Tvad......+1. I'll bet MC never found a tweak he wouldn't try. I used to be tweak crazy till I realized I was obsessing and now just have some Herbie's under components and speakers. It's hard not to get caught up in the tweaking syndrome when there are so many manufacturers preaching.
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?
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?
108 responses Add your response
@millercarbon are these the BDR cones you used? Yes and that is a deal! The three Cones alone will set you back $60 at Music Direct. The square Things are early versions of what became Round Things, both the same material but round is slightly better. Anyway doesn’t matter neither one is made any more since DJ died and so get whatever you can. Basically the square Things are made of an extremely stiff, dense and highly damped carbon fiber/resin composite. They’re threaded 1/4-20 and this set has studs so the Cones screw into the Things. Then what you do is put three Things under the component with the Cones pointing down, and three Things under the Cones. Same as I have with my turntable, amp and phono stage. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 Very effective. Only mine are Round. But if you look close you will see some square just like these. On the very bottom under my amp. BDR is so good it doesn’t come up often. Also those look to be thick. There were two versions, one a little thicker than the other. Thicker is a little better, especially under heavier components. Jump on it. |
That’s anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars worth of equivalent improvement. For $60.Apparently one of the great things about being a tweak guru is being able to extract thousands of dollars of better performance from a piece of gear that the designer/manufacturer should have included for mere pennies of incremental cost. That makes the tweak guru orders of magnitude smarter and of more value to the audio community than a gear designer/manufacturer. |
@millercarbon are these the BDR cones you used? https://www.audioasylumtrader.com/ca/listing/Accessory/Black-Diamond/-quot-stuff-quot/-see-pics/2093... Worth the asking price? |
My experience is laid down in writing for everyone to see right here on my systems page: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 Specifically: "everything matters. Everything either contributes or detracts, and no one single component is any more or less important than any other." This is based on well over 30 years experience. Which in the beginning I would have agreed the thing to do is upgrade components. The main thing that has changed is the meaning of components. In the beginning not having much experience it was easy to think components are, uh, components. Now I know components are wire, shelves, walls, outlets, insulation, literally every single thing. My great awakening to this fact goes back to BDR Cones in the 1990’s. For months I would carry a set around trying them under all kinds of components in all kinds of systems. In one very typical experience I went to try out a used pre-amp at a guys house. Decided not to buy but enjoyed listening to his Dunlavy’s. Asked if he would mind me trying the Cones under his CD. He wasn’t interested but said no problem and went off in the kitchen. Few minutes later from in the kitchen I hear him yell is that the Cones man his voice stands out so much clearer! Got dozens of these. Typically its the husband straining and laboring to hear something while the wife who inevitably seems not to care says yeah honey get the MkIV they’re clearer. Now here’s the thing. The Cones cost the same $60 regardless of what you put them under. That’s anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars worth of equivalent improvement. For $60. Clearly one can get better sound with a better CD player. Amp. Speakers. Whatever. Equally clearly it is by far more cost effective to do it with Cones than upgrades. Way more. So that’s Cones. Which until PPT came along was the all time cost-effective champ. Very nearly as good as those are things like HFT, ECT, PHT, Orange Fuses, fo.Q tape, cable elevators, etc. One of the more astounding component upgrades of my life was going from the ARC PH3SE to the Herron VTPH2A phono stage. This was so huge my wife heard the difference from the other room and through the closed door. Then when she came in she stood there bug-eyed trying to comprehend how that little box made music sound so much better. That little box cost close to four grand. The ARC sold so net cost call it three grand. Okay. So months later I open the speakers, apply TC and fo-Q tape inside, and we are both just about equally blown away. Net cost, less than one grand. Way less. So my experience is that by far the biggest sound quality improvements per dollar are to be had by these sorts of upgrades rather than buying a whole new component. Its the classic weakest link scenario. I simply see more links than most. They will get there. Some of them, anyway. Oh, another related experience. Anyone who has ever modded anything knows just how cost effective it is to upgrade a cap or diode. Manufacturers certainly know this. Its why they use better quality parts in their special editions or higher level components. Anyone who has ever upgraded from patch cords and rubber power cords knows it was worth the upgrade. There really is nothing the least bit controversial in any of this. Its simply learning to see - and hear - all the links in the chain. Not just the biggest most obvious ones. |
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