Anyone try Synergistic Research PHT...

Phil, Thanks for relating your real-world experience. I was surprised to learn that your PHT weighed .015gm (=15mg), as I thought I saw a stat on the SR website of .001gm, for the PHT, albeit that seemed too low to be true. (Here I do not mean to say that SR is deceptive or duplicitous about the weight of the PHT. More than likely this is my own error in interpreting what I read.) In any case, even 15mg is nothing to worry about as regards altering tonearm effective mass or VTF. I personally have had the experience of going in to a listening test with a decided negative bias and coming out with a different opinion entirely. It may well be that when one expects to hear no difference, then the tiniest difference may register with more sensitivity than would otherwise be the case. (This was the question of whether power cords make a difference to the sound of an ESL [electro-static loudspeaker]. I thought surely they would not, but I was very surprised to discover that they do indeed, at least in my system with my pair of Sound Lab ESLs. But one of the two best sounding PCs were the hardware store grade cords supplied by the manufacturer. Cost of the PC was no correlate of "goodness" to my ears. The only nearly "bad" sounding PCs were as costly as any of the 4-5 pairs I got together for my test.)

I think blinded listening removes a great deal of bias. And I agree with everyone, bias is bidirectional, for liking or disliking sound. The money back guarantee (it was my friends purchase of the PHT) helps removing bias as there is nothing to lose but the hassle of returning a product and requesting money back.

Just to give another example: I went to audition a pair of loudspeakers 300 mi away. I really wanted to like them before driving and listening and was prepared to purchase. After auditioning, I was less than blown away and drove home empty handed. I wanted and was ready for a purchase that day. I had a preconceived bias from reading the reviews and internet that I would love these speakers. Despite that bias, I didn't.

By the way Lewm, the PHT does appear to have some magnetic properties. When resting it on my digital tracking force gauge, it made the baseline fluctuate before ever touching the weighing platform. It also has some weak magnetic attraction to another magnet. The perceivable change in sound some may hear are if ones cantilever isn't precisely in the plane of the carts internal magnetic field. This PHT would have an effect on the carts magnets, maybe aligning things better. This may explain the lack of effect on both my friends and my cart - both are new with < 200 hours on them. I imagine that the PHT may have more effect on well-loved carts with several hundred hours on them. Just a guess though.....

Sbayne, it was my friends purchase and I think he will be returning the PHT. We just simply couldn't notice a difference switching back and forth, each of us blinded, between with and without the Blue Velvet PHT. If anything, although both of us skeptical, we both actually wanted to hear a difference. Who wouldn't want improvement in sound for that low a price and the ease of application of the device!

The PHT's may very well be cart-depedent. Who knows, but if it makes a positive difference to those who have purchased and kept them, I say that is great and think its awesome to get improvement with tweaks that are relatively inexpensive. I wish there were more of them in this expensive hobby/passion of ours.

"I personally have had the experience of going in to a listening test with a decided negative bias and coming out with a different opinion entirely. It may well be that when one expects to hear no difference, then the tiniest difference may register with more sensitivity than would otherwise be the case. (This was the question of whether power cords make a difference to the sound of an ESL [electro-static loudspeaker]. I thought surely they would not, but I was very surprised to discover that they do indeed, at least in my system with my pair of Sound Lab ESLs."

I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit. You clearly have the knowledge and experience to work around whatever bias you have, in order to make a good decision.