Cheap/Free/Inexpensive Improvements in Sound Quality?

[6th0]

For those of us in the nosebleed section of quality audio, what did you find that was surprisingly inexpensive that surprisingly improved your audio experience?

For me, it was:
1) moving from my old MP3s from Napster (yes, I'm that old) to FLAC
2) Toeing in my nearfield speakers, putting them on yoga blocks and at the right height
3) Getting a $100 Ikko Zerda DAC for my iPhone (OK, a bit expensive but wow what a difference--at one point I thought I was listening to a different mix on one particular song--nope, just able to pick out the instruments!)

What about you?

 

[jae]

https://www.roomeqwizard.com (free) + https://www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/umik-1 ($79)

https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/ + https://sourceforge.net/projects/peace-equalizer-apo-extension/ (both free)

https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq (for headphones, free)

 

[Vini darko]

Decoupling speakers from the floor.
Using bass test tones to find room/speaker rattles and leaks.

 

[6th0]

Decoupling speakers from the floor.
Using bass test tones to find room/speaker rattles and leaks.

Ha! I did this to my sub just yesterday! $15 for 4 air compressor anti-vibration pads from Home Depot...

 

[Zensō]

 

[HorizonsEdge]

Ha! I did this to my sub just yesterday! $15 for 4 air compressor anti-vibration pads from Home Depot...

Hah, I used washing machine anti vibration feet.

 

[6th0]

Oh, I forgot: Noise abatement from the rest of the house! I put weather stripping around the door to my office so that noise from the TV and family was vastly dampened. I followed this video (because everything I can do around the house starts with Youtube!). Actually it started with the kids saying "your music is too loud and angry!": How to Soundproof a Door | DIY Door Soundproofing for under $50 - YouTube

 

[Slayer]

Ha! I did this to my sub just yesterday! $15 for 4 air compressor anti-vibration pads from Home Depot...

Man, you paid to much. If your ever in need of this type of stuff, buy it here, a whole lot cheaper and various options. I keep a lot of spares on hand.

Pads - Equipment Pads - DiversiTech Pads - DiversiTech Equipment Pads - HVAC Parts - SupplyHouse.com

 

[6th0]

Man, you paid to much. If your ever in need of this type of stuff, buy it here, a whole lot cheaper and various options. I keep a lot of spares on hand.

Pads - Equipment Pads - DiversiTech Pads - DiversiTech Equipment Pads - HVAC Parts - SupplyHouse.com

LOL, I know. But they were down the street and on my sub in an hour...I'm a cheap ass, so the struggle was real

 

[johnp98]

https://www.roomeqwizard.com (free) + https://www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/umik-1 ($79)

https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/ + https://sourceforge.net/projects/peace-equalizer-apo-extension/ (both free)

https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq (for headphones, free)

^Cannot echo this enough. This and then some good youtube videos on setup and sub EQ (such as Home Theater Gurus) and you will be golden .

 

[D!sco]

Some earplugs for the public and concerts. I take the train around my city and have been saving up for some nice ANC buds. In the meantime, the etymotic eargasms are an incredible purchase. Less ringing = more music.

 

[daftcombo]

Chech this for PC audio on Windows:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...nding-the-windows-audio-quality-debate.19438/

 

[Trdat]

1. Subs, more subs, and more subs. In my triamp system I have 6 drivers producing low extension of some sort. For my standard direct radiating system I have two subs and can add more, just prefer my triamped horn system so I allocate my subs for that system in particular.
2. Going active, with digital computer based filters with no passive crossover.
3. Horn high efficiency system. (This is not to say that a well designed controlled directivity speaker will not be an upgrade)
4. Reducing decay in my small room between .2 and .5 (can't wait for diffusion)

I know these do not constitute as cheap but these are the hardcore of upgrades and are relatively cheap compared to spending thousands on expensive equipment. And most of the above are considered to be substantial improvements by the experts and are scienc based in the sense that each one is stepping stone of coming closer to what we might call high fidelity.

 

[bravomail]

For those of us in the nosebleed section of quality audio, what did you find that was surprisingly inexpensive that surprisingly improved your audio experience?

3) Getting a $100 Ikko Zerda DAC for my iPhone (OK, a bit expensive but wow what a difference--at one point I thought I was listening to a different mix on one particular song--nope, just able to pick out the instruments!)

What about you?

Nothing is free in audioworld.
If you're looking for cheap hifi, here's my list:
Topping E30 DAC (alternative Schiit Modi)
Topping L30 Headphone amp (alternative Schiit Heresy or Magni)
Sennheiser HD6XX or AKG K7XX headphones
Aiyima A07 power amp
JBL A170 speakers

Tons of money! After tons of reading in this forum!

 

[escksu]

1. Polish all your contact points! The accumulated oxide does affect sound quality.
2. Clean your ear with cotton buds (most important!!)

 

[MaxRockbin]

I only just read about this free software in an article by Mitchco about Digital room correction:
DRC Digital Room Correction (sourceforge)
It sounds pretty interesting, though far from the simplicity of commercial products. In that article from April 2020:

...not all room correction software products are equal. In my testing of several DRC software products over the last decade, there are only three commercial Digital Room Correction software products on the market that address both the minimum phase and excess phase response in the correct manner. These are Acourate, Audiolense, and Dirac. Note that there is one donationware software DRC product which is Denis Sbragion's DRC: Digital Room Correction which also works correctly.

I think you also need REW to generate an impulse response file and something like Foobar2000 or JRiver that has a convolver to run the resulting FIR filters.

 

[garbulky]

Modhouse pad mods for my HD700 headphones. HD800S Kameleon + Schiit loki mini plus eqs. $30 Behringer UCA 202 - at the time it made an impressive difference in my laptop listening on the cheap. One large ats acoustics acoustic panel. It was only one, but noticeable and about 70 bucks.

 

[snaimpally]

Stabilant 22 . I use a Qtip to apply it on all electrical connections. Stabilant 22 was originally developed for NASA and improves the electrical connection at the moulecular level. I have been using it for decades (still have the same bottle I bought years ago).

 

[pozz]

Reading books on the related subjects.

 

[BostonJack]

Nothing is free in audioworld.
If you're looking for cheap hifi, here's my list:
Topping E30 DAC (alternative Schiit Modi)
Topping L30 Headphone amp (alternative Schiit Heresy or Magni)
Sennheiser HD6XX or AKG K7XX headphones
Aiyima A07 power amp
JBL A170 speakers

Tons of money! After tons of reading in this forum!

Here is my relatively inexpensive headphone setup:
Topping D10 DAC (driven by my Mac laptop)
JDS Labs Atom headphone amp
Drop Sennheiser HD6xx headphones (HD650)

That is pretty amazing sound for $70 + $100 + $140 = $310

I also have a pair of Drop HiFi Man 4xx planar magnetic headphones which I enjoy a lot.
They are sensitive enough to allow use directly off laptop when I am on the road.

I'm working on a speaker story, but honestly, headphones are my work-a-day mode.