I must stop tweaking!!!!!

[CJSF]

Yep, I said I had . . . confesion time, I havent, but it did not cost me anything, just a bit of time and thought. Recently got backsome cleaned records, they sounded great. However I could now hear sonthing that I could not before. Was that destotion at the very top end of the frequancy band, I was not sure, but as I have always said 'trust your ears', there was something there.

But what . . . I changed nothing, just hypothasised, nothing made any sence, Then I remembered, the fine tune balance weight on the back of the arm, a weight running on a threaded rod. one has always thought this weight felt slack on the rod, no fixing. So lets fix it. Much brain scratching came up with so minute gossomer threads, I mean tiny, we are talkingm spiders web tiny, Braided fishing line teased out into its component threads. A few threads wraped around the threaded rod put enough friction onto the weight to stop it moving.

Job done, top end is now tight and crisp, bonuses; chest shaking base, improved dynamics oveall, and the volume had to be turned down. Cost nothing, a bit dificult to work with is the gossomer thread, its why I must keep tweaking, the system sounds better.

CJSF

 

[Chris Munden]

You got a good result from your inexpensive tweak, but as most people will agree, tweaking can become addictive if you have the money that is, There must be a line drawn somewhere, other wise who knows where it might go! I suspect though that great satisfaction can be got from a self made tweak.

Chris

 

[CJSF]

You got a good result from your inexpensive tweak, but as most people will agree, tweaking can become addictive if you have the money that is, There must be a line drawn somewhere, other wise who knows where it might go! I suspect though that great satisfaction can be got from a self made tweak.

Chris

Yes Chris, you are right, can be expensive, however I am a squirel and an inveterate bodger so I keep tweaking seperate from upgrading which is certaily expensive. To get my TT to is present level cost me about £300, plus arm and cartridge, arm/cartridge upgrade is something that hapens to any TT, so I tend to treart them seperatly.

The cartridge was bought as a worn out quality Sumiko Pearwood, for under £300, retiping was a further £300, So I got a £1400 cartridge for a song? Arm is an Audiomods Classic, the £300 was bearing, sub plater, verious damping, belt etc., probably less than £300 but I am trying to be fair.

Called a halt 9 montha ago, moved on to pastures new enjoying my music for its own sake, with little or no vinyle in that time.

Back with a vengence, winter is here, lots of time indoors, curently having my favourit vinyle cleaned, that started me off, hearing things from the clean discs that I new were not right. I tickled with the platter, taking a step or two backwards??? . . . still massy but but the record now hangs in middair. I heard extreem top end destortion previously put down to room accoustics. Tracked that down to the arm ballance weights, a small fine adjustmen weight that had no fixing it simply sat on a threaded rod. It is now secured with Gossamer strands wound around the threaded rod taking up the slack with finget tight adjustable firmess, applied the same Gossamer strands to the main weight to good efect.

The top end destortion has gone, a nutrality is in the sound that I like, along with an across the board dynamic edge I was not expecting, plus a chest crunching base that simply should not hapen with PMC circa 1990 studio monitors? One thing I lke if it aint on the recording its not there, much demonstrated with the quality base, if its there I enjoy it. One more thing, the new overall dynamic required the volume to be turned down a tad, very satisfying . . .

These latest tweaks cost nothing, they are genuine tweaks that amount to adjustments that can be reversed. Thats the satisfaction you mentioned Chris, no cost, reversable and so many hifi enthusiasts miss out on because they dont try, throwing money at the problem instead and going round in circles?

CJSF

 

[plastic penguin]

CJ - if it gives you pleasure why stop? You're not harming anyone. If you did stop you'd be a fish out of water, especially during winter when you can't fly your remote control aircraft.

Nah, stick with it. *good*