Biggest hype-worst tweak

I believe that Audience (makers of Auric Illuminator) recommend 1 or 2 drops of JoyTM dishwashing detergent in cool water to remove their Auric Illuminator gel. It should be a good surfactant for removing finger grease and other nasties in any case. I used a can of pressurized air to blow off the water droplets. Otherwise, you need to find a good non-abrasive cloth for cleaning and drying. The Auric Illuminator DOES change the sound of a CD. I haven't decided if I like it or not, although many people swear by it. Try www.audience.com for the manufacturer. Good Luck. Kurt

Just to add a little structure to the issue, I suggest that the ultimate stupid tweak must have all three of the following attributes: 1: It must be expensive. 2: It must not work. 3: It must be visible enough that you appear to be a moron to all your friends and family. All-in-all, it's hard to beat Shun Mook.

Good thread guys!! Dekay, if you think quarters on the speakers is cool, switch them to gold eagles. Oh, if Sam Tellig even found why that does something, he'd say buy never has. I think its whacko, DK!

Boy....I know this will upset a few out there...but, I don't think anything (maybe this isn't a tweek or hype) has hurt the audio industry...and music (read: two channel) more than home theater...or call it surround sound. Many companies have either struggled to survive or "sold out" to home theater. Several of my favorite stores...no longer are.. because of giving up on the high-end. Again, sorry if I am offending anyone out there..., but when I listen to live music..the best seat is still "front-row-center" and the music is spread out in front of me. There is never a trumpet or vocal...or anything else comming at me from behind. I just have no interest in hearing Godzilla's footsteps from the rear-left...but I have great interest in hearing a re-creation of that front row center experience.

Whatjd, you can have both without compromise. Ultimately surround sound will be balanced perfectly, and improve on the "front row center" aspect. It is still in the gimmicky stage, like Quad was. I listen mostly as you do (F.R.C.), but have found that my 5 channel "stereo" mode on my Denon AVR-5700 makes for great listening in certain contexts. There is a CD that I am currently listening to titled "Tourist' by St. Germain, a French group that is in a sort of "House/Acid Jazz" style that is meant for dance clubs, that is greatly improved in 5 channel mode when compared to 2 channel. It is perfect for parties. In this particular case the stereo effect is a real snore. The 5 channel mode really gives a club atmosphere without all that silly Yamaha type of DSP stuff. I'm not interested in recreating some concert hall or jazz club in my room. It always sounds false, but it is a different story in the context I described. I can easily switch over to Home Theater and get great sound as well. A home theater set up can be an improvement over the best "real theater" sound when done right. There is still a lot of gimmicky mixing going on, but don't blame the home theater for the faults in taste of the mixing engineers.