You mean a bit like the Sorcerer’s apprentice ?
Absolutely important to keep an open mind, however I feel it’s equally important to have a valid rather than spurious hypothesis of what is being attempted.
Otherwise, assuming one can negate expectation bias, one risks moving more into correlation rather than causation. For example my hifi sounds better when the laundry is drying on the washing line outside.
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I thought it was just me
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Seriously…. Are you telling me it doesn’t 
all those years wasted taking out the washing… I thought it sounded a bit off when the missus suggested it 
Seriously though, while my gut reaction would be (in that instance) that it wouldn’t, I’d happily try it to see and if I did sense a change and if not, put it back. Same with the fuse thing… as and when I could be bothered to try. That said, no point saying either way until you’ve tried it I guess…. Especially when it costs nothing to do!
The slow blow Naim equipment fuses require a long detailed explanation, best keep it simple and just fit the recommended fuse.
The UK 13A plug fuse standards are somewhat misunderstood, not that it makes a difference to the end user if the rules are followed.
The UK regulation ratings are based on an old standard from both BS & TUV (German)
The component amp rating is based on a 1 degree C (K) increase in temp for the component item, or with cable, 1’C over 1 metre.
A 13 amp fuse will carry 13 amps indefinitely with a 1 degree temperature rise over ambient.
As current increases it will blow over decreasing periods of time (a few seconds) until at 22 amps it blows in less than 1 second. It will blow instantly with 100 amps which is typical of a short circuit.
(…that’s a very simplified explanation.)
Mine sounds best after a whip round with the hoover, the duster and no kids toys in sight.
Miles better.
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Well indeed, I thought about that example… it implies the tumble drier is not on and therefore a source of possible mains pollution is absent. So there might be a correlation, but the causation is your hifi is susceptible from sources of mains noise, in this case your tumble drier.
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I find a nice layer of dust, on everything, maintains the room acoustics…!
Yes, but if Tune Dem is not even correctly described by the company that invented it, i.e. Linn, and it’s also so nuanced that one cannot understand it from a simple description but has to have an expert present to show you how to do it, which is in practice very unlikely to be available to most people, then it’s not much use to most people is it.
I don’t disagree.
From Linn:
Introducing Tune Dem
The philosophy at Linn is very simple: if it sounds better, it is better.
That’s why we always recommend you listen and compare music systems before choosing the right one for your home. It’s really easy using our Tune Dem know-how.
When carrying out an A/B demonstration, it is sometimes possible to be confused by extraneous factors such as loudness and tone. The Tune Dem is a way to compare the two products and decide on how easy it is to follow the tune and appreciate the musical piece as a whole on each one — this allows you to hear quite clearly which product sounds better. The method involves silent repetition of the sound from the loudspeakers, silently singing along with the sound from the speaker. The easier this is to do, the more accurate the system performance.
The Tune
Our favourite method of evaluating the musical performance, and thus the performance of the hi-fi, is simply listening to the tune.
Many people immediately dismiss this as being the obviously too simplistic to provide meaningful results. But, in actual practice, this is an all-encompassing technique that more clearly brings out the differences in hi-fi systems than any other method of evaluation that we have ever used.
The music on a record consists of a signal that, at any instant, can be described with two parameters, frequency and amplitude (or pitch and loudness).
Any type of distortion will change frequency, amplitude or both. And it rarely does this in a linear manner, meaning that some frequencies or amplitudes are changed more than others are. These changes in frequency and amplitude alter the tune by changing the pitch relations in the music. For example — since the perceived pitch of a note consists of the sum of its fundamental plus its harmonics, a distortion that adds extra harmonics will shift the pitch of that note up slightly. Likewise, a distortion that results in the rolling-off of higher frequencies (thus reducing the amplitude of some harmonics) can lower the perceived pitch.
Our musical scale is composed of a series of fixed , predictable steps and our brain has an uncanny ability to follow those steps, determining when errors have been made. It is much like climbing a set of stairs. As long as all the steps are the same you can comfortably walk up the steps, come down the steps, run up, run down, take two steps at a time, even do it in the dark. However, change the size of just one step and you are likely to fall on your face.
Following the tune is much the same. If you try to follow along with the tune you will find that, on a good hi-fi system, the tune will seem to make more sense. The steps will be more regular. The notes that one instrument is playing will have some relationship to the notes that another instrument produces. You will even frequently know what note is coming next.
In the end, the better the system the less damage it does to the pitch relationships and the easier it is to follow the tune. And, since any type of distortion, regardless of its source, must alter the tune. The Tune Dem method is a comprehensive test of a hi-fi system’s musical performance.
Tune Dem method
The approach we suggest when doing an A/B comparison is to listen to component A, then listen to B. If one sounds better, buy it. We have always said, “If it sounds better, then it is better.”
You will find it easier to compare components in an A/B situation if you play only a brief passage of music (as little as ten seconds and certainly no more than thirty seconds) on one component. Repeat this brief passage a few times on the first product then switch to the second component and play the same passage.
By keeping the passages short, you will keep the “tune” fresh in your mind and therefore be more able to judge the relative difficulties in following the tune on each component.
If you have any problems in detecting differences in regard to the ease of following the tune, don’t panic. Just sit back, relax and try again. Ask yourself a few simple questions:
- Can you hear all the musicians playing all of the instruments all of the time?
- Can you always follow the tune played by every instrument?
- How easy is it to sing-along/follow with the melody?
The remarkable thing is that once you do hear the difference you’ll find that it’s much more apparent than you originally thought. And the more you listen the easier this method will become. With a little practice, you‘ll find that you have a listening test that is consistent, repeatable, and best of all, a very reliable indicator of the performance of any hi-fi component.
Note:
Avoid the use of comparators or switching boxes. The extra connectors will degrade the signal of both components under test, frequently bringing the level of performance down to that of the switch box, making any meaningful evaluation impossible.
We also strongly suggest that all component evaluations be done in a demonstration room that contains only one set of loudspeakers. Additional speakers, even if they’re not being used, will vibrate in sympathy with the original sound source. This added noise makes it more difficult to evaluate the sound. Not only does it make it harder to judge the tune, it tends to favour a component that is more aggressive sounding. This unfairly penalises a good product by masking some of the low-level detailed information that only the best components are capable of reproducing.
Why not try it for yourself?
Like our engineers and designers, Linn’s expert retailers are trained in the Tune Dem. They can help you use it to find the best system for you. They can even tailor your hi-fi to your home. It’s all part of the service.
Our advice has always been; if it sounds better, it is better.
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Thank you Skeptikal,
That reads very clearly, and is virtually what Julian described when I first met him way back when, in Salt Lane. And at every audition thereafter.
It is also the same as what happened at Grahams, also way back when. And again, at every audition thereafter.
Way back when must have been around 1976, give or take a year or two.
Seems to work.
I guess there could be other methods that work. And let’s face it, 50 years is quite a long time for other methods to be discovered.
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@Don
Hi
I think the basics of genetics will be the same.
Too many people make their own complicated interpretations but it’s very simple and not rocket science.
If it’s better to you then it is. 
Hello, is that customer services?
Yes
My amplifier is dead on one channel.
Do you have young children?
Errrr, yes, a 4 year old daughter.
Check the balance control.
Oh, that seems to have fixed it.
One of my stand-out interactions.
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Exactly… I can only imagine 
The sun isn’t discharging masses of solar energy like it was a little while back.
We should all take a breather before the next lot of sun solar alien light energy sources makes us all potty some more again.
I use a more simple method.
Buy new more expensive product.
Sell old cheaper product.
Done.
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That is trusting the more expensive product to be better… might not always be the case. (Fuses?)
Very few exceptions in my experience. With naim always valid. With cables almost always too. Maybe more relevant with some brands more than others.
