Crystal RCA Caps (Tweak)

[Ghoostknight]

Hello,

im using since a few years tourmaline filled rca plugs since they have a definitive effect on sound reproduction and after doing a bit more research recently, also about grounding boxes and other crystal tweaks, even "orgonites", i would like to create my own rca cap "collection" others may profit from in terms of sound quality

im currently tweaking the design (some of my thoughts and plans etc can be read here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/piezoelectric-crystal-rca-caps-tweak.972741/ , and i also just created this thread here: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/piezoelectric-crystal-rca-caps-tweak.412717/ )

And since there are quite a few prototypes already i thought i would like to sell these, so others can cheaply test what might be possible in terms of sound quality change, tho keep in mind these are prototypes and will vary from the final product

i will offer a pair of rca end caps -PROTOTYPES- for 10Euro/Pair + shipping .... i think once i settled on a design price will be around 20-50 Euro per pair

Write me a PM if you are interested

Best Regards

 

[Ghoostknight]

i have currently these prototypes im comfortable to give away, all not perfect yet but they already can give you some idea of what to expect

4 pairs black tourmaline
2 pairs prehnite
1 pair quartz

How about i give these away against shippingcost ? but please leave a review

 

[Ghoostknight]

they look something like this, tho i also have some with another kind of plug

 

[JMFahey]

With due respect, very very very much doubt filling a connector case with ground rocks, crystals or stone has any effect, at all, on sound.
It is "just another" insulator.
To boot, along a very short path (less than 1")

IF you had a long coaxial cable, say 20-30 meters , where dielectric is crushed stone, maybe parasitic capacitance could change a little and have some influence.
As is, no dice.
Sorry.

 

[Ghoostknight]

With due respect, very very very much doubt filling a connector case with ground rocks, crystals or stone has any effect, at all, on sound.
It is "just another" insulator.
To boot, along a very short path (less than 1")

IF you had a long coaxial cable, say 20-30 meters , where dielectric is crushed stone, maybe parasitic capacitance could change a little and have some influence.
As is, no dice.
Sorry.

Well, i can start talking much now but imo the difference heared comes from the fact that these are piezoelectric/pyroelectric crystals

If someone is open minded (and also hears differences with like power conditioners or cables for example) i can just recommend to give these a shot, thats why i offer them against shipping, so people can try them

if you are a hardcore objectivist and cables, power conditioner and other stuff doesnt matter at all then you probably wont hear a difference with these either

 

[Osvaldo de Banfield]

Can you show us a good, confidable and repeteable measure of the improvement?

Imagine if Newton would said "I believe that an apple goes upwards sometime and fall to earth other times".

 

[Ghoostknight]

Can you show us a good, confidable and repeteable measure of the improvement?

Imagine if Newton would said "I believe that an apple goes upwards sometime and fall to earth other times".

No i cant, specially because im still unsure how this works myself ... i just know that you need piezo/pyro/ferroelectric materials to make it work and it makes a nice sound quality improvement.... black tourmaline kinda gives you the sense of "EMI filtering" but im unsure if it really removes noise or if the crystals just add something "on top" that makes it more enjoyable

Well people that know "grounding boxes" work will probably understand how this works and imo its not all voodoo

Amirs measurement of grounding boxes and grounding cables acting like antennas made me persuit the chinch caps more... its barely a extension of the existing case and still seems to work quite positively

everyone who is openminded (and preferably can actually hear the differences between EMI filters, cables etc) can give these a shot, my offer stand to send them out for free against shipping cost

 

[Osvaldo de Banfield]

To be an antenna, a piece of conductor must have a size comparable to its wave lenght. For example, a dipole usually has the half (aproximately). Audio signals still being trebbles, 20000Hz have an extraordinary large wavelenght. Over it, those lower frequencies are so low that a large fraction of the radiated power returns to the wire. So I seriously doubth they can act as antennas/aerials, more over if they are properly shielded. And no cristal modifies wavelenght.

I respect your effort and the intention to share your experiments, but it is very poorly documented.

 

[Ghoostknight]

To be an antenna, a piece of conductor must have a size comparable to its wave lenght. For example, a dipole usually has the half (aproximately). Audio signals still being trebbles, 20000Hz have an extraordinary large wavelenght. Over it, those lower frequencies are so low that a large fraction of the radiated power returns to the wire. So I seriously doubth they can act as antennas/aerials, more over if they are properly shielded. And no cristal modifies wavelenght.

i was referring to some measurements by audiosciencereview where they clearly show a grounding box (with a cable running to it) acts like an antenna

 

[Ghoostknight]

I respect your effort and the intention to share your experiments, but it is very poorly documented.

Please just give it a shot when you are curious... im sick of discussions about audibility

 

[Osvaldo de Banfield]

I didn't propose any audibility question, you did it. I only asked for a demostrable measure of them.

 

[HalFoster]

"If someone is open minded (and also hears differences with like power conditioners or cables for example)"

Being open minded to the extent of considering other viewpoints is definitely something to be admired. Being open minded to the point of your brain falling out... not so much. Stuffing a perfectly good connector with rocks is definitely the latter.

 

[schiirrn]

No i cant, specially because im still unsure how this works myself ... i just know that you need piezo/pyro/ferroelectric materials to make it work and it makes a nice sound quality improvement.... black tourmaline kinda gives you the sense of "EMI filtering" but im unsure if it really removes noise or if the crystals just add something "on top" that makes it more enjoyable

Are you ok with being unsure? You could just measure the effect.

 

[Ghoostknight]

Are you ok with being unsure?

Yes i am, because the audible improvement is worthwhile doing it and im not really into getting into pointless discussions here @ the others

You could just measure the effect.

Like you can on the dac output with power conditioners? they still make a difference, to some its obvious and to some not

----

there was/is a community around black tourmaline filled rca caps in some german forums like open-end-music if you are interested @schiirrn

 

[geoffkait]

I developed the complete audio application system for using mineral semiprecious stones in audio applications almost 25 years ago. Brilliant Pebbles is still available, all these years later who’d a-thunk it? applications for crystals includes glass windows, walls, cable connectors, top of speaker cabinets, tops of tube traps, room corners on the floor, top of output transformers, to name a few. Cheers

 

[Ghoostknight]

I developed the complete audio application system for using mineral semiprecious stones in audio applications almost 25 years ago. Brilliant Pebbles is still available, all these years later who’d a-thunk it? applications for crystals includes glass windows, walls, cable connectors, top of speaker cabinets, tops of tube traps, room corners on the floor, top of output transformers, to name a few. Cheers

Oh nice some stuff to read placing crystals on top of the speakers actually awake my curiousity again, specially about the mechanism that is causing the audible change... imo the crystals produce some kind of EMF/Tone when they are vibrating which is causing the audible change, for me it seems that the crystals themself produce the effect we hear, and we can "activate or amplify" the crystal effect by appliying external forces likes vibrations or electricity

Just to clarify here... when i place around 200g of blacktourmaline on the speaker the effect is comparable with 3-4g inside two chinch caps

funny thing is even esoterics came to a similar conclusion with "orgonites", of course there is alot missinformation but imo this is based on the same principcles, no matter what the crystals actually do, the audible change is worthwhile doing... it doesnt make or break your system, but if your system is relatively good it can make a worthwhile improvement (imo power conditioners are most comparable with the effect heared, its kinda subtle at first but makes a good difference in the long run)

 

[geoffkait]

Generally Brilliant Pebibles is an anti resonance device although it’s possible in some isolated cases crystals act as anti RFI device. Crystals have symmetrical atomic lattice structures tgecatine of the lattice act like they are connected by springs so they can move back and forth when external forces or enemy strikes the crystal. Brilliant Pebbles comprised various sizes and combinations of different crystals including quartz, sapphire, Diamond in some cases, agate, Ruby, citrine, obsidian, etc. The Small Brilliant Pebbles contains 30-40 teeny tiny stones of many types. The Large size contains ten or so medium size stones and is primarily used in room cirnerx and on tops of speakers. Some experimentation is usually a good idea as they can be unpredictable to some degree. Power to the Pebble!

 

[schiirrn]

I had a short look at the german forum. There are no measurements only assumptions. I'm not interested in that but thanks for the hint.
Good luck with your plugs.

 

[geoffkait]

I have measured the entire room for sound pressure level, in the entire 3 D space. Thus, when I map the locations in the room where the local SPL is 6 dB or greater than the average SPL in the room I know precisely where to place the crystals. Room corners generally have SPL > 6 dB, as well as many locations around the room - first reflection points, slap echo, etc. This method also works for other types of acoustic resonators, e.g., Helmholtz resonators, Tube Traps, tiny little bowl resonators, Mpingo discs, etc. Without a methodology it’s like trying to solve x simultaneous equations in x + n unknowns.

 

[bucks bunny]

Papperlapapp!