red pill sanctuary
Seasoned Member
Today's misguidance is tomorrow's future!
Posts: 142
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Before, the volume knob felt as though something was off about it. So naturally, since this popping noise and drifting distortion was in direct relation to the volume knob, I focused there as to the most likely source of noise. There are several open slits around the volume pot. As I turned the knob back and forth full swing repeatedly, I sprayed the DEOXIT 5 fader control cleaner into all of these open areas that I could. I did this several times until I could feel the knob becoming less resistive and very smooth. I finished that with the DEOXIT Gold lubricant.
I then treated all other controls the same way before putting the amp back into the chassis.
Then I took a dental brush (not a toothbrush, but the type that is straight with bristles for inserting between your teeth like floss) which just happens to be perfect for this task, and cleaned out every tube socket using the same treatment.
Finally, I used fine Emory cloth and carefully polished the corrosion(simply appears as dark stains) from each and every tube pin that goes into this amplifier. Those pins were then cleaned and treated with the DEOXIT. This was late at night and all I wanted to do was check the amp after turning it on to see if there was any improvement to the problem.
Also, every connection and cable end was treated the same way. So the entire signal path of this system was properly serviced.
The audio God's have blessed my amp. THE VOLUME CONTROL NOISE WAS NOW GONE! The action of the knob became very smooth and completely silent with no music playing. Turned all the way to maximum, and it was as if the amp was not even on. Finally, things seem to be right.
Well, crazy as things happen in audio, I was in order for a very big surprise which kept me at full attention for the next couple of hours. I didn't quite get to bed as early as I intended. Funny how that happens! My whole perception of this amplifier completely changed within an instant! It was as though I had just purchased a newer higher quality amplifier, one which I felt I should have been hearing with this amp all along.
Remember this, when I had listened to this amp in the past being much newer, I did not have a good room to hear it in, and the speakers I was using were not really very good, nothing like the ones I have today. So back then, I am sure the amp sounded great, but my room condition and system were not good enough to reveal the natural quality I should have heard.
I was starting over trying to build a new audio system, and the amp came first. That was over 12 years ago. I no longer had any of my previous audio gear, my huge collection of high priced vinyl, or even my collection of digital recordings. So by the time I actually got this room built and I had a great system to use this amp with, the problem had become a nuisance.
Anyway, back to the initial test after cleaning the amplifier connections. I grabbed the closest CD that I could reach for and put a disc of the Eagles into the player. ( the mastering done on that CD was very good, with excellent dynamics and clarity)
Mind you, the amp was stone COLD, not on for more than five minutes, the other equipment was just turned on and the speakers had not been played that evening at all. So nothing was warmed up to optimal operating temperature for the best sounding playback.
Of course I wasn't going to actually listen to the music, I just needed verification that the cleaning did it's job effectively.
I hit play and just sat there almost dazed at what I was hearing, and that is with a COLD amp! The room is instantly filled with the smooth dynamic sound of Hotel California.
I am hearing this with my Qforce speakers which are my reference grade models.
The soundstage actually became wider and taller. There was a newfound clarity, effortlessly revealing detail that had me stunned. There was a significant extension to the bass now, highly detailed and very tight. Everything just sounded so much better, to the point where I couldn't believe I was listening to the same amplifier. I could not stop listening because the sound was so satisfying, nothing like I had heard before. I believe that corrosion on the tube pins was a major factor here, but the sum of all things done within made the difference overall. That dirty volume control was really a factor.
Naturally, I became deeply focused upon what I am now experiencing, and I just could not stop playing the music. When that disc was done, I needed to hear more! By this time, the equipment is warmed up and at it's best. Let me tell you, there was much more missing from this amp which eluded me over time. I was only wanting to correct the dirty volume control which was causing the noise in the amplifier. This cleaning treatment did far more than that, in ways I never expected. If I had not experienced this firsthand, I would have never believed that much of an improvement would have been possible.
I went from being extremely happy at my newfound experience, to being very upset that I had been using an amplifier with sound quality this degrading all of this time. I had some rather unsavory thoughts about this whole situation. But I went to bed, and the next day I was just happy to find the solution to this problem. And I didn't have to send it back to Decware to get it corrected. Cost me around $40.00 for the treatment and a bit of time, and that is all it took. This goes to show how important periodic cleaning and maintenance is to this or any other amplifier, especially if it is valve based.
So I apologize for never being able to give you an accurate evaluation of the inwall system. But I still found the outcome very favorable considering the situation.
Now, it has been awhile, so let me try to recall my impressions of that setup.
I initially tried using the 38 percent factor from the front wall. Let me tell you, in a small room, that is a bit close to the front wall. Seemed a bit weird to me, but this is a fact finding mission, so that is irrelevant to the purpose. I will confirm indeed that this 38 percent factor has some real merit to it. I was initially very impressed by the frequency response sitting at this position. It really did seem to dial in the correct spot within the room. Out of curiosity, I experimented by moving the couch back and forth a few gradual movements along that center line. I could actually detect minute changes within the perception of the music. I am talking about very minute movements within an inch or two. When you have a quality system and a well designed audio room, these changes become easily recognized in a transparent way.
So I wanted to see just how bad it could get by getting closer to that center of evil, the halfway point of the room length. Listen, if you ever want to experience just how bad the effects of room modes are, just sit in the center of the room and see what happens. You will think that either something is wrong with your system, or your recording is really, really BAD! This is where the highest degree of cancellations are taking place due to standing waves. There is no bass, the music sounds thin, and frankly, you would not listen for more than 30 seconds. Now move back closer to that 38 percent mark, and like magic, suddenly everything just reappears and the music is great again.
So I degreed this placement in to where I felt it was the best. And now it is time to do some serious listening.
I designed the crossover networks on Xsim using actual speaker measurement files. This software is superb, the slightest changes within the design are instantly shown in real time so that you can instantly see the effect your change has on the design. The resulting frequency response of this system's network is about as flat as one can get with an array this complex considering the drivers used. So my thought was that this was off to a good start. If the room response acts anything like that of the speaker response data, then this should sound incredible,....at least on paper. There are many factors which can make or break a system like this.
I also want to note that I mostly used standard production CD's for the listening tests. With the exception of a few, most were just good recordings that are mainstream productions. Had I used well mastered HDCD versions, I am sure the results would have been dramatic by comparison.
I keep my eyes closed when listening so that my perception of the music is not influenced by what I see.
I set the volume control to approximately 30 percent.
I find that using the forward setting on the rear switches choosing between 16 ohms and 8 ohms is far superior with my speakers. I will assume the forward position is an 8 ohm load. With this position, the bass response is much deeper and far more dynamic.
I am sitting at the exact center point, 38 percent of the room's length from the front wall. This places me at close range to the speaker drivers which is nearfield listening.
My initial impressions were something much different than I was accustomed, compared to using speaker enclosures placed within the room.
Actually, when we get used to hearing certain anomalies over time which are caused by things such as SBIR, then we grow to accept that this is what music should sound like from a set of speakers. (not to mention all of the deceptive things we were subjected to as a result of bad room acoustics in general)
Reasoning this factor, I knew that it would take time to readjust, and relearn my perception of music without that tainted factor as before.
To be continued shortly.
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