Sometimes, I just dunno....

Zero

Zero

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Just when I feel like I'm finally beginning to get a solid grasp on the many in's and out's of this hi-fi stuff, something inevitably comes along to knock me on my rear end.

It all started when I bought this new stand for my CD player and integrated amplifier. I needed one because I just started filming reviews for a new project of mine, and the notion of showcasing a bunch of gear that's sitting unceremoniously on my floor is quite lame. So I buy the rack, assemble it, carefully set my gear on it, and then take a moment to marvel at how positively awesome everything looks! After lavishing in a bit of self-congratulation, I set out to wire up the system and discover that I cannot use my thick power cables due to their inability to (safely) reach the gear that is now positioned on the new rack. No biggie. I just so happened to have a pair of thinner, more expensive power cords anyway. Heck, I even took my copper-plated Belden's outta retirement just in case I needed an emergency back-up.

So I got everything wired up. I turned the gear on. Waited an hour or so for everything to warm up, and then I plugged in some Radiohead and....

Holy sh1t.

It sounded HORRIBLE.

Not bad. Not just different. I'm talking downright embarrassingly putrid. The kinda sound that you wouldn't even demo off to a Bose loving, Beats loving snot nosed teenager who "can't" with anything outside of Chipotle.

Anyway, while I'm no stranger to the influence of racks or power cords - I've never heard a difference like this before. It was a total transformation of a system. We're not talking a subtle change in bass, or dynamics, or imagining. I'm talking a complete re-voicing of an entire rig. Before I threw my gear onto this new rack and attached the new power cords to em', my system sounded pretty damned good if I do say so myself. It gave me the strengths of digital and solid state, while at the same time allowing me to bathe in the aural pool that's normally reserved for vinyl and tube owners. Unfortunately, the new setup changed all of that. The sound transformed into something that was phasey, harsh, beamy, and dis-jointed. Thinking that there may have been an issue with the new power cords, I reached for my emergency Beldens and plugged them into the chain. The sound improved, but the magic was still completely gone.

Finally, after putting up with this sub-par sound for roughly 24 hours, I took the rack away, placed the gear back on the floor, tied my old cables to said gear, and hit play... Sure enough, the magic returned. The beautiful, rich, yet incredibly well balanced sound that I've come to know and love was back! Ahhh.. Relief.

Only, this experience isn't very comforting. Not really. Not in the long haul.

Why?

Because this experience implies something that I'm not terribly happy with. It means that theoretically, somebody could buy the same exact gear that I own, set it up to near perfection (insofar as the room allows) as I have - yet still encounter a sound that's completely different from what I hear, all because of a rack and some damned power cords.

It's madness I tell you... Utter maddness...

Just when I thought I had a grip on how this stuff works, an experience like this comes along and humbles me right the f$#@ up. To quote Ygritte... "You know nothin..."
 
Something I am realizing but never wanted to admit: Everything matters!
 
joeinid said:
Something I am realizing but never wanted to admit: Everything matters!
Click to expand...

IT REALLY DOES!

I'm wanting to try some new things with my current setup, mostly play with some different cables. But I will be moving to a new house in 2 months. So I've decided to wait until I'm set up in my new room and see what happens before I try anything else.
 
Cables drive me crazy....because they matter....and they just shouldn't....but they do. I've learned one thing after 35 years in this hobby: as Joe and Mark said, EVERYTHING matters.
 
I thought new racks need at least 500 hours before they open up and sound good. :D
 
Myles B. Astor said:
George Tice once said to me, " everything matters, it's just whether or not it's good or bad."
Click to expand...

That's very true, I tried Stillpoints under my Hegel amp, initially I noticed the change in sound, but when I pulled them back out I liked the sound better. Go figure. Different isn't always better.
 
MDP said:
That's very true, I tried Stillpoints under my Hegel amp, initially I noticed the change in sound, but when I pulled them back out I liked the sound better. Go figure. Different isn't always better.
Click to expand...

my impression as well. I liked what had before Stillpoints (2" of solid maple). I'm just glad I got to return them.
 
MDP said:
That's very true, I tried Stillpoints under my Hegel amp, initially I noticed the change in sound, but when I pulled them back out I liked the sound better. Go figure. Different isn't always better.
Click to expand...


Mark, you actually hit upon an important point that many audiophiles forget. Many audiophiles put a new component or accessory in the system and immediately proclaim it better. Few take the time to really properly evaluate by then replacing or removing the new product and relistening.
 
Yes, racks, power, and cables matter. I now refer to those three items as the foundation of the system. Build a solid foundation, and any gear you add will work at its best right from the start. Have a weak foundation, and no matter how good your gear is, it will not work at its best.
 
BlueFox said:
Yes, racks, power, and cables matter. I now refer to those three items as the foundation of the system. Build a solid foundation, and any gear you add will work at its best right from the start. Have a weak foundation, and no matter how good your gear is, it will not work at its best.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Zero said:
Just when I feel like I'm finally beginning to get a solid grasp on the many in's and out's of this hi-fi stuff, something inevitably comes along to knock me on my rear end.

It all started when I bought this new stand for my CD player and integrated amplifier. I needed one because I just started filming reviews for a new project of mine, and the notion of showcasing a bunch of gear that's sitting unceremoniously on my floor is quite lame. So I buy the rack, assemble it, carefully set my gear on it, and then take a moment to marvel at how positively awesome everything looks! After lavishing in a bit of self-congratulation, I set out to wire up the system and discover that I cannot use my thick power cables due to their inability to (safely) reach the gear that is now positioned on the new rack. No biggie. I just so happened to have a pair of thinner, more expensive power cords anyway. Heck, I even took my copper-plated Belden's outta retirement just in case I needed an emergency back-up.

So I got everything wired up. I turned the gear on. Waited an hour or so for everything to warm up, and then I plugged in some Radiohead and....

Holy sh1t.

It sounded HORRIBLE.

Not bad. Not just different. I'm talking downright embarrassingly putrid. The kinda sound that you wouldn't even demo off to a Bose loving, Beats loving snot nosed teenager who "can't" with anything outside of Chipotle.

Anyway, while I'm no stranger to the influence of racks or power cords - I've never heard a difference like this before. It was a total transformation of a system. We're not talking a subtle change in bass, or dynamics, or imagining. I'm talking a complete re-voicing of an entire rig. Before I threw my gear onto this new rack and attached the new power cords to em', my system sounded pretty damned good if I do say so myself. It gave me the strengths of digital and solid state, while at the same time allowing me to bathe in the aural pool that's normally reserved for vinyl and tube owners. Unfortunately, the new setup changed all of that. The sound transformed into something that was phasey, harsh, beamy, and dis-jointed. Thinking that there may have been an issue with the new power cords, I reached for my emergency Beldens and plugged them into the chain. The sound improved, but the magic was still completely gone.

Finally, after putting up with this sub-par sound for roughly 24 hours, I took the rack away, placed the gear back on the floor, tied my old cables to said gear, and hit play... Sure enough, the magic returned. The beautiful, rich, yet incredibly well balanced sound that I've come to know and love was back! Ahhh.. Relief.

Only, this experience isn't very comforting. Not really. Not in the long haul.

Why?

Because this experience implies something that I'm not terribly happy with. It means that theoretically, somebody could buy the same exact gear that I own, set it up to near perfection (insofar as the room allows) as I have - yet still encounter a sound that's completely different from what I hear, all because of a rack and some damned power cords.

It's madness I tell you... Utter maddness...

Just when I thought I had a grip on how this stuff works, an experience like this comes along and humbles me right the f$#@ up. To quote Ygritte... "You know nothin..."
Click to expand...

Maybe you imagined the change?
 
The flip side of everything matters is that no expense is spared. After a lifetime of being rewarded for my skepticism, audio is kicking me in the butt. At AXPONA the cable guys "demonstrated" that installing their power cord would transform my system. I bought their entry level cable, took it home and installed it in place of my stock cord. My wife almost wept at how beautiful the system sounded. It was a MAJOR enhancement that I now couldn't live without. That demo might have cost me $5k or more. And neither science or common sense can explain why it made such a difference.
 
Disturbing your good cables at play can also make your system go backwards up to approx 48-72 hours until they resettle. Sounds crazy, but I try not to go back there unless there is a planned (additive) configuration change. Do my best not to touch when dusting and vacuuming. Maybe the dust build-up helps too. :dunno:

I wonder how your new rack materially compares to the floor? Carpet, timber, concrete, tile? Type of de-coupling? Airborne vibration, floor born vibration, static build-up on carpet, EM/RF field contamination levels.

There are many permutations and combinations to consider cause and effect. It all matters.
 
Steve said:
Disturbing your good cables at play can also make your system go backwards up to approx 48-72 hours until they resettle. Sounds crazy, but I try not to go back there unless there is a planned (additive) configuration change. Do my best not to touch when dusting and vacuuming. Maybe the dust build-up helps too. :dunno:

I wonder how your new rack materially compares to the floor? Carpet, timber, concrete, tile? Type of de-coupling? Airborne vibration, floor born vibration, static build-up on carpet, EM/RF field contamination levels.

There are many permutations and combinations to consider cause and effect. It all matters.
Click to expand...

No it's not on a good system. :) I haven't found 2-3 days but certainly one day. There's definitely a significant loss of transparency and focus when you move, disturb, coil, uncoil, etc. cables.
 
Yeah, probably one day, two in the Southern Hemisphere, three days in Tasmania on a cold day. :roflmao:
 
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