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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? 
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Showing 2 responses by tomcy6

tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,544 posts
 
Well, upon urging from some on this thread, I just lifted my speaker cables off the floor (tile and carpet) using wooden blocks about an inch across and two inches high, four blocks per side. 

I listened, put the blocks under the cables, listened again, took the blocks out, and listened again.  I did not hear any difference.
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,544 posts
 
From the article:

"Given the magnitude of the difference in capacitance between a cable fully suspended and one flat on the ground, it’s unlikely that the frequency response change will be great (or possibly even audible), but there will certainly be some change."

Roger Skoff seems to be making more of an academic argument than a practical one.  I think that the layers of dielectric and shielding in my speaker cables are sufficient to make any current dumping from my carpet insignificant, to me.

I would not say that people don’t hear improvements in sound by using cable lifters, I’m sure some people do hear real improvements. I didn’t though.
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