[euclid]

neutralizing blinking computer LEDs in my listening room with black electrical tape, and disconnecting the blue LED on my headphone amp so i can watch the tubes glow in dark peace.

 

[Patrick82]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euclid neutralizing blinking computer LEDs in my listening room with black electrical tape, and disconnecting the blue LED on my headphone amp so i can watch the tubes glow in dark peace.

I also have every LED covered up in my room. It's not a problem when listening to music eyes closed, but when opening eyes after a while it's painful to the eyes.

 

[cdacosta]

This thread is old but possibly this may inspire or help someone. The following are being used in my current headphone setup (and also mostly in my now packed up $60K home theater, I recently moved). Since this is a headphone forum I will stick to what applies specifically to a headphone setup. Ratings are based on performance increase. Value each individual would have to judge for themselves. The way I have learned to think of it as everything within system= overall performance. In the last 20+ years I have done a lot of tweaking and modding but lets see what I remember off the top of my head, will stick with what makes the most difference...

**** Highest Bang for Buck Tweaks **** These tweaks are universal on any audio setup and will yield stunning results. Any of these "Highest Bang for Buck Tweaks" will take your system to the next level. Utilizing all three tweaks properly and you will be shocked, to the point you will feel like you have a new upgraded system.
* Furutech Nano Liquid (best contact enhancer I have used, I have tried all) on all contacts within the system including inside PC that is the source (cost $150) - 10
* f.o.Q. T-52 and T-102 Amazing for for improving audio reproduction and is strong stuff. Usage is to long to list here. (cost for entire system $120) - 10
* Oyaide MWA-010T EMI Absorption Tape 5 meter role. Used on ends of power cables, digital cables, inside gear and AC breaker panel. (cost $60) - 10

Below is about system synergy like cables and AC power outlets, which require getting the ones that match your tastes and how you would like to improve your system sonically.
* Cables (headphone, power and signal) can make a huge difference, almost like a component in the system. (cost= expensive for nice cables. cheap cables do nothing) - 10
* AC Power outlet upgrade. ($105 - $200 each) - 10
* Depending on gear placement, iso Acoustics footers. (cost for eight feet $90) - 3
* Shakti Stone "can" improve sonic reproduction. I use only one on top of custom power line conditioner and makes a very noticeable difference ($250) - 4
* Power conditioners that isolate analog and digital gear. Power makes a huge difference to how a system will sonically perform. Cost will vary from DIY converting a used hospital unit to fancy commercial units. (cost each $100 - $5K+) - 10
* Galvanic isolation USB or SPDIF unit like ifi makes. Used from source to DAC. Isolates and re-clocks original signal from source. (cost $200 - $300) - 10
* Replacing solder joints in gear with high quality solder like WBT silver or Mundorf silver and gold. ($50) - 7
* Audiophile fuses. There are many and yes replacing a single fuse can be heard if the system is resolving enough. ($50 - $200) - 6
* Replacing jumper connection wire inside gear with much higher quality wire like Neotech silver and gold and use high quality solder. ($30+) - 8
* Hammond 193L or bigger choke. This choke is plugged into AC outlet, power conditioner or at IEC inlet on gear. Used like a power line conditioner similar way choke is used on a tube amp. Can have multiple in a system but one in system is obvious. I had 10+ in my HT setup and 3 for current headphone setup. Love these things. The 193L is 5H unit. The ones in the Richard Gray 400 units were 10H. These power conditioners is what made him famous back in the day. If earth ground is grounded to choke chassis will take your system a notch toward warmer. So can be used as a tool to tune system. ($60 each) - 8
* Proper cable management. Keep power cables away from signal. If they have to be close or touch make sure they are 90 deg., not parallel to each other (cost $0) - 4
* Whether Furutech Nano Liquid is used or not. First make sure all connections are fully cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. (cost $2) - 10
* Upgrade SMPS (wall wart) on gear like DAC to a ifi iPower X or linear power supply. ($120+) - 8

Hope this helps someone.... Peace

 

[dunring]

Best upgrades were the cheapest ones. I turned my power supply in the system face down so it draws air through the vents in the bottom of the case, and added 4 rubber doorstops for feet to raise it up for airflow. Then on the now heavily shielded side of the power supply, I added a $14 FebSmart 2 Ports USB 3.0 PCI Express Expansion Card and Amazon Basics A-B USB cable (for a Topping D10b DAC, they still use those) which is a really substantial feeling cable and performs great.

The Monoprice Premier interconnect cables really do sound as good as my Worlds Best XLR's. Order direct, all the Amazon ones have quality control problems and 1 in 3 failed a multi-meter test for grounds). Never had a problem with the many I ordered direct from Monoprice though, but it's a $50 min order for free shipping.

Also got a bottle of 91 percent alcohol for $3 at Walmart pharmacy to clean cable connectors. But probably should have gotten the box of alcohol wipes for convenience.

For headphones, a delicates bag for the washing machine and unscented laundry detergent is the way to go. I get equipment in all the time, so cleaning and drying with a dehumidifer is a huge time saver. They make an unscented Fabreeze which works pretty well too unless it's really dirty.

 

[cdacosta]

Oh also let me add a Parametric EQ. I use Equalizer APO with Peace interface. All is totally free for PC. My main headphones are Audeze LCD-XC (2021 version). Stock from the factory they are tuned reference flat across the frequency spectrum. In stock form without EQ I would not listen to them, not musical at all, extremely analytical. With the EQ mentioned above they sound awesome! The EQ allows me to tune the headphones to my liking. - 10

 

[TheAttorney]

* Furutech Nano Liquid (best contact enhancer I have used, I have tried all) on all contacts within the system including inside PC that is the source (cost $150) - 10
* f.o.Q. T-52 and T-102 Amazing for for improving audio reproduction and is strong stuff. Usage is to long to list here. (cost for entire system $120) - 10

Thank you for that very comprehensive list.
A couple of questions:

1. Have you compared the Furutech Nano to (ex-)Highfidelity's 1260 or newer Q45T? Does the Nano maintain its performance over months and years?
2. What is f.o.Q. T-52 and 102? I couldn't find anything with google search.

 

[cdacosta]

Thank you for that very comprehensive list.
A couple of questions:

1. Have you compared the Furutech Nano to (ex-)Highfidelity's 1260 or newer Q45T? Does the Nano maintain its performance over months and years?
2. What is f.o.Q. T-52 and 102? I couldn't find anything with google search.

Interesting, I will have to change what I said to "almost all contact enhancers". I have not tried High Fidelity's contact enhancers. Actually in the 25 years actively in this hobby never heard of their contact enhancers. As for degradation of performance I have only been using the Furutech Nano for about 8 months. So far I have not experienced a degradation in performance. I have heard from friends and read within some reviews, that they have with over a year of use the degradation is extremely minimal. These are hobbyist and audiophiles that have a regimen to clean and re-apply all contacts every 6 months or so.

As an aside but related to the contact enhancer topic. I have always in the main rigs in all components with my systems, treat all internal contacts including fuses. By doing this, sonic performance has always been improved. The theory of this and contact enhancers is to minimalize micro arcing from all electrical transfer between connections. I will be the first to admit I am not a electrical engineer, expert or whatever like some of my friends in this hobby. I try/experiment and then see if what I did yields what results. Either I can hear a obvious difference or not, I keep it simple. From my experience noise floor is lowered by treating the contacts inside components. Because my main setup is in storage, I have gotten serious into headphone setups. My setup is highly tweaked, including the power side. I recently got a new computer which is serving as the source for my headphone system. Decided to try treating the internal connections inside the PC. First to see if there is any audible benefit was the main power connection from power supply to motherboard, SATA connections to SSD drives and the 4 memory sticks. The performance gain was WOW. So a week later I decided to treat all other contacts (including both video cards) inside PC aside the CPU. The performance gain of treating the contacts inside the PC with the Furutech Nano Liquid is stunning. Way beyond what I was expecting. An absolute must try for anyone serious about audio with any reasonable level of resolution capable system!

_________________________________________

Ok, fo.Q is a Japanese company specializing in micro-vibration dampening for audio. I have used the older TA-52, newer TA-32 and TA-102. I will supply a few links so you can research for yourself. I have been using their products IIRC since 2007. They do not advertise, they cater to audiophiles. Absolutely amazing stuff for audio. The TA-32 is thinner used mainly on cables and non-flat surfaces but can be used on flat surfaces also. The TA-102 is thicker and does not bend much. Both come with an adhesive backing. I will take a pic of the TA-32 packaging (I have it handy for a power cable I have arriving today). Look at the Audeze LCD-XC headphones I will place in the pic and see where I have applied the TA-32. The dampening tapes are used for tuning and removing micro vibration which with most applications will enhance resolution. This material is extremely strong and effective so some experimentation is required but there are many uses within an audio system that helps to enhance sonic performance. Here are some uses to give you an idea: on top of caps and PCB inside gear, all cable ends, back strap of AC outlets, around power cable IEC connector that enters into gear, around IEC connector housing inside gear, gear chassis, on volume pot chassis inside gear, on all signal connection housing inside gear, headphones (see pic for an idea), speaker driver baskets, small dot on speaker drivers and subs, AC wall plates. Those are some of the application uses I and many have found to increase sonic performance within audio setups. Below is a main link to fo.Q and Audio Asylum (Tweakers forum) that many in the past have shared their different experiences with fo.Q tape. Would take me hours to explain what the fo.Q tape does where, the links below will get you started. Will take a pic of my headphones and post so you can see.

LINKS:
http://www.foq.jp/foqhp_e/qa.html

https://db.audioasylum.com/default....ssage=&sort=score&sortOrder=DESC&forum=tweaks

 

[cdacosta]

Thank you for that very comprehensive list.
A couple of questions:

1. Have you compared the Furutech Nano to (ex-)Highfidelity's 1260 or newer Q45T? Does the Nano maintain its performance over months and years?
2. What is f.o.Q. T-52 and 102? I couldn't find anything with google search.

 

[cdacosta]

Here is a pic of inside a Schitt Modius with TA-102 on top of caps and on PC board. If anyone does this tweak in a DAC or amp:

1) clean surface with 91% or stronger isopropyl alcohol using Q-tip before installing TA-102.

2) keep the pieces on top of caps small like in pic or to 1/8” squares. Larger pieces can over damp which will be obvious shrinking sound stage.

3) only place TA-102 on areas of the PC board that there are no traces.

TA-102 is strong so very little is required. After application sonic improvement is obvious and immediate. There is about a 72 hour curing time for the adhesive which improve Sonics a bit more. The sonic performance increase will surprise you and have looking all over your system wondering where else would benefit from the treatment. LOL

 

[whitedragem]

A great thread, glad to see a revive.....

Some of the posts contained really go to length to describe 'how to', and seems like posters have taken the attitude to "keep focused to head-fi".

So I will take a moment to share an idea, and hope that the idea perpetuates and is used more often than it presently is...

Probably not relevant to 'many users', if only for the requisite redundancies in 'hardware lying around'....
For those of use who keep our hifi/'surround sound' system seperate to our (hifi) 2 channel kit;

I take my two channel kit 'fairly seriously', and place most of my best bits in the more revealing setup, naturally..

For the last couple of months I have been rotating various two channel amplifiers through the setup, as power amps mostly, but dependant on the amplifier put in play.
I passed up some of the 'better' options simply because they couldn't use my best connections and power isolation etc, which DO make such a huge difference that the system sounded 'fairly magical' even using a 'surround amplifier' for the power amp duties..

When using a 'surround amp' of course, most built in the last twenty years or so will include speaker/room correction software.
Knowing that I wouldn't be keeping the surround amp in situ for a long while, I decided to 'make use of it' whilst it was in place.

So, last week I spent the most part of the day (/night) using the tuning software to profile the sound output by the two loudspeakers until I had their playback range closer to flatline by ROOM POSITION.
They wouldn't be four inches moved from their original location, which to be fair, had given 'fairly flatline sound' where I had ultimately placed them (after four or more adjustments when first setting them up).

Whilst I was doing such subtle adjustments, I took the effort to listen to the 'good placements' with a sample of a test track (Vanessa Mae/Butterfly Suite Violin Concerto(track one, 21:00 minutes to 22:00 minute mark) to make sure that the sound stage was playing out 'well'.

For the effort invested, the ultimate result, like many who live with re-equalisers in their system, was vastly better sound (I bypass all processing), and the best thing was being able to swap in 'other antiquated 2 channel amplifiers' and have that 'closer to studio sound' naturally with little tweaking.

In fact the first few minutes of auditioning the replacement 'entry level' two channel amp (which couldn't make use of the $600 US power cables or power isolation units in my rig), was 'exceptional', and confirmed (even when anaemic sounding due to being freshly powered from 'storage') , was that in some ways it was clearly better, and for the few ways it was 'inferior', I knew that an hour to two of being powered would level (mostly) that playing field.

True, my experiences with decent power filtration/recreation etc is that it is like upclassing equipment to the 'next tier up', something I first experienced nearly two decades ago when a 'decent power board (Thor A1)'(built for Australian power, but then bought by Monster; the original people now run 'Powerguard' is my understanding(seems like good kit!)), that the difference to a nice two channel system through power improvement can translate to what feels like a 10dB improvement in the 'signal to noise' / 'blacker background' for audio to erupt from...

Does an entry level two channel amp (with tuner and no 'source direct') outclass a 'one from flagship' surround receiver, even when the surround receiver has the better ancillary parts?
Yes- absolutely.
This isn't new to me though, I learned a lot about audio in my first decade of the hobby, and experienced firsthand, three decades ago, that an entry level two channel amp will hold its own/'flog' surround amps (including many of the flagships/'best ones').

Now I do have an Anthem receiver which can do 're-eq' to perfection, and could no doubt provide me 'good two channel' (I use it for surround processing and to amplify one or two speakers..)(in the cinema setup)..
It sounds great; listening to Indiana Jones (quadrilogy) reveals why exceptional playback of orchestral sound is the high watermark to try to obtain; the emotional engagement with the source material is why we get into the hobby, surely- but my middling experience of using dedicated processors vs integrated surround amps, is that dedicated processors FLOG 'all in ones'.
The Anthem is the closest I have come to '(outboard) processor sound' from an 'all in one', and is why I'd be interested to compare it to 'an entry level' two channel setup..

Take aways:
if you want decent two channel audio (ie to equate to headphone rig sound, a semi costly two channel setup might be required so as not to go 'backwards' in sound quality (headphone rigs give exceptional 'bang for buck' when chasing audio gold)), forget using surround amps altogether (they sound 'very digital' AT BEST), but do not discount the benefit of 'cheating'; using the surround amplifiers on screen display and MEASUREMENT of your existing speaker positions to calibrate/refine your room sound; in my example- used to find (closer to) flatline sound without equalisation.

Certainly the MORE work that the processing/re-eq box has to do, the more unnatural sound can get.
For any surround rig I use, I use the measurement software to show me the channel adjustments (in terms of power level) and then trim the levels on the external power amps so that the re-equalised sound by the processor doesn't have to swing ANY of the channels by more than 3-4dB
ie the initial calibration might have me raising rear height speakers by 8dB and lowering front/centre by a couple of dB: meaning that the processor is handling more than ten dB of 'volume swing'.
When surround processors do this, their resultant sound output, when running their re-equalisation, is often anaemic sounding or 'shrill'/nasal/'thin'...
If you took the knowledge of those +8dB results (and -2dB on other channels etc), and then trim all the channels on the power amps so that the processor can run the 're-eq' process AGAIN; this time it will alter all channels by only a decibel (or two).
The surround processor will sound MUCH BETTER for easing the burden of attempting to make eleven channels all sound the same. (vs having the internal boards boost/cut sound by 10db to match, and somehow still sound DYNAMIC!?)

So; TWO EXAMPLES of using a preliminary test to tailor sound for the better, the cost is a once off time investment, the reward is ongoing better sound daily.

Listening now to the results of a (half) days' effort is a nice sounding realistic rig that is useful in trying to learn/understand a recording.
Once we understand some recordings then we are in a better position to judge/test kit. (we need to experience a reference for what something SHOULD sound like)

Generally the ten times investment cost to 'jump to speakers' (vs head-fi) is a poor proposition, in terms of value, to achieve 'great sound'.
It might not be "10x", but its probably 'in the ballpark'. I am implying that $500 worth of headphone rig might take $5k to get the 'same level of sound quality' but from a hifi (speakers) setup. (It might only be 8x or it might be more than 10x- I wouldn't say its a perfect scaling, and is totally dependant on price points/value on existing parts.
Things get crazy when we start talking about 2k+ pricepoint headphones as an example (to make an equivalent speaker system)

 

[dougms3]

Thank you for that very comprehensive list.
A couple of questions:

1. Have you compared the Furutech Nano to (ex-)Highfidelity's 1260 or newer Q45T? Does the Nano maintain its performance over months and years?
2. What is f.o.Q. T-52 and 102? I couldn't find anything with google search.

I tried alot of the things that he recommended and all great results.

1. The furutech nano liquid is magical, it will upscale your gear. It seems expensive but for what it does, I think its worth the price. The base is squalene oil which is an antioxidant as well as a medium to suspend the micro particles of gold and silver and fill in micro pores in the surface of the metal. It doesn't seem to degrade over time but if you are constantly plug and unplug where you applied it, it will lose its effectiveness.

2. This material is simply amazing. Its like sorbothane but much more powerful by volume. It converts micro vibrations to electricity and then to heat. It was developed by the University of Tokyo for the Japanese aerospace industry. Negative is that it is extremely powerful and can kill bass and musicality if used in the wrong spots or overuse. I've used it extensively in tuning my headphones. It reigns in resonance really well, particularly where there is thin plastic.

http://www.foq.jp/foqhp_e/product/ta102.html

 

[TheAttorney]

Interesting, I will have to change what I said to "almost all contact enhancers". I have not tried High Fidelity's contact enhancers. Actually in the 25 years actively in this hobby never heard of their contact enhancers. As for degradation of performance I have only been using the Furutech Nano for about 8 months. So far I have not experienced a degradation in performance.

I've got the Furutech Nano on order. Although the Q45T has had some amazing reviews, it does cost 3x as much, cannot be ordered locally in the UK (so import duties etc) and the company is in a strange financial position at best (but still selling the Q45T). So I'll stick with the Nano at this point - will see how it goes. Also on order is a QSA Red wall socket (my first go at QSA products).

In the meantime, here are some tweaks I've had for a long time that have worked for me:

1. Nordost QV2 mains enhancer added to a spare socket of my Audience AR4TSSOX power line conditioner.
2 Furutech Clearline mains enhancer added to another spare socket.
3. 3M EMI filter sheet AB5000HF added on top of (or wrapped around) all connectors.

All three give subtle improvements in A/B testing, so no night-and-day moments. But in every case, I miss them when they're removed, so the impact is greater with long term listening.

The QV2 was interesting - it doesn't come in UK plug form, so it has a schuko to UK adapter, which means you can swap polarity depending on which way you plug it into the adapter. The manufacturer states that it is polarity independent, but I found otherwise: One side was "meh", the other side was a worthwhile improvement.

The EMI sheet worked particularly well on connectors. I didn't notice any improvement when adding it to cables, enclosures, or inside digital enclosures. Go figure.

 

[alvin sawdust]

I've got the Furutech Nano on order. Although the Q45T has had some amazing reviews, it does cost 3x as much, cannot be ordered locally in the UK (so import duties etc) and the company is in a strange financial position at best (but still selling the Q45T). So I'll stick with the Nano at this point - will see how it goes. Also on order is a QSA Red wall socket (my first go at QSA products).

In the meantime, here are some tweaks I've had for a long time that have worked for me:

1. Nordost QV2 mains enhancer added to a spare socket of my Audience AR4TSSOX power line conditioner.
2 Furutech Clearline mains enhancer added to another spare socket.
3. 3M EMI filter sheet AB5000HF added on top of (or wrapped around) all connectors.

All three give subtle improvements in A/B testing, so no night-and-day moments. But in every case, I miss them when they're removed, so the impact is greater with long term listening.

The QV2 was interesting - it doesn't come in UK plug form, so it has a schuko to UK adapter, which means you can swap polarity depending on which way you plug it into the adapter. The manufacturer states that it is polarity independent, but I found otherwise: One side was "meh", the other side was a worthwhile improvement.

The EMI sheet worked particularly well on connectors. I didn't notice any improvement when adding it to cables, enclosures, or inside digital enclosures. Go figure.

Will be interested on your thoughts regarding the Nano. I recently fitted a single Furutech NCF uk plug socket which feeds my Puritan PSM-156, surprised at the improved clarity and energy in the music which I hadn't noticed before.

 

[cdacosta]

I've got the Furutech Nano on order.

I have found in the last 25 years in this hobby there are many ways to tweak a audio system to improve sonic performance. The Furutech Nano Liquid is one of the least expensive with best bang for the buck return. Here are a few application tips:

PREP:
1) clean both mechanical connections first with isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol can also be used to remove Nano Liquid.
2) Shake bottle well.
3) Apply a “very thin” coat to both mechanical connections. Nano Liquid comes with a application brush. Use the inside of the bottle to squeeze out the brush so very little Nano Liquid is on brush before applying.

Where to apply:
- To all mechanical connections. Meaning AC (yes even AC outlets at wall, inside PLCs, power cable, fuse and fuse holders), Ethernet, line level connections like interconnects, speaker, headphones, etc. You get the gist, all mechanical connections. When you start to hear what is happening to your system you will start to look for anywhere you can apply the Nano Liquid.

Allow at least 72 hours of signal before judging or critical listening. For a headphone rig I have my source component is a PC. I decided to treat the PC like I would a component and started tweaking it. On all connections inside the PC I applied the Nano Liquid and WOW what a difference it made. Some connections treated will result in more of a profound difference than others. Will be interesting to know your thoughts after experiencing the Furutech Nano Liquid. As mentioned earlier there are many ways to tweak a system, eliminating or minimizing electrical micro arcing in the mechanical connections is one.

 

[maiieu]

I have found in the last 25 years in this hobby there are many ways to tweak a audio system to improve sonic performance. The Furutech Nano Liquid is one of the least expensive with best bang for the buck return. Here are a few application tips:

PREP:
1) clean both mechanical connections first with isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol can also be used to remove Nano Liquid.
2) Shake bottle well.
3) Apply a “very thin” coat to both mechanical connections. Nano Liquid comes with a application brush. Use the inside of the bottle to squeeze out the brush so very little Nano Liquid is on brush before applying.

Where to apply:
- To all mechanical connections. Meaning AC (yes even AC outlets at wall, inside PLCs, power cable, fuse and fuse holders), Ethernet, line level connections like interconnects, speaker, headphones, etc. You get the gist, all mechanical connections. When you start to hear what is happening to your system you will start to look for anywhere you can apply the Nano Liquid.

Allow at least 72 hours of signal before judging or critical listening. For a headphone rig I have my source component is a PC. I decided to treat the PC like I would a component and started tweaking it. On all connections inside the PC I applied the Nano Liquid and WOW what a difference it made. Some connections treated will result in more of a profound difference than others. Will be interesting to know your thoughts after experiencing the Furutech Nano Liquid. As mentioned earlier there are many ways to tweak a system, eliminating or minimizing electrical micro arcing in the mechanical connections is one.

How do you apply the nano liquid to the usb, hdmi, sata cables and ports of devices? Both metal shield and connector pins?