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There are so many variations of system and power and environment that I find it hard to know what I or anyone can take apart from places to start.
I'll just list places and thoughts.
It's not thorough, it's not double blind, but who has time for that and if you want to leave things more than a day in each place... it takes forever.
Power line into valve pre-amp. NO apparent change.
Power line to satellite TV box. No apparent change.
HDMI into TV. Very good change. Increased 3D look, colours almost glow, specially skin tones, but in a natural way.
Positive speaker leads at speaker end. Definitely a bigger rounder bottom end, but perhaps at cost of a touch of top end zing.
Follow Ups:
I seem to get the best results around my turntable. First tried them on the interconnects, then at the amp side connectors. Best seems to be on top of the headshell, of course readjusting the counterweight. Much more bloom, inner detail, fuller bass.
Recommended....
I tried my two free samples first on the interconnects from my dac to my preamp. I found improvement similar to others. More bass and more detail in the midrange. Actually the bass was slightly boomy. I have VMPS RM2 speakers and I rectified this my adjusting the putty on the passive radiators. I next tried the tubes on the digital interconnect between my cd transport and dac. I similar effect but much less pronounced.
I knew there was something to this so I ordered 5 more. They sent 7, two additional free! I tried them on various power cords with no effect. They do further improve the sound when placed on the interconnects from the preamp to my amps and on the positive speaker terminals out of the amps. I have not got around to it yet but I plan to try them on the transformer of my dac. I have no idea how or why they work but they have made a noticeable improvement in my system
It seems sensible to post a few "Magic Tubes" notes here rather than on a new thread. Hope that's OK with the OP. I'd lashed out and bought a box of 12.
1. On an LCD TV already fitted w a mains lead DIY'd using MSA "kegs" that made for a much better picture, an MT on the IEC connector took it up a notch. Sharper picture, deeper colours. Well worth trying.
2. Same result on the monitor for my desktop computer only the MT was fitted to the lead between a floating DC PSU and the monitor. Sharper pic, much easier on the eyes. Think cleaning really dirty glasses.
3. On the ICs between the audio system's volume control box and its two (much upgraded) Quad 303 power amps. Noticeable difference and well worth having but not humungous. Sound becomes more mellow; it's easier to distinguish the words in choral singing (my "acid test").
4. On the DAC's Lampizator I/V PCB just by the tubes. Sound overall better than (3) but, though I'm very pleased, still not humungous.
5. On the four +ve leads in the speakers' crossovers. Hmmmmmm. Getting there. (I bottled out of asking my partner whether she thought there was "definitely a bigger, rounder bottom end".)
6. On top of the two power amp transformers. Humungous. Most striking was a much more open top end - sopranos sing, pianos ring, cymbals zing and all the biz. Lovely. (As I'd taken the opportunity to add a Cu screen between the transformer and the power transistors, I can't ascribe all the change to the MTs - but it was a very small screen . . . )
General points.
* I'm sure the effect is cumulative but I'm not going to back-track to find out.
* Some improvement can be heard fairly quickly but the things definitely take time to bed in. Don't rush.
* Little or no effect heard in too many locations to list here. Persevere - experimentation mandatory, quick judgements likely to mislead. (Ditto BTW with MSA's mains stuff - I faffed about for weeks to get an optimal config when mixing MSA mains leads with my isolators, filters, etc etc. A power purifier, e.g., sounds different in my system if placed before or after the pro-audio-grade mains filter in front of the power amps.)
I think it fair to say that my system was pretty clean mains-wise before I tried MTs - a dedicated mains spur for analogue devices, another for digital ditto, lots of fancy sockets, isolators, filters, alpha-male cables, etc. My hunch is that the MTs are mostly curbing intra-system crud though I lack both the kit and the wit to test the notion.
But, yes, well worth my money.
HTH
Dave
> > (I bottled out of asking my partner whether she thought there was "definitely a bigger, rounder bottom end".)
Good plan!
If you don't become the ocean, you'll be seasick every day.
- Leonard Cohen
Thank you, Ryelands. I don't know whether I can encapsulate my thoughts or insights as well as you just did. I appreciate the effort that you put into this. Based on the number of places you have experimented and noticed differences, I may have to spring for the un-dirty dozen.I have Decware ERR speakers. These have an external crossover. Your post reminds me not to neglect that junction.
axolotl
Edits: 09/06/15 09/06/15
Thank you for sharing. A ton of information and will take a while for me to digest. I may not always being the sharpest pencil in the box.
Currently have the two free samples lying between two pairs of interconnects and thought they made a difference. Not humungous as you would say, but noticeable.
Very much appreciated.
Be well,
Joe
Try putting one on your incoming AC Power at the main circuit breaker and another on the breaker that goes to the Audio system.
.
On top of transformers on momo-blocks. Yes, slightly more precise but perhaps drier.
Digital input to DAC. Couldn't hear any change.
While not working on the pieze principle, The Magic Tubes work where a crystal works. While not as effective in some laces it may be more in others so experimentation is the key.
It seems to like AC better than DC:
IMHE, YMMV, FWIW
Following the advice of (I think) Unclestu, I had drilled holes in a couple of BlackDiscus and put them on top of the valves in my pre-amp.
I placed the Magic Tubes on top of those and the effect was... quite a lot.
Crikey... that's a good one. Seemingly deeper bottom end and a little more weight, clearer perhaps... something anyway and a lot of it.
And that seems pretty definitive, that's one to revisit.
I actually had to go and check the sub hadn't been reset. The weight of the bottom end of both acoustic and electric bass was clearly heavier but also with that rounded sound that it should have.
Edits: 09/01/15
The tubes pick up vibrations from the air and couple the vibrations to your gear.
-reub
Easy to say but not true:
The powdered insert is quite tiny and I use putty to anchor the glass which adds damping.
On top of transformers where the effect is quite audible the mechanical vibration of the iron is significantly larger than what the glass can absorb.
Just my opinion, YMMV. FWIW
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