As many of you probably already realise-I am a tweaker.  I love to experiment with gear (especially tube gear) to see if I can get it to improve.  This started years ago on my first real high end piece-a 1995  Bruce Moore Design Companion Preamp.  This little line stage was a gem, but I was assured that one could really make it sing by changing out the tubes to 7308 Amperex and changing the volume pots to  stepped gang types.  It went through a few incarnations (and my pocket book) but it really did sound a lot better.  It is still around today doing duty with yet another better set of volume control pots and sounding really great.  The present owner will NOT part with it.
   This was when I realised that manufacturers make compromises based on availability of  parts, price point, design parameters, and other various reasons.  Especially the price point of a piece of equipment.  This is not to say that all the stuff out there should be tweaked, much of it is very good as it sits.  Also, as I have found out, tweaking doesn’t always result in an improvement and usually always eats into the wallet. 
   Tweaking also extends to the stands you have the equipment on, the rubber feet of the equipment (that is an area that can generally do with improvement), in general any attempt to control vibration.   Wire and interconnects will have a huge impact on the sound of the system as well.
   Tube rolling is often done, mainly because the manufacturer is not going to buy NOS tubes (New Old Stock) or high end designer tubes for their equipment.  Tube purchasing on the builder’s end is usually determined by what they can get in quantity cheaply.  Also this is one thing that most manufacturers don’t have a warranty issue with.  They’d rather you kept the piece and changed tubes (at your expense) than deal with a return.  This of course varies by manufacturer.
   My best advice to the beginning tweaker is do your research.  A lot of us have already gone down this road and will be able to help with your decision making and save you a lot of cash.  Properly spent money can reap great gains for small investments.  There are a lot of vibration control stuff out there that’s not pricey, good power cables can be had used cheap (stick to name brands), a $149 power conditioner (Panamax or Furutech) can protect your gear and make it sound a lot better, interconnects and speaker wire can definitely help (price doesn’t always equal better performance), and on and on.  Work with a dealer who will let you try some of this stuff out, and also advise you where to start based on your budget and your system.  You do need to tell us everything about the system and the room and environment it is in, even how far away you are from the neighborhood transformer and switching station.  Don’t always think that you need to replace a piece of gear to get a better system.  Of course us retailers would love you to do that, but in all honesty I don’t feel that really serves the customer.  Often times what you are hearing is a choked power supply (small power cord or standard wall plug), hash in the electrical supply itself, mismatched capacitance and impedance of the interconnects and/or speaker wire, grounding issues, etc.
   Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have questions, or any other dealer.  Our advice is usually free (mine is) and most of us do want to help you make your system sing.  Don’t fret if we haven’t heard of everything you have in your system-there is so much out there that no one has heard it all.  There are basics that apply across the board no matter what you have.
The Following Tweaks are definitely worth trying:
JoLida JD 100 CD player:    Set of 3 Stillpoints (huge improvement of stage and detail)
Cary Audio SLP 98:   Set of 3 Stillpoints (better detailing and depth of stage)
Cary Audio Xciter DAC:   Set of Isobearings  (mellows unit out, better depth)
DVR’s in general:   Gutwire Notepads (absorb vibration and clean up video)
Speaker Stands:  Lead shot/Sand fill if possible (tightens bass, cleaner mids)
Turntables:  Mapleshade heavy feet with a 2″ thick maple base (great for lower and mid priced tables-BIG improvement)
And more to come……