What is your best kept secret in mid-fi?

I agree with many of the previous writers and I want to add what I think is the most important tweak available for relatively few dollars. Resonance tuning. Using a combination of wood cuboids like Cardas myrtle cuboids and Walker discs (1/2" and 1") start with amp and preamp and tune them with the same care you would take adjusting VTA on your tonearm. My starting postitions usually are along the front to back center line almost always at the rear end with two 1" discs butted up. If you have cuboids try them under the discs. move back along the center line and experiment with moving them back to where one is hanging over the back up to 1/4". You may be skeptical but I urge you to try this. Once you have tuned the amp and preamp then do the same for your SACD/CD player (this will make the difference between Hifi and Awesome analog like space filling sound)and your phono preamp.

If you like that one try changing the direction of your fuses on any equipment where you can. This one came courtesy of Lloyd Walker and crazy as it sounds, It got me an extra 10 percent of truth in my sound.

1.
good interconnects - xlo

i have very good success with a xlo "signiture seconds" from fatwyre. it was designed to be the signiture series but had a different jacket color. incrediblely neutral cable. bested harmonic tech and zen in my system ( i live close to both companies in san diego). can be had for $300 in 1 meter.

2.
the marantz sa8260 player

made me a beliver in digital playback despite going back to repair to marantz for the second time. it is very musical..unusual for digital playback & cost only $600-$800.

3.
alon II speakers

very close sound of a planar in dynamic dipole design, but with bass & dynamics. extremely revealing of everything upstream ( not bright). does a amazing disappearing act and reveals everything in a recording and gear. i would call it a "poor mans" review speaker that is very neutral, revealing, and musical if your gear is up to it.... can be had used for $600-$800. nothing in that price range comes close. kills vandersteens 2's in the midrange, top end, and imaging.

hope that helps !!

mike

Move your speakers out from the front wall! At least three feet, but more is better. Will probably make more (positive) difference than anything else you can do.

Move your speakers as far apart as you can. Point them in some if you loose center fill. I wnet from 6 feet to 8 feet and moved "into" the performance. The speasers now pressurize the whole room with sound.

Thanks for taking time out to share info. gotten from years of experiment - they will improve my listening pleasure for sure.

Europian magazines stress the importance of the source in determining the quality of sound. Some audiophiles place inportqance in the speaker. Now I am beginning to think a system sounds only as good as the weakest link. All these tweaks are necessary in putting together a good sounding system.

Just a word of caution for DIY tweakers - be careful when around electricity. Even an unplugged unit is dangerous! Know what you are doing, before opening up any units.