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Path: utzoo!watmath!watdcsu!herbie
From: herbie@watdcsu.UUCP (Herb Chong [DCS])
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re: comments on gadgets (long)
Message-ID: <1220@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 7-Apr-85 21:22:51 EST
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.1220
Posted: Sun Apr  7 21:22:51 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 8-Apr-85 01:33:46 EST
References: <5200007@hpcvry.UUCP>
Reply-To: herbie@watdcsu.UUCP (Herb Chong [DCS])
Organization: U of Waterloo
Lines: 112
Summary: 

In article <5200007@hpcvry.UUCP> raan@hp-pcd.UUCP (raan) writes:
>I thought I would share some experiences with various audio accessories
>and gadgets.  
>
>Tiptoes -- from Mod Squad
>   <...>
>   These cones are extremely unstable unless properly installed.  If the
>   speakers are heavy, this will take at least two and maybe three people.
>   One to lift the speaker and one (or two) to position the cones under
>   it.  I found that the surface the flat side of the cone is placed against
>   must be FLAT and parallel to the floor.  If your speaker has feet on it
>   that are not at least as wide as the flat end of the cone, you will have
>   to remove the feet.  After experimenting with various feet (ranging from
>   1/4" thick 3/4" round rubber screw mounted to 1/16" thick stick-on rubber)
>   I found that the best results were obtained with no feet at all.  To
>   obtain better coupling between the speaker and cones (and aid in their
>   installation) I put a layer of double stick carpet tape on the surface
>   of the cone (this is a thin solid [not foam] plastic tape).
there are tiptoes clones that have a screw coming up from them.  if you
are willing to drill a small hole in the bottom of your speakers for
each one, then these are probably better at coupling the speaker to the
floor.  also, use 3 instead of 4 because the speakers then rest on a
tripod and will not rock even if the floor is uneven.  if you have to
drill holes all the way through, remember to put a dab of silicone or
other caulking compound which is removable to seal the hole and
guarantee that it's airtight (not that the leakage is significant.  i
have not experimented with mine yet because i have to do more things to
my speakers first.

>Omega One anti-static mat -- from Sound Saver
>
>   This is a stiff 1/16" thick carbon fiber mat that fits snugly around the
>   center post over the turntable mat.  
>
>   It is supposed to drain away static charge on the record.  I found that
>   it does work.  It has no discernable affect on the sound, and is the
>   only anti-static item I have found that was really effective.  
>
>   One drawback is that it occasionally sheds carbon fibers onto the underside
>   of the record.  These fibers are conductive, so be careful not to get them
>   into electronic equipment.
i personally do not like any kind of fibrous mat because of fibre
shedding, and also because of the inadequate damping provided by most
(but not all) fibre mats.  are you sure that it's really draining the
static charges?  i have a conductive rubber mat, the Angstrom Ultimat,
but my turntable platter and spindle are not grounded, so i realize no
benefit against static.  however, it provides tight coupling of the
record to the mat in conjunction with the supplied lightweight clamp.

i was very skeptical when i bought my mat, but since it was on sale and
of the type that made more sense physically, i bought it.  i used to
use an Eon Research Tripad (the guys that make the Tripod, first widely
advertised disk clamp) and found that it was no real improvement over
my OEM platter mat.  using the Angstrom mat made a big difference
though.  the increased detail in the upper mids was quite noticable,
with the resonance of cymbals and other percussion not muffled as
before.  solo piano was more accurately reproduced with the upper
harmonics from the notes being reproduced more properly.  plucked
instruments like acoustic guitar and harpsichord had a sharper attack
and the overtones were more clearly audible.  the low end was tighter
with a bass drum having depth instead of sounding like a dull thud.
next to the bass drum was a snare drum and i could hear the snares
vibrating when the bass drum was hit.  violin had bite whereas before,
it sounded more like a muzak station's violin.  other things i was able
to hear was the ticking of the watch BEFORE the heartbeat begins on
Speak to Me on Dark Side of the Moon.  

my brother plays drums and my cousin plays and teaches piano so i've
had ample opportunity to hear them.  also i have friends who play
chamber music now and then so i know how a violin should sound.

the sheffield drum record was used for these tests, as well as Shure
TTR110, Era III, Fresh Aire 4, Finger Paintings UHQR, Dark Side of the
Moon UHQR and others.  cartridge was a Dynavector DV23R, Fulton
Headshell Leads, Technics SH-100 headshell and SL1400Mk2 turntable with
modified cables into a modified Yamaha CA-2010 integrated amplifier
running 30W/ch pure Class A driving modified and rewired B&W DM7Mk2
speakers and Audio Technica ATH-7 electret condenser headphones.  
(your mileage may vary 8-)).

>Geodisc cartridge installation guide 
> 
>   This is a plastic, record sized device with markings for setting the 
>   overhang and tracking angle on a cartridge (for tangental tonearms).  
> 
>   I have no way to double check the alignment of the cartridge as set up 
>   by using this aid, but the result sounds good and it really is easy to use.
i have used one before, but i have found that although it gets you
close, you have to be very careful about lining up the front of the
cartridge with the raised lines on the plastic which are hard to see.
a little white paint touched lightly on the raised lines would have
made it easier.  also, it's hard to see the pivot point of some
tonearms, so it's not always easy to use.  as with all such alignment
devices, they assume that the stylus is properly mounted on the
cantilever within the cartridge.  this is usually a safe assumption,
but if you're very fussy and have a stylus that is very sensistive to
alignment (most line-contact types) you will probably want to use this
as a starting point for adjustment by ear unless you have access to
test records and instruments.  with these stylus shapes, amount of
antiskating is dependent upon how your cartridge is aligned.  i use an
ADC Accutrac because i got it long before MFSL made the Geodisc.

>Raan Young >(hp-pcd!raan)

Herb Chong...

I'm user-friendly -- I don't byte, I nybble....

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