New Tweak --- Its Fantastic
2017-I install my friend’s latest cables, the SR blue fuse and TC without changing the room treatments. My wife finds the Focuses sound to bright and aggressive. Reason-the openess exposed the bad slap echo and other acoustic problems in my room. 2018-Solution-SR HFTs (2 sets), SR speaker kits (1 pair) and removable of all baffles, diffusers, other hard surfaces in the room. Result-she likes listening to her music again.there are alot of changes mentioned. did they all need to happen at the same time. do you think that you could have achieved the same results with less changes? it is not really clear what TC has done in this case? more resolution usually means more room excitement, although not always, and room changes or treatments can change the sound alot. |
I have, however, heard a ton of UNexpectation bias though ... all from those who haven’t seen the product, touched the product, heard the product or used the product.yes, it is annoying, isn’t it TC seems to be a good product, one poster found it not god enough, and several to many posters have found it really good |
My wife would not listen to her music (rock) when we first met when I had Martin Logan Monolith IIIs and Quests. No bass, no dynamics, poor listening area. I was driving them with Audio Research Classic 60s and an AR SP14. Maybe it wasn't sufficient power. Enter the Focuses and Sig IIIs. No problem for 18 years with more powerful tube amps and higher end tube gear for the last 15 years. 2017-I install my friend's latest cables, the SR blue fuse and TC without changing the room treatments. My wife finds the Focuses sound to bright and aggressive. Reason-the openess exposed the bad slap echo and other acoustic problems in my room. 2018-Solution-SR HFTs (2 sets), SR speaker kits (1 pair) and removable of all baffles, diffusers, other hard surfaces in the room. Result-she likes listening to her music again. Enter the SR Atmosphere XL4. Placed in front of the speakers, tremendous increase in dynamics, detail and tone intensity. She really likes it when dialing in Amplify setting for heavy metal and hard rock. For me, it sounds like horn speakers dynamically, panel speakers for detail and triode amplification for tone depth. So far, so good. These are repeatable results. As to the TC, fuse and cable changes, my wife noticed the difference immediately and I didn't tell what I did. The other acoustical tweaks she could see. I didn't tell her what the differences were, just asked her what do you hear, do you like it or not. She is not an audiophile. It didn't require 10 blind tests to get an answer. |
Hello Mark... For ’me’ it’s not about the equipment improvements made in this hobby any longer,which by the way,I have enjoyed tremendously for most of my life..but now rather.. how much more the music ’serves my way of life’...instead of ’me serving the gear’..if that makes any sense to you. I don’t enjoy getting all worked up over whether or not my kit sounds as good as it can as in times past,so in that sense,I have hit the proverbial brick wall..jumping off the carousel. I now happily enjoy being more in service to the music I love.. than the means to that end. With that being said...I use Audiogon more as a resource for the entertainment value and used gear pricing...than for anything else... Horses for courses. PS...I still love tube rolling. That is one tweak with great merit. 8) |
dbarger ...I was suggesting to have someone apply the tweak at some point in the 10 trials, and see if you can say at which time it was changed. It could be on the 3rd time, or the 6th, or whatever. But the piece must be played for the 10 (or whatever the plan is) times.That’s not 10 trials; that's using 10 samples in one single trial. Big difference! You can’t get valid results from any test that relies on just one trial. |
Hi Frank, I applied TC to my remaining Power Cord as well as the USB cable running from my server to the DAC. Proceeded to turn on Tidal and play "Tin Pan Alley" by Stevie Ray Vaughn. The moment the intro came on, there was a huge smile on my face :) How is this possible? Who cares, I just closed my eyes and let the music flowwwwww. |
^^^ I haven’t heard any "expectation bias" regarding TC. I have, however, heard a ton of UNexpectation bias though ... all from those who haven’t seen the product, touched the product, heard the product or used the product. :-) If I heard the same piece of music ten times, then had someone apply TC to my speaker cables, I’m positive I would hear the difference ....and I’m no fried chicken either. Frank Just to clarify, I was suggesting to have someone apply the tweak at some point in the 10 trials, and see if you can say at which time it was changed. It could be on the 3rd time, or the 6th, or whatever. But the piece must be played for the 10 (or whatever the plan is) times. As I said I am not big on blind testing but it would be very easy to tell the difference between my old Ref 3 and my Ref 6. If the difference is profound as it has been described, I would think it would be obvious and audible. |
What we have here is an excellent example of what I like to call The Last Tweak Syndrome, something we tend to see a lot of on threads like this. What is The Last Tweak Syndrome, you ask? Well, it’s when someone says something to the effect, WOW, I’ve been in this hobby for 40 years and my system never sounded this good. Or, I’ve tried a lot of great tweaks, but this one put me at a brand new level I never thought existed. Even my wife agrees this is the best sound we ever had. But when a new tweak pops up, let’s say a new fuse, for example, the gushing starts anew, Holy cow, I’m in awe, this can’t be happening, and I thought the last one was the end of the road! He has just experienced The Last Tweak Syndrome. 🤠 |
aolmrd1241, I get your point of view here, I think. My sense is you have reached a point where you no longer believe a change would satisfy any meaningful improvement (other than short-term). I get that. I only ask to understand; why do you even use Audiogon as a resource? Not asking to be combative, but; I would suspect most who use this resource are intrigued by advancements and new technology. Just asking, Mark |
As human beings,we all tend to have an insatiable desire for the next best thing.. just around the corner..from our minds skewed perspective. If and when we do get there.. the feeling/desire wears off over a little bit of time and we’re right back we started from.. looking for the next best thing/fix. All things audio [and lots of other material goods also] fit this bill to a tee. Manufacturers of audio equipment/accessories know this all to well,hence,the never ending tweak or newest greatest component upgrade.. to keep one on the merry-go-round.. trying to fulfill the void within oneself..and of course..other people’s wallets. In my waning years,I no longer place that much importance on the small things in life..time is way to short. I threw my rose colored glasses in the garbage years ago. As always... ymmv. |
Jay questioned if the TC works or not. I used to be a dyed in the wool fan of planer speakers. I went through Acoustat 3’s, Acoustat 4’s and Martin Logan electrostatic speakers. I honestly believed that they were the end all in transparency. Well, they were enjoyable speakers, but the bass and extended highs were missing, plus, they just didn’t move enough air. Enter the Legacy Signature III’s. At 93db efficiency, my ARC REF-75-SE is just coasting no matter what I play. There’s three 10" woofers to take care of the bass and ribbon tweeters to take care of the highs. After applying several new tweaks over the past couple of years, the Legacy’s are every bit as transparent as any planer speaker I’ve owned. 1. Herbie’s tube dampeners on every tube in the system. 2. SR Blue fuses throughout the system. 3. SR HFT’s ... a ten pack and follow the directions. 4. Total Contact - simply amazing. It may be a cumulative effect, but at the 8-week point after pasting with TC, the transparency, 3-D presentation, organic tonal balance and the dynamics at times are so close to real that I keep thinking its impossible. But, it is what it is ... and that’s pretty fantastic. The system is WAY beyond where I ever thought it could be. So Jay ... For the third time: Have your questions been answered to your satisfaction, or is there still something standing in the way of your purchase? If you’re ready to start enjoying the product for yourself, here’s the link to order: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8edd3-perfect-path-technologies-total-contact-electrical-contac... Have a great day ... Frank |
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Do audio tweaks really work? Food for thought maybe? http://www.psaudio.com/askpaul/do-audio-tweaks-really-work/ |
jay23, have you tried the product? If no, why are you posting because there is really no need for you to post these negative posts. These sort of posts are really quite disrupting to the thread and are really not reasonable.
One person has tried it and didn't like it enough and posted that it dulled his system. If you do not want to try TC that is reasonable. If you want it for free, well, that probably won't happen, which is reasonable. If you are thinking about purchasing it then like me and others it is probably best to simply read the posts about the performance of TC and hopefully glean enough information about TC, and peoples systems, to try it or not. |
Jay ... 1. Tim is not running a restaurant. Again, what is between Tim and Ozzy is between Tim and Ozzy. 2. Shelf life: Its working for me. 3. First, Tim's customer service is first rate. Take the time to read the responses regarding Tim's service in this thread. The fact that Ozzy has his nose out of joint has no reflection on Tim's service. 4. Yeppers, I'm an old guy all right. You're correct, Austrian economics HAS been under attack for just about a hundred years in this country. Who's doing the attacking though? Marxists? Progressives? Those who believe in massive debt and fiat money? Isn't a 21 trillion dollar debt and a trillion dollar budget shortage enough for you guys? 5. Obviously clear, Jay ... if you would take the time to read the thread from the beginning, you'd find that a lot of your questions have already been answered. 6. Return policy "side stepped?" Again, read the thread from its inception. Now then, is there anything else standing in the way of your purchase? Frank |
@oregonpapa Jay ... 1. So if you're at a restaurant, and you tell the waiter the food is cold, it's fine for him to walk away from you and stay silent? This is the same customer service Tim is providing. While ozzy may have posted it, Tim is the one that admitted to his lack of response. 2. That is the production formula? If not, it doesn't apply. 3. I have enough business experience to know the costs. I have no idea how much Tim spent. Hopefully his business sense is greater than his current customer service. 4. I know you're older, but Austrian economics have been the butt end of jokes for over half a century. 5. I'm happily working, not retired, and not spending much of my time in the forums. 6. And people love Blose. The negative review and lack of return policy has been completely side stepped. |
R&D costs are tax deductible. It’s silly for anyone selling high end audio tweaks to expect to recover R&D costs if those costs are very high. That would be analogous to Lockheed Martin backcharging the Government for R&D costs. Ditto the costs of obtaining a patent. Patents are good for hanging on the wall of your bathroom. If R&D costs are very high and/or R&D takes a long time or the product requires many versions whose fault is that? As an old philosopher once said, if you want to make a small fortune in high end audio start off with a large fortune. He also said, if you want your product to be successful you have to get used to the idea of the giving it away. 🤠 |
Jay ... 1. What’s between Tim and Ozzy is exactly that ... between Tim and Ozzy. Perhaps you and Ozzy need to learn that sometimes "silence" IS the answer. 2. Shelf life: So far, the first tube is still viable after a year ... and it hasn’t been placed in the freezer. 3. Start up costs: Sounds as though you’ve been into Tim’s books, or at least are friends with his accountant. 4. Basic economics: Yes, I’m familiar with "basic economics," especially Austrian economics as espoused by the likes of Mises, Hayek and Friedman. You? 5. Positive reviews: You say that you are only familiar with Ozzy’s and my preferences and systems. I’d say that you need to get out more. 6. Does it work? Have you been reading the results as they come into this thread? Have you been reading my reviews? Now that your questions have been answered, and hopefully all of your fears assuaged, is there anything else holding you back from enjoying the product today? Frank |
@ronrags Jay23 Most of the included items should cost very little in bulk, or are unneeded for a sample. People should have cheap gloves, or can buy some for little cost. The instructions can be placed online. I read about a DVD. Really!?!??!? Is this the 90s? This can be put on YouTube or website in HD. The well palette can easily be replaced by the customer with some small plastic container top. The applicator brush, it sounds like a Q-tip can be used. That just leaves the syringe or some container for the TC. Like I already said, if it's as good as advertised, people will buy the full size, and that's where the major profit is. Do you have more excuses? |
@oregonpapa Jay ... • If Tim has not disappeared, then how has the ozzy issue not been resolved? You've tried to do damage control, while Tim has done nothing. This is like trying to sweep the dirt under the carpet. It takes a big man to step up and admit his mistake/s. In this case, his lack of response to emails, and not providing quality customer service. • The shelf life... You are referring to a beta product. A new formula means potentially different results. You've already mentioned the different audio results, in your experience. According to fleschler, "Tim mentioned that it lasts longer in a sealed or vacuum packed baggie, even longer in the freezer (six months or more was quoted)." 6 months is not a long time, IMO. • It "wouldn’t be cost effective to offer a smaller amount. After all, the cost of startup has to be recouped. Its business, pure and simple." Really? The startup costs and materials should be negligible, if properly handled. So that just means recouping R&D costs, to make a profit. I didn't say that halving the quantity meant halving the cost. Did you take basic economics? Look at the theory of supply and demand. IF you increase demand, the price per ml can increase, and the quantity sold increased. This means greater profit. As Geoff likes to say, Hel-loo! • As to positive reviews, I'm only familiar with ozzy's and your systems and preferences. I may not completely agree with both of your opinions, but I know enough to read between the lines. That leaves the product at 50% for me. The cost may not be that much if it works, but if it doesn't, it's a lot for a product with no return policy. This is why I recommended making it more of a no brainer to try. |
Tim, Frank and Ron, One of of the reasons I decided to do all this upgrading in the last couple of years was because hearing loss runs in the family. So I was wanting get better clarity from my hi-fi before I had any serious hearing loss. Therefore, I was and am serious about these upgrades and I have rejected a few tweaks/equipment along the way. As stated before, this product has taken all the previous upgrades I have done to my system and clarified them further without any drawbacks. It simply helps equipment, wires etc... get out way and brings out soul of the music. All along the way I have judged how my hi-fi plays music vs live music. The TC has helped my hi-fi get closer to this ideal. The bottom line is I am listening to more and more music and it sounds great to me. Thanks for getting this product out there rc |
^^^ *lol* I know the feeling. Its the mind, Ron ... The body says no, but the mind still thinks the body is that of a 20 year old. I actually miss my work. I loved what I did for a living, but I'll be hitting my 80th year this coming summer. So, other things will have to take the place of the working world for now. One good thing that I'm very grateful for is the hearing is still intact. God, if that goes, then what? Someone asked George Burns: "Who wants to live to be a hundred anyway, George?" George answered ... "A guy who's 99." :-) Hang in there ... Frank |
Jay23 It would not be practical and profitable for Tim to sell such a small quantity and recoup the r&d that went into this product and then make a profit as Frank stated. Besides the product, the package includes the syringe, applicator brush, 6 well palette, gloves and instructions. Remember Tim is one person and not a large corporation. The price seems a bit steep but the results are worth it. I’ve spent a lot more on other tweaks over the years with minimal results. As Frank also stated, try sharing the product with friends to reduce your cost. If anyone wishes to try a sample of mine, I would gladly come to their house and apply it myself. I live in Staten Island so anyone interested please send me a PM. |
Blind listening tests under controlled conditions may not be perfect, but they are infinitely superior to sighted ones if all you are concerned with is sound quality. I remember vividly how after 'upgrading' my amplifier to one costing 4 times as much I thought I'd check the old one before putting it up for sale. After switching back and forth a few times the really strange result left me baffled - they sounded remarkably alike! How could this be? Reviews had waxed lyrical about how wonderfully luxurious the new one sounded. Even now, years later I have trouble accepting what I heard. Buying without listening really would be the bane of the audiophile's life if there weren't others out there willing to do the same. Similar things often happen when comparing different (re)masterings of favourite albums. Once you have level matched them they often sound remarkably similar. Apart from Dylan's Street Legal, its difficult to think of a clear improvement when its comes to remastering. It was also odd that when my amp superseded by a new model a few years later the replacement was deemed a clear improvement in the press. All these 'improvements' year after year.... Perhaps its high time we all got into the tweaking business. Look here, I've got the perfect contact cleaner...it'll transform your system beyond belief. For a mere $50 per 330 ml bottle! I know it looks like a bottle of tap water but trust me.... |
Jay sez: Jay ... Tim Mrock has not "disappeared." He reads every post in this thread. There are plenty of contacts in an audio system to paste with TC to justify the 1.5 ml size ... especially if you do your circuit breakers. Unknown shelf life? If you were to read the thread in its entirety, you’d discover that I still have some connections pasted with the first beta TC a year later. I still have a little left in the syringe, and its still viable. In addition, it wouldn’t be cost effective to offer a smaller amount. After all, the cost of startup has to be recouped. Its business, pure and simple. If the entry price is too much risk for you, or anyone else, I’d suggest that you go in with a friend and do both systems. This way, you are getting the product for "half price," right? Read the positive reviews coming into this thread now. Considering the reviews, why do you still have reservations about "if its as good as advertised?" It is as good as advertised ... and even better. So now, is there anything else holding you back from buying a tube of TC to enhance your audio system? If so ... what is it? Do you have more questions? If so, I’d be happy to answer them to the best of my ability. If I can't answer them, Tim surely can. Frank |
ronrags I tried the HFTs only without my Hallographs and did not like the result either. While the sound was enhanced, detailed and open, it sounded antiseptic, sterile. Obviously my room has a lot to do with that. When I put back the rear Hallographs alone, the beauty of sound and immersion into a large sound field was brought back. Note that I used TC prior to installing HFTs and removing all my room treatment. My wife felt that the room didn't sound sufficiently open when compared to the best audio systems she heard at the LA Audio show 2018. I decided to try the Atmosphere XL4. I was hooked. It delivers so much more than an FEQ, in numbers of signals, signal strength and adjustability. I highly recommend TC which will do much of what HFTs. It does so many positive things to the sound from an electronic stance. like the blue fuse. I still had slap echo problems (moderately severe) without the HFTs which is a non-electronic, room problem. Now with the Atmosphere XL4, there is no slap echo present when clapping my hands while music is playing. Amazing. |
@perfectpathtech seems to have disappeared. Maybe @oregonpapa can recommend him to cut the quantity in half, along with a reduction in price. The unknown & limited shelf life, plus quantity to treat multiple systems, may be off-putting for a product without long term testing. A small sample container, with enough to treat 1-3 products for $10-30, would make a nice addition. 1 per customer. If it's as good as advertised, customers would buy the full size. |
Fleschler, I considered buying the speaker HFTs to work with my FEQ, but decided to purchase TC instead. I'm not sure if my system would benefit from adding the HFTs at this point. I tried the original HFTs on the walls with no improvement to my system and I do not wish to upgrade the FEQ to the XL4. Any thoughts? |
hifiman5 @geoffkait +1 Blind testing often produces so much anxiety in the listener that it interferes with their normal perceptions of their system’s sound. >>>>I actually don’t think so, I mean, unless there was a lot riding on it. For example, The Amazing Randi’s Million Dollar Challenge definitely produced a lot of stress in the challenger. The protocols themselves can produce stress, you know, what system is used for the test and where located, how many people are present, how the test is administered, which CDs can be used for the test, how many trials are required, things of that nature. It’s enough to freak out any mild mannered audiophile. 😩 No wonder nobody ever won the million bucks. Casual blind tests at home, on the other hand, are probably not too stressful. Nevertheless, as I already pointed out, negative results don’t prove anything. |
Do you know Clifford?? https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=japanese+import&_sop=15&_osacat=176984&_from=R40&a... Wynton Marsalis, eat your heart out. |
I jumped the gun on the 8 week improvement when I purchased the SR Atmosphere XL4 to go with my 2 HFT sets and 2 Speaker HFT sets. It was like TC on steroids. However, my wife noticed congestion/hashy sound on choral parts on LPs recorded in the 50’s and early 60’s (all four Aida Triumphal Scene LPs-recording tape headroom saturation problem). Jazz and instrumentals sounded fine but with the slightest blur on some (using a custom made tube phono stage with perfectly impedance mated SUT). I thought there could be worn stylus problem but my best LPs sounded fabulous. I did an experiment. I decided to plug in my old EAR 324 phono stage. It was difficult to get the right impedance/gain match (which is why I switched five years ago) getting too much bass, insufficiently open sound or too little bass and open sound (150 or 400 ohms, cartridge is best at 220 ohms).. Then I decided to treat the EAR 324s 2 pairs of RCA ICs and the A/C power cord with TC. Wow, I was able to dial in a setting I liked. The choruses became 50% clearer (wife approved as listenable) and a very tube-like tonal quality ensued. As noted, bass becomes more prominent. I was able to use a higher impedance match for my cartridge (Benz Ruby 3). My wife approved of me spending $300 for TC (as well as the XL4 after she heard what it did and the removal of all the wall/window treatments for the HFTs). She spent some time listening to LPs (luckily the XL4 has an Amplify room setting so that she can enjoy heavy metal and Robin Trower recordings). I just want to say that TC improves everything I pasted so far. Unfortunately for me, my wife will be spending more time listening to 80s rock LPs in my music room. On a personal note, my wife had about 300 LPs when we met 21 years ago which she kept in pristine condition. I’m a lucky man. |
^^^ Amen to that. TC is quite remarkable. I’ve done tons of tweaks over the years, but nothing does it like TC. I know there are those posting here who think that $299.99 is too much to pay for a tweak, but based upon what TC does, I honestly think it saves money. Why? Because in order to gain this much of an improvement in SQ, one would have to upgrade equipment ... and that costs thousands. In the meantime, I’ll just keep pasting away, thank you. :-)
RC ... I can hardly wait until you guys reach the 4 and 8 week time periods. It becomes what you said above --- times 10 at least. Frank |
Frank and Ron, Most of the initial feedback has been very similar to mine. I had a vague idea of of what the improvements might be in relation to noise reduction but I did not expect to what extent that the noise floor and digital glare was reduced. I will try to put it into perspective. As I have mentioned in prior posts, I just completed several interconnect, powered chord, power conditioning, and still point upgrades over a two year period. Each time I was able to do in home evaluation in each of my systems. I would not have purchased any of these items for fanthom improvements because I trust my own ears and spend wisely. Thus, this is the most risk I have taken in any Hi-Fi purchase, and so far one of the most rewarding so far, for the money. rc |
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There was no reason to have a blind since I was able to hear an immediate change to my system which was not so subtle. As I stated in my first impression, the music was cleaner and clearer. The soundstage was bigger and the music extended forward on all music. I found it difficult to ascertain any differences on some tweaks but not with TC. By far, this product made the most impact of any tweak or cable in my system. |
