Funniest snake oil theories

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I'm with you there Mr P P. Allowing the dumbing down of audio electronics and electroacoustics won't help improve reproduced sound in general in the long run.
I hope I'll be able to buy you a beer one day.
it's about just that IMO. this dumbing-down and political correctness only makes room for more snake-oil vendors. "our cables are labelled the right way. buy buy buy!"
I watch (actually used to because I'm getting sick of it) some small non-English audio forums. and I see the result of this. every neophite who just bought his first system now knows that:
1. cables are the most important
2. all engineering types are wrong
3. the stupider the explanation, the better it must sound
4. the more logic and common sense is used, the worse it must sound
5. you can judge the quality of gear only by looking at the insides, not being able to tell a resistor from a cap is not important, good gear must contain big cylindrical-shaped parts
6. specialty power plugs bring striking benefits, actually they can be used as equalizers, only that they are much better
7. the dealer must be right, it's the way he makes a living after all, he ought to!
etc

actually, one thing I keep noticing is that the less technical-minded they are, the more they are convinced engineers are always wrong. nevermind that not every guy who calls himself an engineer is actually a good one. they're all the same (always wrong, that is) and they, the non-engineers know it for a fact. because the dealer told them so.

there was an article in Stereophile (I think) where the author mentioned the fact that at some audio show all the equipment seemed to be priced at ~20k. it's science advancing, of course. how did we manage to live without speakers made out of solid blocks of aluminum for so long?
I postulate that there will be a time when a 20k amp will be considered entry-level and we'll only have this dumbing-down to blame.
 
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I don't believe,

That a good engineer and DIY person can't equal or beat the manufacturers..what you have to remember is who are you up against in the design room?
I have said it before and I will say it again how does Bob carver do it without audio note parts? Perhaps he dosen't but.....

Whats the difference between listen to that clarity with silver etc..ect and listen to that clarity with this different circuit..look its equal to the other one.

Has it got to be better (whatever that means) or just different?


Regards
M. Gregg
 
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Even if things like cables did make a mysterious and real difference to the signal, then people who indulged in tweaking would be thrashing around in the dark trying to find their optimum place in 56-dimensional space - they'd never achieve it in a thousand years, and could only end up with disaster of a system. Thank goodness that cables don't make a difference beyond their imaginations!
 
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then people who indulged in tweaking would be thrashing around in the dark trying to find their optimum place in 56-dimensional space - they'd never achieve it in a thousand years, and could only end up with disaster of a system.

Yes...:D..thats the rabbit hole..99% of the problem is knowing what you want from a system..most people don't..
Go to a hifi convention and see how many systems you don't like<<<you will be surprised!

Regards
M. Gregg
 
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and since I mentioned this:
you can judge the quality of gear only by looking at the insides, not being able to tell a resistor from a cap is not important, good gear must contain big cylindrical-shaped parts

one thing I admire in Stereophile is that they don't post pictures of the insides or comment on their appearance.
how can a reviewer w/o any technical background (not talking about Stereophile ones obviously) comment on something he has no understanding of?
I know of one review where the reviewer commented on "big supply caps", "short signal traces", "quality parts" etc, while bad design choices which are almost obvious to a trained person were ignored. what's the point?
 
You should check out this one Snake oil of the year award: Audiophile cables | Audio Tweak
snake-oil-of-the-year-award.jpg
 
Excellent! It's clear that if you're a high end cable manufacturer, heatshrink is your friend.
LOL
I noticed it before. I think they ought to send the ones who invented heat shrink an appreciation letter.

actually there's a good reason why power cables can make a difference and that is the amount of crap they radiate and/or couple. I've seen some actual measurements. not the most comprehensive ones but there was a definite (big) difference. now, does this mean that a power chord needs to cost $10k?

BTW, did I ever show you the insides of a $3k Nordost Thor power conditioner?


I don't believe,

That a good engineer and DIY person can't equal or beat the manufacturers..
not sure I agree, actually I think there are serious reasons why most DIYers can't compete against professionals. not meaning that all of them can't.
IMO those reasons have to do with knowledge, time and money. most DIYers build a prototype and call it good. they don't have the time (and money, why not) to refine. I'd be surprised if most DIYers build more than a version of a PCB.
 
You should check out ...Snake oil of the year award: Audiophile cables | Audio Tweak

Let's consider the picture of the connectors with little bags of what appear to be stones or 'crystals' taped to them. I might not have the imagination to think of such an idea, but because it's been thought of by another person, I can feel the appeal of it. In the place of someone without a technical grounding I could imagine what they're thinking. "What if it really could imbue the audio with the essence of the crystals (clear, clean, polished, rounded, smooth but not soft etc.)? Or they might absorb harmful energy fields that are everywhere apparently. The killjoys on DIYAudio would say it's silly, but even so it could be a self-administered placebo if I don't think about it too hard. I could make my own crystal bags, but then I'd know the crystals came from a fish tank. So I'll buy them from this audio tweaks dealer and imagine he got them from a passing comet."
 
Let's consider the picture of the connectors with little bags of what appear to be stones or 'crystals' taped to them.
what the cr@p. I didn't scroll through and missed it.

what I believe happens is that high-end is becoming more about luxury than about anything else. there's an interview with one of the Sonus Faber designers and he explicitly states that nowadays whoever doesn't get that audio is about luxury has a grim future for his business.
weirdest part is that even the portion of the public that can't afford the luxury seems to agree it should be so. who needs gear that only looks average? no Harbeth for us. damn, I've seen gear that by my standards looks superb being criticized for being bland-looking.
they somehow fail to see that "massive aluminum case made from solid block" doesn't only add the manufacturing costs to the end price. but also the 300-500% profit margin. and it could even move the product to the upper pricing segment where even larger margins are added. as in: price doubles, you can't afford it. and they like it. sounds like some kind victim-aggressor psychology. could be explained by the fact that many people buy used. but I believe that if for some reason buying used gear would not be possible, they would change perspectives 1800 degrees.
 
Nope. Piccies please!
ok. this should amuse you. have some cleaning around the house to do now :)

LE: and the Sonus faber interview: http://www.ultraaudio.com/index.php...-sounds-group-an-interview-with-livio-cucuzza

I think that this industry -- the high-end niche -- has moved away from the real world. The people that can spend a lot of money for these toys are not attracted by them any more. We need to catch the attention of new people, rich people, so we have to speak the language of luxury. I want people to look at our products the way they look at a supercar or an expensive watch.

funny part is that an expensive watch works just as good as my $20 Casio. which is metal-made, looks decent and is waterproof. it gets a lot of abuse too and doesn't complain. in this last respect it's better than a luxury one :) this comparison with luxury watches is often used but IMO it doesn't even make sense: audio gear is supposed to sound good, period. the pics below would correspond to a $1000 watch that looks bad and breaks once a week.


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ok. this should amuse you.

I am stunned. What does it tell you? It tells me that we are dealing with people who are not aware of their own considerable limitations, nor even of the basics of the industry they claim to be at the 'high end' of. Amusing to think of the owner of that masterpiece feeling superior to the Belden owner (if he survives long enough).

Are there any reviews of it magically transforming the sound?
 
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I don't think there is anything wrong with toys and adults playing with them.

For a lot of audiophiles, it is all just a game. No game can withstand the conforntation with reality, so if they like their silver creo'd unidirectional cables better after a 100 hour break in with pink noise, let them have it. I also applaud the industry catering to their needs for the entertainment they provide me with their writings..

The true believers are the engineering types who feel they should comment on the Emperors clothes. It's like trying to explain to a 10 year old that his hard earned Pokémon collection is stupid and worthless since it all has no basis in science. If you would succeed, it would be mean, and if you wouldn't, you would be stupid yourself for trying. That's how I think about it as long as there are no public health issues at stake.
 
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