Tweaks, money pit or real value?

Some tweaks work better than others in my system.

If it doesn't work for me, I return it for a refund or sell it off.

When you look at the cost of a lot of so-called tweaks these days, better to deny yourself three or four of those, save the $$ you would have spent, and then treat yourself to a nice new component, which won't cost any more than that.

@hiendmmoe 

The thing that seems to always follow them is how soon I seem to not recognize the improvement anymore. Initially wow that sounds incredible and then after awhile acclimation sets in and here we go again.

Isn't that just human nature? Once acclimation takes place we generally want more of no matter what that is. In the car world, 450HP is pretty good. Yet its not long before we are looking for 500HP. So the question has to be asked, Did the tweaks work?  OR, did  you just take them for granted and now  want more?

I agree with the poster who said he takes them out to see if there is a difference. This is the way I assess any equipment change. I am a believer in tweaks because I know they have brought my system to a better level. But tweaks do not change the sound characteristics of the system like a change of preamp or Dac might do. Instead, they enhance the goodness of the system's sonic signature.  Many times the sound stage  grows larger, the instruments easier to place on that stage and micro details that become evident. I wonder if this is why some do not recognize. these changes because they may have a preconceived idea that the sonic signature  will change. And when they don't hear that change, they dismiss it as a failure. Then, there are also those high $$$ tweaks which will give you $50 worth of change  for the price of $400. I don't want tweaks like that. That is called over payment.which will often present the black cloud of a bad decision which overshadows any improvement it may have made.

Tweaks are the greatest assets that high end audio manufacturers have.

Above and beyond the idea of real circuit changes, or real major parts changes..tweaks create or make for better sounding gear.

Critics, and forum posts about tweaks and tweaking’s lack of efficacy (in their mind) be dammed. Go ahead, be wrong, and leave it to those who know it makes differences, real differences.

Leave manufacturing a mystery so more product can be sold to people who can’t look beyond the surface of things. ’Those guys are like gods!’ the buyer said...

Manufacturers will do what works for making better gear, with the highest levels of advantage possible, at the lowest cost.

And that...is tweaks.

"intelligence --- is applied laziness"

If one’s bent is toward ground-pounding and anti-deductive reasoning to a very dangerous level of dogmatic fault, ie only looking at things are are in the text/bible or lexicon of the known, you’ll be forever doomed to be as the fish on the hook (though the gills), on the chain, trailing behind the boat, barely alive.

Waiting to be eaten by the more forward looking and properly scientifically investigative among us.

The reactionary unthinking dogmatic herd mind. It glues humanity together. Sometimes into a non functioning lump. That’s the thing about herds, though..they are easily manipulated.

The job of the folks on the edge of the herd, the thinkers, the innovators, the bringer of new ideas that need be integrated... they make sure, though will and work, that humanity does not decay into a seized lump of dead repetitive nothingness that seeks not it’s own future.

To keep dogma and it’s pronouncements out of scientific investigation, methodology, and mind. That was and is an integral part the enlightenment, and it’s humanitarian message.

IMO and IME, those against tweaks are into scientism, the dogma of the weak of mind as it seeks safety in it’s little box of ’knowing’.. Which is Anti-enlightenment, anti-science.

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As for wanting more when the tweaks work. Yes, we all want the high of the new. Always, in all things, every day, more more highs. Even if it is not possible.

25 floors  -- and I need more

The behavior I see with these tweaks is more more and more give me more. It sounds in a way like a junkie it’s just never enough. They’re always chasing that first big high. When I left audio in the 1980s monster cable just started out. My buddies couldn’t wait to get some of that big fat wire because it was gonna pump more sound to their speakers. They all knew better and learned it in science class in the sixth grade. But who cares it was only a few bucks nobody really knew if it worked or not. Over the past 30 years different people have a plied the same principle to every possible part they can be replaced by the consumer . It started with speakers let’s replace the speaker wire, then the connectors. Next let’s come up with better interconnects oh wait let’s sell them a better power cord. Now you can’t just have the better cord you have to have the right prongs the right outlet the right wire running from the fuse box  to the outlet. I have no doubt if audio files were allowed to climb the electric pole they would replace the wire that comes from the pole to the house. It seems like we’re finally nearing the end. We’re fighting over fuses and there’s new goop that nobody knows what it’s made of. Let’s take this goop and spread it all over our $25,000 system because some dingbat from Texas says that it’s going to make your system sound better. Does anybody see how ridiculous this is? Don’t you think that the professionals that build this equipment would have made these changes years ago if they really worked and were that simple? I’ve tried a few of these products and I’ve been let down. Sam got returned and some I just threw in the garbage. I have all of my Macintosh gear connected with normal decent average every day stuff that can be bought on the Internet. If I had a local shop I would buy it from them.

What bothers me the most is when somebody who is new to audio asked me if this stuff really works and if I believe it. I very nicely try to explain to them that I’ve met some really nice people in this hobby and I honestly can’t figure out why people fall for this stuff. my other hobby is cycling. We don’t have these kinds of products in cycling. The product either works or it doesn’t. There’s no in between. I can’t honestly think of any other hobbies that have people selling “TWEEKS’ or magical stuff like audio has. This hobby has really nice people that in my opinion other people take advantage of. Our hobby doesn’t need this kind of stuff and can do better.