Why do we (some of us anyway)tweak?

[davidcotton]

Is it because deep down inside we know that we are unhappy with the level of performances from our kit? Is it a desire to somehow improve the performance of said kit without spending even more (what some people would call)silly amounts of money?

Or is it because we "enjoy" spending money on our kit when we would all be better off buying a decent set up, forget about tweaks alltogether and just spend the money set aside for tweaks on things like, oh I dont know cds for example......

What are your thoughts then?

 

[raymondlin]

Because we are Audio Addict . Pure and simple.

 

[Budgie]

I going to go with the idea of improving the system. I was introduced to the idea by the "Pooge" articles from Audio Amatuer. "Pooge" = progressive optimisation of generic equipment. I can't afford the price of the "pre-tweaked" gear made by the Levinson,Krell, Etc. manufacturers, so I must improve my less exspensive kit as my skills allow.

 

[morphsci]

I tweak because I enjoy seeing if I can make my system sound better and because I enjoy working on many little projects simultaneously.

 

[chych]

It's the simple problem where even though your system sounds great, you know that if you do something else like tweaking or upgrading, it will sound better... a very annoying problem it is...

 

[tooler]

Womb envy. Hahahah

 

[jeremymayf]

I'm with chych on this one. I've actually tried to avoid many of jude's posts on upgrading(no offense jude

) because it is so damn alluring to improve the sound of current system. and this is worst part--the better it sounds, the better i want to make it sound--grrrr--i don't think it will ever end

 

[shivohum]

I think we tweak for two basic reasons:

1) Deep down we're dissatisfied with our system
2) We are curious to find out what better sound might be like

Of course, in most tweakers, I think both factors are operational at the same time.

In terms of system dissatisfaction, I think it's just that -- dissatisfaction with the SYSTEM. I think mass market equipment and components are pretty much tuned to work with each other and with mass market recordings, so although it doesn't sound great, it doesn't sound like it has any major defects, either.

However, as soon as you step into high-fi I think that changes. You buy more revealing equipment which works well with some recordings but not with others, which works well with some system components but not others, and before long, you're pulling your hair out and tweaking.

I think this audiophilia nervosa happens less at the lower hi-fi end of things, where components tend to be more euphonic and more forgiving (e.g. Grado SR-60, Koss KSC-35, which work well with anything).

But as you go up the scale, things become more sensitive to everything, and finding a BALANCED sound that doesn't have any major defects that scream out "fix me" becomes..well...a major problem. I think this balanced sound, this overall excellence is what is hard to put together. That's why people put up these sorts of combinations that seem tried and true (Senn 600s / tubes) but even then, there are other factors: interconnects, tweaks, sources. If people want to go and adventure and try something new, they better be ready to put in a lot of time.

 

[davidcotton]

Quote:

Originally posted by shivohum If people want to go and adventure and try something new, they better be ready to put in a lot of time. [/B]

And of course CASH ha ha ha

 

[Spareribs]

In my opinion, the best form of tweaking is room treatment for speakers (assuming your room has flaws) Or making some fine tune adjustments on your turntable arm or perhaps some better dampening. I once did a tweak where I simply raised my speakers to a higher position and it sounded more open.

Sometimes, you may need a good equalizer. Or maybe have a better method of cleaning your vinyl records. Perhaps best psychological tweak is listening in a dark room where you eliminate your visual senses and your ears can feel sharper.

 

[Spareribs]

An important audio tweak from the recording studio perspective is the singers microphone technique.

If a singer knows his or her specific microphone well, there will be better control of the right dynamics and frequencies, The recording will sound better. If not, then the studio engineer will have to compensate with the computer. It will sound more natural and better if the singer understands the microphone characteristics in the studio. A great singer will not only have a good voice but also understand microphone technique and it will sound better in the recordings.