Respectfully,
At what level of improvement does the term Tweak lift itself to the level of a component change? That is what I am asking. Does it require a large out lay of funds to be called a component?
When some friends heard my new acoustic device they said who would have thought that would make that big a difference..but they still called it a tweak..in my home it makes a large improvement one that tells me when it is engaged and when it is not. Lights up or lights dimmed. Tom
I was asking myself this question 2 years ago BEFORE my systematic journey in listening experiments...
We must distinguish between relatively good components and very high refined one....
I own only good components not very refined one on the scale of Quality/ price ratio...
After these 2 years i learned that NO good only audio system can compare to a refine costly one.... Not the same measured potentials of quality....But the margin of distance between the 2 can be very strongly shortened...
Because ANY system must be embedded in the three working dimensions for their optimal workings...
From that follow that the difference between only a" good" component and a very" refined" costly one is NOT what most people think, especially if the costly system is not installed in a controlled environment but the good system to compare with it, itself is...
The question is not to know when a "tweak" begin to be a component of a system....
The questions is what any system, relatively "good one" or "very refined" one, ask for, to be rightfully embedded?
This problem cannot be solved completely only by a bunch of costly tweaks, but must be answered with systematic listening experiments linked to the mechanical embedding of the system, listening experiments linked to the electrical embedding of the system, and listenings experiments linked to the system acoustical embedding...
A pair of speakers, a turntable and a dac, and amplifier are an INCOMPLETE system...If they are not in their controlled working dimensions...This controlled complex environment is the MISSING part of the system, not a tweak or 2....
We nead ears to create listening experiments, even acoustic problems cannot be solved by only electronic tool device...
I am not surprized at all by your experience.... I lived through the same.....
My best to you....
And thanks for your recommendation of the "lensroom"....It worked great...
P.S.
Speaking of placebo and blind test is deluding others and himself...Blind test may be interesting but they are not necessary for improving our audio system in our house....... An INCREMENTAL set of increases on a long period (2 years for me) with many improvements after different experiments always going after trials and errors in the same direction: an always better natural timbre experience and a better imaging, CANNOT be ONLY illusory....
But buying a cable and listening if there is a small difference tough MAY be a placebo or not...Sspecially in a noisy environment...
I say that for those why cry " placebo" in this thread ....There is a difference between placebo in medecine and illusion of perception in audio but i will not speak about that here....