budget system

So, you've got a budget system. You want to improve the sound butcan't afford to change your components, what do you do? In this first instalment,Hi-Fi World passes on its top tips for getting the best sound for the leastdosh. Some of the best budget cable comes from SonicLink, who run the wholegamut of prices from virtually zero to astronomical. Their entry levelinterconnect, for example, named the Whisper is a steal at ?20. Another out and out bargain comes in the form of van den Hul's The Stormhybrid, a cable that uses the company's excellent carbon technology forjust ?30 (the most worth spending with a budget system totallingsay, ?1,000 or less). With both of these you'll basically notice better focus of instrumentsthroughout the picture and added detail to both the top end and midrange,plus bass with increased reaction and speed. More subtle differences arethere but - as much as some would like to tell you otherwise - at thisprice they are minimal. Loudspeakercable is another matter, as very few 'speaker systems include a run ofcable. Chose wisely here, as spending a little more than the absolute rockbottom can reap bargain rewards. There's some that think that 'bell wire'you can pick up for next to nothing will suffice. In some cases it willbut not if you crave hi-fi traits such as detail and speed. This will cost you more than the interconnects, so choose with careand always try to get a listen to as many different cables as possible.If you canC tell any difference (there? nothing wrong with this) forgetwhat the dealer tells you, be sensible and go for the cheapest! The averagerun is 3 metres per side with banana plug terminals. Bi-wiring is worthwhile when an option (depending on whether your 'speakershave two sets of binding posts or not). It usually costs twice the priceof single wire, so if budget is tight, go for a single wire set - you canalways buy another to bi-wire when you can afford it, as long as you havetwo pairs of speaker outputs on your amp, that is. If you don't and you want to bi-wire, many manufacturers will make upa pair with single wire terminals at the amp end and bi-wire at the 'speakerend. Good cheap options are Chord Company's Carnival at ?2.99 permetre (single wire), Cable Talk's 3.1 at ?2.50 per metre (singlewire) and SonicLink's SonicLink AST-150 for ?4.00 per metre or ?48.00for a terminated 3 metre pair. LOUDSPEAKERS- SAND OR STAND? Another thing you'll need to do to get the best sound from your systemis to make sure the 'speakers are working to the best of their ability.A lot of this has to do with how and where you place them. For standmount'speakers you'll ideally need a decent pair of stands. These will needto be solidly built and at a height which raises the tweeter to roughlyear height (when sitting, of course). Some stands will need to be filled with baked sand (available from DIYstores) to stop vibration and a ringing which will occur with hollow metallictubes. Spikes can be added to the base to further stabilise the 'speakersand tighten up the bass. If stands are a later purchase or domesticallyout of the question, then the next best thing is a sturdy bookshelf. Becareful how far to the rear wall you can place them, though. Frontported 'speakers can be placed nearer than those with a rear port - a 'speakertoo close to a rear wall will cause boom and distorted bass. Corners forbudget 'speakers are a no no - the same 'room boom' will occur. If theonly option is the floor or up in the corners you'll miss out on a fewthings, namely imaging and soundstage and ragged bass. You'll hear music,of course, but the intricate subtleties that define good hi-fi will be,to a certain extent, lost. Many opt for floorstanding designs because of the above problems thatcan occur with standmount placement but these, too, have to be tinkeredwith. Many budget floorstanders have a chamber in the bottom which is intendedfor sand filling. This stabilises the cabinet and results in a much tighter bass withincreased focus of imaging and instruments. Using the 'speaker with thechamber loaded is well worth the ever-so pain in the ass job of fillingit w