Three to two prong cheater plug. Common ground contains all the interference from everything in the house and contaminates your signal.. Three dollar tweak. You may want to try several. (nine dollar tweak) I found just isolating the amp provided better results that isolating the whole system but YMMV
The Most Cost Effective Tweak
What is the most cost effective upgrade or tweak? What yields the largest return on investment (ROI)? What if you could spend no money and no time and yield significant performance increases? Theoretically, that would result in an infinite ROI!
So how do you make that happen? Stop tweaking. What happens when you stop tweaking and messing with your audio system constantly is that you let everything burn in and settle down. Go read one of the many threads on this website that talks about how long it takes for components and cables to break in. The answers range from a few hours to several days. If you are suffering from constant upgrade-itis, you never let your audio system fully burn in. You’re robbing yourself of free, infinite ROI. And you never truly hear what your system is capable of. I’m not saying don’t upgrade your system. That’s a lot of the fun. Just give it some time and let your system burn in and open up. Reassess where you are at and where you want to go next.
Due to reasons I won’t go into depth on right now (mainly power issues), I am temporarily using a relatively cheap, high power, class D amp. I wasn’t thrilled with this setup and wasn’t sure if I could even call it’s sound signature high end. Due to a busy schedule, I have not had time to upgrade anything or even pursue simple tweaks. As a result of that, I have witnessed how the amp and my system have burned-in/settled down - whatever you want to call it. The sound was initially on the thin side and had harsh treble. Now the soundstage has become huge and the sound has become very smooth - smoother than I thought class D was capable of - especially from a class D amp that isn’t really something to write home about.
My point is that I realized significant performance increases by doing literally nothing. And now that I am hearing what I believe is the true sound of my system, my next tweak or upgrade will be more effective because I can clearly recognize where the weaknesses are at instead of making judgements while things are still burning in, which is often the case with upgrade-itis.
So how do you make that happen? Stop tweaking. What happens when you stop tweaking and messing with your audio system constantly is that you let everything burn in and settle down. Go read one of the many threads on this website that talks about how long it takes for components and cables to break in. The answers range from a few hours to several days. If you are suffering from constant upgrade-itis, you never let your audio system fully burn in. You’re robbing yourself of free, infinite ROI. And you never truly hear what your system is capable of. I’m not saying don’t upgrade your system. That’s a lot of the fun. Just give it some time and let your system burn in and open up. Reassess where you are at and where you want to go next.
Due to reasons I won’t go into depth on right now (mainly power issues), I am temporarily using a relatively cheap, high power, class D amp. I wasn’t thrilled with this setup and wasn’t sure if I could even call it’s sound signature high end. Due to a busy schedule, I have not had time to upgrade anything or even pursue simple tweaks. As a result of that, I have witnessed how the amp and my system have burned-in/settled down - whatever you want to call it. The sound was initially on the thin side and had harsh treble. Now the soundstage has become huge and the sound has become very smooth - smoother than I thought class D was capable of - especially from a class D amp that isn’t really something to write home about.
My point is that I realized significant performance increases by doing literally nothing. And now that I am hearing what I believe is the true sound of my system, my next tweak or upgrade will be more effective because I can clearly recognize where the weaknesses are at instead of making judgements while things are still burning in, which is often the case with upgrade-itis.
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Most cost effective tweek is probably getting your speaker placement correct. Depending on the speakers an 1/8” move in the right way can have a significant impact. As far as break-in. I do my upgrades over a short time (say a year)… typically many components. Then I don’t upgrade for 5 to 10 years. Break-in is a big problem during the upgrade cycle. Particularly with tubes… solid state I will run 24 by 7 for several weeks. I have a cheap system to break in power cords and interconnects. For most of my components the stated break-in is 600 hours. But the big changes happen in the first 200 or so. A number of people have remarked that it goes beyond that. Most of my current components ended up being very close to the same number of hours (my audio guy brings over a demo unit, and if I like it, I keep that until delivery of my own unit). I noticed slow improvement over the 600 to 1000 hour range. A nice treat for the post upgrade cycle. |
What you have noticed mkgus is something I have been talking about for a very long time now. It was discovered quite by accident when I decided to see if I could hear any difference between two identical power cords. At first when I changed one out I was surprised to hear it didn’t sound as good as the first one! Wow how can that be?!?! The difference was easy to hear. The sound just wasn’t as clear and coherent. Listened just long enough to be sure and then swapped them back again. Wait a minute, now THIS ONE sounds worse?!! WTF?!?! This time I listened longer, and after a few minutes realized the clarity smoothness and detail was coming back. So simply unplugging and wiggling a wire around is enough to audibly affect performance, and it takes time to settle back in to get it back. This was so long ago, and has been repeated so many times since, it is beyond doubt. This is however just one item on a very long list of things that have about the same effect. Warmup, for example. Is more than just being on. I turn on my amp, phono stage and turntable usually about an hour before listening. Even so it improves a lot the first 20 minutes, and continues to improve for the next hour or two. The real magic only kicks in after about 2 hours playing music. If you want infinite ROI: rubber bands. Use them to suspend all your cables. They need to be sized to load, so the cable has just a bit of bounce to it. Zero cost but so effective everyone I demo for hears it, easily. In fact they are shocked, and you can Deborah’s comments on my system page. Good call noticing settling. That takes both good ears, and a pretty decent system as well. But mostly the ears. Well done. |
Most cost effective tweek is probably getting your speaker placement correct. Depending on the speakers an 1/8” move in the right way can have a significant impact. Correct. This makes the tape measure #2 on the most cost effective tweaks. Would be #1 if it weren't for rubber bands being infinite. I guess if you are clever enough to use string or something free in lieu of a tape measure then you could handily beat even a kitchen clutter drawer full of rubber bands. But it has to be accurate, no stretch, because you are right it has to be precise. |
I'm not an electrician but I think the safety issue with a cheater plug is way over blown. On a skill saw probably a lot more important as you're actually holding the device. Your toaster isn't a three prong and unless you forget to unplug it while getting the stuck bread out with a butter knife a pretty safe appliance. All my equipment from the 80s and before are only 2 prong. When do you actually touch amp except when you are stroking it cause it sounds so good? |
I didn’t read the whole OP question just the title, sorry. But to me, the best all around tweak with the best return on investment is... the High Fidelity NPS-1260. It can be used most everywhere and improves the sound wherever it is used. Adding it to more connections in your system increases the cumulative effect. ozzy |
Other than wine, the best ROI for improving a system is a dozen or two 5' - 6' artificial Ficus trees scattered around the room. Start with a dense line of trees behind the speakers, one slightly in front of and to the outside of the speakers, and the rest scattered around the room and behind the listening position. |
Alcohol is my #2 solution, applied with a certain level of precision on quantity vs. quality.....one ultimately pays the price of over-indulge.... ;) #1? *coff* '...here...' 50 'odd' years later, it still is quite effective. *S* BTW....Considering the fact that the typ. tonearm/cart combination is dragging a minute diamond (or ?) through a miniscule groove in a vinyl plate totally inscribed with these tiny canyons at what would seem a breakneck speed at the end of a dinky cantilever... Scaling this up, imagine dragging a pipe behind your car with a golf ball on its' 'business end', tracing a gutter at, say, 60mph......rough analogy, but for discussions' sake..... How hot will friction make that ball? Wild guesstimates appreciated.... |
So #2 works for you then? I always wondered about that. https://youtu.be/ZALSvE6N5d0?t=46 |
It is my personal opinion that the cheapest cost-effective tweak is to listen to a warmed up system at night with the lights in the room turned off and your eyes closed. Taking your eyes out of the listening experience super tunes your ears and you will hear things you never heard before as well as gaining insight into your speakers positions and system balance plus the music will be more enjoyable. There will also be the added benefit of less electrical energy (noise) being used in the room and the tweak is absolutely free. |
bpoletti....Amazing that I have employed the exact tweak with my system with the trees as you. But, I took it a step further....I introduced a band of squirrels to the trees. Took me a long time to train those squirrels but now they move around the trees as required by the music being played. Seems that their furry bodies provide an excellent method to absorb errant room modes from uneven bass. Sometimes...this is fun! |
It's certainly not inexpensive, but one might call it a "tweak" until you hear the difference and that's using balanced AC power. A proper balanced transformer/power conditioner will be expensive and HEAVY, but in every system where I've used one, balanced AC drops the background noise by at least 10-15 dB. That's typically been enough to take the perceptible system noise to complete, black silence. Worth every penny... |
I recently got Ayre Acoustics Irrational But Efficacious (IBE) Burn-in CD online. It cost me $20 plus a little less than $4 for shipping. It has 7 tracks and total length is 19 minutes. I just put it in the CD player, press play button and take a walk for 20 minutes. So easy and so effective. The difference between before and after is astounding. The best 20 some dollar I’ve spent on audio! |
Hi! It is my personal opinion that the cheapest cost-effective tweak is to tweak the very room in which you listen your music. Find the best place for your Hi-Fi equipment, and don’t touch it any more. Then go to Install Tube Bass Traps, Sound diffusers, Flat bass trap panels Remember that soundtrack record is always the same, but room acoustic allows to that sound to be played realistically on your Hi-Fi system. There are lots of these things on market and the result is astonishing. Check on these: https://ssteu.com/acoustic-tube-bass-trap-copy-2E_AUvgHRMDR4S77zrTGl https://www.tubetrap.com/ https://gikacoustics.eu/?gclid=CjwKCAjw2bmLBhBREiwAZ6ugo1RbmpnwRS-zLwQNjv2m4nTbi-IpfeNpWfzFQdS-TBI68... Regards DS |
I'd say room acoustics. You may just have spent thousands on your equipment, and then, if you'd measure room acoustics, you'll probably discover the frequency response wobbles +/- 5 or even 10 dB. Hang some curtains, place some acoustic absorber panels, lay a carpet, place or move some furniture, and experiment with speaker placement ... it can do wonders. |
MC re warmup: The real magic only kicks in after about 2 hours playing music. Totally agree but warmup has to be at least as loud as normal listening levels. Re burn in: I found that the first 3-4 hours out of the box hints at what it will be like when fully burned in. If no smile, then the new thing is probably not a great upgrade. Next, usually 200-250 playing hours of misery, with occasional highs. After that it's listenable, but it needs at least 5-600 hours for all the glory. My 2 c Best wishes Aubrey |
On cheater plugs and safety it occurs to me that the sound system could be separately earthed. Take the live and neutral directly off the first board but add a new earth connected to a separate long pin hammered into the ground. Too late for me. I set up separate wiring six years ago during a house renovation and didn't think of this. Will be invasive to change now. |
I have tried a bunch of tweaks, the latest. Jupiter-Mundorf Ultra - Loudspeaker purifiers, you just connect to your Loudspeaker terminals. For the tweeter or whatever Jack is open and they filter all noise that rides in the upper frequencies upstream from other components ,using the excellent Jupiter-copper foil capacitor, and worlds only Copperfoil resistor, theNew Mundorf Ultra with little heat sink ,,at first not much difference but just got better and better especially once you got to around 100. Hours .my whole top end has more depth and focus even into parts of the-lower treble for $375 a substantial new product ,this was the final prototype ,since i bought earlier clarifiers from Audioman58 I was one of a dozen testers, well worth the small investment in my modest system. |
I personally think playing with speaker placement is very important. I had my towers close to the back wall and as soon as I moved them about 28 inches forward and got my tape measure out the sound improved significantly. I would like to have someone master set my speakers to see if this makes a difference. |
Burn in time varies. However, IME, most perform 80-90% after a couple of days. About tweaks, IME by far, the biggest ROI came with Townshend Seismic Podiums under my speakers. It is $2K+ but the change in SQ was literally transformative. Night and day! The improvement was as much, or more, than changing from a $3K cartridge to a $13K cartridge. |
OK, not free, but at the other end of the cost scale, $21+, a Stanley FatMax tape measure for measuring and setting the distance to those speakers where every ¼" counts. The blade of a FatMax can be extended horizontally up to around 14' without collapsing. It's the kitty's whiskers for the purpose, especially for ceiling mounted surround speakers. Works great for other measuring jobs, too! |
I concur with all the "speaker placement" posts. Found this out by accident when I inadvertently and accidentally hit the sweet after moving some furniture. "What the hell just happened?". I am now a believer. Is it the only tweak? Of course not... but considering the cost and the impact (when you get it right), it has to be top of the list. |
Impossible to clean ear canals at home .Need to see specialist with appropriate invasive equipment - And yes the results will be significant. Also seating position critical. This week went to cinema -No Time To Die . In the dual seat at the very rear of the theatre . Male voices were barely audible . Just leaning forward just a metre the voices came into focus. Interesting as all surfaces in cinema were acoustically treated , but listening position remained critical- very critical. GET AWAY FROM REAR WALL Movie average at best by the way. |
I had to update this tweak these Jupiter-Mundorf-Ultra Loudspeaker-System purifiers filter all the high frequency crap 💩 Noise that rides there, the 1st 50 hours a small improvement ,now I have over 100 hours it’s truly opening up more depth and realism of instruments,even my streaming has more realism and impact. And 200 hours is the mark for full runin .just hook them up to speaker terminals ,for under$400 a bargain IMO ,two in my audio club that have had these a month told me they got even more refined👍 |
bobby1945, in my office we use a Water Pick with warm water and peroxide. You do have to know where you are aiming so not a good idea to try on yourself. 1+ aewarren, lights off, eyes closed. A little rope doesn't hurt either. Speaker placement is not a tweak. It is basic system setup. 1+ secretguy, the physiologic term is accommodation. Is acoustic management a tweak? If you are actually measuring the room I think not but I suppose the measurement microphone and program are a tweak as they are not commonly purchased. It always helps if you know what you are doing. Also, once you know what you like you can quickly achieve similar results in many if not most other rooms. yugebohner, I would think coating your significant other in contact cleaner would be more fun. |
Speaker placement is important, very important, but getting it down to a fraction of an inch is a wasted effort. Unless you put your head in a vise your ear to speaker distance will vary by a lot more than that. I’m all for attention to detail , but this is why those Wilson speakers with micrometers to adjust angle are so silly. If the speaker adjustment is many, many orders of magnitude more precise than your ear placement, it is a wasted effort. Wilson says they can adjust down to .000002 seconds. That is about .0002 inches. Move your head a 1/4 inch and you are over 1000 times less precise than the speaker is. Impressive, but again, a waste of time (pun intended). Or, some may say it is just marketing hype. |
Herman, I do strive for symmetry and a attempt to get to a 1/16 but only because I have devised a method that makes it as easy to do that as it is to strive for accuracy only to a 1/4 or 1/8. BTW, I am not actually measuring from ear to speaker, but rather from a center mark on my chair to each speaker. The chair has been set equidistant to each speaker and marked with tape so I can put it back when it slides on the carpet over time. So the whole technique rides on a assumption that my ears are equidistant because I am centered in my chair. Which they are not, consistently. I still prefer doing it. I can’t see how it hurts anything—and I know you didn’t say it did. I will be visiting a dealer I’ve done business with in a few weeks. He is a very experienced guy and a fairly newly-minted Wilson dealer. I texted him once and he replied that he was in the middle of learning the Wilson set-up method. I hope I remember to ask him to address the point you make. I had no idea anyone aimed for accuracy greater than a 1/16 and have been aware of the potential futility of that, but 2/10,000’s of an inch? Wow. |
+1 Gita. I shoot for symmetry to the room also. I am open to trying the “intentional-asymmetry-to-the room” thing one day. But, having had unplanned asymmetry before, I very much have enjoyed the improvements in my room after pursuing symmetry. My room shape and dimensions are not conducive to a diagonal setup, but I may be able to rotate my set up 10 degrees or so which was recommended by a fellow AG member. |