I feel your frustration brother. It won't likely be diminished by the usual vitriol in some of the responses here. The sad and simple fact is, as others have philosophized; humanity for the most part consists of two types of people: those who are happy in their existence, enjoying life (and their hobbies/passions); and those who are not, who exist to let everone know how misserable they are. When I read the comments of the latter on Audiogon and other blocs or hear their pathetic and banal rants at social events and store queues, I smile and think of the gum that we sometimes pick up on the bottom of our shoes: one of life's "little" annoyances, which quickly wear off and are easily forgotten.
Snake oil, fraud, confirmation bias
It is becoming increasingly apparent that many threads about legitimate topics devolve into one or more of the contributors here making claims of snake oil, fraud, or confirmation bias thereby derailing the conversation beyond the valid and relevant thread topic and this is getting ridiculous. For anyone here who honestly holds the position that there is snake oil and fraud in the world of Music Reproduction Systems I challenge them to prove their claims in court it should be an easy task based on the claims they make here in Audiogon AND they will make a fortune because in the US once proven they can file a class action suit and profit enormously from the efforts of others to deceive. These people regularly claim that "there is no evidence" that things such as cables or fuses make a difference when in actual fact Audiogon is filled with evidence that these things make very real differences in
Music Reproduction Systems of course those who claim fraud reject that evidence as "confirmation bias" but in absence of any documentation from them they are only repeating the claim they have made so many times that has been refuted many times here by those who have demonstrated to there satisfaction that they make a difference. I think in actual truth the real fraudsters here are those that repeatedly make these claims of snake oil and fraud and often they have no experience to back up there claims they simply say the claims are impossible!