Mapman wrote,
"Again, to me, anything that changes the sound is a tweak. Changing DAC, amp, IC, power source are all tweaks to help achieve a desired goal. But not all tweaks are created equal some do nothing except change the way the user thinks, perhaps the mind matter interaction that Geoff is so fond of touting."
I'm afraid you're confusing tweaks with modifications or even upgrading components. Have you ever considered it might be time to change the way you think. Time to throw away all those McGuffey Readers and high school physics books.
Mapman also wrote,
"I also have no doubt that placing certain objects close to electronic circuits may very well have an effect."
Nice strawman argument but that is NOT what I'm talking about at all. I'm talking about objects, images and information that change your sensory perception, as opposed to anything that has a DIRECT effect on the audio signal ANYWHERE in the system - the power provided at the wall, cables or electronics, or the acoustic waves in the room. You can't hear the sound you worked so hard to get, the sound that's actually there in the room, because your sensory perception is hurt by the objects, patterns, images, and information - books, CDs, DVDs, telephone books, etc. - in the room. What you are hearing is a distorted, compressed, noisy facsimile of what is actually coming from the speakers. Relatively speaking, of course. You're used to it, so you believe that everything is as it should be. This is the big secret! Lol
"It's what I chose to believe". - Dr. Shaw in the movie, Prometheus