[Viewpoint] On the nature of tweaks on HiFi components

Viewpoint: On Tweaks

A brief discussion of tweaks and what they can (and can't) do for your system.

Reviewer: M.L. Gneier - TNT USA
January, 2024

Let's have some good, clean fun and discuss tweaks. Unless you email me, it's really going to be more monolog than dialog. I think we should first differentiate the nature of tweaks. One broad question is whether the tweak at issue is in the signal path or outside of it? That notion behooves me to put analog line-level cables and speaker cables in a primary group. There's just no way to say that cables like these don't matter, let alone all sound the same. And, if we're arguing about how much they matter we're all wasting our time. The fact of their measured differences in both their electrical and physical construction says it all. That said, it does not mean that you or I can actually hear the difference or whether the difference is closer to true signal accuracy. And guess what; that's true of pretty much every piece of audio gear that has ever been reviewed. In the end, only the listener can determine an audible preference and how much that difference is worth in terms of time, listening or money. This equation is not up for debate; only an actual consumer can determine what something is worth since their enjoyment, and before that their willingness to pay for the product, are the only valid measurements when it comes to music.

What about digital and AC cables? Now here I am not as tolerant. Some might argue about digital cables and whether their characteristic impedance matches either 75 or 110 Ohms. I hope they enjoy their discussion. I'm happier to live with whatever digital cable is the right length and has the proper connectors. Some, I fear, are unwilling or unable to confront the realities of digital transmission and its wholly fundamental difference from analog signal transfer. Again, have fun. If nothing else your latest digital cable purchase has made a little cash infusion into your local economy. Rock on if that makes you happy.

AC cords. To me these are far more distasteful when you honestly consider the nature of power supplies and their real-world influence on audio circuits, let alone your listening pleasure. Have you ever seen the diameter of the tap wires in even the largest transformer (let along the diameter of the actual windings)? If you have you'd see some generic tin-clad copper, probably about 16 AWG or less. The connectors are likely tin slip-ons. Then you have the IEC 320 that connects your megadollar AC cord, you know, the one's that's the same diameter as a fire house and twice as stiff. The theory is that AC is going to flying through your local power grid, through dozens of transformers before it comes face to face with your home's electrical service panel. Then those electrons make their way through breakers and dozens of crimped connectors before flowing across the hospital-grade AC receptacle that your electrician laughed at while he installed. Hey, it's all good. Your electrician deserves to make a buck and have a good laugh from time to time.

But wait, there's more. A component's power supply is functionally isolated from its audio circuitry. This is assuming that the folks who designed the product knew what they were doing and I'll bet they did. Power supply noise bleed is a real thing. But, and this is important, it results from a design that has failed to take this threat into account. It's not like there's all this horrible noise on the power line that has compromised the defenses of an otherwise brilliant piece of audio design. No, it's the result of a power supply that is both badly designed and poorly implemented. There's no way any AC power cord can fix a failed power supply design. So, sure, go ahead and be an audiophile like me. I only use Carol 14/3 AC cables. Why? There are a number of reasons. First, they use hospital grade (See? I told you I was an audiophile!) molded male and female connectors that are somewhat transparent, so they look cool. Oh yeah, they're also an anonymous light gray which works with my decor...they coil easily, too. Lastly, (like my digital cables) they're the right length. Take my advice. Buy a bunch and forget about audiophile AC cords forever.

On the other hand, speaker cables and interconnects matter more, in fact, than many like to admit. How much they matter is not for me to say. It's up to you but I (like our editor Lucio did back in 2010) advise that you listen carefully before you make a sizable investment especially since cables lose their value very quickly. You know, all those moving parts. DIY is dandy but don't expect it to be cheap or look decent. I have made hundreds over the years and all of them have the following in common. They took a lot longer to put together than I thought. They also cost more than I thought. They each sounded somewhere between mediocre and crap (think the Monster Cable of the early 1980s). If scouring the internet for PTFE-insulated OFC or 4-nines silver sounds like fun, have at it. But, you'll soon find that your raw materials are far more difficult to find (and more expensive) than you expect. You think Ray Kimber and George Cardas have had it easy? Go ahead and try to find wire that's constructed the way theirs is, let alone from the same raw materials. It's not out there. Don't waste your time trying to find it. I'm sure many cable companies are very loose (or even overtly dishonest) with facts about the design and construction of their cables. But don't make the mistake of attaching that particular lack of ethics to companies who have been around forever and whose engineering, design and manufacturing practices are unquestionably sound.

Here's my recipe. For short run systems based around tubes I use interconnects with very low capacitance and minimal shielding. For solid state I occasionally go unshielded as long as the wire is well-insulated (read relatively thin PTFE) and tightly braided. I have used the same brand of speaker cables for nearly thirty years. No, it's not cheap but it has never let me down. Yes, I still like to listen to new cables though I'm often, but not always, disappointed by what I hear.

This brings me to Lucio's editorial (November 2010) about cables. In it, he writes the following about cables:

The sonic result is not proportional to the price tag. Sometimes less expensive cables sound better than high-end stuff. And this is embarassing;
the final result is highly dependent from the boundary conditions that is to say the same cable can perform differently depending on the HiFi system you're using. This makes the reviewing process a nightmare;
there are infinitely many cables in the market, so that even reviewing a small part of these is an impossible task. Hence cables reviews fail to give a pale idea of what's the state of the art in this particular niche of the market;
reviewing cables using a scientific approach, that is testing them in many different conditions and systems, is a highly time-consuming procedure. The time required to test an interconnect cable is sufficient to test - accurately - several pairs of loudspeakers! Moreover, testing speakers, amplifiers or sources is much more entertaining...and this is crucial for us, being this a pure labour of love.

I'll take Lucio's points in order:

Maybe and definitely. While I would say that there's generally a correlation between price and fundamental design and materials value I'm sure there are many of examples of relatively cheap cables measuring better and sounding better than more costly options. That potential correlation is not part of my argument. And, if a cheap cable outperforms a more expensive design it's not the reviewer or reader who should be embarrassed but rather the manufacturer.
Damn right, but of course the same is true of speakers, let alone other components. I cannot imagine a more music-dependent or room-dependent or taste-dependent audio device than a loudspeaker. Dipoles, bipolar, electrostatics and dynamics all possess a nearly infinite potential for imperfection. I tend to believe that diversity in design mirrors diversity of perception. No two listeners have exactly the same room, ears, musical tastes or raw ability to perceive sonic differences. I have noted that my own natural, age-related, diminution in high-frequency hearing has begun to be reflected in my loudspeaker preferences. Years ago I wouldn't listen to any design that used a metal dome tweeter. Now some of the better ones sound just fine to me. Should I buy the speaker I would have enjoyed ten years ago or the one I like today?
I actually have not found this to be true and I watch the market quite carefully. Sure, there are literally tons of cables crossing the Pacific in huge container ships. Most promise performance and materials that rival those of the very same US manufacturers of the cables I use to enjoy music and review gear. Material quality is generally abysmal and I know of no one who has evaluated the purity of their copper, silver-clad copper or silver. But, does this matter? I don't know...do you? In terms of real cable companies and by this I mean companies that do their own heavy lifting (cable design) and sourcing (they actually have their stuff custom made or make it themselves). Now the list has become much, much shorter.
I have tried to read some reviews that were said to result from the proper application of the Scientific Method. I emphasize the word tried since each of the reviews put me to sleep. I expect science and listening to be employed during the design ad manufacturing phase of everything I listen to and buy. But, when I review things comes down to how the device I'm testing sounds to me, in my system, with my music. That is distinctly unscientific. And, when I think of the very best reviews I have read since the late 1970s the word scientific comes to mind almost never. Music is an emotional currency. Audio design uses inspiration, science and hopefully a love of music to create gear that sounds good. My end of the equation is simply to tell you how it sounds to me. If I detect the potential for a mismatch, I try to correct to for it during test. An example would be a high impedance / low sensitivity speaker mated to a low-powered tube amp. That is a simple electrical incompatibility and one that an experienced reviewer should never make.

I have saved the most critical tweaks for last. I would, in fact, suggest that these considerations are so significant that they really make the word tweak inappropriate. Here I'm thinking of the mechanical and acoustic isolation of high-gain components. I'm obviously talking about turntables and tube moving-coil preamps. Surface and airborne vibration are the enemies here and I can assure you that almost no one, and that includes me, has paid enough attention to turntable isolation. Ask a reviewer what the resonant frequency of their turntable shelf is and be prepared to be met with a blank stare. As with loudspeakers, manufacturers have gone in different directions on this.

Some, like REGA have eschewed suspension. Others have lavished attention on suspension, regarding it as a critical part of any high-fidelity vinyl playback system. They're both right and they're both wrong. After worshiping at the suspension alter way back in the 1970s I now belong to the church of lightweight and rigid table systems. So, am I saying that only a rigid system can sound musical? Nope. What I am saying is that, for me, a rigid system is easier and more predictable to setup and maintain. That means more music and fewer hours chasing down weird issues related to suspension issues. For me, the lesson was a hard one. It was impossible for me to believe that my then-new REGA already had the best feet possible so I began to hunt for something better. I'm not going to tell you about all the different feet I tried. It's not fair to the companies who built them that I applied them to an inappropriate source. The point is that it was only through careful and honest listening that I came to understand the mistakes I'd made. Once I had learned the lessons I had at once a new sense of humility and an even greater appreciation for what REGA accomplishes with their designs. Learning can be hard and expensive. But, keep this in mind; what I've written here applies only to high-gain aspects of your system and, if you want to be precise, aspects of your system that are exposed to significant surface excitation. If you have an all digital system, rest easy. Honestly, when it comes to tweaks take your easy wins whenever they come.

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