rahul Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 I have noticed a stange behaviour with my setup. It sounds distinctly better late in the night. The sound is fuller, with more depth. What could be the reason ??? > Lower power usage by others in the block (who are sleeping like normal people should) > System is warmed up after a few hours of running > I am too sleepy and imagining things... Basically I want to hear the same(nocturnal) sound during regular day hours. Would like to know if there is anything I could tweak to get it.
synthesis1624705793 Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 .... > I am too sleepy and imagining things... ... Must be this one! ;D Try to do this, close all doors and windows, turn off any fan and use quiet aircond while listening to music. The sound should improve.
rahul Posted February 1, 2007 Author Posted February 1, 2007 ;D Yes I should add "reduced external noise" as another possible reason. Wonder if any other late sleeper had experienced this.
Nstarone Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 I have noticed a stange behaviour with my setup. It sounds distinctly better late in the night. The sound is fuller, with more depth. What could be the reason ??? > Lower power usage by others in the block (who are sleeping like normal people should) > System is warmed up after a few hours of running > I am too sleepy and imagining things... Basically I want to hear the same(nocturnal) sound during regular day hours. Would like to know if there is anything I could tweak to get it. Based on my (limited) personal experience (many bros here more experienced than me), I think your problem (like mine) is dirty power. If you live in a HDB flat, it can be really bad. Some power conditioning equipment will go a long way to help get more uniform performance. Don't spend too much though. Depends on what equipment you're using too. Law of diminishing returns applies. One good start is to use a proper power distribution board... one with some form of line filtering. Think Monster has something basic - HTS1000/2000 or something (S$499 retail). It helped for me. There are a lot of better filters (eg. from PS Audio/Oyaide etc) but it gets a lot more expensive. Mind you, most line filters affect current draw so I also have an old PS Audio Ultimate Outlet which I use for my Amps and that is reportedly non-current limiting. One fairly easy and cheap improvement you can also make is to use one or two Noise Harvesters from PS Audio (S$170 each). Really cool device. There's a thread on them at Echoloft. You can also google them. I did notice some improvement with them... not night and day but certainly something I can notice. The good thing is that they flash when they detect noise so you're actually able to track the level of power line noise. From my experience, its worst at around 8-11pm each night. Some bros also recommend getting your electrician to lay a special power line from your circuit breaker just for your hifi stuff. That may not be so practical for some of us though. Also, if you have any light dimmers in your house, avoid using them if you don't need them. They're really bad as far as creating power line noise are concerned. Check out Vandehul's website. They have a section on how to improve your sound and they spent some time on improving power line noise. Hope that helps!
kzone Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 Must be this one! ;D Try to do this, close all doors and windows, turn off any fan and use quiet aircond while listening to music. The sound should improve. Best if u precool ur listening area, then switch off ALL appliances .. including the air con & ur fridge (just trip ur mcb except the one connected to ur hifi)... the sound of total silence, followed by the disc spinning when u press play on the remote...pure bliss n u'll hear details u've never noticed before... I'm serious...
2100 Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 Best if u precool ur listening area, then switch off ALL appliances .. including the air con & ur fridge (just trip ur mCharlie Bravo except the one connected to ur hifi)... the sound of total silence, followed by the disc spinning when u press play on the remote...pure bliss n u'll hear details u've never noticed before... I'm serious... Facts : Aircon compressor switched on - 2MBps. Aircon compressor switched off - 31Mbps Powerline Ethernet.
rahul Posted February 1, 2007 Author Posted February 1, 2007 ....................... Check out Vandehul's website. They have a section on how to improve your sound and they spent some time on improving power line noise. Hope that helps! Thanks bro. Thats very helpful. Makes me believe all the spending on power cords and conditioners and stuff is'nt all fancifull ;)
kzone Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 Facts : Aircon compressor switched on - 2MBps. Aircon compressor switched off - 31Mbps Powerline Ethernet. sorry dont understand... compressor is "auto on" when u switch on the indoor unit rite?
2100 Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 sorry dont understand... compressor is "auto on" when u switch on the indoor unit rite? I meant the outdoor compressor. ;D The indoor unit is always on, but it doesn't make a lot of electrical noise. If you feel that the unit is blowing cool air then the outdoor compressor is on. Haven't tried the vacuum cleaner, anyway we were troubleshooting IPTV. ;) We were aiming for something like 18Mbps.
Quest88 Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 Best if u precool ur listening area, then switch off ALL appliances .. including the air con & ur fridge (just trip ur mCharlie Bravo except the one connected to ur hifi)... the sound of total silence, followed by the disc spinning when u press play on the remote...pure bliss n u'll hear details u've never noticed before... I'm serious... can just use ear plugs or not? ;D but seriously, i believe in this also. anyway, day is always not so good for me cos more ambient noise from neighbours or downstairs. even if someone flush toilet i can also hear. night time is always totally quiet. :) as for power, i did feel the same as rahul so end up buying power transformer and conditioner for my stuff. before that i always thought music can even sound louder and better at night.
rahul Posted February 1, 2007 Author Posted February 1, 2007 but seriously, i believe in this also. anyway, day is always not so good for me cos more ambient noise from neighbours or downstairs. even if someone flush toilet i can also hear. night time is always totally quiet. :) as for power, i did feel the same as rahul so end up buying power transformer and conditioner for my stuff. before that i always thought music can even sound louder and better at night. Good to see that it wasnt just me hearing things. I notice an improvement after around 12:30am. What power conditioner/transformer are you using Quest ? Have been looking around for some budget option. Cant lay a separate power line for hifi as some people do...
ks Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 For me, I lay a seperate line from the main incoming, so that my AV setup has its dedicated main breaker. Got a contractor to do it and price is quite reasonably.
rahul Posted February 1, 2007 Author Posted February 1, 2007 Sorry, living in a rented flat :( Separate powerline not an option Lot of people on Echoloft like this Xindak XF-1000 Power Conditioner/Filter http://www.echoloft.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=tell&action=display&num=1072331443&start=0 Price affordable. Anyone here tired it ?
Quest88 Posted February 1, 2007 Posted February 1, 2007 well.. i own and have tried the XF-1000 also, although not using it now. using it for my pc and stuff. haha XF1000 makes background slightly quieter for me i think. come to power, i think people have had varying results with the same isolator. to keep the same dynamics i needed to change power cords too..
kzone Posted February 2, 2007 Posted February 2, 2007 I meant the outdoor compressor. ;D The indoor unit is always on, but it doesn't make a lot of electrical noise. If you feel that the unit is blowing cool air then the outdoor compressor is on. Haven't tried the vacuum cleaner, anyway we were troubleshooting IPTV. ;) We were aiming for something like 18Mbps. wah... so much difference! Tot IPTV using phone line/cable connection? Power line affecting it? Interesting! Hmmm... if only we can try shutting down our whole block's appliances except for our hifi system.. ;D ;D
2100 Posted February 2, 2007 Posted February 2, 2007 wah... so much difference! Tot IPTV using phone line/cable connection? Power line affecting it? Interesting! If the 2WIRE modem is just beside the TV then ok lar. But you know the new mio, usually not the case lar. So thats why need to use the Ruckus wifi or powerline ethernet, unless you already have cat 5 swee swee laid out.
Guest OmegaRed Posted February 2, 2007 Posted February 2, 2007 i got a different view to this. i do got the same findings having my setup sounds better at different timing. To me i think its the atmosphere / mood. It is less nosy at late at night. To proof that, try listening to your setup early in the morning. See if you have the same findings...
SiriuslyCold Posted February 3, 2007 Posted February 3, 2007 yeah.. at night, there's that anticipation, you know... ;)
macnux Posted February 4, 2007 Posted February 4, 2007 Do agree with you ...... if I were selling hi-fi, I'll open from 8.00pm until 2.00 am ::)
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