Tweaks, money pit or real value?

In 50+ years of using good to great audio equipment in 5 audio rooms, I've removed three times more tweaks than those I keep.  For example, I had the SR Atmosphere XL4.  Sure it could improve recordings but at what cost?  I found that there were too many options and too much time/waste of time adjusting for each recording.  

Here is what I use: Two pairs of Hallographs to focus and gain ambiance with my typical box type dynamic speakers, 34 SR HFTs throughout the room and on speakers which adjust tonal balance and also disperse early reflections, boxed mounted and hanging Acoustic Fields foam absorption panels, SR blue outlet duplexes and three blue fuses on multiple amps, various types of footers, SR Mig Sx under one stereo amp, Stillpoints and one set of old Aurios under equipment with a Townshend seismic sink under a VPI TNT 6. 

Stands and cabling are considered tweeks by some.  The biggest tweek was building a custom high end audio listening room for $160,000.  My cheap Legacy Focus speakers sound fabulous (only lacking in ambiance of really expensive speakers/lesser speakers and monitors do have some superiorities but at the loss of many other factors).  

Subjective question for a subjective subject.

I expect the answers will be very subjective for this subjective subject.

That was fun.

Now for more twerking not tweaking.

Very great choices it seems to me...Thanks for youre interesting post...

 

 

I will only add  for those who dont have money to do that like me, that it is possible for someone without money to do the same thing, or nearly approximate it, inspired by all this precise tweaks you just described...

Happily for sure, because we dont have all the luxury of this excess money......

34 SR HFT amount to near 2000 bucks...

2 pair of hallographs: 3000 bucks...

Add to that all others costly devices you described...And guess what is the cost?

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I dont doubt that these "tweaks" work at all...I know they work...

But it is possible to create a room with peanuts costs...

For example what the hallograph "form" teach us?

It teach us that modifying the shear velocity of waves on some pressure zone location we will enjoy a more "atmospherical" diffusion... This is TRUE...I created my own diffusers with Helmholtz method...

Then there exist simple means to do this at NO cost... Less esthetical though... 😊😊

It is the same thing for all other "tweaks" or "embeddings controls" which is the term i prefer to use or which i prefer to call them, to let in their sleep slumber the "snake oil" hunters or tool obsessed measuring groups...

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For a dedicated room, rejoice all "poor" audiophiles, i buld one at NO cost...Oufff 160,000 bucks... It work because if my sound is not the best there is in the world, i enjoy a sound quality with a 500 bucks system over the roof....

Read about acoustic and psycho-acoustic not about price tag brand name tweaks... But forget esthetic save if you are very crafty ....

For sure my post is adressed to the desesperate hopeless poor audiophiles....

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One thing is very important: the only luxury in audio is a dedicated room to conduct listening experiments and where tu put your devices, not the price tag of the system and the price tag of the "tweaks"...

An Helmholtz diffuser can be made with empty toilet paper rolls... 😁😊

 

Here is what I use: Two pairs of Hallographs to focus and gain ambiance with my typical box type dynamic speakers, 34 SR HFTs throughout the room and on speakers which adjust tonal balance and also disperse early reflections, boxed mounted and hanging Acoustic Fields foam absorption panels, SR blue outlet duplexes and three blue fuses on multiple amps, various types of footers, SR Mig Sx under one stereo amp, Stillpoints and one set of old Aurios under equipment with a Townshend seismic sink under a VPI TNT 6.

Stands and cabling are considered tweeks by some. The biggest tweek was building a custom high end audio listening room for $160,000.

 

Has anyone had their hearing checked lately?? Couldn't we consider THAT a tweak too?

The Hallographs are superior to toilet paper roll Helmholtz diffusers and probably any typical Helmholtz diffuser.  I needed them in my prior home which did not have a custom built listening room.  If I purchase Von Schweikert speakers, I probably won't need them at all.  Same with speaker HFTs.   I have friends with $500K audio systems in their living rooms with windows behind them that sound very good as well.  Another friend has only footer tweeks in a $15K system that sounds fabulous (RM9 amp Mac C20 preamp, VPI Scout/Dynavector 20X2H, etc/Von Schweikert export V35 speakers).  

I just wanted to point out that 2/3rds of the tweeks I tried were either ineffective or not worth the money.   I've been using tweeks for over 40+ years.  

About my custom listening room-I can afford it and everyone who ventures in to hear my music loves it and wishes they had such a great listening room.