A Guide To System Setup

There are several key areas of system setup that will dictate the ultimate quality of your desktop system. I will talk you though the main stumbling blocks that I have discovered and give you an overall summary at the end. If you are not familiar with the latest sound engineering and audiophile practice, some of these recommendations may seem strange. This is intended as a guide to get the best possible performance from your system, not just to get it up and running. After all you’ve just spent hundreds or even thousands of pounds, don’t you want to hear everything your systems got to offer.

Desk

Let us start with the desk that should be level and firm, so if your desk has a wonky leg or is on an uneven floor use small wooden wedges to sure things up. If of course you’ve got one of those posh desks with adjustable feet, get adjusting. Stability is more important than level, but it should be possible without the aid of a spirit level to get things fairly even. Quite small loudspeakers will be capable of putting a lot of resonance through your desk. The material your desk is made from will also have an effect on the sound quality. Wood will generally sound better than glass or metal and real wood better than MDF, Particle Board, etc. But lets not get too carried away.

Loudspeaker & System placement

The urge to place your loudspeakers either side of your monitor screen or your system must be resisted at all costs. To achieve the best sound you should place your loudspeakers as far apart as possible and turn them in to point at your head. If you can raise your loudspeakers up to ear level that would be even better. This will give your system a more even and spacious sound quality.

You should also take some time in the positioning of the system. It is best to position the system in it’s own space well away from computers, hard-drives and laptops that can pollute the system with EMF and RFI noise. I know we are working within limited space but even 15cm can make all the difference. If it is possible to position your system away from the desk on a nearby shelve for example that would be good.

The Mains

The other key area that will have a profound influence on the system performance is the mains quality. Noise pollution on the mains enters the system and can be heard as a bright ringing sound in the high frequencies and vagueness in the midrange. Poor current or power delivery can be heard as a plodding one note bass quality. I’m not suggesting you install a dedicated mains supply for your desktop system but anything you do to improve mains quality will have a very beneficial effect on the sound quality. The use of a filtered mains distribution block and high performance cables like the Tacima & KAUDAN range to feed your components would be a very good solution. This will help isolate your computer or laptop from the system giving a much smoother detailed expansive sound.

Cables

The cables that are supplied with most desktop systems are adequate to get your system up and running. But spending a little bit more will allow you to hear more detail and focus in the music. It is a good idea to dress all the cable of the system neatly. Used Velcro cable ties to keep things tidy. But remember that a metal-framed desk can act as a giant aerial so try not to fasten cables along metal legs etc. as this can also pollute the system with RFI noise. If you have no other option but to run the cable along a metal frame, try supporting them with suspended cable ties.

It is always a good idea to run power and Data/ Signal cables down separate paths and if you must cross them over, do so at 90 degrees angle to minimise cross noise pollution. This is not always practical so if you must run power and signal cables together, bunch them loosely together so the cables are not forced into direct contact for the full run of the cable. The other area of cable management to remember is that generally shorter cable runs are better. Don’t be tempted to use or buy extra long cables in case they come in handy at a later date. Sods Law dictates, that they will always be just too short.

System cleaning

CD’s: I would recommend cleaning all your discs and treating the label side to remove static charge (Contact me for brand details). This gives your computer the best chance of ripping a perfect copy. It only takes a few minutes to clean and treat your discs after all you’ll be listening to this music for a long time. I think the music ripped from treated discs sounds better, although I’m not going to get into an argument about it. They do definitely sound better when played in my CD player.

Connections: It is worthwhile taking some time once a year and preferable when you first setup your system to clean all the plugs and sockets so you get the best possible connection. During the manufacturing process parts are often machined using silicon oil that is left to dry on the metal, compromising the performance of plug and socket. The Caig Engineers kit is perfect for cleaning enhancing and preserving the integrity of your plugs and sockets. It makes the system sound more relaxed and detailed.

MP3

Which file format to use? I use iTunes as my music management program and as an ardent Mac user I rip all my music in Apple Lossless. I do know there are many formats and programs available for PC users. I’ve posted some links to the most interesting ones on the links page. With hard-drive storage so cheap, I recently bought a 250Gb drive for less than a hundred pound,s there seems little argument for using any of the highly compressed formats. Once you have all your music files stored in the best quality format, you can always reduce them for use on your MP3 flashplayer. I have now ripped my collection of over 800 CDs in Apple Lossless and they sound fantastic. Don't forget to buy a second hard-drive to back up to. You don't want to waste all that time and effort ripping disc after disc after disc.

Summary

• Make sure your desk is level and stable
• Place your Loudspeakers as wide apart as possible
• Angled your Loudspeakers towards you
• Position your Loudspeakers at ear level
• Consider the placement of your Computer and Audio System
• Don’t just stack all your equipment on top of each other
• Consider placing your Audio System on a separate shelf or rack
• Do use mains conditioning 6way block
• Do use high quality mains cables
• Use high quality signal cables
• Try not to run power and signal cables together
• Loosely group cables together
• Keep cables tidy with cable ties
• Use cables of the correct length
• Keep your discs clean
• Treat discs to remove antistatic build-up
• Clean your plugs and sockets when putting your system together
• Clean your plugs and sockets once a year
• Use the appropriate file size for the size of storage available
• Don't forget to backup to a second hard-drive