I was listening to a good setup (Levinson 26 pre, Aleph 2 clones, Magnepan MG3A) some time ago. It sounded great.
The owner then asked me to turn around and tell me when I heard a difference. I turned around and after a minute or so I heard a big difference. He repeatedly "changed" (backwards and forwards) the sound and I could detect every change. What caused the change? Placing a Shatki stone on each Aleph 2 mono block.
Prior to this I did not believe in things like 'magic stones'. I still have no idea how they work. But on some equipment they do make a big difference.
When I got into high-end audio I was convinced cables were a major con. Why would anyone pay more than $20 for a cable?
A dealer gave me some second-hand cables to try out at home. I put a $300 second hand Siltech cable between my pre and power amps and expected to hear no difference. Boy, was I surprised.
I don't know why or how it works, but there was a big difference.
Like in any market, there are people willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for products where it can be argued that (for most people) they are not worth it. But check out how many people have an iphone. What would the cost/price factor be? Apple's profit is an indication!
The costs of roaming on mobile phones is a good example of extortion. But most customers seem to be willing to pay the absurd rates.
Why would audio be any different?
If you hit your head hard enough, you won't have any more audio worries!
As can be clearly seen in the attached photos, large stones were placed on the underwater sections of the cable at regular intervals, whilst the land-bound portions were raised on wooden supports.
Clearly today's audiophile accessory designers are basing there products on rock-solid telecommunications principles that have been well understood for decades (except perhaps by "objectivist" audio "experts").
Photos swiped from here: An illustrated history of the transoceanic cable
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There are at least a dozen high price level cable companies.
One does thin cable, the other fat, another does round, and the other flat.
Cryo cable, silver cable, gold cable, fusion cable, pure ones, ultrapure others.
The high end audiophile assumes some of the dirty dozen must have more knowledge than the others, that the more exotic cable is superior to the lower grade models.
A rational cynic merely concludes that the entry level "audiophile" items of the dirty dozen apparantly are not such good cables after all, and most or all of the fancy cable manufacturers have zero superior knowledge, and must be marketing a fantasy.
In the near future, I'm releasing the Skull package, Limited Edition of course.
A complete set of level-1 to level-5 stones, in a truly artfull box that will blend in superiorly with any interior.
Depending on the source material, all it takes is placing the corresponding level number on top of your head.
(the marketing department is still working on the introduction price for this magnificent and exclusive product, we'll keep you posted)
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Make available, as an optional extra, a set of identically sized, perfectly square stones for people that still use digital.
"With my Elwood DAC, the granite gave a somewhat dark presentation, but with good weight in the bottom end. The Quartz, I found, added a little too much sparkle for my taste."
There could be more than one road to nirvana (i.e. more than one approach and hence more than one company), but I agree that most is marketing.
Just to make sure you understand my position: I am not advocating expensive cables.
I have worked in IT for 30 years. With digital signals (RS-232, etc.) it is simple: Given a set of circumstances, cables either work (no errors) or they do not work (no connection or too many errors).
I used to think that audio cables should be similar, i.e. not have much of an effect on sound. What I have found is that audio cables can affect the sound. I do not know why (I have not looked into how capacitance, inductance or other parameters would affect the sound), but was very surprised when I replaced my standard cheap cables with the second hand Siltech cables to hear such a big difference. Especially because I was expecting no difference.
You will sell them. But only if you have the spiel. Can you get them into the Stereophile recommended components list?
As I wrote previously I did have a positive experience with the Shatki stones. I have no idea why or how they changed the sound, but they did. Note that I do not own any. Perhaps because I am still too sceptical.
Maybe I should buy them from Professor Smith. He no longer has to feel stupid (his words, not mine) and I might get a better sound. I would kill two birds with one stone (pun intended).
Or did he have two stones for sale?
Let's try to apply some pseudo science and suppose for a minute that the stones somehow better damped your amplifier chassis, and in doing so removed a source of noise/vibration. And let's also suppose that the difference was audible beyond any doubt. I could almost believe the theory as I have touched capacitors in circuit before and seen the circuit change its state. So I can almost believe that vibrations could be picked up by an electrolytic cap and influence the amplifier, in a similar way to a vacuum tube.
Now the question, would a $1 pile of books or a lead weight have done the same thing, or do you need special audiophile grade stones to get this effect?
In any case it's a good argument for solid chassis design!
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I tried weights (books, etc) but it did not work. The Shatki stones weigh very little, btw. The term "stone" is more due to how they look than anything else.
If ever you get the chance to test them, please do. I look forward to others being as flabbergasted as I was.
Funny I have always considered arguments over cables a form of mental masturbation, however having a little down time from surgery I took the time to braid up some cat5 cables and terminate them biwire. I used 2 of the runs as positive and negative for the bass and split one set for the highs (as per TNT audio web site). To my surprise there was a change in sound, lower registers became more pronounced and higher registers a little softer. My old cables were a pair of cardis braided copper cables nothing fancy, my amps Pass f4 clones and speakers North Creek Borialis. As the F4 is a tad bass shy and the speakers were a little bright the end result I found pleasing. So my conclusion is cables act as part of a filter network and the system has to be judged as complete unit and results are subjective. So what is the point of hashing it over and over either you like it or not and screw everyone else.
Bill
Bill
Regarding your experience with the siltech cables and stones, how do you know the guy really did not make any other changes? Its not surprising you heard the difference with the siltech cables. Many reviewers and audiophiles hear the difference in cables too. The problem is a lack of consensus.
Whether and how cables 'work', and the price companies charge are two separate issues. But I would argue against the cost of any product where the material cost is substantially less than the selling price. But if you lowered the selling price and sell more units, the company can still make huge profits either way cant they?
How much will you pay? I have only one stone. Its not heavy its more like a tile, but it is supposed to be placed on top of equipment. I only bought one since I was sceptical. It can easily be posted and is not expensive so I will offer it for sale to you.
Can we deny the influence on our perception, the act of going to a hi fi dealer and coughing up 2000 bucks for the stones and admiring the beautiful finish? You dont get that influence from a pile of books.
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