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

There are some audiophiles for whom cost is no object; they buy what they wish and every single tweak and gadget which promises to improve the sound. And the industry is all too happy to produce such tweaks -- often made of expensive materials with elaborate engineering explanations. Those who question the value of these tweaks are frequently accused of being "naysayers" who are either too ignorant or insensate to realize that "everything matters."

Of course, money spent one place cannot be spent elsewhere; expenditures on tweaks take the place of other more central factors affecting the sound. In some cases, those tweaks are worth it; you can hear the difference, and that $400 (or whatever) really could not have improved your speakers or sub or amp, etc.

So, the question here is simple: Which tweak have you tried which, after some experience and reflection, you realized was either *not* effective or not the most effective way to improve your system? 
128x128hilde45

Showing 4 responses by mitch2

mitch2
3,711 posts
 
@stevizzy 
Expensive Fuses
Good one....I will add turning around fuses and trying to hear a difference
mitch2
3,711 posts
 
@cd318 
To get a real improvement it was better and more cost effective in the long run, to just buy better equipment
Bingo! - Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Better Equipment.....everything else is just icing on the cake.

I have been underwhelmed with most tweaks (many already listed here) with a few exceptions, which are listed below in the (approximate) order of the tangible benefit I perceived:
  • Decoupling/springs and/or Herbie's products below components, and especially beneath speakers
  • Stable, heavy, acoustically inert platforms/bases
  • Damping the room
  • Mass loading components and speakers to reduce cabinet resonances
  • Optically decoupling Ethernet connection to DAC
mitch2
3,711 posts
 
@krelldreams , Wow, 35 years of trying different tweaks and you end up here....
I’m blissfully content to not spend a lot of money on gizmos.
All I can say is, me too! 
I have found in most cases, the end result of an expensive tweak can be accomplished simply and economically, and the level of sonic improvement is just not worth the big money paid for many of those products.  One thing for sure, the dollars spent on tweaks and cables by audiophiles proves the Jedi have no monopoly on mind tricks. 
mitch2
3,711 posts
 
@jacksky - Thanks for the blast from the past!  I owned the Sound Shaper One back in college and had a bunch of fun adjusting the sound of different systems.  This was way before tone controls were considered a bad thing.
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