Tweaks you got rid of because they were not effective (enough)?

@stevizzy 

Expensive Fuses

Good one....I will add turning around fuses and trying to hear a difference

Mitch, let me know the proper direction 🙏

I have tried a number of tweaks over the years but few have remained in my system. They might sound good one day and sound worse the next. The ones that have survived are based on sound Engineering concepts like resonance and vibration control.

Also, sometimes a tweak to address problem A introduces problem B. A good example of this is the use of ferrite cores on power cords. They do reduce the amount of RF coming in on the AC supply but, unfortunately, increase the AC source impedance as seen by the device. Power amps (and integrated amps) are susceptible and may become current-starved during dynamic conditions with a negative effect on sound quality. 

No comment on Vibrapods’ efficacy, but the nasty residue can be prevented by placing a piece of plastic sandwich baggie between the Vibrapod and surface. Same with sorbothane. Perhaps Vibrapods are made of sorbothane?

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what they are.  I put some construction paper between them and components, but only after they left stains on one of my components.  I stopped using them.  I've had better luck using hockey pucks.

A word about the "alleged" or "disproved" effect of a tweak...

The audible effect of "tweak" will vary greatly if the tweak is implemented in an already controlled environment or not...

I will not discuss here the relative hability in each of us relative to our listening experience and possibility that may impact also the alleged absence or presence of audibles effects...

I will only speak about the big difference the addition of a device control or of a tweak in a controlled environment OR in a non controlled one...

I will give an example about the acoustic room embedding....
A single piece of aluminum paper 1 feet 1/2 feet by 3 feet long, placed at the right spot in a controlled acoustical embedding may change drastically the S.Q. of a specific room, I know because i just do that today for the better in my room....

But if someone glued the same piece of aluminum paper in a non controlled acoustical environment, a nude room, the perceived positive or negative effect audible effect will probably be negligible...It will be the samething if the sheet is glued to a different treated room or to a different spot....I*n these cases the effect can be negative or negligible  also...

The same thing is true if the audio system three embeddings are controlled in some way, the addition of some new device or tweak or materials will be more easily audible negatively or positively....

Then before formulating definitive judgment about a product, ask yourself why the product produce this or that effect in YOUR audio system first, before condemning it at all and definitively....




Another example: i bought springs boxes (chinese version of Nobsound one)
At first it seems a very good improvement from my own multi-layered sandwich platform and it was....But it is a positive improvement only if you adjust the compressing force on the springs very precisely... I do it...

But after few days i realized that this isolation device dont adress the problem of internal resonance of the speaker and that the springs boxes also imply a kind of trade off... I decide to make something new with these springs...I put another set of springs on top of my speakers under the load (75 pounds) that damp the speakers...That create an asymmetry in the compressing force of the 2 set of boxes, those under the speakers and those on top... The compressing force is greater on the springs boxes directly under the speaker because the speaker weight is added to them.... Then this asymmetry help to decrease the powerful negative unsuspected effect of internal resonance of the speaker.... The results were astounding, it was not only the bass frequencies and high frequencies that were better now, it was the naturalness of the timbre and the 3-d imaging power....

Then any addition of a device or of a "tweak" is perceived differently in different controlled or non controlled environment, and judge differently.... And most tweaks are not a perfect solution but give us a trade-off, then to increase the positive effect, it is necessary to create a better controlled environment making us able to DETECT first the positive or negative nature of any change and make us able to MANAGE the trade-off....And tweak are there to be modified and improved also....

This is my experience...

My best to all....