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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
jimjoyce25
215 posts
 
Yes, the price on the Marigo feet is definitely an issue, especially if you find it works in your system.

One set for the preamp, another for the cd player, one more for the phono stage if your's is separate, then one or two more for your amp(s), that's real money. And that's not even mentioning two set of four for your speakers.

So, maybe the best strategy is just to keep Pandora's box shut tight!
cruz123
586 posts
 
So, what is the sciene behind the Margigo feet that makes them so good? I looked at the website, but didn't find any explanation. There's one review, but no analysis there either. Do they provide some sort of mechanical response to vibration, or is it the material they're made from?
hevac1
812 posts
 
I myself hear the differences more when I remove a tweak from my system than when I add it. I think it takes time for the item to break in, for me anyway. Try adding the tweak, wait a week or two then remove it and see if you hear the difference then. If you can not hear the difference then it is not worth it, return it. At Home Depot you can return an item forever.
2chnlben OP
595 posts
 
Look, here's the deal; on so many of these "tweaks" there's no way to do a true A/B comparison. With the copper coupler, at least you can instantaneously compare between - the coupler installed, or uninstalled, by sliding it on or off during the same song (even the same passage in the song - hell, even within the same extended note), same settings, etc. Other tweaks (e.g.: isolation, power cords, this-that-and the other), cannot be compared in a true A/B demo, making memory the only method of determining all of those “huge/noticeable/plain-as –the-nose-on-your-face/night-day” differences. Installing different speakers in a system can make dramatic changes – changes that are clearly discernable via memory alone. If, say…let’s pick on isolation feet, these things make the kind of improvements that are clearly discernable via memory alone, then why even bother replacing the actual equipment. I have no doubt that people truly think they can remember hearing difference in these tweaks, and for those who actually do hear the differences, I really think our country, in this time of uncertainty, could utilize the services of people with such extraordinary skills and abilities….
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