maxg Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 So I am in Antonis shop Stepcom when a friend of mine (nickname Kops) comes in and says - who wants an audiophile tweak - its gonna cost you 3 euros and we need 5 people. So OK - enough of us are game and we all chip in. I then go with Kops to the toyshop next door (called Max interestingly enough - or not I suppose) and we buy one game called Jenga. We get back - rip the game open and it contains rectangular wooden chips - 54 of them in all. I took 10 so the others could have 11 each. And what do you do with these pieces of wood? I am glad you asked. You put them......wait for it......under your CD / DVD / SACD player and, if it is a cheap unit - the sound improves. (so the theory goes) Why? (the theory continues). Because cheap players do not have good isolating feet and the wood actually works better than the stock feet. Just to clarify this a bit further - you use 3 of them (not 4) widthways and directly under the chasis of the unit - not the feet. Apparently it is important that you do not use the feet at all - and the feet should be clear off the base (hence using the blocks widthways). So does it work? Well actually it might be doing something. I have a Pioneer 575 with what I imagine are cheap feet and it does seem to be a bit more.....what......musical? A bit less grainy perhaps - it is not a night and day difference - it is not like spending another $500 on your player - but I think it does do something - probably depending on how much vibration your unit is subjected to. Certainly there are dumber ways to lose 3 euros - and I now have the other DVD player on little wooden bricks as well. Do you think I am losing it now? Or did I never have it to lose in the first place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmikid Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 The more you treat your ears, the more they talk the brains into playing with sound and trying to improve it. Improving it is not always the main goal, but when trying, you have to listen anyway, so mission accomplished; more sweets for the ears. Ears don't care for career or familylife, so fortunately audiophiles who seem to suffer major brainfailure and loss of all logics concerning audio, often lead a normal and succesful life in society. [] What? But I was talking to myself! [^o)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I think it sounds like a valid concept to try. Now if I only had time to double blind test it against the wine corks I currently use.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Max, Thank your friend. Given what you spent on that Clearaudio turntable, you might have read the articles on similar items and paid $300 or more for "audiophile quality" replacement feet to do the same thing. [6] My one amplifier was modded (when purchased) with some 'feet' that 'decouple' it from the table it is on and of course sit in alternate locations while the original feet remain. Lots of info from modders on turntables about doing the same thing or something very much similar. In general there is consensus the sound is improved, people disagree on how much money must be spent on implementation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efzauner Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 what you need to do is a double blind test: You have the 5 people, So 4 of them sit in the listening room with a scorecard. The 5th I will call him the technician, runs the test. Maybe you can put the cd player in another room or something. Just devise a way to randomly put the pieces under without the listeners knowing. Devise a way (with a bell or something) that the technicial can tell you when to listen without telegraphing his knowledge. You all close your eyes and the technician rolls a die. If it is 1-3 he puts the wood pieces under the cd player. If it is 4-6 he pretends to place the wood pieces under the cd and covers it the same way. You sit back and use the remote to play the music for 5 minutes and individually score the sound. Your technician then rolls the dice again and changes the sutup depending on the result, and you listen again. technician keeps score and at then end tallies the result. Do this 10 times or more and see if can properly judge if the wood feet where used or not. See if you where better than 50% correct. This is a simple way to do a double blind test. The only on that is valid. Another way is to get a second identical CD player with a second identical CD. Connect one to input A of the receiver and the second to input B. Cover the receiver and CD players so you do not know which one is playing. First do a check to make sure there is no difference in the inputs, cds, and cd players by running a double blind test by randomly switching the cd players with the dice. If you get the 50% correct then they statistically sound the same. Then put the wood blocks under one and run the test again. This way it sould be much easier and faster to switch the source. Make sure the mechanical sounds of the cd player do not give it away. Of course make sure the A-B levels are the same. But most important these tests will only be valid with Klipsch speakers and a case of good beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Congratulations Max!!!![<)] You have discovered these: http://www.dedicatedaudio.com/inc/sdetail/1132 [] Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 One audio tweak that is guaranteed to make your system sound better is if you shave your head and wear one of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputnik Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 You could stack up all of the Jenga pieces and balance your audio system on top, then you and your friends take can turns slowly pulling them out one at a time until there's a loser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Max, That could possibly be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. That said, In about 2 minutes I'll be under the house searching for my kids old Jenga set to try on my cheapo Technics CD player that I sometimes use in my upstairs system.[:$] I'll let you know what my ears think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Can't seem to locate the Jenga but I'll keep digging. How do you think Lincoln Logs would work?[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmdridq Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Max, That could possibly be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. That said, In about 2 minutes I'll be under the house searching for my kids old Jenga set to try on my cheapo Technics CD player that I sometimes use in my upstairs system.[:$] I'll let you know what my ears think. I couldn't find the Jenga but I ran across a bag of wooden ABC blocks. I tried them out and it is unbelievable. The presence, warmth, and definition I am hearing now are hard to describe. I highly recommend this tweak. By the way, I have noticed through experimentation that you should not use vowels in the front of the cabinet. Only put consonants under the front. In the back, it doesn't seem to make any difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 So what are we isolating the unit from exactly? If your changing the support are you dampening (isolating) the unit from external ground support vibration, or are you changing the internal vibration dissipation from the unit itself? The proximity of the player to the reproduction (speaker) must also introduce some effect of sonic impact into all sides of the player and whatever feet attach it to mother planet. Now I could get really long cables and run my SACD in a completely separate and isolated area. I could set in in sand or suspend it on a spring loaded harness. So from within this chamber of silence and zero vibrational artifact will I get to CD nirvana?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmdridq Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Now I could get really long cables and run my SACD in a completely separate and isolated area. I could set in in sand or suspend it on a spring loaded harness. So from within this chamber of silence and zero vibrational artifact will I get to CD nirvana??I think you're onto something. As long as you use Monster interconnects with the SACD player's connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted January 24, 2006 Author Share Posted January 24, 2006 Oh dear - people are taking this seriously. It is not serious - just a play - I have no plans to do a blind test of any form on this - I tried it - I think it might make a little difference - probably less than moving your speakers 1 cm to the right but it was just a funny thing that came up on an idle Saturday at the local audio shop / toy shop. I would imagine any regular wooden block would do for testing - you just need 3 of them of the same size for each item of equipment you want to try out. It might do wonders for a pre-amp too for all I know - or not.As 3D pointed out in his post - there are audiophile pieces of wood you can try too - but the cost is a bit more. This was 3 euros for 10 pieces - hardly going to break the bank so we thought it worth a play - nothing more, nothing less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfandbark Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 A funny thing that came up on an idle Saturday at the local audio shop/toy shop? I wanna hang out with MaxG.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfandbark Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I like Audio Flynn's solution also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Sure,Jenga blocks work(cheap fix),but not as well as American Poplar,and not just any Poplar,I've found midwest has the better acoustic properties,but only the old growth truly excells.It has just the right density for the discriminating audiophoil,all imo.Side note:I have a few logs in my woods I could make a bulk price on,shipping and handling not included of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Damn, I've got some solid maple scraps out in the garage...maybe I should put 'em on the lathe and make me some maple cone feet...hhmmm![:^)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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