Steven Toy
Accuphase newbie
Experimentation not just in my own system but also in two systems that were hard-wired straight into the consumer unit has revealed that lowering impedance and the number of interfaces (plugs, fuses etc) between consumer unit and equipment is not necessarily the holy grail.
My own system was not hard wired from the outset unlike the other two systems I mention upon the installation of dedicated mains, uprated incoming fuse and Memera consumer unit. Instead a bank of four sockets was installed on the board mounting the CU and connected to it by 6 mm T&E cables no more than about 8 inches long. I wanted to use 10 mm T&E but in such short lengths it was impossible to work with.
On switch-on the dynamics had improved remarkably and the soundstage was noticeably bigger but there was an unpleasant bloom in the bass. The suspected cause for this was airborn vibrations from the speakers that were being picked up in the wall on which the CU and bank of sockets was mounted and this vibration was feeding back into the equipment via the mains cables. As I said, suspected cause....
This bloom did not sound like a speaker/room interaction issue because it seemed to affect a much broader range of the lower frequency than the overhang or boom associated with obvious room modes. Instead of specific notes seeming to overhang as they would if they set off given room modes, the whole of the bass and lower mid was affected and the overhang was more subtle, but irritating and detracting from the music nevertheless.
Identifying a possible cause, whether this could be proven or not at least, enabled us to look for a solution. Placing a quality star-earthed mains block in line between the sockets by the CU and the equipment remedied the problem. The gains in dynamics and soundstaging were not compromised and in addition the bass tightened up with more detail and texture in the lower registers and midrange overall.
The same experiment was repeated on the two systems hard-wired into their Memera CUs with the same result. These systems are no longer hard wired and use a quality mains block in line.
My mains block is by Music Works and would cost £600. The other two use one from Mark Grant at £180.
Rather than grapple with the theory at this stage, try it first.
My own system was not hard wired from the outset unlike the other two systems I mention upon the installation of dedicated mains, uprated incoming fuse and Memera consumer unit. Instead a bank of four sockets was installed on the board mounting the CU and connected to it by 6 mm T&E cables no more than about 8 inches long. I wanted to use 10 mm T&E but in such short lengths it was impossible to work with.
On switch-on the dynamics had improved remarkably and the soundstage was noticeably bigger but there was an unpleasant bloom in the bass. The suspected cause for this was airborn vibrations from the speakers that were being picked up in the wall on which the CU and bank of sockets was mounted and this vibration was feeding back into the equipment via the mains cables. As I said, suspected cause....
This bloom did not sound like a speaker/room interaction issue because it seemed to affect a much broader range of the lower frequency than the overhang or boom associated with obvious room modes. Instead of specific notes seeming to overhang as they would if they set off given room modes, the whole of the bass and lower mid was affected and the overhang was more subtle, but irritating and detracting from the music nevertheless.
Identifying a possible cause, whether this could be proven or not at least, enabled us to look for a solution. Placing a quality star-earthed mains block in line between the sockets by the CU and the equipment remedied the problem. The gains in dynamics and soundstaging were not compromised and in addition the bass tightened up with more detail and texture in the lower registers and midrange overall.
The same experiment was repeated on the two systems hard-wired into their Memera CUs with the same result. These systems are no longer hard wired and use a quality mains block in line.
My mains block is by Music Works and would cost £600. The other two use one from Mark Grant at £180.
Rather than grapple with the theory at this stage, try it first.