The best tweaks EVER..


In audio history, thumbs-down for cable lifters, green paint for CDs, clock radios claiming to reduce RF, primitive wall-absorption panels and bass traps. Or 'soundstage-expansion' devices  -like Stein Music or Synergistic's Atmosphere. Did they improve sound quality or just make small speakers sound bigger ?

Not for analog sources, a list that worked:

**CDRs/disc cleaner-polishers. Either one or both -these did good to improve the reflectivity of CD and help the laser do its job. No longer needed with file or RAM-buffer playback -although Essence's treatment might help w/ ripping and burning.

**Power cords, grounding units, balanced-power units. I'm throwing these together as they did the same ting -strip away the excess charge that accumulated near (or in) our systems. "Power conditioners" from the 90s to 2010 did no such thing (or helped in some ways but hurt in others).

-The first effective power cord was probably Custom's Top Gun ca. 2000. Many others since.

-Ground units. The first one, if it was grounding, was the Bybee-Curl device starting in the mid-90s. But its effectiveness was not certain until it improved ca. 2010. Newer entries incl. 'blocks' (and claim grounding). Euro-brands Entreq, Nordost, CAD and Vertex while the U.S. has Synergistics. Others, like Audioquest and Shunyata are grounding -but with full-sized units.

-Balanced power is even newer and seems to be *as effective* as grounding, Only a few reviews, though.

**Component noise killers (best -Bybee iQSE). Removes a large part of radiated noise inside a component -incl. RF +switching noise.

**Room tuning. The 'resonators' from ASR and Synergistics. I've personally used these for years and know of others also -all say helpful ! More recently and not quite 'tuning', Stillpoint's wall panels seem to be effective at removing harmful room reflections.

**Bass-mode breakup. About a dozen years ago, there was a corner-woofer idea -2 units time-corrected w/ DSP. This never took off, even though Kevin Voecks (of Harman/Revel) said it was a "huge breakthrough". Synergistic's newer take on bass modes, the Black Box, might be as good.

**For the 'tweako' -Teflon capacitors and better internal wiring (for passive XOs). The caps for equip, too..

**For CD players and those with BIG speakers -footers (from Stillpoints, Black Ravioli and Magico) reduced vibrations and microphony to a high degree.

Tweaks are finally working !!


jonnie22
My first introduction into Audio Tweakdom was a set (6) of Tiptoes to spike the floor-standing speakers to the floor. It was a nice improvement for sure. I call it my best tweak because it opened my eyes to the possibilities. What I used to refer to as my living room, is now referred to as "Tweaksville." Some of the more successful tweaks over the years have been:

1. SR Blue fuses.
2. SR HFT’s (10 pack).
3. Shatki Holograms -- Four; one in each corner of the room.
4. Custom turntable belt from originlive.com
5. Solid Mapleshade maple 2" platforms spiked to the floor.
6.  Herbie's tube dampeners. 

And finally - one of the best of all, if not THE best.

THE SECRET MEGA-TWEAK .... SOON TO BE ANNOUNCED. STAY TUNED ...

Frank
Hiraoka Diskmat SE-22. Bought mine new from Harvey Sound (NYC 48th St) in 1977 - $20! Still in use on my Ariston RD11S! Possibly the best TT mat ever!
Synergistic Research Blue Fuses
Bybee internal Quantum Signal Enhancer
High Fidelity Cables MC-0.5 Magnetic Wave Guide

Herbie’s Audio Lab:
UltraSonic Rx Tube Dampers
Tenderfeet
Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders
Square Fat Dots

Core Power Technologies Equi=Core 300 Balanced Power Cable
HiFi Collective RCA Shorting Plugs (for unused inputs)
highend-electronics Digital Terminator (for unused SPDIF outputs)

All of these have proven very effective in removing various types of unwanted noise in my system. Their effects are complimentary & cumulative, and have greatly increased musical involvement and enjoyment.

1. Replacement tubes.
2. Replace platter mat with a 10" vinyl EP.
3. Brass counterweight.
4. Remove lid from tube pre-amp.
5. Use solid core OCC teflon wire for speaker cables.