lejonklou wrote:Did you really find preamp first better this time? That's really interesting. You were one those who tested this before and found source first, preamp second being better than preamp first, source second. Another one was Paolo, who compared again (after I insisted) this year and still claimed preamp first sounded strange and worse.
It's not that I'm doubting your findings, I just want to understand why there could be a variation. I've tested this repeatedly since the initial discovery and it's been better every time. In your system it used to be worse, but now it's better. Strange!
Thanks for the link!
A few thoughts come to mind. I'm sometimes unreliable at tunedem. I don't recall being all that confident when I tried before. I am more confident about this result, but will leave it a few days before switching back again, just to double check. If I forget, then please shout.
Also, I did switch back and forth about 3 times, so it wasn't just one time - which might have cleaned up the plug contacts enough to favour the new sequence.
Lastly, my system is quite a bit better than last time. Maybe it's just easier to hear the benefit now.
There are some things I keep going back to in vain hope. For example, the two fused spurs I had installed. I give them a go once or twice a year and they are always worse. I think, 'maybe we all got it wrong and one of them is better after all', but they never are. It's odd cos, to my mind, they offer a cleaner mains and should be better.
If I get time, I might make a short recording for you (of the different plug sequences), but I think there is too much on this weekend.