissy otl amp. Its a full blown speaker amp customized to drive low-ohm cans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric343 How big of a bass problem do you have? If it's quite substantial (like the stock PS-1s that I heard), you'll probably want a new source or something equally drastic. (new headphones?)

Its just a bit more then I want it. It was where I liked it before the transformer swap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric343 this is a logical and difficult-to-avoid stage in the upgrade cycle that most of us experience. A quick and/or cheap fix may not exist.

Yeah, I've already been through this stage twice, once with the rs-1, and then again with the ps-1. But after several unsuccessful attempts I couldn't get that transformer to stop buzzing so I replaced it and changed the balance of my system again. That was actually 3 months ago so this isn't really a must change type problem, its just been on my to do list for a bit.

Biggie.

 

[eric343]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotoriousBIG_PJ So which of these 3 plugs are you recommending?

I really don't want to recommend any too strongly, as I haven't even laid eyes on my rig in the last 9 weeks or so. But if you read what I wrote, the Cardas SRCA are more netural (I think! My memory is hazy on this one.) whereas the Nextgen really add a bit of detail whereas the Eichmann add detail but cut back on bass.
Quote:

Its just a bit more then I want it. It was where I liked it before the transformer swap.

Cool, then this may be a prime candidate for tweaking. Judging by John L's post, some cone feet might be in order. (If you're still at Waterloo, then consider using the student machine shop if any to make some. Much better than the truly insane prices some vendors charge. And you get to learn machining, which can come in very handy.) Or just buy some 1" diameter ball bearing balls and put them under everything, with a suitably sized sealed circular ball-bearing assembly either under or on top of the ball for stability. (warning: not tested, but should work)

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

The only reason I haven't tried cones and such is the price, lack of easy return policies and all those "system dependant" type posts. My player, amp and conditioner all still have stock footers. The amp and player are on an ikea lak table.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric343 But if you read what I wrote

I couldn't make sense of your use of grammer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric343 (If you're still at Waterloo, then consider using the student machine shop if any to make some. Much better than the truly insane prices some vendors charge. And you get to learn machining, which can come in very handy.)

Good, tell me this 5 days before I'm set to graduate lol!

Biggie.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Are you damping your tubes biggie? I recently tried some viton rings on the power tubes of my monoblocks and it solidified the bass, although it made it more prominent as well. (I had the Viton ones custom made because I wanted black, not red or clear, however Silicon ones are readily available) They might be worth experimenting with as they are only a few dollars each. Herbies are also great however I have not noticed as much difference with the bass performance. I got the custom viton ones from LevyPhoto on Ebay FWIW.

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Yes all my tubes have herbies dampeners on them.

Biggie.

 

[adhoc]

i would agree with the comment on eichmann copper bullet plugs being bright-sounding - i found that they (very unexpectedly) added a 'glare' to my sound.

right now i'm trying out some stranded-silver (teflon insulated) paired with eichmann silver bullets - much better.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Try...throwing out the PS-1's?

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

I ordered 2 sets of medium dh cones. They were half price so I should be able to recoup what I payed if they don't do anything positive. Will probably order the quicksilver contact enhancer depending on how the cones work out.

Biggie.

 

[Sinbios]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot If you want accurate reproduction, you have to EQ. A good equalizer doesn't cost that much, and it makes a huge improvement in the quality of the sound. Trying to EQ by changing cables is like trying to bail water out of the Titanic with a thimble.

That's what I've been thinking - you guys are talking about palladium interconnects, and those could run around 2k. For 2k, you could get a very nice eq. Whereas the 2k interconnect gives you a subtly different sound that may or may not move you towards total satisfaction - and which you cannot change, the 2k EQ is guaranteed to be perfect - you tune it to your own satisfaction. I mean, what are the chances that a palladium IC will make your sound exactly as you want it? But with a nice EQ, the chance is 100%.