Tweaking to me is essentially fine tuning the sound to achieve a goal. With this definition, I have done a lot of tweaking to my system over the last 4-5 years as well to get to where I wanted to be. Pretty much everything save my turntable and tonearm changed. None of my tweaks were what I would consider "esoteric". I had some understanding of how each change worked. Predicting how wires specifically analog ICs would affect the sound was hardest. In the end, only listening told the whole story. My most uncommon tweak was use of Mu Metal for extra shielding needed to reduce inducted noise in my phono rig. Mu Metal is used for this purpose in many applications over the years and its principle of operation is well documented and understood. The mu metal needed cost $30 direct over the internet. Compare to Shakti stones. Those are much more attractive looking I am sure. Do they work as well or better than Mu Metal? I do not know. The Mu MEtal addressed the issue well so there is no issue to address anymore.
I guess my point is tweaking is essential to fine tuning the sound to reach a goal. I prefer to work with things I understand well especially when expensive. YMMV.
I guess my point is tweaking is essential to fine tuning the sound to reach a goal. I prefer to work with things I understand well especially when expensive. YMMV.