‘Spring Cleaning’ your system…
By Roy Gregory
What with the seasons slipping later and later in the year, I’m not sure that ‘Spring Cleaning’ still has quite the same temporal resonance that it once had – but that doesn’t mean that it’s lost its importance. Reviewer systems probably go through more evolutions in a month than most systems do in a year, meaning that the total tear down is a more frequent need (make that requirement). However, the process is exactly the same, whether this is an annual chore or something more frequent. Why would you bother with what is a time-consuming and can be a tedious task? Because your system and, as a result your ears, will thank you for it. Until you’ve experienced the improvement in musical performance that results from a full system re-set, it’s hard to credit just how big it is. Treat your system and you treat yourself.
With ‘that time’ looming again, I thought it would be worthwhile documenting the process, filling in the gaps in what might otherwise seem like the obvious steps. I’m going to describe the specific steps taken with one, very particular system, as well as describing some of the choices made. You should be able to easily extrapolate the necessary process for your system and situation.
Stage 1 – Rip it down…
You are going to start by totally dismantling the system – and I DO mean totally! It’s not just a case of completely clearing the space in which the system lives. You need to break down the system components to their constituent parts. That means that modular racks need to be disassembled, turntables deconstructed (as long as it’s sensible and you feel qualified to do so) and every part of the system disconnected and removed from the installation space.
If you wear a watch, remove it before you start. Reaching into and around racks, you are likely to bash it, resulting in cosmetic damage to the watch, the rack or both. At shows (where I need to keep an eye on the time), I use a Casio G-Shock with a rubbery plastic body and strap: it tells the time and avoids the risk of damaging anything.
Clearly, some components and systems are going to be easier to dismantle than others. Some it’s not sensible (or possible) to move. You’ll need to assess those on a case by case basis, but the bottom line here is simple: the greater the deconstruction, the greater the benefit. If you ARE willing and able to move the speakers, I’d suggest you leave them in situ for the moment. That way you are going to hear the benefits of everything else you’ve done (and they won’t be subtle). After sorting the system, then you can get to the speakers…
Stage 2 – Clean everything!
While you’ve got the system dismantled, this is your opportunity to clean not just the components themselves, but the connections and supporting surfaces, the floor on which the system lives and the wall behind the equipment. Audio systems suffer from generating static electricity and that attracts dust. Not only that, the reluctance to (or impossibility of) moving racks and speakers generally means that they get cleaned around rather than under. Add in the snake pit that exists behind most racks and the accumulated detritus can reach shocking proportions. I remember doing a system rebuild at Sea Cliff, that involved a huge, welded rack standing in a bay window. When we unloaded it and moved it out, there was an actual dune of dust and debris (small accessories, nuts, bolts, stylus guards, the odd record brush) where its rear edge had been standing! I shudder to think how long that archaeological deposit had been accumulating and I appreciate that it’s not necessarily representative, but it does make the point. Cleanliness is next to Godliness (apparently) and that is certainly true of hi-fi, so it’s time to grab the vacuum cleaner, duster and polish…
