My Apologies to Miller Carbon

Years ago I sold electronic encapsulants to OEMs. The most destructive test they run is thermal shock, which is chilling to a certain temp then immersing in a hot liquid at the specified temp. Brutal. The second most destructive is thermal cycling, turning on and off. Enough said.

Hello,
Bigtwin- Hegel just started that power saving mode due to euro restrictions. The new Hegel V10 phono preamp did it to when I demoed it. On the V10 you can over ride it. Maybe their other models can be over ridden too. I leave on SS. MC-Good on ya mate!
Seriously, Thank you for all of your help. 

I will indeed choose wisely and will never recommend something I havent spent considerable time with. For now I choose not to read anything that you have to say. 

No.

From the A21+ manual

Power Requirement
Standby:1 Watt
Idle (no music playing): 160 Watts
Typical Listening levels: 300 Watts
Maximum: 1400 Watts

My parasound A21+ has a standby mode and they boost a instant full on no warmup necessary capability.  Is the standby the same as idling?

ITYS (I told you so.) Leave SS gear ON. Tubers . . . try it.
I can hear the righteous electricians howling now. Electrons in/electrons out. I like my electrons HOT!

“Choose wisely”

Yup, lot of us been here longer than you and know how to separate wheat from the chaff. 

miller carbon:

let you in on a little secret. If there is one thing that could be called my secret weapon it is that I am fully prepared to admit I don't really know what is going on. Why? Because the minute you are sure you know, you stop looking.

someone else:

Wow I didnt know MC was recommending components before owning them. If this is true, nothing more need be said or known.

Choose wisely.

Wow I didnt know MC was recommending components before owning them. If this is true, nothing more need be said or known.

You know I will! 

The sick part is, and this is a long story, but there's things I am not at liberty to discuss on-line (Frank knows) that have a huge impact. When Danager was here I pulled one out and handed it to him while the music was playing. He heard the sound field collapse, looked at this little doo-dad in his hand and was all, "What the??!?!!" 

Experiences like this make it quite clear we do not really understand very much about what is going on. But if I say something like that, just today I said "maybe you will understand" and the poor guy went all MDS on me. But that is the stone truth: we do not understand very much of what is going on!

Yes there are things we do understand, or seem to understand, very well. When those come up it would be dishonest and a disservice to pretend otherwise. 

But I will let you in on a little secret. If there is one thing that could be called my secret weapon it is that I am fully prepared to admit I don't really know what is going on. Why? Because the minute you are sure you know, you stop looking. 

If I was so arrogant and certain as the haters make out then I never would have tried HFT, ECT, PHT, springs, TC, Townshend, Moneoone, Schumann, DBA, on and on. 

Every single one of those was a risk in that it could well have been a flop. Instead, almost all were a total success.

There is a thought process that goes into it, but it is so hard to explain, don't know if I could even if I tried. What I can do is show by example. That is why I keep making the point I have been able to make some really killer purchases for going on 15 years now without ever auditioning any of them. There is a thought process. Maybe people can learn by watching, I don't know. But I assure you as hard as it is to explain nevertheless it is there! It is skill not luck- and this is vitally important to understand because if I am right and it is a skill then that means it can be learned. You can do it too.

That is my fondest wish.

100% agree with the ’’true’’ postings on behalf of millercarbon!

MC without a doubt has considerable experience both traditional and outside the box. I always appreciate the obvious time and thought he puts into his responses.

He is among a few select other members (that I have come across) whose contributions carry any weight regarding system/component setup/selection, troubleshooting, and especially tweaking in simple, elegant and cost effective ways (many of which I actually tried with great success).

No I am not part of any ’’MC hairum’’.

Just respectfully sharing my honest opinion.

Oh, my Hegel, Ampzilla 2000 2nd edition monoblocks and a Forte 1A are left on 24/7 unless I am away for a few days (or thunderstorms).
DACs, phonstages also 24/7.
All SS.

Keep on truckin’ MC!

Its laughable so many clowns on here hate MC.  I dont even seek out his advice, but through trial and error/tinkering I find it.   I just come here for the advice of those who know.  Carbon is one of those.  Hes a braggart sure, and I can see how some may feel he belittles them, but he knows his audio. Much more then his detractors.  Whatever their disdain is for him it has nothing to do with his audio knowledge, its a personality issue.

danager- 

to restrict your options due to the promotion of someone you disagree with sure gives that person a boat load of power.

Good one. 

Frank, that was a classic. Thanks for reminding me.

snilf- 

Chuck, if I may call you that, I hope we have the chance to meet one day. We'll disagree about a lot, but what's the point of associating only with those who mirror one's own worldview? You've given a great deal to this forum, and as this thread proves, many of us appreciate it. So: thanks.

You may. And you're welcome.   

==================================================

My favorite philosopher Alan Watts says he wants people to disagree, because that is how you learn both who you are and who they are.   

The world of ideas is like everything else: competition is good. It is how we improve.  

The main problem or stumbling block is unlike in sports where everyone knows the rules, in the realm of ideas hardly anyone knows the rules, or worse, they learned the wrong ones.  

When people actually follow the rules... I was dead set against springs until one day out of the blue some guy I never heard of before said, "Hear me out". He then proceeded to lay out such a good case for springs I went from opposition to advocate in a matter of minutes. By the end of the day 'whether or not' was 'done and gone' and it was all about how to do it. That guy was Rick. I learned a lot from him then and have learned a lot more since.   

For years, decades really, experience had me convinced of the waste of DIY cables. Until one day out of the blue some guy I never heard of before sent me some he had made, one of which was so good it was hard to believe. That guy was Lubos and his Moneoone power cables are now confirmed serious high end by more than just me.  

Reason I mention those, neither one of them was looking for someone they knew would just automatically agree. Lubos in particular sought me out precisely because he knew that being hard on DIY in general I would be skeptical and hard on him. 

So that's the way it goes. For every one bent out of shape at losing an argument or not being agreed with there's plenty more happy to find that is the case.

Where's the sport in playing with the guy who lets you win? Why would you even bother?

@georgehoffman60 wrote:

"Missed this thread earlier, but I, too, have learned a lot in a relatively short space of time from MC's years of experimentation. Almost everything he recommended worked in my system, and much of it had stunning effects. I pay attention to when he discovers something new, even when I can't afford it :-)!"

Exactly. George nailed it.

I’ve tried some of MCs tweaks, maybe not to the letter but in theory (Gaia instead of Townsend), and Schuman generators are examples of this. They have improved the performance of my system and I’m grateful for the advice.

All this will surely go to his already huge head, but hey--I'll chime in, too. MC is opinionated, arrogant, but, well, sort of brilliant in this weird corner of fetishland. His occasional revelations of political leanings scare me, but I guess that that's just another expression of his passion. And he's a very good writer, which (sorry) can't be said for many on this site.

But all that's beside the point, right? The only relevant question concerns his "expertise" in things audiophilic. And in that arena, his knowledge is vast, and he offers it with real generosity. Shilling for products? I don't believe it, and anyway, I don't care; we're all adults here, we can make brand decisions for ourselves. All I can say is that he has helped me with fairly obscure problems I've had, proposing solutions no one else came up with, that worked. He's also advocated for things that, IMO, don't work, like Schumann resonance generators. But that's ok; it was fun giving those a try anyway.

Chuck, if I may call you that, I hope we have the chance to meet one day. We'll disagree about a lot, but what's the point of associating only with those who mirror one's own worldview? You've given a great deal to this forum, and as this thread proves, many of us appreciate it. So: thanks.

  ieales >>>

• "Was MC calling about his system or his intoxicants?"

  
Um, I don't remember. :-)

Missed this thread earlier, but I, too, have learned a lot in a relatively short space of time from MC's years of experimentation. Almost everything he recommended worked in my system, and much of it had stunning effects. I pay attention to when he discovers something new, even when I can't afford it :-)!

+1 for more civility on the forum.

I've had solid state Rowland Model 12 monoblocks since 2009 and I've never left them "on". They've always been in standby mode. I thought that was how it was supposed to be.

I never read it addressed in the owners manual that it is ok, or recommended, to always leave them on.

However, my Model 201 mono amp and Model 102 stereo surround amp ARE always on. There is only an on/off power switch in the back.

Things that make you go hmmmm.

"Apologies, but I will never purchase the following products because I am concerned that the hype here is due in no small part to a certain prolific poster receiving undisclosed “good customer” discounts: tekton, perfect path solutions,  better records stampers, raven, Townshend… I know I’m missing some. Again, apologies."

What???

I don't understand the correlation.

I could see never purchasing the following products because:
They don't sound good
They don't match what I have
They are constructed using child labor
They are poorly constructed
They are too expensive
They aren't worth the hype
They throw off dangerous radiation 
or a myriad of other reasons related to the actual product

but to restrict your options due to the promotion of someone you disagree with sure gives that person a boat load of power.

I'm a tube guy so I turn my stuff off at night but it's usually on for the hours I'm home.  Not sure the reason whether it's real or imagined (does that really matter?) but it does seem to sound better late at night.

Is he overconfident? Usually, but justifiably so because he has tried whatever he recommends.

A fact check...because it's pertinent.

He was recommending Tekton well before he received his Moab loudspeakers, yet he had not heard Tekton speakers in his system. Although he has been promoting Raven Audio integrated amplifiers for well over a year, he has not heard one in his system. He will soon, though.

@oregonpapa 
was MC calling about his system or his intoxicants?

My favorite Millercarbon story is about the night I got the 10 pm phone call from him as he took a break from listening to his system:

Me: "Hello?"

Him: "Frank ... this is Chuck. I had to call someone who would understand!"

Me: "I know how you feel."

Him: "This is unbelievable!"

Me: "I know."

Him: "Goodnight."

Me: "Goodnight."

I still laugh about this. In fact, I’m laughing as I write this.

Frank

I think millercarbon knows his stuff and his recommendations are solid. You might not want to "go the distance" like he does but his path to the best sound is true.

I’m going all in on Townshend vibration isolation and F-1 cables as I’ve been wanting to upgrade my cables for awhile. I’ve had Townshend Seismic Sinks for a long time and believe in their products. I’ve seen plenty of nice system pictures with Townshend Podiums under expensive speakers so that has nothing to do with MC.

Vibration isolation matters. Whichever product you use is better than none I would imagine.

Going with Moneoone power cables as well.

Leave on or turn off?  My amp, Hegel H590, as well as my CD Transport, both go into standby mode when sitting idle for about 15 minutes.  Not sure if this equates to disconnecting the power supply but the manufacturer clearly did not intend to have the equipment left "turned on" all the time?  

Just when you start to think MC isnt quite so bad, he then has to post something. You let others take about your merits other than talking about them yourself. So even if half of what he posts about himself is true, I am still not interested in what he has to say. 

that is the idea, to share actual user experience in a way others may find useful.

experience or imagination?
There is a difference

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating" was the original phrase.

https://www.npr.org/2012/08/24/159975466/corrections-and-comments-to-stories

dweller. 
I own a PS Audio S300 amp. They specifically say to leave it on.  This is why I hate this forum. Down is up and up is down so often. 

Thanks, middlemass. MDS, indeed.

goose, that is the idea, to share actual user experience in a way others may find useful. Thanks!

Sometimes you need to gather several points of comment on equipment from different users to form a more informed opinion.  Townshend podiums for example I recommend as a critical component.  Synergistic Research fuses I can't recommend because they have failed in my system (blown) twice with different equipment.  Synergistic Research HFT's yes they made a significant improvement in my room.  Just my two cents worth. 

"What a turn of events here. This start's out complimenting miller, then turn's to insults."

Highly predictable, unfortunately. MDS.

Johnny on the spot! 😄👍

What a turn of events here. This start's out complimenting miller, then turn's to insults. The more appropriate clip would be when she pukes the green stuff! 🤢