Adding a “safe haven” forum for discussion of tweaks?

I think we can all agree that threads about tweaks like fuses, stones, mats, power conditioners etc. stir up all kinds of controversy, conflict and ill will.

I don't believe that for one second!   Ideas should only stir up someone to investigate further and choose the best idea. If you can't tell me why you disagree you have done no one any good. That is counter to making a better community?

I just come up from listen to Maggie's in gym and heavy bench press work. Wife in bedroom listen to music watching needles bounce on MA12000. Only one need safe haven me. Try not form massive government and make me pay higher fee while I'm get busy that just not right.

I have no problem with honest debate and I abhor censorship. Where I draw the line is when a poster slams a product without ever trying it, and in effect, becomes an arsonist in an attempt to burn a small business down. I realize that it may be unintended, but knocking a product without direct knowledge/experience of said product is harmful to the manufacturer.

Over the years, this has happened to several products that I’ve introduced, or reviewed here on Audiogon.

We all know about SR fuses, but how many remember all of the flack I took about PPT products initially until others took the plunge and tried them.?

And then the latest was the recent poster who claimed that he got the same results from two small ficus trees behind his speakers that I am getting from four Shakti Holograms, claiming that they were over-priced. He’s never tried the product and has never heard them in someone else’s system. He has NO clue whatsoever.

Ben Piazza, the developer of the Shakti Holograms, like Tim Mrock of PPT (RIP), and Ted Denney of SR, are small businessmen operating on small margins. . Unwittingly or not, why do these negative posters continue in their attempt to destroy these businesses without a second thought?

Those who have not tried the products in question in their own systems have no credibility in their remarks. Nuff said.

Frank

Another approach is that e.g. every post in a certain forum/subforum must have the word:

HEARD or NOT HEARD

at the top of every reply to indicate whether the person was speaking from experience or not. This way people could easily ignore the replies of people who have not heard whatever was being discussed..  Replies without that could be deleted but perhaps not necessary since interested people could just scan for replies with HEARD at the top.

An ignore feature would be helpful, I suppose.  But I don't really find the most egregious examples of this all that bad (have you ever seen what goes on on, say, a sports board?-- I don't think I've ever encountered racist, sexist or homophobic b.s. here.) The only time I do mind is when someone new asks a question and is reviled because that issue was discussed a year or two ago.  How is anyone coming to this site with a question supposed to know that?  (If it's like: is SS better than tube, a simple response  'this is unanswerable as the following specific threads show' should suffice). At least someone asked what each one of us here has at some point asked themselves.   I've asked some pretty basic and maybe what seem stupid questions here, and I've always gotten civil responses (or simply been ignored, which is fine also).