Audio Accessories

What do you people use? And no.. beer bottles aren't legit..

Steve graciously made me this stand. I took a couple lousy pictures that weren't good enough to post. Nate took this one at CanJam, so I finally get to show off how beautiful it is. I think Iron Dreamer took a few good shots as well if he gets around to showing them. I also got to see Steve's work on Jay's amp and stand this weekend, and the pics I'd seen prior don't do it justice. Thanks Steve for beautifying our gear!

I recently added a monster power conditioner to my system and I was rather surprised at the results. (http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=168069) I wasn't expecting much if any improvements as I purchased the power conditioner mostly on impulse. It made more difference in my system than I've ever gotten from swaping out ICs or changing tubes (although my hybrid isn't all that responsive to tube changes). I am curious to hear others thoughts about power conditioning.

The loops of litz wire tweak. This is quite possibly the strangest tweak I've heard of, get loops of wire and attach them to the ground connections of CD players, amps, and speakers. Sure, whatever, someone is on drugs. Then a few weeks ago I had my CD player open to make sure all the mods I'd done were still holding up, and while I had it open I thought, "time to prove someone IS on drugs", so I made a couple wire loops and put them on the RCA output grounds. I can't believe this shit works. I have no idea why, but it does. I've since applied the tweak to my amp and it works there too. It's relatively small difference, but the effects are as claimed by the inventor.

Time to start thinking about getting some XLR interconnects. Anybody want to drop some names so I can do some research? I really like the DiMarzo M-Path's I bought from Jacob, but M-Paths are not available with XLR connections. So basically I'm looking for a cable that leans toward the syrupy and warm. It would be a big plus if they have canary yellow diamonds in there somewhere, but this is not a steadfast requirement.

I just talked to an "expert" in high end audio, acoustic theory and application. He went into a dissertation on the primary importance of room acoutics, proper power cables and power conditioners in getting the most out of excellent speakers(#1 consideration and cost factor for a sound system)... even more important than the cd player as a source. His theis is if the sound is not clean from the git go than a good cd player will still be working with a distorted signal. He talked about secondary considerations like room devices such as "bass traps" and other assorted construction on walls and ceilings. As you all know by now: "I know nuthing!" So...anybody buying? …

We'll start off with this one: Ballerina Sweetspot Audiophile Chair Anyone got other suggestions?

Can you recommend me the best one for use with pc to NOS DAC

Hey guys, I figured posting here would give me a much more intelligent response from some trusted members I already have a Richard Gray Isogray system that is working great for my amplifiers (even though the recommendation for amps is to plug straight into the wall). My preamp (the infamous RSA B52...don't shoot me) and my Dac are plugged straight into the wall because I didn't like what I was hearing through the Richard Gray conditioning. So now, I need some power conditioning and am looking for some advice. My Dac is the Reimyo DAP 777. I'm thinking of the PS Audio Power Plant Premier (regenerator), Audience AR1P for Dac and preamp separately and the N…

does it matter if I only use one ground wire for the speaker amp? It seems as if the xlr cable I bought combines the xlr ground I think. So I only have three wires total on a 4pin xlr

I've been tempted by the Manley Skipjack selector switch for a while now. It's not your basic A/B box and seems like it can do some neat things. The reason I am thinking about it is that it looks like I'll have 2 amps and 2 sources for a while and it would be nice to be able to switch easily and on the fly. It also could be useful for comparisons when I borrow gear. That said, the Skipjack is very expensive at $900. I know it's overkill, but is it ridiculous for what it does?

So now that I've had the Sennheiser 800s since they came out and I've been using my ever faithful Headamp GS-X, I'm thinking it's time to put this over the top and finish it. I've been using the Cambridge 840c connected via XLRs to the Headamp for convenience even though I know that does nothing for me because I have a second source using the RCA inputs for SACD and DVD-A. Most likely I'm going to go through Drew at Moon Audio. A while back he had set me up with Black Dragon cables on the AKG 701s and I thought those cables that headphone out in terms of some refinement and a little bit of natural warmth which was nothing short of a miracle with those cans.…

What do you people use? I use the blue suspension bridge over Hell's fiery lava sea.

So I'm in the middle of building a stereo system. Does anybody have experience with super el-cheapo budget interconnect and speaker cables – maybe including stuff like Audioquest and Monster products (budget < $200 total, 4 sets of interconnects and speaker cable for two speakers). I was looking at the Audioquest website and I was considering the new Big Sur – no reviews so far. I was also looking (laughing) at the Monster website as well as the no-name products from The Source (Radio Shack) and Best Buy. I remember somebody like Stereophile recommending Radio Shack speaker wire back in the day. Grover Huffman's products occurred to me, but they're priced a littl…

Curious if anyone had already recabled their HD800? As a rule, I had always heard that silver plated copper wire was to be avoided for analog signals. Tends to sound bright and irritating.

This looks promising for those that are into LPs. This is a new somewhat diyish style cleaner for lps that uses a system like a power washer but for lps. You spread on a cleaner that loosens up the dirt and muck on an lp then with a hose that attaches to your sink you spray off the cleaner. The advantage to this system is no residue from the cleaner gets stuck in the groove and should provide for a cleaner quieter lps. The drawback is it is messy and I would probably do this outside or in a garage. The other thing that immediately struck me was the use of tap water that has several contaminates that distilled does not. George Merrill is the maker and seller of this unit a…

Somebody mentioned this on head-fi and how it basically eliminates any of the problems associated with cables. What exactly is it? If KG came up with it it must be good.

Has anyone tried these out? I think I'm going to order a pair, expensive though! Claims more refined highs and tighter bass. Hopefully they don't crumble in 2 years like other grado pads heh. http://www.ttvjaudio.com/TTVJ_Deluxe_Flat_Pads_p/ttvj000999.htm Biggie.

Blackbody - $959.00 : LessLoss high end audio power cables, video power cables, audiophile power cables, audiophile cables

ALO USB Cable Does it even comply with USB2.0specs? I guess I should start making cables too... 500 for this?

Well I finally finished my custom Balanced Power Conditioner. I'm pleased with the way it turned out. Acme Silver plated Cryo outlets. A little Siltech wire. Now I can't wait to get my equipment back from service. Thanks Kevin.

I had more or less gotten out of the cable game the past few years, as it didn't seem to me to be a cost effective area to get into. I am using old interconnects... Audioquest Turquoise mainly, though I have a couple of pairs of AQ Ruby and 2 pairs of HGA Super Silvers (their first IC) which I am not currently using. I started toying with perhaps looking at something more modern... Grovers maybe? It could be DIY also... VH Audio Silver (but these appear to run ~$120 for a 1M pair, and up depending upon RCA chosen). If I went into this, it would have to be something inexpensive (<$100 per 1M pair preferred... I know that will elicit some ). I noticed a pair of G…

Hi everyone. I have a brief story: my CDP was playing some beautiful Mahler last night. I was putting my finishing thoughts on my BA thesis, when a rude reminder of the derelict nature of my city towards its own infrastructure forced me to use my laptop's battery. While i was fulminating at Berkeley a thought came over me: what affect this might have had on my gear. Thanks to the knowledgeable advice from this forum, I had connected my ZD straight to the wall, and now I was regretting it. While I'm sure the ZD is alright, I really want something to protect it that will not compromise my dynamics... So... what are your recommendations? Thanks everyone...

Looks like I'll be getting a new source (Modwright Sony 999es), and as such I need some longer ICs to run from the source to my PPX3. I'm thinking in the length of 5-6feet, from one side of my desk to the other. I've used Blue Jeans Cables before and they are fine, but I was wondering if there are any other ICs worth checking out in that range. Just give me a couple names and I'll do some research. The world of IC's is dense and scary. Here is a pic of my listening area to better give you an idea of what I'm doing:

Which digital input do you use and why?