Not sure if this topic has been specifically addressed before, but I thought I’d post it just for fun and to see what others experience has been.
What have been the most effective inexpensive tweaks/upgrades in your system? I understand “inexpensive” can be relative, so I am not going to suggest a price limit. I think common sense will drive the conversation.
My favorite inexpensive tweaks/upgrades include:
Matrix SPDIF 2 (Not crazy inexpensive, but wow what an upgrade! - $379)
WiFi Dongle for my SOtM SMS 200 Streamer ($13)
Upgrading from single-ended to balanced IC’s ($99)
Using Audirvana and upsampling everything from PCM to DSD ($75)
And finally…messing around a bunch with speaker placement. This has the most dramatic affect on sound quality, and I still haven’t narrowed in my favorite/best spot. It’s challenging, but the “tweak” - if you can call it that - is rewarding and worth the time. ($0)
The next best tweak I’ve ever done is replacing speaker crossover parts for higher quality versions. You basically get a brand new, much better speaker.
My best tweak now is to catch a cold and take a dosage of liquid Tylenol. I am having a pretty bad cold but couldn’t resist a Friday listening session after taking said Tylenol. Holy cow, my mind just slowed way down and I could all of sudden discern new details that I never noticed before. It was a very enjoyable session and definitely made my otherwise miserable day.
Ortofon DS-3 high resolution digital VTF gauge for installation and alignment of my cartridges.
Can’t believe I put up with a Shure teeter-totter gauge for so long.
Cost: about $110 and worth every penny of it, this one’s for the vinyl spinners in our community.
If you use spikes under your speakers and suffer from a too dry, lean and unnatural sounding lower mids/upper bass region use Herbie‘s big fat dots or gliders. Still have to compare it to the Isoacoustics stuff, but those Herbie‘s sound harmonically right.
Amazon Nobsound spring isolation $22/set of 4, 7 springs in each. Tune to weight of unit or particular corner. Cheap, very good, isolation but very little/no damping.
Plus also Amazon Noico 80 mil 10 sqft car Sound deadening mat, Butyl Automotive Sound Deadener, Audio Noise Insulation and dampening $2/sqft.
Although not exactly dirt cheap, still I picked up two quads of Isoacoutics Gaiia III for my stand mounts. I can only say WOW! When oriented correctly they are amazing at bringing out more details and layers of nuance from my speakers.