fuses - the $39 ones or the 85 cent ones

I don't know what else to say....I have stipulated that a DBT in Hi-End is difficult if not impossible.....For many practical reasons. It is an example of methodology ONLY. For example, the 'D' in DBT means Double....the person doing the setup as well as the listener (victim) should have no idea what is being or not being swapped....very difficult when changing a power cord as big as your arm from the 'stock' bit of lamp cord! So 'D' appears OUT.

The real proof of the pudding, is when you can identify changes with a degree of certainty. If, in your own home, you have someone swap / not swap fuses and can not relieably tell the difference, than it makes no difference. period. Just so long as you don't know if the item under test has or hasn't actually been changed.

Certainly NOT beyond proof of difference. That one fuse is Better....well, that certainly is up to you. But for me to go that route I'll need some indicaton that it works.

As for now, instead of 4x40$=160, I'll spend the same on a couple boxes of OC703=about 140$ and a 30 or 40$ trip to the hardware store. I don't think I should worry about fuses until my listening area is up to snuff.

I think many are really insincere in advocating it, in that they would not pay any attention unless it supported their belief that there are no differences.

Tbg, probably true in some cases, although I can't think what benefit there is to that way of thinking. How about if we turn it around like this; I think many are really insincere in advocating it is USELESS, in that they would not pay any attention unless it supported their belief that there ARE differences. For this line of thinking I can see benefits.

I'm not here to tell you your ears are wrong. I'm not here asking for proof of something that isn't provable either.

What I have a problem with are words such as "substantial" when describing different tweaks. If I were to hear a substantial difference I expect I could identify that difference. I have two pairs of speakers that are sometimes set up at the same time. I can tell from another room which speakers are playing because the difference in their sound is substantial.

As for your last sentence, if I responded sincerely this post would not get through.

Timrhu, I guess you are suggesting that some tweaks, components, etc. have greater impact than others. I certainly don't deny that given my experiences. I think that DBT advocates typically go further saying that they would have to have differences "proven" to them for some tweaks as they "don't believe anyone can explain why they would make a difference." I would not bother to "prove" anything in audio to another person. I really don't care whether or not they buy the tweak. I do believe that many of these people expect that DBTesting would show few if any differences would be noted in DBTs. If so, how they choose their component baffles me or how they would improve their system would seem impossible.

DBTs seldom, if ever, find humans can hear a difference. It is somewhat complicated but by logic you can never "prove" an hypothesis, but one counter finding can "disprove" an hypothesis. This is why researchers evaluate a null hypothesis, such as Democrats and Republicans vote the same, and then seek enough confidence to reject that hypothesis. But in DBTs the null hypothesis that there are no differences is mainly supported by the research, so they accept the null hypothesis, which cannot logically be done. It is just for this particular study and its measurements and design that anything can be said. Nothing can be generalized.

Magfan, you say, "If, in your own home, you have someone swap / not swap fuses and can not relieably tell the difference, than it makes no difference. period." Absolutely wrong! You hear no difference but others might. Certainly you would concede that a better more revealing system might reveal differences. But you should not buy whatever it is that you are trying. You certainly would or should concede that you may be biased to hearing no difference as others maybe to hearing a difference. I am quite empirical about this thinking you should try it and see. I would paraphrase your sentence to be-If, in your own home, you have someone swap fuses and hear a difference, then there is a difference. Period. Sometimes this swapping may not be easily done double blind, such as removing all room treatments, and sometimes it cannot be made quickly as cables may take hours to settle down.

Tried that with my older ML (replaced the stock with premium fuse in only one speaker). Same signal was fed to both speakers.
Sorry, heard no difference. YMMV.

Mariusz

In one speaker?