tweak, do they realy bring improvement?

I have tried several tweaks, namely IC, Speaker wire, power conditioners (I live in Florida, and power here stinks! Finally own a house, so dedicated lines are coming soon…..) and some isolation devices. Here are my thoughts..

In my opinion speakers NEED to be on spikes! The difference between speakers on spikes and casters or just on the floor or carpet are HUGE, at least they have always been for me with my <100lb speakers. I find the bass to be tighter and smoother on spikes, and the sound just seems cleaner and less distorted, all of these attributes I’ve found seem to be magnified at high volumes. I suspect if you own speakers in the several hundred pound range, the benefits will be less, as the speaker will be more stable on it’s own, but likely still be there as any speaker weighing that much likely does really low bass and/or high volume. I also find imaging to be better on spikes and I suspect this is due to subtle variances in the ‘baseline’ point of the speaker/cabinet (sorry, I’m sure there is a term for this, I don’t know it).

For me, living in coastal Florida, let’s just say power is horrible, and surges and brown outs are regular occurrences, so I do try to have some power conditioning on my system to cover them…..well, hopefully cover them. When I lived in my apartment, the first power conditioner I added was a Chang CLS 6400 and WOW! The noise in my system (which prior to the PC was barely noticeable unless listening at very high volumes) suddenly was gone and when I tried the system without the PC….. it was suddenly the center of my attention. I still have several Chang’s in my systems… Dedicated lines soon to come as I do find better sound from the system when I don’t use the power conditioners, but living in the lightning capital of the world, I am a little apprehensive about ‘going bare’

One other tweak I’ve gotten significant mileage out of has been isolation feet for the CD player. I have sorbothane feet (~2” tall) that can go under the feet of your CDP. I got them for like $20 so I figured I should try them and see. Well, again as I seemed to find for the speaker spikes, bass seemed to tighten up and so did the imaging! The problem I had is they are way to tall to comfortably keep under my current universal player…so they are in the closet.

Interconnects… interesting topic. I have tried some (I would say many, but I know you guys on this site have had countless in your systems, so I’ll tried ~20) and have found definite changes in sound, which is influenced by where in the system they are. Do these improve sound?? Well, depends on your system. I personally didn’t think video cables should matter much until I changed out my Monster M100SV for a Nordost Optix S. WOW was I wrong! The picture, even on my 32” Proscan (then) was markedly better, sharper and clearer. Well, sound changes with them as well….

OK on to the real question of the post…..

I think you are right, the unit will still have the same sonic characteristics….but some tweaks I think will just let it present these more easily, like spikes on speakers preventing/lessening the slight movement/oscillation of the speaker. Power conditioners, for me here seem to be a necessity until I have the dedicated lines installed. Cables definitely do change sound, but is it an improvement or not?? That is your call, if your system sounds best without any tweak…..keep it that way and be happy!!! Some of us are maybe more critical, or just addicts to the hobby and looking for nirvana, and there’s room for all of us. As long as you enjoy your system, don’t worry about it. Try to listen regularly, buy as much software as you want/need (for me I try to buy all the new high-res (DVD-A and SACD) stuff as much as I can to keep the formats going) and just enjoy it!!!! Or…

If YOU like it, keep it, if not, resell it and move on!!! Isn’t that what Audiogon is all about??

not all people have ac issues or problems and it is impossible to say everybody needs a line conditioner. you will not be able to turn the sound of a $100 sony amp into the sound of a $30,000 sounding amp by hooking up a line conditioner. a good line conditioner will allow good equipment to sound their best, not make them better than their best!
if we are talking about ac issues, IMO, balanced power devices are the trick. these are not line conditioners that filter the line, but rather a total different approach of how the power is presented to the equipment, using inverse phasing. I have seen demos of this equipment and it made a big difference in the sound. i am going to use balanced power in my next house for my audio and video rooms.
as for tweaks, maybe DAZZDAX doesn't need them. he doesn't specify his equipment, but he could have an audio stand that is made out of steel that weighs hundreds of pounds (like the rick racks stand at HE2003 in the pipedream room). maybe his speakers already have spikes. maybe his equipment has the isolation needed to reduce vibrations. I saw many turntable setups that came with some elaborate stands, in which i don't think a few $100 cones would improve the sound for these pieces.
maybe he is just happy with listening to the music and not judging his equipment! what a novel concept.

Some do, most don't. Listen before buying, if no money back
warranty is offered forget it. One last advise, the ones that do work stay on the market for quite some time, the other ones are "fly by night". Just try to look around for
cd stabilizer mats & cd's edge markers, maybee one or two manufactures do have them in their lines.

Repends on the capabilities and deficiencies of your system. I had one of the great ears in audio come to my home from New Jersey this weekend . My friend Dave said my system lacked one critical component. It just happens to be from a company that posted above. He said his friend Barry from Bright Star Audio makes incredible and affordable isolation devices that will breathe life into my system. Disclaimer : I am NOT a dealer but I Am going to buy a product or two from them asap. This hobby and especially this site is too damn much fun . Tweaks... and do they work?.... What do you think ?