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Snake oil and tweaks that work!

This is in no way intended to bring out argument but discussion of tweaks people have tried and have found success with. I know there are at least 50% of you out there that think everything in audio is snake oil, and you are initialed to those opinions. Please don't make this your battle field! If you want to start an opposing thread calling us nuts and getting in arguments please do, it might be fun to have both going. I want this one to be an informational for people who want to try things. I for one have tried a lot of the recommendations in Stereophile each month, most don't work for me, but I have found a few things that do work. #1 tweak: Speaker location. Even a 1/16" can make all the difference. I try to play with this about every six months. A dedicated circuit from the panel with 10ga. wire had a very noticeable improvement. Cables and wires matter, some have been good for my system, some real bad. We have plenty of threads covering this so lets no go there. The "Bedini Ultra Clarifier" works amazingly well for me, I know it's crazy but it works! The Cardas caps I got for X-mas really worked, they produced a more quite background, go figure. Black Diamond Racing "the Puck and the Shelf " have been great improvements, all the different cones I've tried change the sound, I haven't found one I would recommend. The Audio Prism Quiteline filters work great, but power conditioners and RFI/EMI ferrets did nothing. The last thing that has helped me is furniture location, I find if I move something only an inch it can help or hurt. I look forward to hearing others experiences.
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Showing 4 responses by hifiman5

hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,823 posts
 
The following tweaks work for me in my system:
1)  Clean all system contacts every 6 months.
2)  Herbie Audio Labs Tenderfeet under components, tube dampers, interconnect dampers, Super Black Hole CD mat, Grungebuster LP mat.
3)  Mass damping top of chassis
4)  Use green POSCA pen on CD edges - yes the sound is more focused.
5)  Treat all CDs with "Rain-X"  It shines up the surface and makes removing future smudges/grime much easier.
6)  Purist Audio Design System Enhancer disc - especially great to hasten burn in of new components.
7)  Cardas frequency/demag. LP

I'll repeat what I've said previously...this is, at least for me, the fun part of the hobby.  This is where we get to "tune/enhance" our systems to our ear's desires.

hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,823 posts
 
Hey!  Whatever your belief system about audio engineering or snake oil (whatever that is), in the end, always trust your ears to guide you as you continue to develop your system!  It is your system after all.  As happy as I am with my system as it currently is, I am sure many here would not find it to satisfy their listening preferences.  Their ears would not like it as mine do.  That's okay.  That's why the capitalist audio economy has so many varying offerings from so many successful companies.🎼
hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,823 posts
 
To me, at least, "snake oil" is a pejorative for tweaking. I can’t believe there is anyone posting here who hasn’t tweaked their components, their room, their overall layout. Some of us go to greater tweaking extremes than others. So what? How does it hurt someone if I share a tweak I’ve employed in my system that, to me, has improved the sonics of my system. You get to decide as the reader whether that tweak has credibility for you. I want to learn from others about tweak techniques that have improved their listening experience that I may have never considered!

I have benefitted a great deal from the experiences of others here and my listening experience is better for it. That and the great personal anecdotes that people share here are what make spending time here valuable to me.


hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,823 posts
 
@cleeds   "Confirmation Bias" is indeed the other attack.  I had a neat experience the other evening.  I decided to spin Elgar's Enigma Variations on reissued RCA Living Presence LP.  I bought the album years ago when a great sale was being run, having read numerous times that it, as a composition, is considered to be a part of what should be in any orchestral music lover's collection.

I remember playing it and not enjoying it at all.  Playing lots of vinyl lately as I just got a new phono stage.  Played it the other night and put down my laptop.    It really caught my attention.  I was liking the music this time. In fact, I was so surprised by my new reaction to this piece that I played both sides twice.  Liked it both times.

My "confirmation bias" would work against me liking that LP.  If "confirmation bias" played such a great role in my perceptions as some here claim then I should not have enjoyed the Elgar piece.
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