and we thought cable break in was nuts ...............

[Johnny2Bad]

The Problem Here:
If you are a noob and don't known better, then this is a problem! The noob gets cheated out of his $, then loses interest in the hobby.

If you know what you are doing, and choose to spend the $ anyway, then that is fine.

No "Noob" is going to spend $150 on a fuse, or at least no "Noob" of the kind that reads this forum; half of them complain they can't afford a $500 integrated amp and want to know which $250 one we might recommend that is "just as good".

People, even misguided people, don't buy high priced fuses when they buy their systems. They don't buy high priced fuses when they decide they need to upgrade their cables. They buy them later, and by later we mean after they have tried all kinds of other "upgrades", and for some neurotic reason, they still can't enjoy what is probably a very good sound system. You are not going to help that kind of buyer with anything I or anyone else have posted in this thread.

Gordon Gow, of the original McIntosh Laboratory, was famous for saying that ordinary speaker cable was all anyone needed, and always counseled his dealers to avoid stocking exotic speaker cable. The dealers soon discovered they could not follow his advice, because buyers of Mac gear would inevitably demand they have them available for sale.

You are not going to "save" that customer from themselves. As for the members and non-members who read this forum, I would be shocked to learn even one would buy the type fuse as this thread is all about. So no saving anyone necessary.

Honestly, I understand the desire to "help". But there is no help needed.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

fd ill\

You know, the "funny" thing is that I don't see this type of purposeful misleading and money grabbing in my other hobbies!

Telescopes/Binos/Astronomy--Well, you get into the spot where the next minor improvement in the optics costs hundreds of dollars more! But, the improvement is there, and you have to ask if it is worth the cost. Often, if you are dealing with an eyepiece for example, it may be that the view isn't necessarily any sharper, but you get a wider field of view. There are great optics available at entry level prices!

Mountain Biking--same story, incremental improvements and perhaps longevity cost more. Great example, I have 2 bikes, 1 has entry level SPD pedals, the other has 2nd from the top XT SPD pedals. The XT pedals are definitely better, feel better, perform better. But, XT costs a little over 2x what the entry level costs. XT is definitely not "twice as good" as the entry level.

But, my point here is that the next level up absolutely performs better, and there is a clear hierarchy! Once you get into the audio hobby, it's no-holds-barred, plenty of BS and snake oil, and a lot of people purposely misleading the ignorant (or they have been so mislead that they take the ignorant along on the ride of ignorance).

You know the common advice here is "upgrade the speakers first", in mountain biking it's "upgrade the wheelset first".

What about the "dieting" and "health food" industries? They generate Billions of dollars every year, most, perhaps all, of it of dubious merit.

Who really needs a Rolex to tell time?

Sooner or later everyone here will have a serious girl who probably will become a wife. She needs exactly one bottle of shampoo. How many does she have?

What about the automotive hobby? It's rife with snake oil.

Or photography? How many people would choose a 20 MP camera with a small sensor over a 12 MP camera with a larger sensor, and think they have bought the camera with superior image quality?

I don't buy the premise that audio is unique with regard to dubious claims. If I am to understand the TV ads, every insurance company claims if I switch to them I will save 10 or 20% in premiums. Apparently, all I have to do is switch five or ten times and my car is insured for nothing. Right?

" ... Except that most publications have now gone to the web. ..." Not the Robb Report.

 

[slipperybidness]

No "Noob" is going to spend $150 on a fuse, or at least no "Noob" of the kind that reads this forum; half of them complain they can't afford a $500 integrated amp and want to know which $250 one we might recommend that is "just as good".

People, even misguided people, don't buy high priced fuses when they buy their systems. They don't buy high priced fuses when they decide they need to upgrade their cables. They buy them later, and by later we mean after they have tried all kinds of other "upgrades", and for some neurotic reason, they still can't enjoy what is probably a very good sound system. You are not going to help that kind of buyer with anything I or anyone else have posted in this thread.

Gordon Gow, of the original McIntosh Laboratory, was famous for saying that ordinary speaker cable was all anyone needed, and always counseled his dealers to avoid stocking exotic speaker cable. The dealers soon discovered they could not follow his advice, because buyers of Mac gear would inevitably demand they have them available for sale.

You are not going to "save" that customer from themselves. As for the members and non-members who read this forum, I would be shocked to learn even one would buy the type fuse as this thread is all about. So no saving anyone necessary.

Honestly, I understand the desire to "help". But there is no help needed.

I can concede that point, but maybe a $50 Monster Cable is the start of that slippery slope?

Where do we draw the line?

The fact is that the audio hobby has way too many charlatans just waiting to rip off the ignorant.

 

[panteragstk]

I've seen plenty of people that get a large sum of money buy anything a salesman tells them to without regard to what it does or whether or not it is worth the money.

People buy rolex because they are pretty and a status symbol. Nobody buys a $150 fuse because it's pretty.

 

[lovinthehd]

I've seen plenty of people that get a large sum of money buy anything a salesman tells them to without regard to what it does or whether or not it is worth the money.

People buy rolex because they are pretty and a status symbol. Nobody buys a $150 fuse because it's pretty.

Perhaps beauty of a fuse is in the eye of the beholder?

FWIW while you may not be able to keep a fool from parting with his money, don't see any reason to help the snake oil "upgrade" stuff around here....

 

[KEW]

FWIW while you may not be able to keep a fool from parting with his money, don't see any reason to help the snake oil "upgrade" stuff around here....

Agreed, We do no one any favors by "letting them off the hook". Every dollar spent with them is a dollar that doesn't go to a decent company offering "a fair product at a fair price"!
Worst case scenario is a successful scammer might buy out honest companies. I bet Bose could buy out RBH

 

[lovinthehd]

Agreed, We do no one any favors by "letting them off the hook". Every dollar spent with them is a dollar that doesn't go to a decent company offering "a fair product at a fair price"!
Worst case scenario is a successful scammer might buy out honest companies. I bet Bose could buy out RBH

Or even that a dollar may not need spending at all.

Does EVA buying B&W qualify?

 

[cpp]

A lot of these "audiophiles" buy expensive voodoo items to do the "see what's I bought and I can hear a difference.", or as the saying goes, to keep up with the Joneses: say what !. From fuses, to little wooden cable lifters or fancy pebbles to out right outrageous power cords and IC's. There is a product for someone out there be it a fancy $10k watch to unreal exotic car prices or even speakers that cost more than people make in two years,..