Gpapag, you can be a 'pain' sometimes. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to replicate the conditions in the HI FI showroom. Jack's and my estimate at the time was that the audio system was configured to sound 'optimum' with the existing power line conditions. When the Bybee module was introduced, it upset the 'balance' in an embarrassing way. Just goes to show you that connecting cables can effect the sound.
I personally TRIED to test the Bybee's on my own test equipment at the time. I failed, just like SY. That is WHY the test from AMES is so interesting. What did their equipment have that COULD find something extra?
I personally TRIED to test the Bybee's on my own test equipment at the time. I failed, just like SY. That is WHY the test from AMES is so interesting. What did their equipment have that COULD find something extra?
If you define "fail" as not getting an outcome you wanted, but getting an outcome that's correct, well, I'd say your definition of the word is novel.
Supporting a fraud is not helpful to your reputation.
jneutron has answered that one repeatedly. I know it's not your hoped for answer, but it has the minor virtue of being correct.
Oh Dear, how terribly embarrassing, afraid I have to admit it's all due to a jolly old English breeze, as of lately.
On a more topical level.
A few decades ago, I was invited to a nocturnal Pyramid game/scam gathering, all very hush-hush, single item lacking from a textbook MI5 script was the classic bag over one's head.
Gave way to observe the entire illusionist show, and monitor both the organisor staff and assembled participants, for something in the order of 3-4 hours.
Observing the participant side, the Quack parade, on many an occasion, seemingly shows parallels and similarities with the Ponzi/Pyramid/Airplane classics. Suggesting to me, that the mechanisms of both, appear to share common ground.
A stereotypical example is Hanky Franky, the exact same bewildered enthousiasm, identical level of irrationality, the switch to rationalising the subjective, same drive to share newly gained expertise, or so it seems.
The advent of MRI has already shed much light on various cerebral processes, which before were completely unknown.
There's been a lot of research done on Ponzi schemes and it's mechanisms over the last decade. Examining participants of such activities on a technical/clinical level may become a next step, the outcomes might possibly also explain the snake oil phenomenon.
(Turned rather messy, btw. Already at the circus show, and the inviting party broke off all contact for a year and a half. A bit unsmart to take an individual to such an event, who at that time, made his living in the A'dam curfew city center. And every weekend, dealt with the entire rainbow, ranging from VIP's to coke dealers, drunks to hookers, freak gays, trans-anything, oil billionaires, politicians, seasoned goodfellas and scam artists. Think I spent at least 50 hours total on long talks with $250-$500/hr escort prostitutes, when their pick-up driver was late. After I received the standard commission fee for chicks & tricks. All others paid too, btw. The check for the bloodstained alloy softball bat was taken care of by my employer, ~$300 a night back then.)
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Well the one that might exist is the influence of low levels of rf on decreasing the HF audio path loss in air.
All you need is about 10 milli watts of rf adjustable from 1 MHz to say 250 MHz, a tweeter, noise source, a humidifier and measurement mic.
Just look at the 20 KHz octave of pink noise through an air path of about 20 feet while you sweep the RF very slowly as it may take 30 seconds for the possible effect to maximize. Then you can increase the humidity and see if that also has an effect.
I have seen a hint the effect might be real and may explain some of the off the wall gizmos. (They might actually do something but not by the method claimed though.)
ES
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Yes, if the balance has been adjusted for optimum this can easily happen - I've had this happen again and again, something which nominally improved the sound no longer did the job when something else was altered. Then it becomes a somewhat painful process of undoing one thing, then another, to find out what's causing the 'misbalance' - the situation very quickly spirals out of control ...
The overall problem is that one is fighting the addition of audible distortion by aspects of the system misbehaving - if one knew precisely where the real problem was then a really solid fix could be applied very effectively at the core of the problem area -- but many times that problem area is not known, so the 'fixes' are applied electrically too far away and are relatively weak in their effect, have their effectiveness disrupted very easily. An analogy is having a kink at one end in the garden hose and attempting to 'solve' it by grabbing the other end and vigorously shaking it every which way - the real solution is to go to where the hose is twisted and straighten it out ...
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Define, 'a tweak' ...
As in, is using a more precise resistor in a feedback path 'a tweak' ...?
Higher precision resistors, typically characterised by much better tempcos, have to be made with greater care and tolerances in all areas, so that they will meet their specs. But it doesn't stop with temperature - we can worry about changes in resistance with time, humidity, loading, soldering, shock, vibration, voltage: we can pretend those variations don't exist, but the manufacturers of higher quality units believe in them, since they specify numbers on datasheets ...
Is that correct? You can buy a given make and model of resistor in a range of precisions and tempcos. I very much doubt that the manufacturer changes the materials or methods; rather, parts that meet the tighter specs are selected. Of course, this means that a lot of parts that are within the tighter specs also pass through untested and are sold as the less-precise grade.
And you really can hear the difference? I can't, I know I can't, and I am fully aware that there is no point in bothering with things I know I can't distinguish.
Sure, if my audio system was packed in a Saturn rocket bound for the space station, I might be a little concerned but I know that isn't going to happen. Nor is it incorporated in a missile early warning system, or a control system with two red buttons marked "Launch Nukes".
There, I'm done. I'm not going to concern myself with the periphery when I know I cannot tell the difference, nor could very sensitive instruments. It is a bit like microbes; there are 10 to 15 times more microbes in and on the human body than there are body cells but none of them cause me any concern until something goes wrong. THEN, I need to do something about it.
Sure, if my audio system was packed in a Saturn rocket bound for the space station, I might be a little concerned but I know that isn't going to happen. Nor is it incorporated in a missile early warning system, or a control system with two red buttons marked "Launch Nukes".
There, I'm done. I'm not going to concern myself with the periphery when I know I cannot tell the difference, nor could very sensitive instruments. It is a bit like microbes; there are 10 to 15 times more microbes in and on the human body than there are body cells but none of them cause me any concern until something goes wrong. THEN, I need to do something about it.
It is not the 'precision' of the resistor below 1% or so that is so important. I have many ultra precision resistors that I will NOT use for audio, because I find that they don't sound as good as other resistors. I own these precision resistors, purchased them for audio, but I found problems, sonically. But then what do I know? '-)
Actually to meet the closer tolerances they do need to use different materials. Going from tempcos of 100 PPM to 50 to 25 is not a trimming effort since the materials define the tempco. Close tolerance parts need to be understood in the total application. 1% at receiving could end up at more like 5% over temperature, time, humidity and voltage.
For critical applications like gain setting resistors in precision instruments all of these factors need to be addressed. I rarely see this applied in audio products, even extravagantly priced ones. Usually the casework used up the budget.
Indeed, the important parameter is voltage coefficient of resistance, if you're after a low distortion design. For most decently engineered mass-market equipment, this is usually fine (problems show up in ordinary distortion measurements), but there's certainly some "unusual" choices in some fashion audio equipment.
A 1% gain variance because of resistor value (and remember, this is a fixed variance, not a distortion) is 0.08dB, just a bit below (but still nudging) the limits of human perception.
Likely, the fully balanced niche mostly, e.g. Fumio Ohashi's products.
(and even there, low tolerance merely makes the matching easier)
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Pain appears for a reason. It’s a warning that something goes wrong.
>Edit: or that something extraordinary happens (e.g.birth)What you described in your previous post-again to your credit- makes two interesting points.
1. That the (possible) placebo effect didn’t work.
2. That Mr. Bybee (the way you described it at least) didn’t develop the intention to investigate the cause of the failure.
Estimations and assumptions as to why, do not equal scientific or technical analysis.
I have to say that IMO you take the wrong route if you feel as your responsibility to present measurements and data for this device.
This is a load that the manufacturer has to carry on his back.
The site http://bybeetech.com/?page_id=11 is talking of favorable measurements but links to none.
George
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