Why is the snake oil topic closed?


Because debunking certain aftermarket accessories might affect Audiogon’s revenue? I don’t get it. There were points to be made. It was just getting "good."
jji666
"Rub Snake oil onto my..." Which Oil? 
I have not upgraded my stereo in 7+ years, so the problems I am dealing with now are not related to Audio in any way whatsoever. 
But this thread, as its predecessor, is turning UGLY, and your comment proves (to me) the point. I am out of here, shall spend the rest of the evening with Stereo2Go folks, among civilized audiophiles. Good Bye!  
There are no "sex-disoriented kids" out there. There are only the severely confused. Figuring out your sex is a very simple matter of looking in your shorts. 

@georgehifi 
You're EXACTLY right. Just a while ago I saw Geoffkait chiming in on a thread where a guy was asking why his rig took on a harshness in the upper ranges. Geoff suggested getting rid of his phone books and using morphic message labels. Clearly nobody was taking him seriously. And if you haven't seen that thread, you really need to get an eye full of teo-audio's discombobulated rant. I've seen high doses of LSD produce more coherent ramblings. 
" Debussy understood that a work of art
Or an effort to create beauty,
was always regarded by some people as a personal attack."

...one's 'snake oil' may be another's 'essential oil'...and vice-versa, of course...

Any attempts at humour can be construed as an application of ground glass into the potion at hand...

...which is why (IMHO) this topic was doomed from Post #2.

(I'm generally surprised that topics of this nature go on as long as they do, but...some things are just like that....) 
@moderators

Please, this thread has no technical merit to this "Tech Talk" forum and is polluting it, please move it to "Misc Audio" where it belongs.

Cheers George
Anyone who wants to make a quick easy buck in this industry can try their hand at the following time honoured practice. Get a deal with a manufacturer of cheap electrical cables to supply you with a variety of cables. You can specify various design criteria, braided, coloured sleeving, different termination etc etc. 

Now you can sell them at whatever markup you fancy as long as you have a USP (unique selling point - marketing jargon) for each one.

All audio products sound different no doubt, but the only ones most humans can easily distinguish between are loudspeakers. You can also include Tube amps and turntables/ cartridges if you love analogue - who doesn't?). You can pay more for build quality, aesthetics and features and if you wish but don't kid yourself you're getting significantly better sound.

It seems criminal that some engineers are working extremely hard to further standards in these areas, often with little financial gain, whilst purveyors of snake oil rake in easy money.

Yet this is the way of the world and its only fair that newcomers to audio get a fair warning. Things were even worse before the age of the internet. Or were they? I guess on balance they were because in those days there was very little information outside magazines, a whole different world of hurt.

How many of us eventually leave this hobby due to disgust at being swindled?