How to improve your system for little or no money

[savvypaul]

I'm putting an article together for the website on how to improve the sound quality of your system, for little or no money.

I've started putting together a list of tips / ideas. It would be great if members here could add their own, below, and we can cross-promote the website and the forum.

Thanks in advance,

Paul

Here's a general idea of what I've written, so far...

Don't run signal cables alongside power cables (crossing at right angles is OK)

Space gear apart to avoid hum / interference (especially for kit with large transformers)

Make sure speaker stands are level and stable

Experiment with coupling and de-coupling

Experiment with speaker height, toe-in, distance from walls

Use natural room furnishings to reduce reflections

Clean / polish plugs and connections

...

[r3xj0hn570n]

off the top of my head...
Room layout, chair position, type
SMPSUs behind an isolating transformer
melamine foam stylus cleaner
blutak driver baskets to cabinet or tighten screws
remove excessive speaker stuffing near back of driver
disable unused services on streamers
blanket over TV between speakers
glass of wine

[karatestu]

Clean contacts
Don't have listening chair back against the wall

[Fretless]

Split the positive and negative speaker cables from each other (including those inside the cabinet) so there is a bit of space in-between.

Carbon-fibre stylus brush.

Acrylic turntable mat.

Raspberry Pi streamers with Volumio OS

Profigold Oxypure OCC coax and Toslink digital interconnects.

Oehlbach XXL Masterclock USB reclocker.

Audioquest Jitterbug.

LP weight/clamp

[Lindsayt]

Get turntables as far away from the speakers as you conveniently can. Avoid placing turntables on floor mounted stands on the same floorboard or joist as a speaker.

Most turntables sound best on light rigid stands. Although it can be turntable dependent.

Make sure the turntable is on a horizontal surface.

Experiment with different downforce and bias settings on your arm. These are a compromise.

[Lordie82360now]

If you have ported speakers try experimenting with foam bungs.
Build your own equipment isolation tables from mdf adding sorbothane
feet.

[Grumpytim]

A decent record cleaning device.

[Shevans]

Try sitting on the floor for a listen, make sure you grab the phone prior in case you need assistance in getting back up.

[dazed_and_confused]

Let’s not forget the liberal application of alcohol. It works well for cleaning contacts.

[DaveyTed]

Check your hearing - your ears might benefit from a cleanout!