7 Free Hifi Hacks that will change your Life! Maybe not change your life. But you get the point

Ойын-сауық

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0:00 Start
0:28 Tone Generator
2:02 Sponsored Content
3:15 Speaker Placement
6:39 Plug the Port
8:01 Isolate Your Speakers
9:25 Balance Knob
10:47 Tone Controls/EQ
13:06 Hang some Towels
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Recommended Streamer
WIIM Mini amzn.to/33CL99w
Bluesound Node shop-links.co/cgGiqJ2UFIO
Recommended Speaker List
Around $100 (These prices will fluctuate between $75 - $150)
Sony SSCS5 - Lively amzn.to/3pZNnGk
Neumi BS5 -Neutral amzn.to/3q0SR3B
Elac BS41 amzn.to/3SBmEgq
Around $200
Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ - Crystal Clear and Punchy emotiva.com?aff=9
Jamo Concert howl.me/cf295uVQJA0
Elac Debut b5.2 - Neutral amzn.to/2WPNQxw
JBL Stage A130 - Neutral/Great All Arounder at $179 the best value amzn.to/3t7gOHe
Around $400
Emotiva B2+ emotiva.com?aff=9
Jamo C93ii Bit - Boosted on Top howl.me/cf295uVQJA0
Q Acoustics 3030i - Neutral with Punch - amzn.to/2OQkpLo
Around $500
SVS Prime bit.ly/2LozJgF
Wharfedale Diamond 12.2 bit.ly/2ZckoD9
Wharfedale Denton 80th amzn.to/3Sv8RIq
Around $600
Elac Uni-Fi UB5.2 - Neutral amzn.to/3s3srPG
Elac Debut Reference - Buttery but Detailed amzn.to/39bt6WC
Polk Reserve R100/200 howl.me/cf29UeQAWsD
Aperion Novus - Neutral and probably the best desktop speaker one can get $599 bit.ly/2Q1H9rW
Aperion Novus Open Box $449 bit.ly/3us8zGx
Wharfedale Diamonds Lush and Detailed amzn.to/3aBAso0 Come as singles
Recommended Amp List
Under $100
Aiyima A07 - Neutral and Full amzn.to/3g9YLNf
Around $130
Aiyima T9 amzn.to/3F8eOb6
Around $250
SMSL DA-9 Balanced Amp amzn.to/34SdbLs
Around $400
Emotiva TA1 - DAC, Phono Stage, Pre Outs - Balanced and Tasty emotiva.com?aff=9
Recommended DACs
Geshelli Labs J2 geshelli.com/product/jnog2/
SMSL SU8s amzn.to/2SWTGiw
Denafrips Ares 2 www.denafrips.com/ares
Subs
Emotiva SE8 emotiva.com?aff=9
Emotiva SE12 emotiva.com?aff=9
SVS SB1000 Pro bit.ly/3scmwsc

Пікірлер: 159

  • @cheapaudioman
    @cheapaudioman Жыл бұрын

    Head to squarespace.com/cheapaudioman to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code cheapaudioman Support the Channel by Shopping on Amazon amzn.to/3W8vsgK Cheap Audio Man Store Front shop.howl.me/cam Join the best hifi community out there! www.patreon.com/cheapaudioman TRY ROON roonlabs.com/r/RTmYWdCP9kitqouBa5pcIw Tidal Deal bit.ly/3siuqSF Amazon Unlimited Music Trial amzn.to/3DRAVj9 Crutchfield shop-links.co/cguPK8XEGmt Best Buy Deals shop-links.co/cf9yDZeYtUH amzn.to/3GkNaop CAM Store (New Products!) bit.ly/30Lgu4K apos.audio?sca_ref=552340.TY98BPcZ6P massdrop.7eer.net/qnOye5

  • @gregfriedler2727
    @gregfriedler2727 Жыл бұрын

    Hanging towels in your living room actually does help improve the sound. Once your partner sees a bunch of towels on the wall and leaves you, all the ambient noise they make disappears.

  • @bigdreams5554

    @bigdreams5554

    Жыл бұрын

    LMAO. Had a similar reaction when i put up black blackout curtains all over our TV room. After the initial "hell no" reaction , she calmed down and doesn't say anything anymore. Stay strong.

  • @ccbox23
    @ccbox23 Жыл бұрын

    Randy- this video was a game changer for me. I 've gone from a standard stereo set up to having two speakers next to each other in the center of the room, one facing forward and the other facing back. Both speaker ports have been plugged with argyle socks (argyle seems to bring out the complexity of even the simplest of songs). I have a beach towel draped over my head and I circle the speakers trotting at exactly 33 and a third rpm to coincide with my turntable speed. What a revelation! I hear things in songs I never heard before: at the end of one cut I heard a band member yell "Quit stomping around up there or I'm calling the cops!". Vertical soundstage! Caveat- Use CD's at your own risk, as they spin considerably faster than your vinyl. My girlfriend suggests cutting eyeholes in the beach towel if you insist on being a digital daredevil. Seriously, Randy I've enjoyed your channel from the beginning and you are the go to audio guy for myself and my friends...it's great to grow along with you. Oh---and thank you for your service.

  • @MrRourk

    @MrRourk

    Жыл бұрын

    please make a youtube video :)

  • @prayimiss
    @prayimiss Жыл бұрын

    My wife gave me a hard time yesterday. I asked about the location of the coffee and she said this is the third time she has told me. She then said - "But when it comes to the cheapaudioman you remember everything he says." After buying the SSCS5's over the weekend since they dropped to 98 bucks, she told me I can no longer watch your channel and she is going to start hauling boxes of speakers to the thrift store. She is kidding, I hope.

  • @lucashinch

    @lucashinch

    Жыл бұрын

    Same here. Can't have anything nice.

  • @rubif5797

    @rubif5797

    Жыл бұрын

    My wife doesn't even know about the cheap audio man.

  • @bigdreams5554

    @bigdreams5554

    Жыл бұрын

    @@rubif5797 what's happens on Cheapaudioman stays in CheapAudioMan.

  • @dennishuey4833

    @dennishuey4833

    Жыл бұрын

    tell her I don’t hear her anymore

  • @keithhazley3745

    @keithhazley3745

    Жыл бұрын

    Hide them. She's not kidding!

  • @ShikataGaNai100
    @ShikataGaNai100 Жыл бұрын

    Randy, that wasn't resonance, it was Rob Halford. 🙂

  • @think2023
    @think2023 Жыл бұрын

    Not free....but q-tips and a joint is a sure fire way to improve your music listening! Been using that for 40 years...works everytime! Lol

  • @st0rmrider
    @st0rmrider Жыл бұрын

    My son tried to plug the subwoofer port with toys and remotes, when he was still a toddler. We only found the missing remotes after removing the back panel, years later...

  • @bluev2srt
    @bluev2srt Жыл бұрын

    ok shopping list includes towels, T shirts and socks. Audiophile bliss will be mine (insert evil laugh) :)

  • @seanbirdsell
    @seanbirdsell Жыл бұрын

    My favorite speaker isolation solution are paving stones. They're (nearly) completely non-resonant.

  • @liamtal1
    @liamtal1 Жыл бұрын

    Not a Hi-fi comment, just some Tudor Black Bay appreciation!

  • @RoHo.3
    @RoHo.3 Жыл бұрын

    My room was a little dark (figuratively and literally) after I hung towels over everything. So I put some tin foil over the windows. Works the treat and keeps the feds mind control rays away. Dual purpose!

  • @thomascannon9936
    @thomascannon9936 Жыл бұрын

    Blu-Tack is your friend for both speaker isolation and to keep them secured to the stands.

  • @-elijahriggs-
    @-elijahriggs- Жыл бұрын

    These free tips changed my life. They helped me kick a nasty drug habit and I’m no longer straight. Thanks cheapaudioman!

  • @SimonMackUK77
    @SimonMackUK77 Жыл бұрын

    UK music fan thumbs up: wider speaker placement and the equal triangle fix. Yes ! Top marks n cheers.

  • @randybehenna3081
    @randybehenna3081 Жыл бұрын

    Good morning everyone hope you have a great day

  • @johnnixon2504
    @johnnixon2504 Жыл бұрын

    I used OLD (clean) gym socks to calm the bass response on my fluance towers! best free tweak ever!

  • @Simon_Hawkshaw
    @Simon_Hawkshaw Жыл бұрын

    All great hints to improve our experiences. Many thanks as always, Sir. You really hit the topics on the head.

  • @bigdreams5554
    @bigdreams5554 Жыл бұрын

    Another hack: listen to music off a cell phone (not headset/earbuds) for 30min. Then turn on and listen to music on your hifi setup. Will sound amazing by comparison, lol

  • @Brian_Romska
    @Brian_Romska Жыл бұрын

    Good morning and happy Tuesday everybody! Thanks again Randy for another great vid!

  • @russturner88
    @russturner88 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks cheapaudioman had a play around with positioning of my speakers. Ended up a foot wider and a few more inches off the back wall. Nice 👍

  • @cpiddy7
    @cpiddy7 Жыл бұрын

    Just went over the my HiFi, adjusted the balance over to the left one notch, sound stage instantly sounded fuller and more balanced. Top tip Randy

  • @tonym8358
    @tonym8358 Жыл бұрын

    I place used socks on the ports, and now the sound have another dimension they are alive... is like I am in a concert with peoples at 100 degrees 😳

  • @rev0luci0n
    @rev0luci0n Жыл бұрын

    Towels, brilliant! Will play around with this in the home theatre before buying a bunch of acoustic panels

  • @benkrake3678
    @benkrake3678 Жыл бұрын

    I know this definitely isn’t free, but one thing that is high on my list for my HiFi system is Iso Acoustics Aperta speaker stands. Sometimes depending on where your speakers are sitting, it can cause an upward reflection which can result in soundstage smear. The Aperta stands cleans that right up, and can also give you more tighter and controlled bass, as it also helps to eliminate resonances from having your speakers sitting in a shelf or on a entertainment unit, I mean let’s face it, I’m guessing that’s how a lot of us here would have our bookshelf speakers set up (ignore that last remark if you actually do use proper speaker stands!) Or some people can’t put their bookshelf speakers on proper stands and have them pulled into the room, because they have young kids and it might be a knock/fall hazard. One thing I love about these stands, is that they are fully adjustable up to 3” in height, and the back or front can be tilted for a more precise setup. Many who have tried these stands say they are very happy with how much of a difference they have made to their system!

  • @carlsitler9071
    @carlsitler9071 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent, cheap room treatment: Dropped ceiling tiles are engineered to absorb sound. They come in 2' x 4' and 2' x 2' and can be painted to match the walls (they may already match the ceiling fairly well, just paint the sides). I'd mount them with thick double sided tape (4 corners and one in the center).

  • @kyleo2113
    @kyleo2113 Жыл бұрын

    Great video - totally agree on speaker/sub and seating placement as a key to getting the best out of your system and IMO by far the most important. Sound performance is dependent on the room, the characteristics of the speaker/equipment and your seating position as a total system - understanding how these relate and how you can manipulate the sound to eliminate big problems like nulls and large FR imbalance while also tuning the music to your liking - stage width, center image, bass, treble, depth etc etc. it is step one before jumping to eq or doing anything including room treatments, new speakers and gear IMO - once you have established that this is the best you can do moving stuff around and only then would I look at the other options to address the limitations within the system (room,gear,seating)

  • @NeilBlanchard
    @NeilBlanchard Жыл бұрын

    Many great points here - one being the learning process and some basic hands-on adjustments. Speaker placement has a bunch of large effects - for me getting closer to a good tonal balance is key. And the most dramatic changes can be in the bass; because the lower frequencies are able to be "lifted" by where the speakers are placed in relation to the front and side walls. Closer to the wall will increase the level of bass you will hear, and farther away will lower it. Learned knowledge is free - and is THE most important for getting better sound, from *any* system.

  • @rehn1kri
    @rehn1kri Жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Randy. Funny enough, I completely changed my speaker and component arrangement yesterday (I went from the speakers along a narrow wall of our room to a long wall), and I need to re-tweak everything now in the bass department because everything has changed, but the increase in soundstage is dramatic. I still need to play around with distance from the front wall and possibly port plugging (I have a nasty 60hz peak now; I’m using ‘full range’ NHT speakers with side firing 10” woofers with big rear vents). I’m also using your suggested WiiM Mini EQ to take out some of the bass peak. Your video was very timely for me.

  • @vannk73
    @vannk73 Жыл бұрын

    Solid tips here, Randy. Thanks!

  • @brunohebert1351
    @brunohebert1351 Жыл бұрын

    I can't wait to see new Sith Audio products: The Bass Port Plug and the "Room Treatment". Both socks and towel "infused with unobtainium" for the best sound reproduction. Offered at, of course, a ridiculously expensive price.

  • @shanecabbage2187
    @shanecabbage2187 Жыл бұрын

    Always enjoy your recommendations, they open up my mind to new possibilities.

  • @alanmooremobile
    @alanmooremobile Жыл бұрын

    Port plugs!! Why didn't I think of that? Been struggling to balance the bass since I got a sub - a couple of socks did a lovely job 😁

  • @andrewcole6309
    @andrewcole6309 Жыл бұрын

    Porting a speaker actually makes the bass louder while restricting the lowest frequency possible. Ports don’t add deeper bass, they make bass louder. When you have a loudspeaker that is acoustic suspension (sealed) they add several tones of lower bass to the same loudspeaker that is ported. Porting also improves efficiency, making the overall speaker louder for the same speaker box air volume. Many drivers are not designed for sealed operation and will overheat quickly.

  • @badgermike1231
    @badgermike1231 Жыл бұрын

    I use garden hose washers to isolate my speakers from the cement blocks I have them sitting on.

  • @rikardekvall3433
    @rikardekvall3433 Жыл бұрын

    I couldn’t afford the Isoacustic stands and they were not WAF approved. I cut out a piece of camping sleeping mat and placed under the speaker. Works fine. Neoprene are even better.

  • @barnabyzelman
    @barnabyzelman Жыл бұрын

    Those southwestern woven rugs are often used on walls for decoration, and are easy to hold straight by first putting a strip of carpet tack board on your wall, then press the carpet onto it, Bingo.

  • @JohnScheppler
    @JohnScheppler Жыл бұрын

    Great information for some simple tricks. Great throwback on the ferns and speakers. 🪴 🔊 🪴

  • @chuckcribbs3398
    @chuckcribbs3398 Жыл бұрын

    Menards sells 4’x8’ sheets of acoustic panels. They are about $10 a panel and very easy to cut with a carpet knife.

  • @Velvet_Torpedo
    @Velvet_Torpedo Жыл бұрын

    You can also move the speakers into the room when your listening and move them back to the wall when you're done listening

  • @Feliciano12v
    @Feliciano12v Жыл бұрын

    When you pay attention more to your speaker placement than with your significant other. Hey, at least speaker placement makes a huge difference.

  • @Chiroman527
    @Chiroman527 Жыл бұрын

    Randy, this video serves to remind of the "little' things that can improve or enhance the sound you get from your current systems. I use 2 Receivers/ Amps in my Finished Basement COVID Hibernation created sound /mancave room. I use 4 different Bookshelf Speakers , 2 speakers paired together to one Receiver and 2 different Speakers paired to a IOTA SA3 / PA3 / Emotiva A300 Stack. I used 14 Gauge Copper speaker wiring for all. I Mixed and Matched each of the speakers for weeks - seeking the Optimum Sound. I play each system separately usually, but on occassion, I play both simultaneously - WOW, Like a Concert Hall. Yes, it is an Audiophiliac No-No, to play 4 different speakers (@ pairs of different Elacs, 1 pair of Fluances, and 1 Pair of KEF Q350s), but The sound is fantastic. The experiment yielded that The Fluances & Elac Debut Reference 6.2s play well together (and after getting a tip from an AV forum poster, to recalibrate my Denon DRA-800H Receiver to play the 2 pairs at 6 OHM settings [it cn be adjusted from 4 to 6 to 8 Ohms], reduced the heat), the Elac Debut 6.2s and the KEFs play very well together on the IOTA /Emotiva Stack. Lesson : listen to Randy. 1 Thing tht can help enhance the sound for a couple of Bucks is to add a Schiit LOKI or LOKIUS to your system - in essence a simple 4 or 6 band Equalizer with a decibel Boost !

  • @joshdeakins1775

    @joshdeakins1775

    Жыл бұрын

    So audio files (

  • @AbideinChristFully

    @AbideinChristFully

    Жыл бұрын

    I have some vintage Pioneer CS-811 5-way speakers with non working tweeters, so I put some bookshelf speakers on top. Sounds much better with all 4. Nothing wrong with trying, and ignore rules.

  • @billmankin6204
    @billmankin6204 Жыл бұрын

    That's a new product! Sith Audio Felt Isolation Pads - only $199 per sheet. Reusable unless you have cats. Come in two sizes, a little too small, and wayyyyy too big. Available in audiophile black, or retro silver. Do not taunt felt isolation pads. Do not use if you are allergic to felt isolation pads. 7 day limited warranty (with exceptions.)

  • @rosswarren436
    @rosswarren436 Жыл бұрын

    Cool list and good advice. I used a tone generator to locate some dishes and objects on a shelf that would vibrate obnoxiously when playing certain albums. I also used it to figure out I had 8KHz tinnitus. One word of caution: The rated power for speakers is for playing a multi-toned "musical" signal, not pure tones. So don't play your speakers near their maximum when using a tone generator or you might blow your tweeter. A good old rule of thumb is to "de-rate" your power handling by 50% and not exceed that while doing some vibration/resonance tests. Just be careful.

  • @xminusone1

    @xminusone1

    Жыл бұрын

    You can blow pretty much each and every component with that thing. Amplifier includes.

  • @MrSilviut
    @MrSilviut Жыл бұрын

    I think room treatment is very important, especially in small spaces. I've lived in 3 different apartments and all of them sounded extremely harsh without room treatment... the sound would "ring". I put up these 1'x1'x1/4" absorption panels behind the speakers and behind my listening position, and in the ceiling corners touching the wall behind my listening position. Of course, bass management via traps is a whole other thing, and that's where money is the issue. Hence why powering via an AVR is so nice, because you'll get Audyssey XT, etc.

  • @joejoejoejoejoejoe4391
    @joejoejoejoejoejoe4391 Жыл бұрын

    You can get towels with picture on them, make them into a feature rather than something odd on the wall.

  • @greganderson1681
    @greganderson1681 Жыл бұрын

    Great advice!

  • @stevethetoolman2435
    @stevethetoolman2435 Жыл бұрын

    I enjoy your channel sailor! Great stuff. I’m planning on building a set of css x1 in the spring. If the big one hit there will be subs and targets!

  • @enrigimeno
    @enrigimeno Жыл бұрын

    Probably one of your best vídeos 😊

  • @ginom407
    @ginom407 Жыл бұрын

    Great Stuff Randy! 👍👍👍

  • @doctormidnight
    @doctormidnight Жыл бұрын

    I have a set of Focal bookshelves on top of my Wharfedale towers and I use 1 inch diameter rubber gaskets to isolate them and to bring the back end up so they have a slight downward angle.

  • @Nature_Quixote
    @Nature_Quixote Жыл бұрын

    Free Room Treatment: hang a dowel on the wall in the first reflection spot, hang it like a curtain rod, drape an extra blanket, quilt or tapestry one the rod. Use whatever looks good to your two eyes. Voila! Bob really is your uncle!

  • @RUMBLEGO1
    @RUMBLEGO1 Жыл бұрын

    As a person with a hearing imbalance it is really frustrating that companies don't add a balance knob to their headphone amplifiers. Some do but they are very few and far between.

  • @ryanjofre
    @ryanjofre Жыл бұрын

    Coffee check…… …..Help life is good enough. More coffee time. Btw. 43 year old of a retired genius mechanic/engineer. Toe in on speakers……not tires. Lol.

  • @Steve_Blue_Oyster_Cult
    @Steve_Blue_Oyster_Cult Жыл бұрын

    I have a set of Cerwin Vega SL12s. They were too boomy sounding. What I did was 1. I bought a rubber floor mat and cut it down to 14X14 Inch and set one on top of each speaker. The speakers are 14x14 inch. 2. Then I used 4 brick 12x12 pavers and placed two on top of the rubber on each speaker and centered them. It made one heck of a difference and cut down the boomy sound and just brought the high, mid and lows more into line. I know a lot of people do not like Cerwins but they can sound really good by experimenting. Total coast of doing this was $18 before tax.

  • @rosswarren436

    @rosswarren436

    Жыл бұрын

    Nothing wrong with a good set of Cerwin Vegas. For the price they just had so much more bass slam than others. They were the stereo gateway drug for a lot of people in the 1980s and 1990s. My nephew had a pair in his apartment when he was attending college and those things drove many crazy parties. I helped him put them up on some milk crates we "borrowed" from behind a local grocery store to get them up off the floor. Enjoy them!

  • @phen277
    @phen277 Жыл бұрын

    As far as speaker placement and listening distance: I once read an instruction manual from Fisher (had a really good sounding all-in-one stereo unit when I was a teenager) that said you should be listening from at least 2.5 times the distance your speakers are apart. I've never lived anywhere (until now) that I had that much space to do it.

  • @spamcan9208

    @spamcan9208

    Жыл бұрын

    Those manuals are usually useless lol. There are too many different room shapes and sizes to make such a blanket statement like that. Did it at least suggest pulling them away from the wall?

  • @phen277

    @phen277

    Жыл бұрын

    @@spamcan9208 I don't recall that but I would think that it would instead tell me not to place them too far apart to guard against over-spacialization (not a word) and phasing problems.

  • @andrewbrazier9664

    @andrewbrazier9664

    Жыл бұрын

    Fisher had a great reputation back when I was a teenager. My 1st "Hi Fi" was a budget Hitachi separates system in a horizontal cabinet. (£279 Inc 2 way bookshelf speakers - FORTY years ago 😲) 25 wpc with really good "tonality" 😊

  • @thomaswachter7782
    @thomaswachter7782 Жыл бұрын

    I think I have messed with every hack that you have mentioned at one time or another. I even had a spurious resonance that turned out to be decoupling screws on my speaker stands. That was embarrassing. I found the resonance eventually, but not before returning a set of speakers. Funny that it sounded like a bad tweeter that I had in a speaker many years ago. I currently have a sock in my sub port.

  • @PrincessCutLawnCare
    @PrincessCutLawnCare Жыл бұрын

    randy! you finally got the white balance dialed in! looks great dude 👍

  • @davidsmithson9236
    @davidsmithson9236 Жыл бұрын

    Isolate your speakers by using bar stools. Thanks Randy, for your tip on this.

  • @shanedaiken2831
    @shanedaiken28314 ай бұрын

    Good video Great solutions!

  • @cheapaudioman

    @cheapaudioman

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @howardskeivys4184
    @howardskeivys4184 Жыл бұрын

    I like your attitude to room treatment. Try taking 2 tall step ladders. Drape a duvet cover or blanket over each. Then sit down in your listening position and have a spouse or friend move them around the room. Repeat the procedure, vut this time shut your eyes, and don’t cheat. I think you’ll be surprisingly underwhelmed!

  • @guarionexa2956
    @guarionexa2956 Жыл бұрын

    Cheapaudioman have a fine taste for watches too.

  • @stuartshannon8141
    @stuartshannon8141 Жыл бұрын

    Pool noodles and pipe insulation are good for plugging ports. Slice into 1” or more pieces and you can isolate speakers and components. An electric carving knife works great!!! Yep, I’m cheap, too!

  • @RobCCTV
    @RobCCTV Жыл бұрын

    ALL valid points. I knew nearly all of them, but it was worth saying to newbees in the field of HiFi and might just be an accoustic revelation to some people who have been putting up with sound that is one tweak away from perfection. Oh, BTW:- it is possible to grab a cup of tea and watch these videos. I've tried it. You try it. Take a recommendation from a Brit.

  • @BrashCandicoot
    @BrashCandicoot Жыл бұрын

    Nice Blackbay Randy 👍

  • @jeffjefferson7384
    @jeffjefferson7384 Жыл бұрын

    The ideal is to place 2 ferns atop the L and R speakers. They attenuate the treble and insult your guests :)

  • @andrewallison70
    @andrewallison70 Жыл бұрын

    One thing I use for headphones on Andriod devices is an app call 'Wavelet' the free version has basic graphic EQ and also an extensive list of headphone EQ profiles from the AutoEq people, Ive used this with some little bit of extra manual EQ with a set of Beyerdynamic DT770 pros and they sound to harsh initially to me, but with the wavelet app, you can really dial in in the sound an make them sound really good, it also works for bluetooth wireless headphone output.

  • @Timewaits4no1

    @Timewaits4no1

    Жыл бұрын

    I actually just bought a pair of DT770's for $89 on Woot so I'll have to try that app when I get them. I don't have an external dac, or amp yet so I'm curious to hear how they'll sound just running off of my LG V50 phone

  • @andrewallison70

    @andrewallison70

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Timewaits4no1 part of it depends on the ohms rating of the headphones they have 3 types, 32, 80 and 250, the less ohms the more sensitive and can driven better by low powered output such as mobiles. Ive got the 80 ohms version and they worked pretty well. You should be alright though, LG phones tend to use decent DACs. It is easy to go loud with them once the sound is dialed in.

  • @TriAmpHiFi
    @TriAmpHiFi Жыл бұрын

    Tone Generator! You're so smart. Thanks.

  • @EsotericArctos
    @EsotericArctos Жыл бұрын

    I use to work in radio, and some of the smaller stations, on tight budgets, would use egg cartons on the walls to provide sound deadening. They worked remarkably well to prevent reflections from the walls.

  • @JohnKelly2

    @JohnKelly2

    Жыл бұрын

    We used carpet padding. Ugly as hell, but it was effective.

  • @EsotericArctos

    @EsotericArctos

    Жыл бұрын

    @@JohnKelly2 Oh yes, that underlay type stuff. Really darn ugly, but it really deadens the sound reflections

  • @jimbo4203
    @jimbo4203 Жыл бұрын

    Drawer liners works great under the speaker , cheap too , until your wife notices there missing from the silverwear drawer !

  • @michaelvanbuskirk8845
    @michaelvanbuskirk8845 Жыл бұрын

    This is the second time I have heard you refer to, "your patients." Are you a doctor? Chiropractor? Love your videos.

  • @VeerMaharaj
    @VeerMaharaj Жыл бұрын

    Loose binding post happened to me as well, and it was the exact same method I used to troubleshoot it. Damn.

  • @4delosh
    @4delosh Жыл бұрын

    Great list, question on port plugging. I have always been told not to plug ports on subs unless they are designed to be plugged as it can cause damage. Do the same rules apply for speakers? Is it possible to damage a ported speaker if it is plugged? Love the content!

  • @joelcarson4602
    @joelcarson4602 Жыл бұрын

    Plugging ports. The mechanical resonance of the bass driver, the volume of air in the speaker cabinet and the volume of air in the port itself are all designed to be interrelated to lower the bass frequency that the speaker can reproduce. Stuffing damping material in the port will often simply result in removing the port from that equation and raising the natural resonance frequency of the driver and cabinet thereby reducing its ability to reproduce lower frequency bass sounds.

  • @rosswarren436

    @rosswarren436

    Жыл бұрын

    That is true, ports are supposed to be tuned to let the speaker play "lower". But that (reducing bass output) is precisely what some are wanting to do. Some don't have the luxury of pulling speakers 3 feet or more out into a room, so tamping down some of the bass that is enhanced by corner placement or near a wall really can help clean them up. I know I've seen some 3-ported speakers that come with, you guessed it, two port plugs. You can experiment with no plugs, 1-plug, or 2-plugs. Seems they wanted at least ONE port free because the speaker was not designed to be sealed completely. Some are though. My old AR9 speakers are acoustic suspension and go down to 28 Hz with a smooth roll off to 18 Hz. The "new" KLH Model 5 is acoustic suspension. The problem with acoustic suspension speakers is that they usually aren't nearly as efficient as a ported design so you have to use a higher-powered amp. The problem with ported speakers is that they don't have a smooth roll off below the turned port frequency but often just stop right there. Ah, design tradeoffs... In ported speaker design, it would be nice if the ports could be on the front baffle (like the JBL L100), but then it would take up room there. I've often wondered if ports could be put on the sides instead of the rear? I know Golden Ear uses passive radiators on the sides of some models, but I can't recall any speaker with ports on the sides. I love my AR9 but they don't play well at lower volumes. You have to crank them a bit to "wake them up", but now that I'm older I want to get some speakers that will play better at lower volumes.

  • @patricktecklenburg1935
    @patricktecklenburg1935 Жыл бұрын

    I almost never use the balance knob with CDs. With vinyl I have to use it constantly.

  • @johncallaghan3097
    @johncallaghan3097 Жыл бұрын

    I stream all my music digitally from ripped CDs held locally on a laptop. My preamp doesn't have a balance control, but my free streaming app, AIMP, (latest version sounds as good to my ears as Audirvana, which after the trial I didn't buy) does. With AIMP, I can alter the balance. It needs to be a little to the right, where oddly, there's a nearby wall, whereas on the left, the speaker is in open space. You'd think the balance would need to be the other way round, but it doesn't. Can't figure out why, but there you go. The balance slider is on the DSP tab (accessible from preferences), as is the "stereo enhancer" slider -- I find that moving this about 1/5 - 1/4 from the left definitely adds an extra something. Not sure how, but it may involve some kind of equalisation. Leaving it at zero definitely "dulls" (makes less interesting) the sound by comparison. Just my tuppence worth when it comes to free tweaks.

  • @Thevikingcam
    @Thevikingcam Жыл бұрын

    Speaker placement. Yup the number ONE thing to do with room acoustic treatment. Even AMPs comes after that and can have to say even before buying new speakers, do those. Cos those can make your 500$ speakers sound better than poorly placed 1500$ speakers in bad and plain room. My sub 1800€ Genelec G3 + 900€ sub with accurate placement and good room treatment sound better than almost any 5000€ speaker, easily.

  • @breckisaac5378
    @breckisaac5378 Жыл бұрын

    Bob Robbins the art of speaker placement on KZread is free.

  • @vinjackps5892
    @vinjackps5892 Жыл бұрын

    Quick tip! Anti vibration pads for washingmachine. Cheap, durable and made for… reducing vibrations.

  • @9mmmike642
    @9mmmike642 Жыл бұрын

    My towels are between my speakers and speaker stands.

  • @OldTooly
    @OldTooly Жыл бұрын

    Coming from 300lb speakers that are placed and the room setup around them, never to be moved again, to tiny Celestion Model A compacts that I have experimented with extensively in all axis placements, even as little as an inch positional adjustment can make a difference you can hear. After spending time , in my case over 2 years, with these Model A's, I have the most absolutely pleasing sound quality overall of my 60 plus years in audio. Of course tiny speakers need help with bottom end. It's just physics. But let me share something I came up with that I never heard anyone else speak of. In 2 channel stereo we deal a lot in center image, and width of sound stage. I am also a believer in 2 speakers, 2 subs. I also place the subs as close to the line of sight of the mains as is practical. Now assuming that you have no bass nulls or blooms in this sub placement, you need to balance those subs just like the mains. But subs below 80hz have little to no directionality. So I turn the subs crossover points to at least 120-150hz. Then play a test record or use the mono switch, if you have one, and adjust for a perfect center sound on just the subs. Reset them back to your desired cross point and adjust the mains to blend well with them. My detail and center image improved so much I scarcely believed it. So I pulled one sub for a week and optimized for a single sub. Never got it to sound as good as 2 subs balanced as I described. Even minor volume differences in gain between the subs had audible detractions in sound. Maybe it will help you. Good Luck. And thank you Randy for bringing up these great points in setup .Edit...I forgot to mention this will not matter quite as much if you are driving both subs from a single "sub out" connection. I use left/right channel source to the powered subs.

  • @tomhastings6204
    @tomhastings6204 Жыл бұрын

    When I worked in a high school, a tone generator was one of my favorite tools. Play a 16k-20k tone at max volume in the halls and watch the kids cover their ears and run!

  • @sweetandsour6521
    @sweetandsour6521 Жыл бұрын

    No way never been so early Hi wierd hifi dad guy your really cool and taught me sm

  • @joaomend
    @joaomend Жыл бұрын

    Hi Randy Do you know a good Chinese stereo pre amp? Something under 100 usd? Thanks! Keep up the good videos!

  • @hurdygurdyguy1
    @hurdygurdyguy1 Жыл бұрын

    This is great information and suggestions, but unlike a lot of viewers here I'm not an avid Audiophile, more of a Music Appreciater who has no time to listen to anything for any length of time to justify all the fiddling with nuances to get the "perfect" listening environment (if you have kids forget it! And unless you have a partner that's on the same page as you forget! 🤣) ... me? Any music I want to listen has to be relegated to the background, there's no time for a dedicated "listening" experience....but if ya'll audiophiles can then more power to ya!!

  • @hudsonbissell6946
    @hudsonbissell6946 Жыл бұрын

    I’ve played around with plugging ports with various materials and quantities of them used to plug. Even for speakers right against the wall I found i always felt like it sucked all the life and soul out of the speaker. I’m sure some people have great results with port plugging but not me. I’ve never liked the results in any of my 4 audio systems

  • @Driftkart
    @Driftkart Жыл бұрын

    wow that picture quality is amazing, whats it shot on?

  • @NeverCryWolf64
    @NeverCryWolf64 Жыл бұрын

    Is that a sock in your speaker port, or are you just happy to see me?

  • @shaunyweaver1144
    @shaunyweaver1144 Жыл бұрын

    I use heavy dream catches hell I made my own, also canvas wood frame pictures.

  • @louiesipes2257
    @louiesipes2257 Жыл бұрын

    Sorbothane Isolate it pucks are available on Amazon cheap

  • @gavinwagner1766
    @gavinwagner1766 Жыл бұрын

    So, I have that very set up Randy refers to for utilizing the balance controls (one speaker in a corner and the other in the opening to the room). My amp/pre-amp doesn't have balance controls. Iso acoustic pucks and sound dampening panels helped in the corner. Most songs I get great center imaging and then others it's more like left-center imaging. What causes this? Is this the mixing engineer? Is this what the artist intended? Are all lead vocals supposed to be dead center?

  • @trulsdirio
    @trulsdirio Жыл бұрын

    Hanging towels will do pretty much nothing to be honest. Just cut the absolute highest of frequencies, but won't do anything in the mids or let alone bass. If you have a super bright speaker or like muffled sound you might still get satisfactory results I guess.

  • @MS-pw8yu
    @MS-pw8yu Жыл бұрын

    Balance has been replaced with level adjustments for every channel. Even better than balance!

  • @AjuVignesh
    @AjuVignesh Жыл бұрын

    Wondering how tightening up the speaker binding post clears up the resonance. Must be something else.

  • @spamcan9208
    @spamcan9208 Жыл бұрын

    As soon as I saw the title for this video I knew you'd be referencing L.O.T.S. at some point lol

  • @ThePittsburghToddy
    @ThePittsburghToddy Жыл бұрын

    Try foam insulation boards for speaker isolation. Really cheap!

  • @andrewbrazier9664

    @andrewbrazier9664

    Жыл бұрын

    I use bamboo bread boards on my speaker stands also to add a little more height as my Mission QX2 Mk 2 have inverted tweeters I've never tried using the speakers "upside down" so the tweeters would be above the bass midrange like normal speakers !!! 🤔

  • @reneboylumba
    @reneboylumba Жыл бұрын

    Hi sir i’m looking forward on buying the a11 tribute…but i’m caught between 2 speakers(have not heard any of them yet…3030i and klipsch rp600…any comment on this sir?… (Got one track i would like to know your comment ONE by metallica…)which of those speakers will the bass responds well?…)

  • @kingspartacus2301
    @kingspartacus2301 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Randy , I got a tone generator app and I use it to run in my driver's in my self build projects . It cost nothing and it's a handy little tool . Great vid mate 👍

  • @charlesgraham9954
    @charlesgraham9954 Жыл бұрын

    all i want is buy 2 - 3 ways crossovers so i can build me two floor speakers. i already have the speakers. are there any plug and play crossover? i can solder. i just need some help finding crossovers...!! at least 350 RMS

  • @joeyjusta4730
    @joeyjusta4730 Жыл бұрын

    If I have wall mounted stereo, should I toe them in to the center of the couch.... The couch is big like 4 people.

  • @timd5365
    @timd5365 Жыл бұрын

    Randy the WiiM mini is $66 on Amazon today 12/13/22

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