How to Improve the Sound of Your Stereo System for Less Than $
Keep all of your source material clean., Minimize the vibrations incurred by each component., Minimize the electrical interference between each component., Upgrade your stereo system's wiring., Improve the acoustics of your room., Separate all your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Keep all of your source material clean.
Dirt or oil on your CDs or vinyl LPs will keep them from sounding their best.
Cleaning them regularly costs very little and can make a tremendous difference in the sound quality of your system.
Vinyl can be cleaned with either mild soap and water or a mixture of alcohol and water.
CDs are best cleaned using a commercial CD cleaning spray and a lint-free cloth. -
Step 2: Minimize the vibrations incurred by each component.
The most important step you can take is to make sure that your speakers are not resting on the same surface as your source component (your CD player or turntable).
The speakers will vibrate the surface when you play music, and those vibrations will impair the source component's ability to read the CD or LP.
Speakers are best placed on separate stands. , Each piece of your stereo system will create a small electrical field, which can interfere with the operation of other components.
To remedy this, place each component a minimum of 1 foot (0.30 m) (30 cm) away from other components.
In particular, the transformer in your amplifier or receiver will create a fairly strong field, so isolate it as much as possible.
Never stack components on top of one another. , A mistake many people make is buying expensive components and wiring them together with the cheapest cable available.
A cheap cable will not be able to reproduce the fine audio detail generated from a quality component.
To remedy this problem, buy higher-quality cables to re-wire your stereo system, like HDMI or Cat
5.
This is a relatively cheap fix in relation to the overall cost of a sound system. , Even a very high quality stereo system will sound awful in a room with poor acoustic properties.
A common problem that you can easily eliminate is sound reflecting off of hard surfaces; these reflected sound waves obscure the clarity of the original audio.
To fix this problem, increase the amount of soft material in your room; curtains and rugs work wonders for increasing sound absorption, for example. , If you have many components in your stereo system, an inevitable mess of cables may result.
Unfortunately, the signals carried by these cables can interfere with 1 another, causing humming and buzzing sounds over your audio.
Make sure that cables cross as little as possible, and when they do cross, cross them at right angles. -
Step 3: Minimize the electrical interference between each component.
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Step 4: Upgrade your stereo system's wiring.
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Step 5: Improve the acoustics of your room.
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Step 6: Separate all your cables as much as possible.
Detailed Guide
Dirt or oil on your CDs or vinyl LPs will keep them from sounding their best.
Cleaning them regularly costs very little and can make a tremendous difference in the sound quality of your system.
Vinyl can be cleaned with either mild soap and water or a mixture of alcohol and water.
CDs are best cleaned using a commercial CD cleaning spray and a lint-free cloth.
The most important step you can take is to make sure that your speakers are not resting on the same surface as your source component (your CD player or turntable).
The speakers will vibrate the surface when you play music, and those vibrations will impair the source component's ability to read the CD or LP.
Speakers are best placed on separate stands. , Each piece of your stereo system will create a small electrical field, which can interfere with the operation of other components.
To remedy this, place each component a minimum of 1 foot (0.30 m) (30 cm) away from other components.
In particular, the transformer in your amplifier or receiver will create a fairly strong field, so isolate it as much as possible.
Never stack components on top of one another. , A mistake many people make is buying expensive components and wiring them together with the cheapest cable available.
A cheap cable will not be able to reproduce the fine audio detail generated from a quality component.
To remedy this problem, buy higher-quality cables to re-wire your stereo system, like HDMI or Cat
5.
This is a relatively cheap fix in relation to the overall cost of a sound system. , Even a very high quality stereo system will sound awful in a room with poor acoustic properties.
A common problem that you can easily eliminate is sound reflecting off of hard surfaces; these reflected sound waves obscure the clarity of the original audio.
To fix this problem, increase the amount of soft material in your room; curtains and rugs work wonders for increasing sound absorption, for example. , If you have many components in your stereo system, an inevitable mess of cables may result.
Unfortunately, the signals carried by these cables can interfere with 1 another, causing humming and buzzing sounds over your audio.
Make sure that cables cross as little as possible, and when they do cross, cross them at right angles.
About the Author
Sarah Gutierrez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow creative arts tutorials.
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