System Tuning Tips

The magic is in the details. Nowhere is this statement truer than in the context of a high-end audio or video system. Many fine systems perform at sub-optimal levels due to a few overlooked details. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a collection of superb equipment fail to live up to potential, the result of a few minor problems. Careful attention to set-up details can pay hefty dividends, rewarding the listener with significantly enhanced performance. Often just an hour or so of effort can bring improvement equivalent to replacing a component!

Those who have been around the hobby for a while are likely familiar with many of the items on the list to follow. If that is you, then consider this a gentle reminder to carry out the routine maintenance you may have been putting off. If you are a "newbie," then I think you’ll find below a number of ways to easily (and substantially) improve system performance, for little or no money.

Pay attention, class, your homework assignment follows.

1)     Be certain your speakers are precisely aligned. Without a doubt, the most commonly overlooked and/or under appreciated issue in audio is speaker alignment. Most everyone can realize further sonic gains by careful attention to placement and alignment. Millimeters matter, and it is critical that one take the time to insure locating and set-up have been fully optimized. It would be difficult to overstate the importance that a small change can make here.
            Though a full discourse on set-up exceeds the scope of this paper, a more complete description of alignment procedures can be found in our article entitled “Speaker Placement.” I urge you to read the article and spend some time tweaking to be sure things are spot-on, with special attention to insuring that each speaker be located exactly the same distance from the listener.

2)     Be sure your speakers are spiked correctly. The purpose of spikes is to tightly couple the speakers to the floor. This mechanical coupling is critical to achieving optimal performance. The spikes must fully pierce the carpet (and pad), coming into solid contact with the sub floor below. Should you have hardwood or tile floors, spikes should still be used, but with floor protectors to prevent damage. If the speaker wobbles when rocked, even a little bit, readjust the spikes so that each makes secure contact with the floor. Your speakers should feel absolutely rock solid, with zero movement front to back or side-to-side.

3)     Clean/tighten all connections. There is likely no more forgotten tweak than this one. We need to do all we can to aid the little electrons on their circuitous path around our systems. The most treacherous part of their journey, without a doubt, are the temporary connections we make between components. Tight junctions between mating surfaces of the connectors improves conductivity by increasing termination pressure; clean contacts improve signal flow by reducing contaminants. Attention to both insures best performance.
      I have written a very complete treatise on the matter, providing you with a step-by-step guide to walk you through the process. “How to Improve Your System For Free. Almost.” Read it and be clean! Repeat at least twice a year.

4)     Keep cables away from one another. Surrounding each and every cable in your system is an electromagnetic field. When two cables lay in close proximity to one another these fields interact, resulting in sonic degradation. The intensity of the field and the particular type of cable used will determine the extent of contamination and amount of performance reduction.                 
       Typically, digital cables, power cables and speaker cables are the worst offenders, as they generate the strongest electro-magnetic fields. Interconnects create somewhat weaker fields on their own, but due to the small voltages they carry, are sensitive to the fields created by others.
       To avoid contamination, we must separate cables from one another. Though I’ve heard varying suggestions on the amount of separation required, four to six inches seems to be the average. I don’t know about your system, but that is a rather lofty goal for my setup! The number of wires, and the complexity of the paths necessary to connect even a modest system makes reaching the ideal a real battle, but do the best you can, paying special attention to getting interconnects away from AC and speaker cables. Where cables must intersect, cross them at right angles. Avoid parallel runs of signal cables and power cables at all costs.
        You can use a non-contact voltage sensor to find which cables tend to be the biggest offenders. These devices are inexpensive, and available at home centers. The one we use is the Gardner Bender Livewire GB-505A. It sells for less than $15.00 at Lowe's. Just switch the unit on and place it on or near any cable to see what kind of electro-magnetic field is being generated.

5)     Get the cables off the floor. There are a number of theories surrounding this tweak, but the most plausible focus on the areas of vibration and static electricity. Decoupling the cables from the floor reduces structure-borne vibrations that can reduce focus and cause audible “smearing.” Static charges present in carpet (and other flooring materials) couple to the cable, resulting in increased background noise and grain. Try this experiment: Cut an empty paper towel (or toilet paper) tube into 2 – 3” lengths. Use these to raise all cables off the floor, and as spacers to separate cables from one another. Better systems will often benefit from this tweak, realizing improved detail, air and transparency. If you like what you hear, you may want to replace the cardboard tubes with something a bit more attractive! There are a number of companies manufacturing specific products for the purpose. You can also build your own, but remember to use non-conductive materials, with wood and paper being common choices.

6)  Clean your CD’s. Optimal reproduction of Compact Discs requires their surface be scrupulously clean. While a scratched or dirty CD may play (though the help of internal error correction circuitry), better performance will most certainly be realized from a pristine disc. A number of products are available to clean and/or polish the Polycarbonate surface of the CD and DVD. I particularly like Optrix (by Compact Dynamics) and Auric Illuminator (Audience). You can learn more about Optrix here. 

7)     Reduce vibrations. Start by using a stable, non-resonant rack for a solid foundation. The equipment rack you’ve chosen to support your gear directly impacts system performance. It is common for people to upgrade their components and forget that bringing the rack up to the same level is an important consideration.
       If you've never upgraded your rack, it may be time to do so. There are a number of good choices, with models to fit most every budget. Check out our Equipment Stand Overview for more information.
       Coupling/decoupling feet or platforms of various designs can help reduce the level of structure-borne vibrations reaching the component, while helping to funnel away vibrations created within the chassis (except de-coupling feet, which reduce structure-borne vibration but do not allow an exit path for internally generated vibrations). A number of excellent choices are available and we'd be happy to help with recommendations on which may be right for your system. Experimentation is the key to finding the solution best for your system. 

8)     Replace AC wall outlets. The "cheesy" residential grade outlets in your wall are a significant impediment to optimum performance. Designed for use with lamps, table radios and other mundane household appliances, residential grade outlets are simply not up to the task of serving of a high-end audio or video system. There are a number of good upgraded outlets available, but after listening, our strong preference is the First Impression Music ($55). If that is more than you can comfortably afford, commercially available Hospital or Commercial outlets (i.e. Hubbell 5263) can be had for as little as $15, and though not in the league of the FIM, are darn sight better than Residential grade. Note: be certain to replace all the outlets on a circuit. Since all are in series with one another, as a poor connection at any of the remaining outlets can add resistance, introducing noise into the system. Further, unplug everything but system components from the circuit feeding your audio or video system (appliances, lamps, computers, etc.). The system needs all the capability a typical 15 Amp circuit can deliver, plus other items can induce noise.

9)     Check AC Polarity. Variations in residential AC wiring, and the internal connection schemes inside our components, can cause errant currents to flow between system components (through the interconnects). This condition can modulate the ground reference of each consecutive gain stage, causing audible degradation. Proper AC polarity alignment is achieved by registering the chassis potential to ground. Rather than delving into detail here, I’ll refer you to my article “Determining Proper AC Polarity.”
            The technique has been around for many years, yet seems oddly cyclical in popularity. Though more difficult to implement on grounded components, it is nevertheless worth trying.

10)     Eliminate static on cables. Thanks to cable manufacturer, Nordost for illuminating this problem. Their experimentation found that static build-up on the cable jacket interferes with the signal being carried by the conductors within, resulting in increased background noise and grain. Simply wiping the cables down every few weeks with a non-invasive anti-static material (Nordost Eco-3  has been especially formulated for use on cables is an especially good choice) will eliminate the problem. This should also be done when installing new cables.
       I’ve found there to be a number of variables influencing the efficacy of this tweak. Cable jacket materials and construction, humidity, type of floor covering and even the equipment used determines the amount of improvement available. In any event, it is certainly worth trying.

11)     Condition AC power. The AC line conditioner has become an essential component in a modern audio or video system. The high-resolution performance of modern high-end gear, and the decreasing quality of the AC line, has made line conditioning a mandatory requirement for achieving optimum performance. There exist a vast array of excellent quality units to fit most every application and budget.
       You may also want to consider adding a dedicated circuit or two to feed your system. If that is not possible, select a circuit unshared with major appliances, then unplug everything from the circuit except for the audio/video system.

12)     Clean your ears. No, I’m not kidding! Normally, the ear drains away excess wax. Occasionally, a build-up can harden and block the ear canal, causing inflammation, irritation and even hearing loss. If your ear canal keeps getting clogged, you may need to see your doctor occasionally to have it removed. Physicians recommend against using cotton swabs for cleaning the ear canal. Most use jets of carefully controlled water to rinse out the ear canal and remove impacted wax. A variety of ear cleaning kits are on the market and can be found at most pharmacies.
            Believe it or not, wax build-up is a very common cause of sudden hearing loss. Though few of you are likely to have such a serious case, I’ve spoken with numerous audiophiles over the years who have reported noticeable improvement from a thorough cleaning

13)     Demagnetize CD’s. A number of years ago, Bedini began offering a hand-held demagnetizer for CDs. Controversy raged with opponents suggesting that the CD contained no ferrous (magnetic) material and therefore could not be magnetized. Bedini’s contention was that the Polycarbonate layer holds a static charge that is created during the process of play, and that dissipating this static charge improved sound. Seems to be the case, as benefits are obvious on most CD’s.
       There are several products available which have been designed to deal with the problem. The aforementioned Bedini, and the Furutech RD-2  from Japan (our preference). You can read more about CD demagnetization here.

14)     Damp the first reflection points in your room. Reflections in the listening environment can play havoc with audio quality, especially imaging. Sound waves bounce off nearby surfaces, arriving at the listener after the direct sound from the speakers. The arrival time and the intensity of these reflections classify them as beneficial or detrimental. First reflection points are of particular interest as their proximity to the listener is close, thus the intensity of the reflected sound is high.
       It is easy to find reflection points in the room utilizing the “mirror technique.” While seated in the listening position, have someone slide a small mirror along the wall, at about ear height. At various locations along the walls you’ll see an image of the speaker in the mirror represents. Each of these spots represents an acoustical reflection site; the points closest to the speaker are the first reflection points. Mark these positions and place absorption or diffusion material there to eradicate the reflection.
        A comprehensive acoustical room treatment program will yield maximum results, treating the first reflection points will be beneficial and give you some insight to the process.
         Great products to deal with these issues are available from Acoustic Sciences Corporation (Sound Panels) and RPG. You can find links to both here.

15)     Tighten driver-mounting hardware. Here is an easy one that I bet you never thought of. In their role of making sound, speakers generate tremendous vibration. These vibrations not only excite the air to create the sound we hear, but are transmitted into the structure of the enclosure. Over time, the screws holding the drivers in place loosen due to the cabinet and driver vibrations. Once every six months or a year, it is a good idea to re-tighten the fasteners to insure tight coupling. We recommend sequentially tightening opposing fasteners in a progression – first at 12 o’clock, then 3, 6 and 9.
        Notes: Be careful not to over-tighten, as many drivers are secured to Medium Density Fiberboard (a compressed wood fiber material) that can strip if too much force is used. Further, be cautious of using pointed metal objects (screwdrivers) close to drivers due to strong magnetic fields often present there.

16)  Analog. Analog is all about tuning. If you own a turntable, there are many areas to tweak in the search for better performance, the details of which require another article. At the very least, cartridge alignment, including overhang, azimuth, tracking force and vertical tracking angle should all be checked annually.
      We have several articles in our How To's section under a separate heading, Analog Corner, that may help you.

So there you have it, a list of things sure to keep you busy for a while! Improvements from individual tweaks may be minor, but bear in mind that they are additive. A little bit here, a little bit there and soon you have a very noticeable change. Spend some time with your system attending to the details, and you will undoubtedly realize noticeable performance gains.

We’d love to hear from you with any tweaks that have helped you to improve your system.

  Sign up to receive more tuning tips by e-mail!