Rank the tweaks, geeks!

kennyc-

Too much effort to rank, and for me it’s better only as a checklist as what one needs to address (or not) in their own system. 

Waste of time to rank. To know what needs attention, different story. 

Everything needs attention. Every tiny little thing. For example, take just one thing: the speaker. Tweaks that will improve a speaker. 
Vibration control: Put on springs, Pods, Bars, or Podiums. TA-102 fO.q tape: use on the basket, as a mounting gasket, between mounting screws and driver, on the crossover board, on the caps. Put crossover on springs or Pods. Move crossover outboard. 

Field control: contact cleaners and enhancers, NPS1260 (TC if you have it, and count yourself lucky if you do!), move crossover outboard. 

Acoustic control: Synergistic HFT Speaker Kit.  

Again, this is just the tweaks we can do on the speaker itself.   

This same approach applies across the board. A lot of these same things work just as well inside an amp or phono stage or preamp or DAC.   

Once you get the hang of this the opportunities are endless. My system is about as tweaked as you will find. Yet I have way more ideas for improvement than time to do them in.

Anyone who chooses what to do first has implicitly ranked, unless they’re acting at random.
Anyone who makes a checklist has to choose what to do on it, first.
Let's not quibble. Rankings, taken to an extreme, are quixotic, a waste of time.
But we all agree to do the bigger stuff, first. Nuff said.

@hilde45

Don’t fully understand the stuff about Cisco switch; have been using wifi rather than ethernet cable because I’ve read that ethernet cables are susceptible in real ways

Read increasing reviews of the sonic benefits of an audiophile Ethernet switch. 
Last I checked the $4k Telegärtner m12 network switch was at the top of the heap. Fortunately, there are some new audiophile Ethernet switches more wallet friendly.

To further lower noise there are optical isolation options for both Ethernet and interconnects. A 2019 list of Ethernet switches: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/298457-ethernet-switches-for-audio-part-a-list-of-switches-re...
A sceptic review who thinks it’s a placebo:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/do-audiophile-network-switches-make-a-dif...
But there are many who hear improvements and not everything we hear is measurable with current science.

There’s also Uptone EtherRegen and audiophile Ethernet cables.

I haven’t yet decided how far I want to go down this $ rabbit hole.

There are those who claim to hear improvement without using basic controls for bias, everything we hear can be measured. If you want to spend money on a switch get a managed switch and set your streamer for priority. 

@kennyc 
@djones51 

Thanks. I need to google "managed switch" because...I am ignorant.

At this point, I'm filing away this information about ethernet switches. From my understanding, and given my system's situation, there are too many other more important things to do to improve the sound.

This is *exactly* why a ranked list is valuable to me -- when a new option comes along (e.g. ethernet switch) I can look at my other options and know what else to do first. 

In the end I can't possibly rank, at one time or another I might have said any of the items you've mentioned as the most important. All links in chain are important, improving the weakest is entirely variable within one's system at any single point in time. This is the essence of evolving our systems.

Absolutely the best tweak I’ve ever used is Debrox; it does more to improve audio reproduction than any thing else I’ve tried. You wouldn’t enjoy the sound of a filthy record; Debrox treats the last “device” in the audio chain, your ears. They are the A/B (analog to brain) converter, keep ‘em clean.

Do I have to?

Read increasing reviews of the sonic benefits of an audiophile Ethernet switch.
Last I checked the $4k Telegärtner m12 network switch was at the top of the heap. Fortunately, there are some new audiophile Ethernet switches more wallet friendly.

@kennyc - some time ago I got into a disagreement with (I actually forget now who it was) and it was over audiophile ethernet switches in fact.

It turns out he was very much correct about one major thing, using a high quality linear power supply with a reasonably well engineered switch will give optimum results and best bang for buck.

I put in the research, and discovered the other guy really knew his stuff. Humble pie was on the menu for me.
It's worthy of some due diligence.

Definitely an order of operations:

1) Get the room layout figured out. This includesacoustic treatment (rugs, wall, ceiling, furniture issues sorted), component location and speaker positions. Live and learn here. Exploit all possibilities. I've had to make compromises in the new house...so one of the things I do is throw a wool throw blanket over the flat screen on the side wall. I've also learned stacks of vinyl make great acoustic treatment themselves. 
 
2) Get dedicated lines after room layout. Last thing you want is to discover the best spot for the components after you've located the outlets on the wrong side of the room.

3) Everything else. This includes cable layout, component location, vibration control, cables etc.

remove eyeglasses

1/ Townshend Podiums under my speakers.
2/ Ground boxes connected to my DAC and amp
3/ Power filtering (Isol-8 LC and Audioplan)

I don't count cables, the hi-fi stand and the room as tweaks. These are major parts of any system.

Power, interconnects, speaker and isolation.

Clean your contacts and treat your cables/cords w/ an anti-static. I like Kontak and Nordost Eco 3X.