Bi-wiring speakers. Really?!

Bendy_House

Uh-oh, it never ends...

Around £500 will buy you this CD shaving machine:

https://hackaday.com/2022/09/07/improve-cd-sound-by-shaving/

Again, all quite plausible - talks about reducing light scatter, so the DAC requires less error correction.

Except it's nonsense. Why? Because the first thing you would do is provide evidence.

victor2

Bendy_House said:

Uh-oh, it never ends...

Around £500 will buy you this CD shaving machine:

https://hackaday.com/2022/09/07/improve-cd-sound-by-shaving/

Again, all quite plausible - talks about reducing light scatter, so the DAC requires less error correction.

Except it's nonsense. Why? Because the first thing you would do is provide evidence.

Entertained me watching the whole video. Off to my garden shed now to see what I can invent and sell for lotsa money! 

Bendy_House

I look forward to reviewing it, Victor.

Don't forget, it has to be superficially plausible. We can add the verbose plaudits afterwards.

I may have beaten you to it, tho' - I've already bi-wired the ceramic cartridge on my Crosley using solid-core, oxygen-free cable (otherwise known as 2.5mm twin-and-earth), and I know it will sound at least as good as a Rega Carbon once I can get the tone arm to move.

Username03725

I see Mr Angry is still going on about this then. Remember peeps, don't ever spend your own money on stuff that doesn't meet his approval. 

I had a look on the ASA site for the ruling you won, back on p8. No sign of it, under Rulings or Informally Settled. Any clues ode lad?

Ta

Bendy_House

Hi Username.

Who is Mr Angry?

I have no idea why the ruling doesn't show. Would you like me to contact them to ask?

Anyhoo, what do you think of this item, brought up on the other thread: https://www.futureshop.co.uk/quantum-science-audio-red-black-high-end-uk-13a-fuse ? They have some rave reviews.

Undervalued

Bendy_House said:

Hi Username.

Who is Mr Angry?

I have no idea why the ruling doesn't show. Would you like me to contact them to ask?

Anyhoo, what do you think of this item, brought up on the other thread: https://www.futureshop.co.uk/quantum-science-audio-red-black-high-end-uk-13a-fuse ? They have some rave reviews.

There is a not terribly serious discussion here....

https://www.avforums.com/threads/qsa-fuses-anyone-tried-them.2407409/

Although as it started on April 1......

More seriously I often wonder, given the debates about power leads and mains bourn interreference, why more people don't consider running their amplifiers etc on DC from one or more leisure batteries. Massive cable to the batteries would make pretty much unlimited current available for any transient peaks, completely free from mains noise? Do away completely with the power supply parts of the amplifier and run from however many multiples of 12 volts DC is required by the power amplifier (probably 48 / 50 volts in many cases).

Bendy_House

Undervalued said:

Bendy_House said:

Hi Username.

Who is Mr Angry?

I have no idea why the ruling doesn't show. Would you like me to contact them to ask?

Anyhoo, what do you think of this item, brought up on the other thread: https://www.futureshop.co.uk/quantum-science-audio-red-black-high-end-uk-13a-fuse ? They have some rave reviews.

There is a not terribly serious discussion here....

https://www.avforums.com/threads/qsa-fuses-anyone-tried-them.2407409/

Although as it started on April 1......

More seriously I often wonder, given the debates about power leads and mains bourn interreference, why more people don't consider running their amplifiers etc on DC from one or more leisure batteries. Massive cable to the batteries would make pretty much unlimited current available for any transient peaks, completely free from mains noise? Do away completely with the power supply parts of the amplifier and run from however many multiples of 12 volts DC is required by the power amplifier (probably 48 / 50 volts in many cases).

Thanks, Undervalued - I'll check out that discussion :-)

As to why more folk don't run their systems on isolated DC supplies, I guess it's because it just isn't necessary.

When was the last time you heard 50Hz hum from a half-decent HiFi system? Nor me. And if a half-decent system has noise-suppression so gobsmacking effective that it can reduce a 300+ volt cycle to truly inaudible levels, then I guess there isn't that much call for further suppression in its 1.5m power cable either.

I have to 'fess that I wasn't really seeking Username's opinion on that fuse - I suspect even he would find it pushing the credibility barrier a tad far - but I was making a point. And that point is - show us the evidence. Because, at the moment, that ridiculously-expensive fuse is selling purely on hyperbole and some hugely positive 'reviews' - just like Big Orange. But zero evidence. That would be sooo easy to provide.

I'm not even cynical about this; I just have functioning critical faculties. Like most folk.

Username03725

I'll bite.

I you refer back to my post of July 17th at 16:30 at the beginnings of this thread, where I openly said it's open to discussion. I didn't expect it to still be going 2½ months later, but there yer go. Some people just have to right and be seen to be right.

Whatever you think, I'm the guy that swapped the standard Sky lead for this big orange thing, not really expecting anything if truth be told but then found that the tv picture coming out of the Sky Q box was all over the place, compared what it had been due to the very careful setting process that I'd been through when the tv first arrived 18 months earlier. I like a good picture, not just what happens to come out of the box when it's first opened. After going through the settings again with this now different source to my eyes it was noticeably better. That was £30 well spent in Feb this year; over 7 months so far of a better picture, rather than 7 months of wondering. Please don't bother repeating the last 8 pages. I'm not blind; I didn't expect much if any difference, I had to reset it after swapping the lead and ended up with deeper colours, blacker blacks, more natural colours. I'm happy with it, I don't have to spend my life trying to convince you.

I'm also the guy that left the Naim Powerline mains lead in its box (Never Used!!! if it eventually went on eBay) instead of powering the Naim 272 streamer with it via a PS555 power supply, until after a few months I was advised to give it a go. I listen to my hifi, not just stick it on and crank up the bass (tip, it has no tone controls). The sound I'd grown very used to was suddenly better. Bigger if you like, a bit more bass, a lot more detail. I was happy, despite assuming that it wouldn't make a difference and that I could keep it in its box as an unused as new lead if I ever came to sell the 555. I still have it, it's superb.

On the back of that I did buy a Powerline for the 300DR amp, although Naim stick one in the PS555 box and not the 300 even though a 300 costs more. Result? Much the same as the introduction of the first Powerline tbh. Again, I'm happy with it, I don't have to sell it to you as an upgrade. And as I said on p1, the cost of a Powerline is buttons compared to the cost of the amp. I hate to break it to you but you don't save up for these things or break the credit card limit to get one. It's a result of just being able to, on a whim, when one fancies giving it a go. So far amazingly each time I've changed power leads it's brought about an improvement. I know it has, so I'm happy even if it's because my brain is frazzled to a fried walnut and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a decent Naim setup and a Currys £399 jobby. Fill your boots on replying to just this specific sentence btw. I know you will; it's an open goal and will allow you to ignore everything else. There yer go son, on yer 'ead, back of the net.

Anyway, this fuse you linked to. I've heard people discuss them and claim great things for them. As before, I'm wary, and even for me 2½k on a fuse is a bit much. If I was the guy who won the euromillions last week though I'd be straight down the Super Fuse shop to get 3, one for each power supply (streamer, pre-amp, amp) to see what happens. And maybe I'd go 'oh yeah, it does..', if it did. Who knows...?

Ecosse then. You seem to think they're on a par with shops fronting as launderettes but selling weed & skunk to the local unemployables. They're not. They're providing something that some people might like to buy and offer a money-back if you don't like it after all. Naim dealers will happily loan stuff out so you can try and see for yourself before committing. These companies provide a bit of employment, a bit of wealth generation and the chance to make your audio or AV system a little bit better. No-one gets hurt, the police don't have to raid these places to stop their dirty little business. Yet you seem to think it's your imperative to act as judge and jury, just because you don't see evidence.  Those of who buy this stuff don't watch tv or listen to music via graphs & charts, we go by the feel of it, the sound that our ears perceive (just as everyone perceives sound & images). And if we're happy and are willing to part with the cash because we judge it to be better, why do you have such a bee in your bonnet about it? Honestly, your attitude baffles me. You're the one getting all uppity telling us all how it's impossible, and I'm the one seeing great pictures on the tv and music like I never would have thought when I was 14. It's great. You can miss out, no-one minds. Just don't tell us we're wrong, or that you know how we should live our lives.

Ok?

[Deleted User]

 After going through the settings again with this now different source to my eyes it was noticeably better. 

So you changed the settings between the original power cable and the new one. Totally voids any test results as it was not an A-B comparison. The fact that you need to change the settings so much does suggest a subjective issue with your own perception of the picture.

High-end HiFi has no such tweaks to tone etc, there is no need to change anything as it should be pure and unadulterated by the user "tweaking" any settings. Exactly the same for visual on a TV, set "Filmmaker" mode or equivalent and you get as close to original reproduction as possible as post-processing is minimised and colours are reproduced as is.

https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/feature-article-blind-test-power-cords-12-2004.html

The above suggests power cords make bog all difference to hifi and the whole experiment was much more controlled than yours.

Username03725

It’s quite simple. I bought a new OLED tv and soon after that the Sky Q box landed. I got it all just so, and for the next year was really happy with it. 

Then I read about this cable so found one on eBay for buttons and swapped out the old one for this. Straight away the picture was wrong, ergo it had changed. You can tell me it didn’t all you like; it had. OLEDs are notorious for not being very bright. Mine used to give a nice picture at 49 (of 50). It’s now at 45. Colour was nice at about 39 - 42. It’s now 36, and the whole thing is nicer, a wee bit more lush, more natural.

No doubt you’ll tell me that’s not true. You’ll have to explain to my wife how she was wrong too when she looked up and noticed that the picture looked a little bit nicer.

But underneath all this is the same question as my last post. Why oh why oh why are you desperate to tell me that my experiences - audio and visual - can’t possibly have happened? I’m happy that the tv is better, so is the stereo. What’s your beef with me enjoying it more? Can I not be allowed to just enjoy them both, knowing that a) I had to lower the brightness and colour settings, and b) Ken Bruce, R4 newsreaders and most musicians that I listen to sound wonderful, and sound a wee bit better than before the Powerlines went in?