Tweaking Is Forever!
Personally, sometimes just sheer boredom will lead me to try different things. There have been times when I felt that everything was working pretty damn good. Then, I read or re-read some article about this or that tweak and try it, even if it's something I have done before. You never know, it might work better with the improvements made since the last try.
Then there are the things you never expected to make a difference. One such is using a digital delay. What's the big deal about that, you ask? Everybody is familiar with using delay to sync up the sound waves from various speakers in the room, whether it be multi-speaker home theatre or just timing a subwoofer to a regular 2 channel system.
Many years ago, I went to a music supply store (guitars, amps and such) and purchased an outboard delay unit for about $400. My aim then was use it to compliment a Fosgate Audionics Model 2 surround processor, particularly the stereo surround modes, a Fosgate specialty. This processor had delay for the mono surround modes, but not for the stereo modes. Fosgate would add that feature into his later units.
Moving forward in time, I grew tired of trying to get several different speakers and amps to sound integrated. My budget wouldn't allow for totally matched components. This led me to abandon multi-channel to return to regular stereo. I currently have a pair of Magnaplanar Q/R1.6s and a single Martin-Logan Depth subwoofer. As the Maggies are about 7 feet closer to me than the sub, which I have in the front left corner of my room, I decided to bring the delay unit out of retirement. I hooked it up to the Maggies and dialed in 7 milliseconds of delay and proceeded to the listening tests.
Well, one day I was listening to this and that and dialing in different delay times and noting the changes I heard. When I stopped for the night, I noticed that I had not even turned the sub on! Yet, I still heard differences in the sound quality. I find this absolutely fascinating and have no idea why this should be.
Since this intial find, I have changed my set-up a little bit. As it was, the delay was only to the Maggies, with the sub off on its own. I have rewired the sub to be in on the delay also by hooking it up to the speaker inputs of the Maggies. This is similar to a recommendation I have read about that is endorsed by REL and Vandersteen for their subs.
Truly, tweaking is FOREVER!
