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Rank the tweaks, geeks!

How would you rank the general importance of the following gear (not room or electrical) tweaks. You can use your own setup and experience as your basis. If you tried something and it didn't matter, put it in a separate paragraph at the bottom with "didn't matter" next to it. If it doesn't apply to your setup, just don't include it on your list.

speaker wires
speaker isolation
interconnects
cable risers
component isolation
tube dampers
power cords for amps
power cords for preamps
power cords for other compnents
better capacitors (where?)
better fuses (where?)

Did I leave out an important tweak? Please add in as you see fit.

Think it's all snake oil and voodoo? Go watch some TV or take a walk and let folks on the thread have their fun. Because this is a hobby.

If you think that "everything matters" but are willing to go beyond that and suggest what would be the best first step toward doing something, please list the best first things to do. A "to do agenda" rather than a "priority list."
128x128hilde45
mglik
912 posts
 
Without question, a great tweak was an Ohio Class SRA platform under my TT. It was like this sophisticated complex piece of gear was finally able to perform as designed.
And a recent innovation in my system is QSA light blue fuses in my mono blocks. They bring presence and structure to the music turning good to great sound into great gripping sound.
I am so impressed that I have ordered the next up yellow.
And certainly good power is central. Having Shunyata Triton/Typhon combination was a major lift. Hard to say which tweak is actually the best.
mglik
912 posts
 
I don’t consider cables a tweak. Rather they are a main component.
edcyn
1,876 posts
 
Go nuts over speaker placement.  Fine tune positioning to a fault. Regularly unplug & re-plug all connections.   Keep the stylus & cantilever clean.  Give your stuff time to warm up.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,062 posts
 
@artemus
Great tweaks — perhaps a sub-topic: best *cheap* tweaks!

@earlflynn "Search bar." Er, good one. I'm not asking to look something up, I'm asking people to report out their experiences. This is a *discussion* forum and I'm starting a *discussion.*

@stuartk and a couple others — some platforms etc. are on my list, too. @antigrunge -- looking into those items, especially on EMI/RFI.

@calvin Thanks! And what a great list and the detail is so helpful. Lots to try, there.

@mc

Yes, impossible. Impossible to rank these. For the simple reason it is impossible even to say what it is this list means.

Happy to hear people phrase things in any verbiage that tickles them, seem appropriate, and approach it in any way that makes it possible. Your list is most helpful. You listed things from least to most expensive. Is this also a list from least to most *impact*? Imagine you were giving someone advice, and they said, "Bro, I can spring for just two tweaks now and then I have to lay off for a while." Your first two items on the list would comprise your reply to them, I'm assuming.

@nonoise — gotcha. Speaker cables are part of the system, not a tweak. Perhaps part of an "upgrade" but not a tweak. Fair correction. Thanks for the rest of your list.

@mglik Fair point, accepted.
pauly
1,012 posts
 
If I were to start from scratch, I’d start with

1. Component isolation,
2. speaker isolation,
3. power cords for power amps.
More to discover