Tweaks you got rid of because they were not effective (enough)?

From exotic cables, to spikes, to fancy mains leads, to various cones, excessive contact cleaning /enhancements, various wall shelves, deep freezing CDs (yes, even that!) none of them were worth anything more than the initial thrill of trying and hoping.

Eventually the penny dropped.

To get a real improvement it was better and more cost effective in the long run, to just buy better equipment, eg cassette decks, turntables, Minidisc machines, and especially loudspeakers of course.

I’ve tried so many tweaks and they’ve all been more or less a useless waste of time and resources.

Except maybe 2.

Securing the removable stylus assembly to the cartridge body (MM) with a drop of superglue may have resulted in a drop in surface noise.

[ I’ve also heard of another tweak involving some form of isolation between cartridge and headshell (as mentioned by the Funk Firm), but have never tried it myself]

Like @mahgister (see above) I’ve also found that some form of isolation placed under loudspeakers (sorbothane, springs, or just pieces of thin rubber etc) usually helps to clean up the bass end and as a consequence, the midrange too.

Springs might be the best but are far too wobbly for my domestic arrangements, so I suffice with a few simple rubber pads which also seem to help.

Despite the lack of much factual evidence, there also seems to be growing acceptance in pro circles that something like speaker isolation pads can be of real benefit in mixing/ monitoring.

Athough some manufacturers will now offer the consumer the choice between using spikes or rubber feet, none as far as I know have commented upon the differences or which they think is better.

@mahgister,

Are you able to think?
:)


Good question, but a little naughty from someone with such a philosophical bent as yourself.


@oldhvymec,

Kinda like Bruce Lee’s book, that no one could understand, BUT HIM...


Isn’t that just one man’s journey into the unknown leaving behind a metaphysical mindmap for the benefit of not only those that may wish to follow but the author himself?

Of course, as usual, it’s a case of one person’s experiences and memories translated into words and then translated back again by another...

Things sometimes can and do get lost in translation just as often as at other times things may be found.


As for that question of whether a $500 system that’s been well set up and placed in a sympathetic room can sound as good as a $50,000 one that’s not - I think we all know the answer to that.

At least those of us who have been to as many shows as I have. Things may have improved lately with setup but cramped hotel rooms are usually not the best place to demo new products.

Hi-Fi equipment selection, setup and room interface matters - a lot.

@mijostyn,

’cd318, surely you jest. I’ve heard some amazing looking systems at Hi Fi shows.’

Yes, I have too. The most memorable being the Avantgarde Trio based one, but you must have heard some real bad ones too!

The ones where you’re compelled to embarrassingly leave the demo room after a few minutes, if not seconds.

Hmm, there’s an idea, maybe demonstrators might want to consider leaving some feedback sheets. It must be demoralising to have to watch folks keep on hurriedly leaving your uber expensive decked out room all day.


@mahgister,

’Any system at any price must be put in a controlled mechanical dimension, in a controlled electrical field, and in a controlled acoustical environment... This is what i call an embedding...’


I don’t think anyone is arguing with that in principle. Surely it’s only a question of degree.

@krelldreams,

'I’ve found, to ME, in my systems, nothing that has made a difference in sound that has compared to the level of difference I’ve heard/experienced with: changing speakers, changing speaker positioning, treating the room, changing amplifiers, or changing phono cartridges (roughly in that order).
...
Tweaks that DO work are noticeable, and enhance the sound a bit, but I haven’t tried one that made me think; “Wow! I can’t listen to my music without this!”


My experiences too. So far so good but then it gets tricky.


@douglas_schroeder  

'Tweaks are how you do not build a great audio system.'



@millercarbon,

'Tweaks are exactly how you build a great audio system. I would even go so far as to say you cannot build a great audio system for any amount of money, it simply will not be great without tweaks. Sorry. You can build an expensive audio system without tweaks. You can even build an impressive audio system without tweaks. But you simply cannot build a great audio system without tweaks.'


I think it's important to distinguish between what constitutes a tweak and what constitutes good system set up.

I mentioned earlier the idea that an optimized $500 system might match a poorly setup $50,000 one, but assuming that @millercarbon is on to something, could it be even that figure was too modest? 

Actually I'd tend to agree but don't like the idea of equating good system setup with nonsense such as teleportation tweaks, magic pebbles etc.

For example I think most of us would agree that a low noise floor is a good thing.

Therefore wouldn't a million dollar (boutique) system placed in a box shaped front room next to a busy main road be at a serious disadvantage to a 500 dollar one placed in a near silent room which had asymmetric dimensions for height, width and length?

Maybe that's the real question here, just where does good system assembly and  set-up end, and the portal to audiophile snake-oil begin?

It's obvious, as all audiophiles know, that you can't just buy a system and plonk it down willy-and hope for the best sound.

You may get lucky and it may sound good, but on the other hand you might be putting up with seriously degraded sound compared to what your system might be capable of.

I'd say that a room with good acoustics, freedom from electrical and other outside noise, and a degree of structural integrity is desirable.

Speaker placement and perhaps some isolation underneath are also definitely worth experimenting with. 

What else is there?