Turning things off improve your music?

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springwood64
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Turning things off improve your music?

Post by springwood64 »

I've become aware that I'm more often recently finding myself thinking that songs are sounding more enjoyable than I remember.

Coincidentally the household have recently become much more disciplined in turning off devices, halving our 'always on' power consumption.

Is this a coincidence? Has anyone made a similar observation?

The 'culprits' are devices like mobile chargers, TV, PCs and laptop chargers.
Pete

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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by Charlie1 »

Not scientific but my feeling (during school term) is that both systems start to sound worse around 4pm and more noticeably worse 6pm onwards. Not sure about weekends.
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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by Spannko »

Charlie1 wrote: 2022-11-10 19:44 Not scientific but my feeling (during school term) is that both systems start to sound worse around 4pm and more noticeably worse 6pm onwards. Not sure about weekends.
I noticed the same, and at the same times with my old Linn Exakt system. Interestingly, the Källa and Boazu seem much less prone to these variations, to the extent that I don’t even think about it these days. Maybe this is something you could look out for over the next few days?
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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by springwood64 »

Charlie1 wrote: 2022-11-10 19:44 Not scientific but my feeling (during school term) is that both systems start to sound worse around 4pm and more noticeably worse 6pm onwards. Not sure about weekends.
I haven't spotted particular times.

Maybe I will try recording when I think it sounds particularly good.
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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by Charlie1 »

Yes, perhaps more gains be found at home instead or thinking about the neighborhood.
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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by tpetsch »

Always helps if you can run a dedicated AC cable from the mains panel to the stereo if possible..

Agreed, I always prefer listening to music late at night, also in the cooler months when all the air conditioners are not running all day and night.
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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by springwood64 »

tpetsch wrote: 2022-11-10 23:35 Always helps if you can run a dedicated AC cable from the mains panel to the stereo if possible..
I do have that - the stereo is on a dedicated ring with its own isolator.
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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by Charlie1 »

tpetsch wrote: 2022-11-10 23:35 Always helps if you can run a dedicated AC cable from the mains panel to the stereo if possible..

Agreed, I always prefer listening to music late at night, also in the cooler months when all the air conditioners are not running all day and night.
That just never worked for me. It started as a pair of dedicated runs (1 x 2.5mm2 and 1 x 4mm2) off the main board and then moved to a dedicated distribution board - I go back and compare every now and then but no change so I just use it for a bedside lamp :) They sound lovely and clean but musically boring. I wonder if the cable direction is wrong, and this is more important than the fact it's on a dedicated ring. Or is it 40-60 years of burn in using the existing cabling?
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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

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Charlie1 wrote: 2022-11-11 09:44 That just never worked for me. It started as a pair of dedicated runs (1 x 2.5mm2 and 1 x 4mm2) off the main board and then moved to a dedicated distribution board - I go back and compare every now and then but no change so I just use it for a bedside lamp :) They sound lovely and clean but musically boring. I wonder if the cable direction is wrong, and this is more important than the fact it's on a dedicated ring. Or is it 40-60 years of burn in using the existing cabling?
You've piqued my curiosity. I might try connecting my system to the main living room ring as an experiment.
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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by tpetsch »

Charlie1 wrote: 2022-11-11 09:44
tpetsch wrote: 2022-11-10 23:35 Always helps if you can run a dedicated AC cable from the mains panel to the stereo if possible..

Agreed, I always prefer listening to music late at night, also in the cooler months when all the air conditioners are not running all day and night.
That just never worked for me. It started as a pair of dedicated runs (1 x 2.5mm2 and 1 x 4mm2) off the main board and then moved to a dedicated distribution board - I go back and compare every now and then but no change so I just use it for a bedside lamp :) They sound lovely and clean but musically boring. I wonder if the cable direction is wrong, and this is more important than the fact it's on a dedicated ring. Or is it 40-60 years of burn in using the existing cabling?
Interesting Charlie/Springwood, I'm in the US and here whenever we ran a dedicated line it was always better or at least the same from what I recall. All runs should be the same in theory, except you'll eliminate whatever else is plunged into the circuit dirtying up the line and possibly introducing distortions by running a dedicated with nothing else on the line except your stereo. But what you say makes sense, I have no doubt that an AC cable if A/B'd would sound better in one direction than the other, but I never checked it but did run them all in one direction like K20 with the jacket words reading towards the panel, also what you say about the old AC cable burning in makes sense too, but saying that the dedicated AC cable I'm using now was run over 25 years ago and only a 20 foot fun run was needed to the panel on that one, I ran several dedicated runs back then when some of the walls were open. Also I used standard 12 gauge Romex AC house cable, nothing "special", also each on a 20A breaker..
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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by springwood64 »

Quick update: I started recording times and power consumption when I thought the music was more enjoyable than I remembered (a pretty vague and hard to judge assessment).

No patterns at all so far. I've also switched to recording when I think it sounds worse, as this is much less frequent.
Pete

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Re: Turning things off improve your music?

Post by ThomasOK »

AC cable is directional. I put in a direct run to the stereo that is running at 230 Volts using a dual circuit breaker (I dont remember if it is dual 20 or 30 Amp). I used 10 gauge Romex from Home Depot and did test it for directionality. I simply put a plug on one end and a socket on the other end and used it as an extension cord. Then I reversed the connectors and tried it the other way. I'd have to check and see if it was with or against text.
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