Best Tweak???

Shut down your computer. Toss those back issues of Stereofool, TAS, and that stack of "Jugs'N'Tail" with the stained and tattered pages. Pick a few of your favorite CD's, turn down the lights, slide that comfy chair into the sweet spot, pop in one of your selections, set the volume where you like it, sit back, and enjoy the music.

You'll probably wake up the next morning wondering what you could have done to make it sound that much better, and that may eventually manifest itself in cold sweats and convulsions if you go long enough without spending some money on hardware. Go to the bathroom mirror and take a good look at what you see there. If you don't like it, just close your eyes. Then chant over and over, "I do not want what I have not got....I do not want what I have not got..." Do that for about a half hour until the shaking and sweating stops. Then grab a cup of coffee, brush your teeth, relieve yourself if necessary, go to work, come home and repeat. If the shaking starts up during the day just find a quiet spot to do your chanting where you coworkers can't see or hear you. A linen closet is good. Don't use the bathroom unless it is a solo room with a lock on it. Do all this and your music will start sounding like music again within a few weeks time. If it doesn't you may need professional help or perhaps a support group.

Marco

PS Don't know about a toke of reefer, but I do know that Alchohol in any quantity impeeds your senses, including hearing. That doesn't stop me from listening with a glass of zin in hand, but I doubt that all that expensive hardware makes much of a difference after a few glasses of wine. I may enjoy the sensation, but I doubt I could discern a good system from a great system at that point. I just keep doing my chant every morning without fail.

Most effective/noticeable tweak was to my spkrs, which included replacing the stock spikes with one piece SS Soler Points and also putting 7 Herbie's Footers between ea. module of my VR4 GenIII's.

Radiob & Tireguy: I found if you want to go for the maximum auto tweak, you need to install titanium piston return springs. Not only do they reduce piston slap but you'll gain 5% HP.

Cheapest:

Change the wall outlet with $10 hospital grade one, like Arrow Hart 8200. It's a cheap way to experiment with power. I was sold, and after that experience went ahead and ran 4 dedicated lines.

Even cheaper:
Adjust your speakers.

Adding a Neuance Shelf under my Theta transport. I need more of these for my other components.

Vintage NOS tubes for my Blue Circle preamp. I don't ever see going back to solid state.

The Porter Port and Furutech eTP-60. Outstanding!

Finding the right toe-in and seating distance combination. Eye opening.

I think Viggen's tweak of having the doctor remove his earwax can't be topped though.

Marco makes some great points. The less you worry about how your system performs, the more that you'll enjoy the music. Reading about other's systems, comparing notes of various products, lusting after gear, etc... all ends up detracting from the enjoyment that one could already be experiencing with what they have.

As such, i'm going to combine Marco's response with KP's. That is, if you doubt the effectiveness of Marco's comments, spend the time that you would reading about audio on the net or with a glossy rag tweaking your speakers into place and / or listening to a recording or two that you haven't heard in a while. Once you've got the speakers dialed in, you'll be amazed at how good your system sounds, regardless of what it costs or consists of. These "tweaks" would come at a mental and / or physical expense, meaning that they are by FAR the best bang for the buck since you have no money invested in them at all. Sean
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PS... Try the above and then come back here to find out what to do next : )