I have one of those toys and hear no effect at all. I have no doubt they do something, I am just unwilling to invest more money unless I hear some effect from the money already spent.

I agree 100% that PS Audio makes some amazing power products. I have their basic cables on all my major gear and will not go back.

Power conditioning/filtering is definitely important, nothing voodoo about it. I buy conditioning products shamelessly, head held high. Glad it worked out for you, Jan. One of the few times I ever really heard a night/day difference in my own system was when the Richard Gray was installed.

I will be looking into those noise harvesters. Trying to save up for a bigger version of the rgpc, but in the mean time, I can add some of those...

This is a case of more is better IMO. One might not be sufficient to realize much improvement. Three are sold with a return policy.

If you don't get what these do or don't require what they do, they may fit the category of the few systems I see not benefitting from their insertion but I can see no disadvantages to the NH's. These are not jaw dropping effects in that they remove something you had grown used to hearing but in my system they are not leaving unless suddenly I realize everything I've held as a priority for the last four decades has been wrong. The Noise Harvesters have no downside in my system.

Is anyone interested in a thread that just says "I tried this" without the fights over whether it should or should not have any effect?

I too have tried the Noise Harvesters. In my experience they have to be plugged in for approximately 10 minutes to reach their full effect. Likewise their effect slowly vanishes approximately 10 minutes AFTER being unplugged. This makes quick A/B testing pointless.

I had three at home for a time and I'd drop a few coins on a three of these before I even thought about upgrading my power conditioner.

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Is anyone interested in a thread that just says "I tried this" without the fights over whether it should or should not have any effect?

I applaud you for bringing this issue up. I guess this Tweaks'n'Tips is supposed to be just that. But your question highlights that the situation is not always the case.

There are those who may sound discouraging by being skeptical, but it's possible that they are right. I think that people honestly report what they hear, regarding a tweak. Sometimes I see that what we heard is connected to a mechanism that may not even be the correct explanation, but the jump is made between effect heard and the supposed underlying cause.

Perhaps the listener reports that he heard effect A, but effect A is impossible from 'known scientific principles'. So if he heard A, then it's not effect A he heard, it may be some other effect B that is really the explanation, but he hears it thinking it was effect A.

It's also likely that the real system heard is more complicated and the scientific principles are applied in too limited a way to capture fully the system that the listener heard. This means the principles are still correct but, perhaps, incompletely applied.

Either way, it would be a huge positive to get reports of tweaks without "shooting the messenger".

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Perhaps the listener reports that he heard effect A, but effect A is impossible from 'known scientific principles'. So if he heard A, then it's not effect A he heard, it may be some other effect B that is really the explanation, but he hears it thinking it was effect A.

It's also likely that the real system heard is more complicated and the scientific principles are applied in too limited a way to capture fully the system that the listener heard. This means the principles are still correct but, perhaps, incompletely applied.

Either way, it would be a huge positive to get reports of tweaks without "shooting the messenger".

The last line is the point. A thread that says "I heard an improvement when I tried this" or "I didn't hear anything new after this was introduced" is just what it is. Neither thread needs to run to 47 pages of back and forth that has already been rehashed and rehashed to death on this forum.

If you want to argue about how something can or cannot operate, then take what has been reported and move it to another thread. But why bog everything down with the same old tired shit on this forum? Nobody has their mind changed afterwards. I sometimes think people won't report their findings on this forum because they know what will result and they don't want to deal with the back and forth and being told they have no sense of reality.

Even if this just exists as a thread where you report on a component you heard at someone else's house, at an audio club meeting or in a shop - possibly a new amplifier or cartridge - wouldn't that go further than the arguments have?

dup is dead on this forum. We no longer must follow the old method of doing business here where everything is a challenge to your sanity. How about we just discuss what we have in common as an interest? Maybe the Stereophile writers can contribute a bit to let us know what they have heard that excites their interest?

The same idea goes for this thread;http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=65578&an=0&page=0&gonew=1#UNREAD

Just a simple theread that discusses what we have in common rather than what divides us. Feel free to contribute regularly. Encourage others to do the same. We all listen to music so this thread should, if everyone is willing to get out of this constant battle mode, fill up fast.

Let's hope so, eh?

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The last line is the point. A thread that says "I heard an improvement when I tried this" or "I didn't hear anything new after this was introduced" is just what it is. Neither thread needs to run to 47 pages of back and forth that has already been rehashed and rehashed to death on this forum.

Amen.

Let's start here:

I put sound absorbing material on the wall behind the speakers, stretching across between them. Improved imaging. May have affected the tonal balance a bit.

A large absorbing piece on the wall behind and between speakers will kill the highs and emphasize the bass too much. Discreet application of absorbers is better.

Monday night I heard nothing but the sound of a subwoofer. The PS Audio Duet that was in line with my power amplifiers had failed. By the time I had assesed the situation and determined there was nothing to be done at 1 AM I just wasn't interested in starting a listening session.

Tuesday at 11 AM I called PS Audio on their toll free line. The call was answered on the second ring and I was connected to a friendly voice in technical support without problems. I was speaking to Paul McGowan's son Scott. I went through the explanation detailing what I had done to determine where the problem existed and the young McGowan said he'd send out a replacement part that afternoon. At 3 PM Tuesday I received an email saying the part had been shipped and should be here as soon as Fed Ex can manage.

My experience with PS Audio goes back about three decades and I have always been impressed by the way Paul operates his business. Not enough high end manufacturers provide such service. I do understand why that situation exists but to a client with a problem this sort of service will keep you coming back. IMO if Stan Warren had done the same with Superphon, the end result would have been much different for that company.

My appreciation goes to Paul McGowan and all the folks at PS Audio.