Something For The Fuse Guys ...

The Subjectivist/Objectivist Synthesis, by Jason Stoddard

https://www.audiostream.com/content/subjectivistobjectivist-synthesis-jason-stoddard#wQhQuSLuAkyF8WH...

This hypothetical conversation makes me chuckle:

Subjectivist: "I think my new Arglebargle X1000 sounds way better than the Craphound PST-1."

Objectivist: "No, if they both measure 20-20K flat, have THD below 0.1%, and have a low output impedance, they have to sound the same."

Subjectivist: "I think my experience trumps your measurements."

Objectivist: "No, humans can’t perceive anything beyond that, see (insert links to tests here.)"

Subjectivist: "Well, I hear a difference and so does (insert anecdotes about friends, spouses, dogs, fish, etc)."

Objectivist: "Anecdotes aren’t data! You’re fooling yourself. (Insert words about scientific method and significant results here.)"

Subjectivist: (Sigh.) "Just leave me alone to enjoy my Arglebargle with the other folks I’m talking to here." 

Objectivist: "No! Don’t you see you’re being taken advantage of by evil companies selling overpriced gear?"

Subjectivist: "You probably just can’t afford good gear!"

Objectivist: "You’re nothing but a shill for the man!"

Subjectivist: "Ad hominem!"

Objectivist: "Ad hominem!”

wolf_garcia
If "special" fuses displayed even a fraction of the astonishing benefits touted by the hyperbole slinging sales force who claim to just be trying to share their wonderful insight, then Nelson Pass, Dennis Had, Jason Stoddard, and countless other gear designers would be all over ’em...for the vast majority of these designers, they’re not. Why is that?

>>>>Because you can‘t teach an old dog new tricks.

At the graduation ceremony of a big audio engineering school the president gave the address in which he said, Some of you will go on to big things. The rest of you will become audio engineers. 

From Paul McGowen:

“The prototype amplifiers didn’t have output fuses. It wasn’t until we got to the production versions that we added them, and that’s when the trouble started. The production amplifier didn’t sound as good as the prototype: thinner, weaker, with less bloom and midbass strength, relative to the prototype. Why the two sounded so different was a real head scratcher.

When faced with such differences, you start removing any changes between the two until they sound the same. It didn’t take long before we discovered it was the damn output fuse.  Short it with a clip lead and the fullness of the music returned...

In the end we came up with a clever scheme. We took the feedback for the amplifier not from the amplifier’s output, but from the output of the fuse. Thus, the fuse was included in the amplifier’s corrective feedback loop, and the fullness returned to the music...

The point of the story is simple. Fuses matter. But why should they matter in the AC circuit? I don’t have a great answer handy. But we’ll look some more tomorrow.”

https://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/fuses/

Paul’s favorite expression is, “I have no idea how it works but works it does!” Thanks, Paul. That was real helpful. 😬

A fellow A’goner is due here in a few minutes. He’s very familiar with my system. It will be a lengthy listening session today. Stay tuned ... we’ll see what he thinks of the prototype fuses.

Frank

PS: I didn’t know there was a "salesforce" involved here. I can hardly wait for my huge commission check to arrive in the mail.