^^^ To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, the problem you have Wolfie Cotton Ears, isn't that you know too much. The problem is, you know too much that isn't true.
As a technical person, its understandable that you suffer from the common affliction of many techno-boobs ... and that is analysis paralysis. You are so locked into the trees that you cannot rise above them to see the forest.
Its understandable that the audio hobby attracts techno-boobs like you with functionality problems and serious social dysfunctions. If I, or others tell you that we have gained substantial benefits in our audio systems from certain tweaks, but cannot tell you why, why is it that you cannot understand that we don't give a fig why? We are romantics. We want the end results. We will leave it up to you techno-freaks to figure out why ... and also to design more and better tweaks so that we may improve our systems. For your skill set, we are willing to pay good money ... and that keeps food on your table, a roof over your head, your wife well dressed, your children in private schools and your subscriptions to technical journals current.
For God's sake, Cotton Ears, if I buy a new Ferrari, do I really have to understand the function of Weber carburetors or the dwell angles of the dual overhead camshafts? I just want to go fast and enjoy the handling on challenging roads ... not to mention the sound of that lovely V-12 at full song. Try to get your technical head around that.
You seem to have a real problem with salesmanship and/or those who sell for a living. I don't give a damn how good of a product you invent and/or develop from a technical standpoint, if it doesn't get to market it won't sell and your doors won't stay open.
The next time you're driving on the highway, take an introspective look at all of the semi trailers loaded with goods on that same highway. Those goods are going to market, and they wouldn't be going to market without a salesman on the initial end of the transaction. Someone has to SELL to a willing buyer or the product will just sit there taking up room in your warehouse. No movement, no money. No money, no profit. No profit, no business. Without salespeople, the entire country would come to a standstill resulting in an eventual economic collapse.
Look Mr. Cotton Ears, you may be great at figuring out that two plus two equals four, but try to figure out what will motivate a potential seller to buy your product ... then exercise professional sales skills that have taken you years to develop. Developed to the point that the prospect doesn't even realize that he/she has been sold. Then, once they buy, they thank you for turning them on to such a great product.
That takes real people skills, my friend. Skills that you sorely lack. Why do I say you lack people skills? Its obvious. You continue coming into this thread with a jackhammer in an effort to impress everyone with your delusional "superior" knowledge. You find joy in insults, even to the point of accusing me of being on SR's payroll, and in general just pissing everyone else off. Great people skills, eh?
As a person who has spent over a half a century earning a living in 100% commissioned sales (no draw and no salary), knocking on doors, making appointments, giving sales presentations and closing transactions, I can honestly say that most people wouldn't last a week in the sales business ... especially techno-freaks like you, Mr. Cotton Ears. If your biggest fear is criticism, which it most likely is, you wouldn't be able to stand the constant rejection that professional salespeople experience on an hourly basis. For us, every "no" puts us closer to a "yes." For you, the "no's" would be devastating. For us, we need to apply for a new job every day. For you, you wouldn't be able to stand the insecurity ... never realizing that you find true security when you give up the "security" you have right now.
So, stay secure in your comfortable lab coat with a hot soldering iron in one hand, a tube tester in the other and a slide rule in your shirt pocket, and just keep quiet and stop telling the rest of us how much knowledge you have and what WE should think and what WE can or can not hear. Wake up ... we don't give a flying .... ####.
Now then, on a brighter note, this morning's listening session consisted of more of Franz Liszt's orchestral music. Lovely what these SR fuses, SR room treatments (HFT's) and the SR level 3 power cords have brought to my audio system. Nope, I don't know how the fuses, the room treatments, or the power cords work, nor do I care. I only know that they do work.
I think the next SR tweak I'll try will be the SR PHT's for my cartridge. If the promotion on these items hold true, and I have no reason to believe that it won't, it should be a major upgrade for the old Well Tempered Turntable. Perhaps Mr. Wolfie Cotton Ears would be kind enough to do the research then tell us why they work while the rest of us just sit back and just enjoy the music.
Happy listening ...
OP