[FullRangeMan]

Many years ago I used the AQ Tweak Contact Enhancer on CD Player IC it had a surprising big positive effect on the music, but the audible benefit lasted only some hours.

[Zuman]

My personal experience is that I often won't notice any sound change due to a tweak when I install it. Sometimes, however, after having something in my system for weeks, months, or even years, I'll remove it. Frequently I'll then immediately notice a difference in sound, usually for the worse.
That's frustrating because it doesn't help me make improvements by "tasting" tweaks, but it does help validate their impact and encourages me to keep trying.
Difference-makers of note for me include: using a well-regarded switch for my Roon NUC/Server/Internet connection, as opposed to just plugging everything into the router; M101 Nova Ethernet cable; Taket Live supertweeters. I've had less success noticing a difference with isolation footers for both rack gear and speakers.

[rollo]

In the defense of tweaks... Plenty of utterly FREE tweaks around. The latest I tried was a gift from Michael Green who does 'tuning' as a professional. He suggested 'loosening the AC duplex, slightly" Holy Cow! it works! The sound became slightly less 'hard' a little softer, more natural.
Reminder FREE, Like FREE as in FREE. no cost. 
The free tweaks are the best. You can try it, or not, change it back, or not. no cost except a few minutes fooling around. Like speaker placement. 
Then more troubling.. footers.. There ARE dirt cheap good solutions, a buck each, even as low as fifty cents. Or you can splurge and buy $900 ones. EACH! ($900).
Most good tweaks started out as a free or nearly free IDEA. Grabbed by someone who managed to add in a profit. say 10,000%? Some folks take basic bits, claim they invented basic electronics, and then charge through the nose for it. (Bybee) when the fact is, anyone can make the SAME DEVICE for a few dollars in parts.
So IMO complaining tweaks are a 'rip off' is not fair. a lot (in fact nearly all) of them started out as an idea. a FREE or nearly free idea.

   A huge fan of Michael. Try taking the covers off. Cracking screws on enclosure, circuit boards, inputs and so on. Try woods under gear. The biggest affect came from removing plastic wire ties and separating the wires. Have fun trying.

charles

[edpetk]

Most tweaks are a scam, at best they do nothing, at worst they impart a coloration.  If the tweak is such a good idea why wasn't it incorporated into the original design or in all similar designs?

JLM, I get it and I agree with your catchphrase that the room is the elephant. By coincidence I was thinking today of a product I saw a few years ago as I was reinvesting in hi-fi that went underneath speakers, some sort of isolation or platform. Anyway, the "objective" listeners were blown away by the positive effect and now I'm wondering if those things really worked? I'm interested in getting some better response from my Zu Audio Dirty Weekends.

[Letitroll98]

JLM, I get it and I agree with your catchphrase that the room is the elephant. By coincidence I was thinking today of a product I saw a few years ago as I was reinvesting in hi-fi that went underneath speakers, some sort of isolation or platform. Anyway, the "objective" listeners were blown away by the positive effect and now I'm wondering if those things really worked? I'm interested in getting some better response from my Zu Audio Dirty Weekends.

I've tried various platforms under various floor standers and they've all made the sound worse.  I love free or nearly free tweeks that work, but none of the homemade platforms, mostly constrained damping affairs, improved the sound.  I tried heavy concrete patio stones, nope.  I always went back to either spikes or nothing usually preferring spikes.  However a lot of members are using those somewhat costly isolation pucks to reported great effect.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

The tweaks that have worked for me are replacing all the DC walwarts with cheap chinese LPS's, a Jcat usb card (nice improvement in clarity, detail, resolution and transparency),  sorbothane feet under my TT, belden 8402 IC's and XLR's, higher end usb cables for my DAC, tube rolling, adding a second subwoofer, upgrading capacitors and resistors in speakers and preamps.  By the way, my system is very sensitive to changes in RCA's, XLR's and USB cables.  An audiophile friend of mine calls my system the "Truth" because it is revealing to system changes.  Going from a high end laptop as a music server to a custom built desktop (This one really surprised me. The difference was significant with great detail, clarity, transparency and musicality).  Replacing the sand cast tweeter resistors with duelund resistors with my Maggies.  They really smoothed out the treble.

Tweaks that did not work, Hi Fi tuning fuses made my Magnepans sound very odd and worse.  I loaned them to a friend and he had the same experience.  Power cords did not make a difference with my amp and preamp.  ZaZen 2 turntable platform.  Maybe it makes a slight difference but not enough to justify the price.  Herbies TT matt, made no significant difference.

[nlitworld]

I recently tried the inexpensive shorting plugs for all my unused rca inputs (preamp, amp and subwoofers). I was skeptical but figured it was cheap and worst case scenario it would keep dust out of the plugs. I was amazed at the simple but VERY noticable improvement in clarity, all for $12 on amazon. As soon as I pulled them all out to do an immediate A/B/A/B test, a thick blanket of haze enveloped the system like a 1980s LA sunset. There was no tricking, no confirmation bias, and no going back. As always, YMMV but on my gear that was a surprising real winner.