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Tweaks - An Honest Discussion

I know there is a lot of talk about performance tweaks in this forum and the value that can be realized.  I've started this thread because it seems that folks tend towards believing they are either the silver bullet to sonic bliss or conversely simply snake oil.  I believe tweaks are somewhere in between and in most cases, worth about what you pay for (crazy  I know).

I'm open minded to tweaks and have employed many in my system over the years including isolation, fuses, footers, HFTs, cabling, cable risers and attempts at reducing RFI (among others).  While I believe that many of these tweaks incrementally helped me get better performance out of my system I never for a second found any tweak make a transformational difference the way that a significantly upgraded piece of gear brings to the table.  I think many of us have been quite happy with our systems over the years but that doesn't mean implementing a tweak can possibly compete with the benefit of replacing a piece of gear that is well matched to elevate your system. Just because you're happy with your setup doesn't mean a major gear change can't really elevate the experience - surely well beyond any form of tweakery.  

As an example, I've been very happy with a Hana ML cart and how it's performed in my system.  I recently decided to acquire a Lyra Kleos cart - for a $2K increase the change has been transformational in terms of dynamic range and ability to convey detail and imaging.  There has never been a dot I've placed on a wall, carbon platform placed under gear, or RFI shielding device I've ever used that could possibly come close to this equipment upgrade.  Same goes for upgrades to my system over the years in terms of amps, pre's, and speakers.  For anyone to suggest that through tweaks alone you can elevate your system to a level that only gear changes can achieve simply falls flat in my experience.  Some may be shocked to hear that most of the time a $200 tweak truly only gets you about $200 worth of improvement (if any) and not the equivalent of a $5000 gear upgrade. I know there is a certain allure that by simply being smart and applying elbow grease that we can extend the sonic limits of our system well beyond it's design, parts, and capabilities but that's just not true IMO.

What's your experience been?   
128x128three_easy_payments
ebanksms
92 posts
 
The mud looks great so I'm jumping in to wallow with the other lil piggies. I believe I'm in the "physics tweaker" camp.   E.g. filling or partially filling a hollow metal tube will reduce resonance. Sold! I'll take two with fries and a milkshake. When the physics get iffy; cable elevators, magic rocks, super fat speaker or power cables; my wallet weighs in. If I can pick up a sexy speaker cable for an extra 15-40% over your basic Amazon/eBay bulk cable. SOLD! If it is an extra 200+% I don't give a rats ass what it proposes to do. It won't do it on a platform of my hard-earned dollars.

All that said; If anyone else wants to shell out cash for dubious gains, go for it!  I'm no Jimmy cricket sitting on your shoulder. Contemporary science still does not fully explain how the brain works and it plays a big part in how we hear. So just because I can't hear that your latest tweak improved SQ by 1.67% does not mean that you don't.  Cant take it with you, right?
asvjerry's avatar
asvjerry
4,250 posts
 
...and on a CD, Who Knows what else is 'in there'?

(Damn....I ought to give it a go....."Jerrys' Aural Audio Advantage Arrangement, the disc designed distinctly and definitively deemed to definitely driving disappointing devices onto dazzling displays of...." )

It's free! Only 50$, S&H!  Get yours tomorrow....
(Use our 1st time buyer code: 1di0tm3 for the 10% discount!)


asvjerry's avatar
asvjerry
4,250 posts
 
I wonder what it would be like to become the Banksy of audio?

Deviously Tempting, that....
adameos
66 posts
 
‘A fool and his money are soon parted’
Thomas Tusser

Don’t mean to offend and I confess that I have been guilty on occasions in the past of wasting too much money on tweaks and quackery. For a science / engineering-based hobby we should be more objective and wary of the un-provable sonic benefits of certain tweaks, especially with large price tags. 


discopants
149 posts
 
I've tried a fair few tweaks, I include the free stuff like speaker positioning in there too and I'm also in the camp that everything matters to some degree. How much difference is going to be tweak and system dependant.

Some tweaks can deliver huge benefits for relatively low cost and some are punching about their weight, there are others which deliver much less bang for the buck.

The value proposition is always a personal one. 

Equipment manufacturers always offer a range of gear , they manufacture to a price and they want to have a clearly audible difference between their entry level, thier 2nd tier and subsequent tiers (if they go that far).

In my opinion some tweaks can close the gap in equipment tiers and in some cases eliminate that gap totally.

If your total system budget is tight there are still loads of low cost/free tweaks you can do that will deliver bang for your buck. See Mahgister's system.

If your happy spending many 10s of thousands of dollars for you system then many more of those tweaks become cost effective, but for some folks they will never be happy until have the top tier equipment in their system (and in many cases that means they are paying a premium in my opinion).

Personally I really enjoyed fine tuning my system with tweaks. My system is low resolution source material but it sounds incredible (3D soundstage, PRaT, microdynamics, accurate tonality)

For reference my total system cost is about £10500 ($13000).

Cabling, fuses, clean power, and resonance control £3500.

Speakers £2000.

Amplifier and source (mine is 1 box streaming amp and it takes care of my room to boot with dsp) £4250

Source Apple TV 4th gen £160

Etherregen (audiophile network switch) £660

Enjoy the music everyone.




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