Extreme Snake Oil

[MattHooper]

Hey guys, can you hear the difference?

Synergistic Research Master Fuse A/B Test | Can You Hear the Difference?​

New video with sonic comparison of fuses.

The presenter associates a laundry list of sonic characteristics with the special fuses - pretty much the classic list of cat-nip-for-audiophiles-phrases - "DRAMATIC increase in resolution, lowering of noise floor, expanded soundstage, improved dynamic weight, extended high frequencies that both resolve more information while being smoother..."

Now, I'm no EE, but I'm pretty sure electronics literally don't work like that - as if one tiny component carries with it all sorts of sonic characteristics, independent of whatever amp or electronics design it's placed in.

Presented by The Absolute Sound, so you know you can trust it.

(BTW, someone in the comment section claims the Master Fuse track is 1-2dB louder)

 

[Tranquility Bass]

The TAS is renown for never doing measurements so it is little wonder they endorse this sort of product. Also nearly every audio product uses a power supply that is based on some sort of peak rectification circuit which only conducts on part of the mains waveform and the mains current is certainly never sinusoidal so I don't know what connection this has with the reproduction of music ?? Most of these fuses are nothing more than an expensive HRC fuse with a fancy label wrapped around them. It's a case of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and if you are stupid enough to pay anymore for a disposable item such as a fuse than what digikey, mouser, RS components, farnell etc then you deserved to get ripped off !!

 

[IPunchCholla]

I’m

Surely this doesn't pass safety standards ?? Also it is based on a false premise because most transformer primary windings exhibit much higher resistance than the fuse.

Safety standards? Are you saying that my one upper fuse (a super secret alloy bar) you replace the fuses in breaker box with, might be unsafe?

 

[Tranquility Bass]

I’m

Safety standards? Are you saying that my one upper fuse (a super secret alloy bar) you replace the fuses in breaker box with, might be unsafe?

It's worse than that. Lets say the owner of the equipment with the nail size fuse unfortunately passes away and his estate is liquidated. The unsuspecting punter who buys that equipment at an auction or private sale etc may not be aware that the equipment is no longer safe and protected without the additional outboard box of tricks. It's possible that if there is a fault in the equipment it could catch on fire and burn the house down and and/or the occupants in it. This product is nothing more than a fools errand and should be taken off the market

 

[IPunchCholla]

It's worse than that. Lets say the owner of the equipment with the nail size fuse unfortunately passes away and his estate is liquidated. The unsuspecting punter who buys that equipment at an auction or private sale etc may not be aware that the equipment is no longer safe and protected without the additional outboard box of tricks. It's possible that if there is a fault in the equipment it could catch on fire and burn the house down and and/or the occupants in it. This product is nothing more than a fools errand and should be taken off the market

I didn’t even think of the likely unwitting next owner chunk. I can totally see myself picking up a deal at an estate sale and not checking for this tweak and using my own power cord. Scary!

 

[Tranquility Bass]

I didn’t even think of the likely unwitting next owner chunk. I can totally see myself picking up a deal at an estate sale and not checking for this tweak and using my own power cord. Scary!

The fools selling this potential death trap didn't think it through

 

[Mnyb]

The fools selling this potential death trap didn't think it through

They probably does not care , that’s the thing with crooks , they don’t.
Snake oil salesmen does not have a problem with your house burning down

 

[Count Dacula]

So if you wrap your old fuse in aluminum foil, then it can pass mad amounts of current, and the amp will instantly sound better than if choked by a fuse...?

 

[Killingbeans]

Nahh, but at least the CIA can no longer mind control your fuse

 

[Count Arthur]

Now, I'm no EE, but I'm pretty sure electronics literally don't work like that - as if one tiny component carries with it all sorts of sonic characteristics, independent of whatever amp or electronics design it's placed in.

If electronics did work like that, with the hundreds, sometimes thousands of individual components, each with individual and wildly varying and unpredictable sonic and presumably electronic characteristics. Imagine how hard it would be to design and build anything with those components.

It would be like trying to paint a picture, with paints that only show their colour, shade and tone once the picture is complete.

 

[Galliardist]

Wonder why you guys spend so much time on this entry level product.
Get a Quantum Science Audio Silver Extreme Level Fuse at £4,200.00 and be done with it

What, not the $10,000 gold one?

 

[notsodeadlizard]

They're (https://quantum-science-audio.com/) doing the right thing - if you want to sell a few hundred ordinary but nice fuses for $25, be sure to announce that you're selling a Super Fuse for $8000.
No one will buy a Super Fuse, of course.
But everyone will talk about you, and in advertising it is absolutely not important how they talk about you, the main thing is that they talk at all.
And a fuse for $25 could well be bought by some strange character, there are many strange characters in the world.
And this is also nothing new.

 

[Count Dacula]

there's an important difference; high performance sports cars are actually (and objectively) worth the price paid for them in terms of value and performance. High end audio products, not so much.
Put another way; I very much envy someone who has the money for a new Porsche 911 or BMW M5. I view anyone who would spend 28K on a wire
to be a pathetic idiot.

there's an important difference; high performance sports cars are actually (and objectively) worth the price paid for them in terms of value and performance. High end audio products, not so much.
Put another way; I very much envy someone who has the money for a new Porsche 911 or BMW M5. I view anyone who would spend 28K on a wire
to be a pathetic idiot

 

[Count Dacula]

Maybe this goes in the POWERCORD thread, but it came to me while viewing this one.

Not a perfect analoge, but the supposed function of "high-end" cables reminds me of a trope from automotive circles... The idea is that the paper engine air filter (specified by EVERY engine mfg, for a reason ) is somehow inadequately designed and most importantly, improperly engineered to provide adequate and appropriate volume of airflow, ideally laminar, for the rest of the engine components to operate.

The "fix" for this non-problem is replacing the OE paper filter with a $50 hunk of cotton or foam, that does nothing to change the flow, volumetrics or performance of the engine, while allowing in abrasive dirt and reducing the apparent service interval, cutting it in half!

Lab tests with flow benches show no gains, and UOA used oil lab analysis shows the excess silicon dirt in the oil, along with the resultant wear, in excess of 2x, 10x and even 100x normal rates. I simply ask them one question, why DOES every engine oem specify paper filters? Answer this and you will gain some insight.

So it seems like a good metaphor for "flow" of electrons, and even the laminar aspect of fluid dynamics vs electrical currents seems to confuse audiophiles. They lump those models together in their heads.

Amateurs, usually on a budget, crave to improve their devices, no matter what kind or what scientific principles are involved. It's part of human nature, so we really shouldn't fault people for it, rather to encourage the positive part, and challenge the failed parts EQually.

So yeah subject feelz of the K&N filter vs Objective science.

Effect of OEM Style and Aftermarket Performance Air Filters on Vehicle Parameters

The importance of the engine air induction system has recently increased because of governmental engine exhaust particulate and evaporative emission r…

www.sciencedirect.com

I could do a seperate post about Cognitive Bias, but I suppose it's already been covered.

Choice-supportive bias - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Count Dacula]

Groupthink - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[egellings]

Hey guys, can you hear the difference?

Synergistic Research Master Fuse A/B Test | Can You Hear the Difference?​

New video with sonic comparison of fuses.

The presenter associates a laundry list of sonic characteristics with the special fuses - pretty much the classic list of cat-nip-for-audiophiles-phrases - "DRAMATIC increase in resolution, lowering of noise floor, expanded soundstage, improved dynamic weight, extended high frequencies that both resolve more information while being smoother..."

Now, I'm no EE, but I'm pretty sure electronics literally don't work like that - as if one tiny component carries with it all sorts of sonic characteristics, independent of whatever amp or electronics design it's placed in.

Presented by The Absolute Sound, so you know you can trust it.

(BTW, someone in the comment section claims the Master Fuse track is 1-2dB louder)

What? No veils were lifted?

 

[Mnyb]

Hey guys, can you hear the difference?

Synergistic Research Master Fuse A/B Test | Can You Hear the Difference?​

New video with sonic comparison of fuses.

The presenter associates a laundry list of sonic characteristics with the special fuses - pretty much the classic list of cat-nip-for-audiophiles-phrases - "DRAMATIC increase in resolution, lowering of noise floor, expanded soundstage, improved dynamic weight, extended high frequencies that both resolve more information while being smoother..."

Now, I'm no EE, but I'm pretty sure electronics literally don't work like that - as if one tiny component carries with it all sorts of sonic characteristics, independent of whatever amp or electronics design it's placed in.

Presented by The Absolute Sound, so you know you can trust it.

(BTW, someone in the comment section claims the Master Fuse track is 1-2dB louder)

Lovely it’s absolutely bizarre if some don’t get that you can’t compare this stuff trough a lossy YouTube video I have no hope for them . Its like looking at the sixteenths chapel with a security camera from the 80’s .

 

[Punter]

Still no explanation of how the musical goodness is unaffected by the very obvious bottleneck of going from the audiophool 8GA mains cable, through a single filament of wire and then on to the power supply. I mean it's obvious isn't it? The restriction???? Surely what's needed is a "Fuse Array" an array of fuses that matches the cross sectional area of the mains cable going in. So for a common 3A fuse with a 0.112mm dia wire, that's a Fuse Array of a mere 30 fuses!

Now imagine that these are all Audiophile fuses!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Veils would be banished from existence!
Sound stages would be as wide as the entire universe!
Your ex-wife would call from overseas to ask what you did to your system to make it sound so awesome!

I can't see any problems or downside to this, only advantages. Must call my buddies at Synergistic Research... BRB...

 

[Tranquility Bass]

What, not the $10,000 gold one?

I saw one advertised for US 12k once Do I hear a higher bid ??

 

[Short38]

Here is a well laid out webpage on speaker