Anyone try Synergistic Research PHT...

I actually own a turntable and I actually own the PHT! Yes, they do what they claim. I'm not crazy. There is a 30 day money back guarantee if you don't agree. I sent back the SR RED fuses for a refund because I didn't hear a significant difference.

Zd542, The idea of observer (in this case "listener") bias is much older than this discussion. It has long been taken as a given in the design of any study that involves opinion or human judgement of any kind and that purports to be "scientific". When you then add the fact that one has paid for the device under scrutiny, the bias factor is only compounded. We are all guilty of it; one cannot divorce one's judgement from subconscious bias. Thus you could say I disagree with your premise that listener bias is not a big factor in the formulation of opinions put forth in this and many other forums. That said, please note that it was not I who claimed that my quote was the quote of the year. Quote of the year was not my goal, but thanks for that, Phil.

I did see that SR has a 30-day return policy. In that case, it cannot hurt to try out a PHT. As I understand it, the PHT is some sort of weak magnet. One might also make a similar device for much less than $200 and give it a try. It is also said to weigh only one milligram, although it appears to be heavier than that. Thus it won't add significantly to effective mass.

Sbayne, I own 5 turntables and about 8 tonearms and 15 or so cartridges. I listen exclusively to vinyl. Digital only if I want to read a book or need background music for a party. OK? One thing I notice as regards Tweaks like this; the early adopters become very defensive and sensitive to criticism of the Tweak per se. It's nothing personal.

The point is there is no "listener bias" when you can return the item for a full refund. Like I did with the SR RED fuses. This is true for any product you buy that can be returned. If I bought a vacuum at Target and decided it didn't work as claimed then I simply return it. There is no bias there. I would only try to rationalize the purchase if "I'm stuck with it." My other comments are directed towards the fact I own the PHT. Nothing personal, but its easy to dismiss something you have never tried.

Sbayne, do you have the Blue Velvet or the Purple Haze version, and how does it improve performance versus listening to the same cart without it?

Sbayne, I am not dismissing the PHT. In fact, I wrote above that since one can have a 30-day trial period, I'd support the decision to give it a shot. Glad your happy with the PHT; as I also said in my first post, I do know that others besides yourself are also pleased with it. I am a skeptic by nature, when it comes to accepting anything on faith alone.

Oh, and not to beat a dead horse, but I do not agree that there is no listener bias, if one can return the item under review. There is ALWAYS subconscious bias of one kind or another in any subjective judgement. Someone like me is probably biased against hearing a beneficial effect, in fact. I did not think power cords could possibly make any difference to the sound of an electrostatic speaker (connecting the ESL bias supply to AC), until I finally did a listening test in my own system; I was wrong. However, what I found was that sonics only poorly correlated, if at all, with cost of the AC cord.