Quote Originally Posted by Monstrous Mike
I read a thread on another audio board a while ago where are guy claimed he heard a pleasant improvement in sound when he biwired. He was obviously a newbie because in response to replies to his post he mentioned that he had not removed the jumpers on the terminals. Of course, when told he should remove them, he claimed the sound improved even more.

I can say in all honesty I have no scientific explanation for this.
Sounds like he was more than just a newbie - he was someone with high expectations! I have a similar story regarding a DAC. I went to someone's house and he was showing off his new DAC and regaling us with the sound. I noticed that the light underneath "AES/EBU" was lit up and looked around to see what balanced cable he was running. However, it was a single ended cable. Upon further study, I saw that he had not even properly hooked up his DAC. Instead, it was simply the old CD player we were hearing. The DAC was on but was not inserted into the signal path. Rather than embarrass him in front of everyone, I waited until they had left the room for drinks and then hooked it up properly. Should I have said something?

I can relate to expectations as a possible means of hearing differences but there have been many times I've chosen a product at the middle of a line that was uglier than another. I can recall preferring a product that I absolutely did not want to prefer. I can't imagine what the bias could be. If my amps weren't powered by tubes, I'd cover them because they look too "retro" for my room which is decorated in more modern fashion.

At any rate, I remain open to the possibility that I could be imagining things. But if so, my imagination is a lot more vivid than it's ever been given credit for in the past!