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.
Here in Seattle we have a system with over one million dollars worth of Wilson, D-Agostino, and AT. Very impressive. It probably could be a great system. But it has no tweaks. And so it is not as great as mine, which cost less than the sales tax on theirs.
Please see my System page. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 There are many tweaks, not all equally effective but to take just one of the more average ones, cable elevators, everyone notices the sound field collapse when they are removed. The same or similar will happen if any of the many other tweaks are removed. Remove them all, I would not even want to hear it. For sure I would not be bragging about it. Minus the tweaks it would be merely another system, down there with the systems of all you who think tweaks aren't how you build a great audio system.
Here in Seattle we have a system with over one million dollars worth of Wilson, D-Agostino, and AT. Very impressive. It probably could be a great system. But it has no tweaks. And so it is not as great as mine, which cost less than the sales tax on theirs.
Please see my System page. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 There are many tweaks, not all equally effective but to take just one of the more average ones, cable elevators, everyone notices the sound field collapse when they are removed. The same or similar will happen if any of the many other tweaks are removed. Remove them all, I would not even want to hear it. For sure I would not be bragging about it. Minus the tweaks it would be merely another system, down there with the systems of all you who think tweaks aren't how you build a great audio system.