In an Audio system the first thing to remember is that your system can only sound as good as the weakest link!
Over the years so much has been said about power supplies and that you need filters and units to give you good clean power but that is not quite the case as I will come back to later.
Let us look first at your source either a CD or a record as the source is the most important item and depending on where it was pressed and on which material can make a very big difference to the sound that you can get from it.
CD and CD player
Tip number One:
Your CD - to get a better sound from it have your CD cut as this really does work and the difference is very noticeable.
http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2008/10/audiophile-stupidity-cd-lathe-improves-sound-quality/
Tip number Two:
Your CD – spray your CD (label side only) with antistatic fluid and let it dry naturally.
Tip number three:
Your CD player - Remove the stock power cord that came with your CD player and replace it with a good power cord, simple but very effective.
Tip number Four:
Your CD player - Put THREE Sound care spikes underneath.
Tip number Five:
Your CD Player – Spray it all over lightly with Antistatic fluid and let it dry naturally.
Tip number Six:
Your LP - to get a better sound always buy the heaviest version that you can find.
Tip number Seven:
Your LP – make sure that you find the best cutting angle that suits your stylus because US and EU have different angles as with your stylus.
Tip number Eight:
Your Turntable – Use a sprit level to ensure that it is level before you do your set up and best is to but the level on the LP to be played.
Tip number Nine:
Your Turntable – remove the stock power cord that came with it and replace it with a good quality power cord as this will give you a very big improvement.
Tip number Ten:
Your turntable - use THREE sound care spikes under your unit as they will give you a marked improvement in performance.
The Power cord is one of the main items to consider in your system
And there is much discussion about power cords but a good quality
Power Cord will improve your sound please read this article -
www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/powercords.html
Tip number 11:
Make sure that your power cord is plugged in the right
Way round because not all buildings are the same and positive is not always
On the right!
Tip number 12:
Spray you power cord lightly with Antistatic fluid and let it dry.
Tip Number 13:
Never use a power cord less than two meters in length
Tip number 14:
Always run power cords separately and never allow them to cross.
Tip number 15:
Buy and antistatic gun and point it at every piece of equipment
And squeeze the trigger do this every three months (including speakers)
Tip number 16:
Some people have ears that lie flat against their heads and do not
Realize what they are missing in the upper frequencies so put your hands behind
You ears and pull them out and you will hear much more, Seems a little strange but you will see.
Tip Number 17 :
never listen to your friends opinion as his ears are not the
Same as yours
Tip Number 18:
To improve your system as it is now send all your cables to a Company that performs Cryogenic cable treatment as this is one of the
Best upgrades value for money that you can ever get.
Tip Number 19:
Remove the stock power cord that came with the amplifier and replace it with a good power cord.
Tip Number 20:
Put your amplifier on FOUR sound care spikes.
Tip number 21:
Lightly Spray your amplifier and all cables with antistatic fluid every month.
Loudspeakers and Loud speaker cables.
Tip number 22:
Place your Loud speaker on THREE SoundCare spikes BUT very important the spikes be reversed (small end up and large end to the floor)
Tip number 23:
Use a spirit level to make sure your loudspeaker is level in every direction and there is a minimum of 6” from any wall service.
The Loud speaker cable should be a minimum of three meters in length and should be kept off the floor with small wooden blocks.
Tip Number 24:
Every month remove the loudspeaker cable and wipe the end connections with a soft cloth and after refitting spray lightly with Anti-static fluid
Tip number 25:
Buy a copy of The Ayre CD called Irrational but Efficacious and play it through your system every three months (all tracks)
Every person is unique and so the hearing is certainly not the same and in some cases a person is unable to hear any differences at all in any cables.
This is also the same with sense of smell with many people for example my wife can smell the difference between ten flowers but I can only
Smell the difference between two !
*Please also see the system set up in the main menu -
The Power supply and the best way to address it is NOT to install filters, dampers and a mass of other items simply do nothing and use a good quality power cord on each item that you have (CD player, Turntable, DAC and Amplifier) and your sound will be better.