Hi-Fi Fuses - SNAKE OIL? - or something in it?

Lacee - fortunately you now post on a forum where sniping at a person's post is "minimal" - but there is always someone that has a "Humble Opinion" to express :-)

To question someones findings to me seems moot - after all, it's - your system - your room. Unless that is duplicated down to the fabrics on the sofa and pictures on the wall there is no way they can doubt the effect of your particular tweak or upgrade.

The other factor many seem to forget is - it's also your ears!

e.g.
I have omni-directional ears - put me in a room full of people and I have a hard time following a conversation 3ft away, but I can hear a cellphone vibrating on the hallway table when I'm upstairs.

My wife on the other hand has uni-directional hearing and can follow a conversation in a crowded restaurant three tables away - and can tune into any conversation within that radius - as long as her head is pointed in that direction - but she can't hear her cell phone vibrate 3 ft away if it's behind her.

This has a direct impact on how a person is able to perceive sound and detect subtle changes in that sound.

I also find that trying to prove something is often pointless. Mainly because if a person chooses not to believe your findings, trying to convince them otherwise may require lots of my time - and I have music to listen to :-)

Therefore, I simply post my findings and let them do the legwork if they choose - or not. That way I stay sane.

There are many "claims" on Agon that I personally believe may be snake oil, because they make no sense to me, i.e. they are not attributable to physics as I understand it, but I have no doubt the poster of those tidbits truly did witness some effect.

So, keep posting your findings for those that are open minded and ignore the rest.

Discoveries are sometimes ahead of their time - after all, at one time the sun went around the earth and the earth was flat!

:-)

All very good responses.

All that matters is what makes a difference to my ears.

But sometimes one feels like spreading the good news.

Something that should be seen in a positive light,but seldom is.

I could understand the nasty comments if I would advocate a device or practises that would either harm the audiophile or damage his gear or home.

The only damage or threat I can see would be to someone's pocket book or ego if a long held belief is put to rest by a new device or practise.

Had my singing the praises of using an old Hammond bulk tape eraser as a device which enhanced the sound of my cd's and lp's was also found to destroy the disc or be a health threat, then I could understand the apprehension and avoidance of demagnetizing lp's and cd's.

Yet from all the venom that was spilled, you'd have been inclined to think it was a malevolent act on my part to wreak havoc and ruin.

In fact, the intent of the folks who post about certain tweaks making improvements has only one motive as far as I can tell, and that's to give a heads up to others who may be willing to try something new that just may be a whole lot cheaper way to get to nirvana than chasing after a new amp every two weeks.

I don't think very many posters are shills for any company or product that they are fans of.

For all the avid snake oilers of the new inquisition, I have seldom seen any mention of what products to stay away from.
What companies to avoid.

And most importantly what products "they have tried"that proved to be snake oil.

If I have to prove that something works, isn't it fair to ask for proof that it can't?

I agree about no two ears hearing the same thing, and about aging effects.I've lost some of the top end that I used to have, but I can still make distinctions between wires, fuses etc.

I think that there are a lot of physical factors and the level of concentration that some people are capable of and that others aren't.

Some folks listen to the whole score, others fixate on certain movements or instruments.
Some don't concentrate on anything about the music except if it makes their toes tap.

Nothing wrong with toe tapping.
But, I can get my toes tapping with some pretty inexpensive stuff,so I don't rate that aspect of the music listening experience too highly.

I could be wrong, but I suspect the music lovers are also those who don't go searching for fairy dust in the first place, and feel everything is as good as it's ever going to be in their world.

Then there are others who are always looking for the next "fix", the next new thing that will make the listening experience better than it is at the moment.

I think the last group, the audio junkies as my friend Matt called them,are also music lovers.

I count myself as belonging to the last group.

I'm still on a journey of discovery.
Which makes me happy.

Perhaps those who aren't happy with the hobby anymore, should get back on the road and pick up where they left off.

For me the trip has always been the fun part.

The destination is just a momentary pause,and always somewhere out there beyond the horizon.
Out there , following that trail of fairy dust.


What is irksome is when someone tells you that your ears are lying to you and that