Tweaks, money pit or real value?

some tweaks work great, and well worth the time and tiny expense...others are expensive and very system dependent..many you can share with friends, like the CD system discs, and many can be sold for little loss if you do not like...having fun with my Herbies Super Mat this week...if it's fun it's worth it

I am a cyclist… 4,000 miles per year. 

yes...

Are you a cyclist?

Absolutely my own experience and the same results here after my listening room experiments...

Thanks steakster...

- Optimal vs Nominal

Even though an audio system might be expensive, that doesn’t mean it is optimized. A well-set up system should readily demonstrate if a tweak is a step up, a step down or a lateral move. Most systems are nominal due to any number of factors. As long as the music is enjoyed, then all is copacetic.

- When you hear a truly optimized system, it’s an a-ha moment. It doesn’t sound excellent. It seduces you.

- Years ago, I lived near a professional audio reviewer. His room was phenomenal. One time over a weekend, we deconstructed his entire system - every tweak was removed. There were a lot. With all gone, the music became - just okay. It sounded like a very nice hifi. After dusting and cleaning, we rebuilt it. It was a lot of work, But, the magic returned. The music was mesmerizing. The effect was cumulative due to the aggregation of the tweaks.

- If somebody can’t hear the difference between two different designs of power cords, then that is an indicator that something is amiss.