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Tweaks - An Honest Discussion

I know there is a lot of talk about performance tweaks in this forum and the value that can be realized.  I've started this thread because it seems that folks tend towards believing they are either the silver bullet to sonic bliss or conversely simply snake oil.  I believe tweaks are somewhere in between and in most cases, worth about what you pay for (crazy  I know).

I'm open minded to tweaks and have employed many in my system over the years including isolation, fuses, footers, HFTs, cabling, cable risers and attempts at reducing RFI (among others).  While I believe that many of these tweaks incrementally helped me get better performance out of my system I never for a second found any tweak make a transformational difference the way that a significantly upgraded piece of gear brings to the table.  I think many of us have been quite happy with our systems over the years but that doesn't mean implementing a tweak can possibly compete with the benefit of replacing a piece of gear that is well matched to elevate your system. Just because you're happy with your setup doesn't mean a major gear change can't really elevate the experience - surely well beyond any form of tweakery.  

As an example, I've been very happy with a Hana ML cart and how it's performed in my system.  I recently decided to acquire a Lyra Kleos cart - for a $2K increase the change has been transformational in terms of dynamic range and ability to convey detail and imaging.  There has never been a dot I've placed on a wall, carbon platform placed under gear, or RFI shielding device I've ever used that could possibly come close to this equipment upgrade.  Same goes for upgrades to my system over the years in terms of amps, pre's, and speakers.  For anyone to suggest that through tweaks alone you can elevate your system to a level that only gear changes can achieve simply falls flat in my experience.  Some may be shocked to hear that most of the time a $200 tweak truly only gets you about $200 worth of improvement (if any) and not the equivalent of a $5000 gear upgrade. I know there is a certain allure that by simply being smart and applying elbow grease that we can extend the sonic limits of our system well beyond it's design, parts, and capabilities but that's just not true IMO.

What's your experience been?   
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geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
cd318
Later others jumped on the bandwagon, the most famous being Peter W Belt who really pushed the tweaking incredulity boat out into the already murky waters on both sides of the Atlantic.

He advocated stuff like putting bits of paper under just one foot of your speaker stand, amp or CD player, using silver foil stickers and a whole host of strange suggestions, many of which could be bought from his own company. 

>>>>Tweaks can be heaven or hell. That’s the way things go sometime. 😩

turnbowm
353 posts
 

"....It’s true that there usually seemed to be a difference at the time but this ’difference’ usually evaporated into the ether in a matter of hours or minutes....."

That's been my experience as well. I've made changes/tweaks that provided a perceived improvement in sound quality only to find, days later, that the system actually sounded better in the original configuration.

rockysantoro's avatar
rockysantoro
143 posts
 
Hey Millercarbon,  change out your BDR cones, for Nordost sort cones. Just a suggestion.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Frankly, it is a sad state of affairs. Just look at your e mail box in the morning. One scam after another. Most people do not have an extended scientific background thus are open to believing stuff that a person with the right learning would laugh at. None of us can know everything.
Audiophiles are easy targets because of the manner in which we perceive sound which is extraordinarily complex and open to interpretation by that thing sitting in between our ears. I'm afraid there are an unlimited number of scam artists willing to take advantage of this.
Go here  https://www.thecableco.com/ and check out the accessories section. What  party of garbage. My favorite is the Bybee Quantum Clarifier. Dig this. A 2" square chunk of wood that you attach to the back of all your drivers right to the magnet. $100 dollars each. That would be $600 for your average three way speaker system. Buyer be ware is the old adage. If you make the choice to buy something it is not theft even if the item is severely miss represented. There is not one item on those 5 pages I would even be remotely interested in. This does not mean that there are not some great products out there but the vast majority of "accessory" items would fit better in the category of "garbage." So, from a statistical perspective you are more likely to buy junk than a useful item.
My own approach to this problem is to stay away entirely. I would much rather buy music.   
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa
4,867 posts
 
For the serious tweakers, there's a PPT Gate for sale here on A'gon.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa1iij-perfect-path-technologies-the-gate-tweaks

Frank
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