Something weird is going on with my stereo

Nigel,

No doubt the odd tweak does make a difference but I'd like to put this down to you, hopefully, improving because what has happened to you has been one really horrible thing.  

May the music continue to resound around Halibut Towers  

regards,

Lindsay

Definitely something fishy going on .

Big hope that it's a brain recovery thing, maybe Karma compensation that your hi if sounds better than before the accident Nigel.

Stu

Goods news indeed HH,  if its something in your system, thats great, if you find out what it is then keep us all posted.         If it is your own physical recovery then that is really something special & a real reason to rejoice.   Whatever it is, enjoy.

I agree; without question these are positive recovery signs. Great to hear HH...

I also prefer to think it is the nervous system improving rather than the gear - let's hope!

Your cold has cleared up and your ears have at last equalised with atmospheric pressure(?) Actually an injury to the head could easily affect the ear's ability to equalise pressure, and a blockage is something that can indeed suddenly clear. However if it were that, or any other physiological change affecting your hearing, then your clarity of hearing wouldn't be comfined to music through your hifi - so maybe that is a fundamental question: is anything else improved with your hearing? If not, then eitherbit is psychological, or you need a seance to seek an explanation from the late Peter Belt...

No amount of snake oil can be as real as a miracle.

Well, just the enjoy the system. And whatever you do, don't do what I would usually do - try to make this worse, and prove that you can repeatably make things worse and then better again. You'll end up making it worse, but then won't be able to make it better again. :-)

I've found that my system always sounded best in spring.  Impossible to say why exactly, but I thought it could be due to the mild weather and a minimum of furnaces or air conditioners on the grid.

Hungryhalibut posted:

Weird in a good way. Suddenly, for the last couple of days, the stereo suddenly sounds miles better. I cleaned the connections a couple of weeks ago, which perked things up,a bit, as it does. Then about a week ago I raised the shelf below tbe 272 a tiny bit so that the din to XLR didn't touch the floor. The last time I changed any part of the system was last autumn when I got new ethernet cables and a new switch. The last thing before that was the SL din to XLR in spring 2016. 

It's most odd, everything just sounds so much better. The musical flow and groove is just incredible. Albums I know well are sounding transformed. Maybe it's my brain making its recovery from the accident and some new neural pathways have formed, so if anyone says that it's all in my head, they could well be right! But whatever it is it's pretty amazing. Like I say, weird. 

George Cardas believe that if a cable is flexed, moved, charged or changed in any way, it will be a while before it is relaxed again. That may explain why it takes a few weeks to regain maximum conductivity after cleaning the connections.

Like others, Nigel, I'm hoping that this is a sign of recovery from your terrible accident. 

Clive

Well, at least I get plenty of time to listen to music. Though I'm so busy with housework, cooking, shopping, gardening, my daily walk and my afternoon siesta that there is far less time than I imagined. Still, I never get bored, which I thought I might. I suspect that while the cleaning and tweaks have made a bit of a difference (Cat's comment about George Cardas was interesting) it's highly likely that 90% of it is in my head. It's exactly eight months today since I was knocked off the bike. Sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago, and at other times only yesterday. 

cat345 posted:

George Cardas believe that if a cable is flexed, moved, charged or changed in any way, it will be a while before it is relaxed again. That may explain why it takes a few weeks to regain maximum conductivity after cleaning the connections.

He was talking about stabilisation of charges in dielectrics, not conductivity.

Huge posted:

cat345 posted:

George Cardas believe that if a cable is flexed, moved, charged or changed in any way, it will be a while before it is relaxed again. That may explain why it takes a few weeks to regain maximum conductivity after cleaning the connections.

He was talking about stabilisation of charges in dielectrics, not conductivity.

Yes, true. Although I wouldn't call it a believe as standing charges that occur in cables are perfectly measurable.

That article from Cardas is here on the forum: https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...05#69849598652794105

KTMax posted:

Huge posted:

cat345 posted:

George Cardas believe that if a cable is flexed, moved, charged or changed in any way, it will be a while before it is relaxed again. That may explain why it takes a few weeks to regain maximum conductivity after cleaning the connections.

He was talking about stabilisation of charges in dielectrics, not conductivity.

Yes, true. Although I wouldn't call it a believe as standing charges that occur in cables are perfectly measurable.

That article from Cardas is here on the forum: https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...05#69849598652794105

Yep, and this article was writen by Cardas about 20 years ago. Isn't that the proof that some perfectly  clear and credible hypothesis have to be repeated again and again. IMO, most of cable comparisons are misleading because nobody care about leaving cables untouched for weeks and living with them before making a comparison. 

It is easy to figure out that a very good cable whose connectors have not being cleaned for a very long time could sound worse than a run of the mill cable with clean contacts.

What is the recommended manner in which to clean my connections?

Perhaps it's down to the euphoria generated in East Hampshire (and Emsworth) by Pompey getting promoted?

Kevin Richardson posted:

What is the recommended manner in which to clean my connections?

Just unplug and replug a few times and the connections will be cleaned where it matters - i.e. at the points of contact. Some cleaners work, others simply clog the contact points.

Just make sure you are alone when you embark on the unplugging and replugging. The family might just put out a call for the men in white coats otherwise!

Also - when cleaning the speaker plugs in addition to un-plugging, I found that a gentle wiping of the contacts with some dry tissue paper removed some oxide residue and it sounded better when re-inserted. Don't use any cleaning fluid, just un-plug and in the case of the speakers, because I think of the much higher current they carry, they need a little more cleaning. I clean mine every six to nine months or so.

Don't clean them too often, as apart from becoming paranoid about it all they seem to settle-in and sound better after a day or so left alone.

Also - with the original post about the system sounding better I'd think the cable off the floor and then settling into the new position would make an obvious improvement.

DB.