The First Step
Tuesday, 31st December 2019
Follow Russ's upgrade steps for a better sounding system
Upgrading a Hi-Fi system can be a very confusing business.
You might think that putting any 'better' component or cable into any system will instantly bring a sound improvement - but this is by no means assured.
Yes, better components and cables do work, but the key thing is upgrading with the right things in the right order - otherwise, new, higher quality components and cables can also highlight any problems further downstream, making things sound worse, rather than better.
To make the job easier, Russ has developed his 'Upgrade Steps' to guide you through the system upgrade process and help you avoid the many upgrading pitfalls.The 'Upgrade Steps' consist of four levels:
- 1. The mains and grounding
- 2. The signal cables
- 3. The supports
- 4. The room environment.
- The purpose of the upgrades is to reduce the effect of mains and signal noise, Radio Frequency Interference, acoustic feedback and other gremlins that reduce musicality, meaning that your system doesn't sound as good as it should.
- If you upgrade your system in the order we suggest, you will get the biggest improvement for your money at each stage.
In the real world, you'll probably do a bit of each step at a time and not do the whole of step 1 before you start step 2, etc.
"Please, whatever you do, don't be put off starting because you aren't able to do the whole thing right now - in fact it can be much better to upgrade in stages, that way you get to really appreciate each improvement before you take the next step" Russ Andrews
The first of Russ's Upgrade Steps is getting your mains and grounding right...
THE MAINS AND GROUNDING
The first - and most important - area to address is your mains and your system grounding. It is fundamental to the performance of any system, whether budget or High-End, and so has a marked influence on the sound of the hardware and connecting cables.
Often, connecting cables and system components are subconsciously chosen to hide the effects of mains problems - if mains pollution and grounding issues cause a system to sound bright, harsh or distorted, the temptation is to pick components that sound flat or soft, to disguise this characteristic.
If you sort out the mains first, you'll find that your choice of cable or component further down the line will be easier because you simply aren't choosing the products that mask the mains problems. You will choose the ones that sound the most natural and realistic.
Upgrades to the mains and grounding has several steps so we've broken them down into different key elements.
STEP 1.1: Power Cables
In our opinion, the mains cables feeding your individual system components are the single most important step you can make.
Think of it a bit like a water filter: it's where the water goes into your glass that's the most important thing.
Similarly, we've found that cleaning the power going into your system's components first, normally brings the most significant benefits and provides the best foundation for everything you do afterwards.
We recommend you start with the power cable that supplies your key source component - such as your CD player, streamer or turntable - and then work outwards from there.
For example, in a typical system you would upgrade your power cables in the following sequence: CD player (or turntable / streamer etc), preamp, power amp.
STEP 1.2: Extensions
Once you've addressed your power cables the next step is to replace any standard mains extensions with one of our dedicated units.
Ordinary extension blocks available in shops can degrade the sound to a surprising extent, so it makes sense to upgrade this essential step in your mains supply.
Getting sockets nearer to your system is much more convenient, and there's a very good electrical reason for using a mains extension: it means your equipment is 'star powered' back to the wall socket your extension is plugged into.
It sounds better and looks neater, too.
STEP 1.3: Filters/Conditioners
Once you have upgraded your system's cables and the extension they plug into, the next stage is to supplement these with filters.
Computers and domestic equipment such as fridges, washing machines and microwaves - and even your Hi-Fi or Home Cinema - can put tremendous amounts of noise onto your mains supply.
Russ's filters have been developed to lift off degrading mains noise and harmonics and, because they work passively, you get all of the benefits of a clearer, cleaner sound without the increased impedance that some in-line filters can bring.
STEP 1.4: RF Grounding
The final stage of your mains upgrades is to sort out your system's RF Grounding.
Russ has added grounding to this first Upgrade Step since it's so important to get this right - the improvements can be significant. To see why he's added this crucial element see the box out, below.
The principle of RF Grounding is to connect your equipment's casework to earth via our RF Router or SuperRouter, which serve to route' noise on the ground out of your system: there's a specific way of doing this which Russ has detailed in his RF Grounding Guide.
RF Grounding like this gives a really big improvement, complementing the rest of the mains upgrades and delivering a more natural, musical sound that gets you closer to the performances recorded onto your discs.
See Step 2
RF Grounding like this gives a really big improvement, complementing the rest of the mains upgrades and delivering a more natural, musical sound that gets you closer to the performances recorded onto your discs.
See Step 2
Written By Russ Andrews
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