New addition to system

Posted by: JamieWednesday on 25 November 2003

I was a little unsure as to which area to place this topic because my newest bit of kit is a new sofa!!!!

We've recently replaced our large and comfy old sofa which had a cloth cover and big cushions to a new one that's made out of that thick brown (and currently shiny) leather.

I can honestly say that this has made the biggest single difference to the sound of my system in years. It is a little bizarre because the room itself is well furnished with lots of absorbing chairs, rugs and the like but I guess the hard and shiny material of the the sofa, which sits directly in front of the speakers, reacts with the sound completely differently to the soft fluffy one we had before. As you may guess the sound is now harder, more taught and somehow 'cooler' than it was before. Not worse, just different.

So there you go, rather than worrying about "82s vs 282s" and "How many Hi-Caps does it take..?" Get a new sofa!!!!
Posted on: 25 November 2003 by Emil F
I did this 2 weeks ago and noticed the difference. There is no home demo for such things.

You are now in the burn in periodSmile

What system are we talking about?

Emil
Posted on: 25 November 2003 by JamieWednesday
102/180/cd 3.5 + Flat cap/Rega P3/Sonus Faber Concertos with a DIY Hydra & a brown leather Linda Barker Special
Posted on: 25 November 2003 by J.N.
Hi Jamie

You'll often see me banging on about 'the room is the ultimate source'; which you've just illustrated in your post.

A budget system in a good sounding room will give more musical pleasure than an expensive system, in a poor sounding room.

Of that; I am firmly convinced. And here's the real pisser - the more expensive it gets; the harder it is to get 100% out of it.

A friend of mine keeps threatening to go into DFS and shout at some sofas.

Who is Linda Barker, by the way?
Posted on: 26 November 2003 by HTK
Similar effect here with replacement windows. Same again when new curtains were put up. Luclky all changes were for the better (focus, staging, clarity). At least furnishings don't need warming up! Or do they?

Harry
Posted on: 27 November 2003 by JamieWednesday
OK, so now the sofa has been operational for a week and is fully warmed up through several hours of indulgent use.

The sound now seems to be fuller and more natural, less forced sonehow than when '..straight out of the box...'.

I am now looking for suggestions for tweaks. I have angled the sofa to give a little toe-in which has given me a nice sweet spot in the middle of one of the cushions. At the moment the supports are wooden block type, would spikes or even castors perhaps, provide a better sound?

I am also considering a two box combination, perhaps opting for the pouffe after all, I admit I scoffed at the potential advantages as outlined by the salesman at the time but perhaps this might make for a more complete listening experience. Does anyone have such a practical application already that may help me make my mind up?
Posted on: 27 November 2003 by J.N.
quote:
I am now looking for suggestions for tweaks.


Furniture, room acoustics or Hi-Fi?

There's an interesting psychological element at play here. You're obviously in love with your sofa (it's perfectly legal!); and this of course enhances your listening experience.

We all feed off the right ambience, company and state of mind. If I'm seriously knackered; the Hi-Fi doesn't relax me - it sounds crap, so I give up and do something else.

Different for others; I'm sure.

Any more thoughts on this issue?
Posted on: 27 November 2003 by Stevea
quote:
I am now looking for suggestions for tweaks.


I think when listening to music while sitting on a sofa the position of the cat is very important. I find that when she insists on perching up round my shoulder the system tends to sound a bit muffled and sometimes a little unbalanced. On the other hand, when she sits on my lap it adds noticeable warmth to the presentation and I find it very difficult to drag myself away. In certain situations a cat can add a bit of base resonance, which can be quite noticeable if the animal is close to you.

Hope this helps

Steve
Posted on: 27 November 2003 by JamieWednesday
Stevea, I note your comments with interest. I have 3 cats myself and certainly their positioning can make a crucial difference to the atmosphere created by the system, I presume from the room harmonics being affected.

For instance, when one of my cats sits on the very top of the bookcase, the sound becomes more controlled, I suppose something that would be referred to as a 'Hi-Cat' being placed in the system.
In addition, if placed in front of the speaker, the voluble indifference exhibited by one of the pussies leads to a less exaggerated bass performance, making the system more Taim.

I have also noticed markedly less resonance in the rack when one of the lovable tykes dicovers quite how warm the power amp and flat cap can be on a Winters evening. In managing to squeeze himself into a gap the thickness of my wrist, making contact with the upper shelf, the resultant effect is not entirely different to that produced by resting equipment on that soft and squidgy sorbothane stuff. Perhaps if we all tried this, it could become the Cat Standard.

Finally, I've even tried stuffing one in the CD tray and patenting the 'Cat-Mat' but Russ Andrews apparently has got there first...