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I Just Don't Hear It - I wish I did

I am frustrated because I am an audiophile who cannot discern details from so many of the methods praised by other audiophiles. I joke about not having golden ears. That said, I can easily discern and appreciate good soundstage, image, balance, tone, timbre, transparency and even the synergy of a system. I am however unable to hear the improvements that result from, say a piece of Teflon tape or a $5.00 item from the plumbing aisle at Home Depot. Furthermore, I think it is grossly unfair that I must pay in multiples of one hundred, or even one thousand just to gain relatively slight improvements in transparency, detail, timbre soundstage, etc., when other audiophiles can gain the same level of details from a ten dollar tweak. In an effort to sooth my frustration, I tell myself that my fellow audiophiles are experiencing a placebo effect of some sort. Does anyone else struggle to hear….no wait; does anyone else struggle to comprehend how someone else can hear the perceived benefits gained by the inclusion of any number of highly touted tweaks/gimmicks (brass screws, copper couplers, Teflon tape, maple hardwood, racquet balls, etc.) I mean, the claims are that these methods actually result in improved soundstage, image, detail (“blacker backgrounds”), clarity, bass definition, etc.
Am I alone in my frustration here?
2chnlben
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,363 posts
 
A tweak is just a change of small magnitude compared to other more major changes that all together in the end determine how things sound.

The effects of tweaks are cumulative though. Some may have good synergy and improve things, others may have a negative effect, the effect of others may be too small to notice.

All that matters is that in the end your system is tuned to your tastes. Tweaks can help get you there. But if things are out of whack to start with in a big way, minor tweaks may be of little consequence. Get the big things right first, like the room/speaker/amp combo, then tweak away from there to fine tune things if needed.
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jimjoyce25
215 posts
 
Marigo Mystery Feet provided an immediate, highly significant and positive audible difference in my system.

Marigo Ultra 5 power cords provided an immediate, highly significant and positive audible difference in my system.

They even let you audition for 30 days money back.

Oh, right, they're not a big-rep audiophile brand. Forget I mentioned it.
dreadhead
353 posts
 
You mentioned Maple hardwood. My turntable sounds much better on a 3" thick maple block then on a 70lb granite base. Much too bright and shrill on the stone and more warm and lifelike on the wood. It's not my imagination.
mumbles
83 posts
 
Does anyone else struggle to hear….no wait; does anyone else struggle to comprehend how someone else can hear the perceived benefits gained by the inclusion of any number of highly touted tweaks
2chnlben (System | Threads | Answers)

I have 3 highend, silver PCs made for me by Mel at Crystal Clear Audio Cables. Great guy, solid product. They were all supposed to be 1.5m long, but I had him make two of them shorter, 1m. Over the last three days I have swapped them around and find the 1.5m powerchord makes which ever component it is in sound much better. Finally left it in the preamp for maximum effect, tuner ect., now sound better.
Ive read here that 1.5m length is ideal for power band, so maybe there is a reason for my perception.
Point is if you mess around enough with tweaking here and there you may eventually get a ah-ha moment, and set a new baseline for tuning.
To use Tvad's analogy, once you driven a Ferrari you know what good is suppose to be.
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