Most useful tweaks that are sensible and really make a noticeable improvement

Speaking of tubes, anyone use Herbies Tube Dampers? The only Tube dampers that actually improve the sound and don’t make it worse. For tubes like 6SN7s with a base use one damper on the glass near the getter and another on the base. 

What about 12au7's, same place?

For 12AX7 type tubes, you know, the ones without bases, then only one Herbies damper is needed, right where the getter is located. Marigo also makes a VTS Dot for the underside of the Tube in the center of the Tube pins.

I'd also start with making sure your speakers and listening chair are properly positioned per Jim Smith of Get Better Sound. Otherwise the subtle effects of many tweaks will be masked by room acoustic issues. I've found that the relatively unknown AV Room Service EVP footers to be remarkable under speakers and other components, again per Jim Smith. Less expensive than Ghias and other expensive, shiny products like them.

I've been using Herbie's tube dampers for several decades on 12AX7, 12AU7, 6SN7 and 6DJ8s.  They have no negative effect on the sound and the sound is better with them on.  I have also used a pair of tight rubber/silicone rings from Sandy Gross from years back.  They made stock cheap EI 12AX7s sound more like NOS Sylvania large D getter 12AX7s in an EAR 864 phono stage (without the rings-yuk).

Paint both sides of an fo.Q RS912 turntable mat with 2 coats of AVM (anti vibration magic). Unfortunately AVM is no longer commercially available, but I obtained 17 bottles of it 3 months ago, by asking around. It was semi-solid but I managed to revive it by mixing with water and squeezing it until it came back to life.

Said fo.Q/AVM mat adds incredible inner detail and depth when playing LPs and 45s.
If anyone has spare AVM stock for sale, contact me and I will buy it at full price if it's still liquid. Must say "Made in Canada" on the front of the box. If it says "By Uniko" on the front, it's old stock and probably solidified.

If you can’t afford fancy fuses, wrap the middle of an ordinary fuse glass with a 5mm strip of piezoelectric tape, then paint the tape with everyone’s favourite graphene paste.
Assuming you may already have leftover ingredients on hand, the cost = $1 for fuse + 30c for tiny strip of tape + 20c for tiny TC smudge = $1.50

E=fo.Q+TC²

“Seems to me actual real tweaks really are those that make sense.”

No, no, no! It’s actually the opposite. The best tweaks, anyway. People need to be a little more open minded. I’m not suggesting they be so open minded their brains spill out on the floor. Break on through to the other side!

With all due respect, Geoffkait do you ever sleep? Broke thru to the other side eons ago. Thankfully found my way back. Senseless tweaks are snakeoil designed to part the gullible from their available funds. A fool and his money..........! 
Now that's not to say that an unconventional tweak could not be worthwhile.  Let's take Geoffkait springs, unconventional yes but a possible sensible tweak. Would I buy before try.......no but with a 3 month money back, no question asked return policy sure why not.
I would even buy at a sensible cost which his springs are not.
Tweaks must make sense.
Ps. Did you know rubbing bacon grease on your cable ends or connectors will eliminate any sibilance in all applications?

gillatgh, ….."Ps. Did you know rubbing bacon grease on your cable ends or connectors will eliminate any sibilance in all applications?"

gillatgh, that is ridiculous, haven’t you been paying attention to Geoff regarding the degradation in CD sound due to stray laser music signals? What you need to do is coat your CDs with the bacon grease. You can experiment with plain, maple or hickory smoked to determine the best impact on sound quality based upon your musical preferences. Personally, I find the hickory smoked most pleasant with jazz recordings.

Feel free to eat your bacon after completing the "bacon grease extraction tweak". As with all tweaks, we all know you need to have a very resolving system to hear the sonic improvement, so if you don’t its because you have a mid fi system. My audiophile friends with golden ears and 400 years combined experience are all amazed by the sonic improvement this tweak provides, but mostly only comment thereon after eating the crispy bacon byproduct. You can thank me later.

Ahh yes a new possibility,  never thought to give that a go. Wonder if it'll sound as good as it tastes.
Have to wait till tomorrow as I already disposed of the bacon and the grease for today.
I think I'll market the excess grease to audiophiles. I'll be rich and able to upgrade then. Maybe modify the formula to purified bacon grease.

gillatgh ... with all due respect, your introduction to the topic doesn't fall under a tweak category, more under basic rules for achieving good sound.  Long time hobbyists would begin with great isolated electricity, then follow several of those suggestions as a lift off-off point.  Linn turntable's  Ivor Tiefenbrun, of course, asserted primacy "of the front end," a legitimate argue.  Once that is sorted out, and assuming the components have enough ability to expose sufficient resolving power, minutia and prat of a great system, tweaks can indeed prove fun, and quite beneficial towards one's goals and flavors.  If, however, you are in the camp that find wire upgrades, tube rolling, isolation and the like nonsensical, then, as with religion, no proof will suffice;  for believers, no proof necessary.  Free tweaks include leveling your gear - micro changes to loudspeakers, both vertically and horizontally (search info on bass nodes) - try live front wall, dampened real wall - address ceiling tuning if feasible - Marigo tuning dots skillfully applied to drivers, speaker baskets & cabinets of all sorts...see my responses elsewhere.  Experiment, be playful with it!  More peace, Pinthrift  

An obvious tweak is reversing interconnects to see which direction sounds best. In fact, there are a lot of things one can do to tweak interconnects, just to focus one one thing. Cryo them, freeze them, demagnetize them, apply anti-static agent or device, apply a smidgen of Cream Electret to the jackets, clean contacts, apply Graphene contact enhancer, elevate or suspend the interconnects to avoid vibration and static electric fields. Keep interconnects well away from power cords, at a minimum keep interconnects orthogonal to any power cord. There are even other ways to improve the sound of interconnects but alas, they are beyond the scope of this discussion, at least for the time being. Maybe later. 🤫

@geoffkait, I somehow fail to see the benefit of placing anything between points of contact such as graphene contact enhancer. In my simple mind a direct touch between contact points logically would provide the best contact. One would not place a graphene impregnated piece of material between contact points.
I do however agree with some of your other assertions. 

In reality graphene, with far greater conductivity than copper or silver, and by filling in microscopically small crevices, pits and pockets in what appears to the naked eye 👁 like perfectly smooth surfaces of the connectors, ensures much better physical and electrical contact and eliminates micro-arcing (noise) in one fell swoop.That’s why it’s a good idea to paint a thin layer of graphene on all (rpt all) electrical contacts in the house - audio and non-audio. Graphene also prevents oxidation and the distortion produced by dissimilar metal contact. As far as material that is impregnated with Graphene or multiple layers of Graphene goes the evidence seems to indicate they ACT like pure Graphene, or at least a very good facsimile.

Hey gillatgh - geoffkait

A very seasoned music lover and I paired up to try the Furutech Nano Liquid...I also shared some with another tech savvy friend out west...all three of us have had a very positive experience.  My west coast friend goes deep and wide with EXTREMELY subtle DSP...tiny 1/3rd db work...(hardly dad's slider eq -- for naysayers locked in to the 'less is more' mindset)...we work with Reaper and refined plug-ins.  He's a tough nut to crack and also endorses the Nano fluid.  I no longer use interconnects, just a digital cable.  The Nano was used for all power cables, speaker cables and the digital.  Cheers, Pinthrift  

So who wants to pair up and try either the Furutech or the Graphene product? For S&G I'd be willing to try, sharing the cost of course. Although the principles sound (pun intended) reasonable the proof is not yet apparent. 
@geoffkait,  send me some leftover graphene contact enhancer and I'll try it on my speaker cable ends and do a side by side comparison.  If it really does make an audible difference I'll return the favor by sending you the sampler from Mad Scientist Audio and go on this forum and eat crow and spit feathers.
The Furutech is a little rich for experimentation at over a 100 clams, no sampler available there.
Sceptic but willing to try.

You will have to pry Graphene contact enhancer out of my cold dead hands.

@geoff  sez:

Everything sounds better cryo’d. Even home freezing is highly effective and permanent....  This is very hush hush but there are others things to freeze at home or to send off to Cryo Lab but they’re beyond the scope of this discussion....

Being a full time Audiogon forum writer, Geoff's gotta be right on this freezing stuff,  So I tried freezing some things that are, as he mentioned, beyond the scope of this discussion:

1. Motor oil for the Jag's upcoming maintenance.  Still trying to coax each quart out of the bottle but I'm sure the Jag will go faster once off the rack.
2. LED light bulbs.  Emitted light is now a few lumens brighter and the color temp changed to be perfectly as I like it.  I think expected life is now up to 44 years from 22.
3. My new BENQ 4K monitor.  Left it in a week at my friend's CSZ industrial freezer.  As expected, color spectrum is much more immersive, accurate and scaled to Panatone specs.  The monitor's USB and HDMI in/outputs respond with much more intimacy.
4. My cat "Zippy Jalopena."  Wonderful results from freezing him.  I no longer have to worry about the litter box, he hasn't puked on the couch in a week and cat food costs are way, way down.

You skeptics think this doesn't work....try it!!  Geoff the cryo-Chef couldn't be wrong.
 

Which one is Zippy? 

dynaquest4,

"So I tried freezing some things...

2. LED light bulbs. Emitted light is now a few lumens brighter and the color temp changed to be perfectly as I like it."

Why are you keeping us in suspense? Is the color warmer or cooler?

Kind regards,

Zippy

Mat+fo.Q+TC

Don't say I didn't tell you.

Although the last few posts have been humorous and entertaining they really are outside the useful part of the original posts.
Please try to stay with the intent of the OP which is useful improvement. 
Geoffkait has identified some potential useful tweaks it's up to the reader to accept or not them to be valid. I for one appreciate geoffkait's input to the discussion.  The one I will try is the contact enhancer as it is logical and already used in some form in automotive applications, i.e dielectric grease as a moisture barrier. 
Let's put some real and tried useful tweaks out there for the readers and who knows you might be a star audiophile. When I get some of the contact enhancer I will post my results for sure either debunking or endorsing Geoff assertion.

Although my previous comment was in jest, it does, in its own way, contribute to the discussion...by hinting, as useful information, that Geoff's recommendation about freezing electronic components and accessories is, in my opinion, a joke.  Geoff will, as with his other ridiculous tweaks (like the green magic marker on CDs tweak), want you think he believes in most of this BS....but I'm thinking he is really smarter than that.

Even if some of this stuff had the ability to somehow (refuting science) modify, hopefully in a positive way, the sounds coming forth from your speakers, they would be so subtle and to defy aural detection.  And I'm not referring to the OP's "tweaks" mentioned in the original post.  Those can and do actually make a difference.

Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone gets his panties in such a twist over some audiophile tweaks. Slow day at Subway, I suspect.

There is a blurry line between "willing to experiment" and "being gullible".

It would be less than useful if contributors only stated what is "useful". Adding their opinion about what they perceive as some kind of a practical joke has certain value, too.

Wow. I can’t believe you don’t believe Geoff believes what he writes. When gillatgh gets his TC contact enhancer, it will be interesting. By the way, I have both Furutech Nano Liquid and Total Contact. I’m on my 7th tube of TC (I use it in radical ways), but the Nano Liquid bottle is gathering dust on the shelf. Not that the Nano Liquid isn’t quite good, it is. But it’s only good, and it only has one use.

Geoff says:

Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone gets his panties in such a twist over some audiophile tweaks. Slow day at Subway, I suspect.

My friend, if you think my two posts are so emotional that I can be described as having my panties in a "Wow" twist, you have been living a sheltered life.  Also, as usual, you add your typical personal insult by implying that I, therefore, must be a blue collar salami slinger at Subway.  You do yourself a disservice with such sophomoric behavior.

Dynaquest I completely agree with your assessment of geoffkait tweaks in the most part. It's difficult to tell when he's serious about a tweak or just throwing crap against the wall to see what sticks.
Kinda like his panties when they wad. Sure hope they don't fall on his sandwich. 
In any case Geoff is entertaining. 
Batmobile, I do wonder if he really believes all the wondrous fatasies (or are they) but like legends there is usually some fact behind the tale. I'll try the TC and it will be either an improvement or snakeoil. 

Thanks, Gill.  Geoff, I'm sure is an OK guy but perhaps a bit overly obsessed with tweaks and this forum.  Me?  I just love listening to music and changing my system now and then to keep things interesting.  I have no interest in wasting time and ridiculous amounts on money on esoteric accessories and science-defying tweaks. 

Recently, while temporarily cooped up in my mother-in-law's guest house while we looked for a new home in the DFW area, I was listening to some music blue-toothed from my phone to a cheap soundbar.  I found myself tapping my foot and singing along.  I caught myself....thinking goodness...it is just a soundbar.  But it sounded good and I was enjoying myself. Too often, I think, we forget it's really more about the music than the system and we should be listening to the music and not our latest tweak.

High fidelity MC O.5s easy to use- good bang for the buck

There's snake oil, and then there's the good stuff. TC is the good stuff.

I'll try the TC and it will be either an improvement or snakeoil.

Good decision! I had to make the same one a few months ago. I wasn't disappointed.

Exactly! Which just goes to show that some things evolve while others don’t. 🦍

Tweaks evolved from Tip Toes and Green Pens and Craig Gold and HiFi Tuning fuses and Corner Tunes to Mpingo Discs to New Dark Matter to tiny little bowl resonators to WA Quantum Chips to Schumann frequency generators to Graphene fuses and the whole idea of wire directionality. Don’t be a cube, rube. Go ape! 🦍 

There ya go!  Evolution as stated by the cryo-Chef.  Or maybe we should call it audio tweak creationism.

You’ve been following the wrong sheep. No offense.

🐑 🐑 🐑 🚶‍♂️

@dynaquest,
It IS all about the music! First and foremost.  Without the music who needs the equipment? 
You're absolutely correct. 

"Without the music who needs the equipment?"

Nothing to do with this thread, but I do. They talk half of the time on the radio.

I wonder how well do Mpingo discs sell in Africa. People there have tradition and the tree. If anyone should appreciate it, it would be them. Are there any statistics about that? Adjusting to number of perceived audiophiles, of course.

Until something gets better organized, Mpingo discs may not be that honorable.

Maybe geoffkait is right, maybe people buying Mpingo discs have been following the wrong sheep. No offense. 🐑 🐑 🐑 🚶‍♂️

http://www.mpingoconservation.org/about-us/what-is-mpingo/the-tree/

noromance:

My engineer claims that the metal cover acts as a shield. It should never be removed. 

Same goes for the tube amps. 

The cover simply prevents children and pets from accessing the interior. And dust. Many tube amps do not have covers over the tubes or the transformers. A shield from what? RF? Much of the RF comes in on the power cord or is generated by microchips so what’s the diff?

Geoffkait:

i think its a NYC thing. I lived on a busy thoroughfare in NoHo / East Village. Dozens of taxicabs go by per hour.

When I removed the cage, the RF went way up.

Now that I’m in Newburgh, I should try removing the cage and see what happens.

my engineer worked for NY Audiolabs. He built my amps while there, and he recently converted them to triode. He’s Al Kooper’s cousin. I think he knows what he’s talking about. 

Gosh, I had no idea Al Kooper was an RF expert.

The Ghia isolation feet are beautiful, I'd love a set for my Omen Mkiis. I'm currently using these cheap pads, https://mnpctech.com/isolation-pads-for-vibration/speaker-and-subwoofer-isolation-foam-pads-feet-pack-of-four.html

@mads1, I completely agree and I myself use these under most of my equipment.  I must say that at $19.99 you're paying too much for 4ea. They are available for $27.99 for a box of 48. Search for AV mounting pads.