High End Audio Accessories

There is not necessarily an end to the high-end audio pursuit. I experimented with various tweaks and accessories for my audio system. Interconnect cables between the components including speaker cables are a vital part of the system, in my opinion. Unless one has heard differences associated with cables or any tweaks for that matter, one does not know the realm of high-end audio. This is not intended to be a snobbish remark but that for those who can hear differences, it matters to have a high-end audio system replete with all the accessories to optimize on the setup and the experience.

I use Tara Labs RSC (Rectangular Solid Core) speaker cables. For each speaker, I have two sets of such cables for bi-wiring - one cable set is for the midrange-tweeter frequencies, the other cable set is for the woofer frequencies. Each Bryston 7B monoblock amplifier is built with two power supplies and two output sections for the bi-wiring option. In essence, there are four amps driving the midrange-tweeter and woofer in two speakers.

I use Simple Wave interconnect cables between CD player - pre-amp - power amps. The cables were made by a local cable developer.

It is important to have stable platforms with low vibration and resonance characteristics. Every material has a resonance frequency that can impact the operation of audio equipment. Low vibration and resonance minimizes impact. I use Target stands. I also use dry-wall pieces placed on top of iron weights (from an old weight lifting set) on top of which I place my audio components.

I have a lubricant oil that can be applied to the contact area between wire terminations (spade and RCA connectors) and audio component connection posts. I must say that I cannot discern any impact of this tweak.

I have Fynyl which is a CD cleaner. This keeps my CDs clean but I cannot claim to hear any sound differences! I also have this other tweak that coats the CD surface, claimed to improve sound. I am not convinced.

I use tip-toe cones and rubber supports under the components for further vibration isolation.

I use a PowerWedge AC power conditioner. This makes a HUGE difference in the sound. I also have my HDTV plugged into the AC power conditioner which improves the coloration and clarity of the TV image. This visual improvement is immediately discernable. Doing a double blind abx test should reveal that people can see the difference.

And the most important accessory/tweak in my opinion is the room itself. A properly sized room with dimensions that reduce standing sound waves is most important. A properly acoustically treated room for sound echo and dispersion control makes a big difference. A less reverberant room will allow the pure high-end audio sound to be heard without the interference of reflected (bounced) sound waves. I built a special room for my audio system. (Note: I no longer have that special room and the pictures in the following page reflect a normal living room not necessarily optimized for best sound.)

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