Marking our spot, staking our claim, drawing lines in the sand. These are all euphemisms for setting boundaries when we build frameworks—and frameworks help us work within structure.
My framework for assembling a system has changed over the years. When I first started my HiFi journey I included everything I could to wring as much as possible out of the system: tweaks, voodoo, science, and lucky guesses were all fair game in the quest for audio's holy grail. What did it matter if half of what I tried barely worked? As long as I got great performance that was all that mattered.
Over the years I've mellowed and matured, eliminating as much clutter as possible. I suppose that's the old man's curse—we can't deal with as many variables as before so we delete them one by one.
Which is why I rarely find myself using tweaks. Years ago I had every color green pen made to help my CDs and you know what? They worked. Probably still do. Yet, my enthusiasm level has vanished.
I am more interested in building firm foundations than polishing weaker ones—which is how I view tweaks: helpful aids for inadequate structure.
There's far more satisfaction in building a solid framework of the best equipment possible than aiding and assisting with tweaks and frills.
Yes, they work but not without clutter and distraction.
I'd rather mark my spot on solid ground.
