Extreme Snake Oil

[fpitas]

Trolling: to antagonize (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content … trolls engage in the most outrageous and offensive behaviors possible—all the better to troll you with.

So, do you consider my remarks as inflammatory, irrelevant or offensive? I feel sorry for you if you do. I post my own experiences. Maybe this isn't a good forum for me if all the posters are so sure that its' their way or the highway (sort of the Democratic Party politicians and mass media).

Sheesh, I was sympathizing with you in my last post. We really don't give PRaT the attention it deserves.

 

[Anton S]

I have tried (and rejected) most tweaks in my high end audio system. I purchased the AudioDesk for $150 back in 2006 (It's at least $1150 now). It made a very slight improvement in the dozen or so discs I tried it on (I have 7,000). I haven't used it in 15 years and could sell it at a substantial profit. I destat my CDs before play instead (like LPs). I also tried the Synergistic Research black box and Atmosphere XL. The black box was a failure in my system as it cut off sounds above 8Khz. The Atmosphere XL worked, subtly and effectively but at a great hassle. I prefer to stick the CD in the transport and press play and enjoy. Just as I don't change the VTA for LPs (I have 28,500). I set it and forget it using a modified SME IV arm. Now many of the posters over the years DO NOT understand the ability to extract from ordinary recordings (I appraised 18 recording studios from the 80's to 2000s-saw cheap ass to extremely conscientious recording equipment/rooms) tremendously enjoyable sound, much beyond what inexpensive equipment mostly does. My electronics and cabling (with a custom audio engineered room costing $150,000+) permits me to use older but highly regarded speakers. Sure, I'd like to own an Von Schweikert Ultra speaker (the $1 million audioshow systems are spectacular sounding with my classical and jazz recordings) but I can get away with Legacy Focus and Signature IIIs for now. I also tried half a dozen lower priced ($150 to $650) digital cables for my transport and DAC. No soap, bad to okay after using a high end CD player for 15 years (EAR Acute analog-like but lacking in resolution, dynamics and frequency extremes where newer separates are superior). Then I tried (and purchased) the Synergistic Research Atmosphere X Euphoria digital cable for $1500. That brought my digital sound up to my analog. From ordinary CDs. Mono and 78 rpm CD music as well. Shockingly good. No, I did not purchase the Galileo SX or SRX at 2X and 4X the price. Will they provide me with 2X to 4X the improvement in sound? Probably not. The rest of my cabling is made by boutique manufacturer GroverHuffman.com at $700+ per power cable, interconnect and speaker cable. They compete with the higher end/read expensive cables.

I understand not wanting to pay $28,000 or $40,000 per cable. I would never do that and I can almost afford to do so. But singling out Synergistic and Shunyata who both have up to 8 levels of cable is dumb. They make quality cables at a price point. There are so many others that make crappy cables with no effort, made in China as well that also sell for similar prices. High Fidelity cable went out of business this year. In 5 settings, they were the absolute worst cables with giant magnets in the middle of the cable. Total engineering failure. Other expensive lines include Transparent, Nordost, Ansuz, Kubala Sosna, Audioquest, etc. which sell cables in the upper double figures as well and upper single digit $K Jorma, Cardas, etc. I've heard Transparent cables where the most expensive ones sounded worse than the less expensive ones ($70K versus $12K). That is also common.

The tweaks that made a difference in my listening room include SR blue power outlets, amp fuses and HFTs. Instead of HFTs, I could have spent 5X - 10X more and purchased rear and front wall quadradic diffusers with 1' or greater depth. That would have ruined by room intruding on the rear wall in particular. Actually only five of the HFTs make a significant change. The front center wall HTF-X and the four side speaker HFT-2.0. The rest, well they appear to work well at diffusing the sound and hardly noticeable.

There are so many tweaks my friends have used mostly unsuccessfully and we dispose of them (or don't purchase them in the first place).

The monoprice cable is crap. Blue Jeans, Pangea, Mogami, etc. are cheap cables. They will play music. They just won't play music at a realistic, high level in a good quality music reproduction system. I am not talking about the recording end, just the playback end. As I previously mentioned, I have seen recording studios use junk to extremely expensive equipment and cabling to obtain great recordings. A decent cheap cable is Monster 300 interconnect, the original from the 80s, not any other model. The designer went on to develop his own high end (expensive) line of cables.

My point is that unless you have heard outstanding musical sound, thoroughly involving, cheap or expensive system, there is no reason to out of hand demean expensive cabling and other tweaks. Those on this forum who consider high priced cable manufacturers as frauds and should be shut down and/or criminals are ignorant. Yes, there are those who are frauds but most are seriously interested in selling quality products. They mostly have very large lines starting in the few $100s range. You often get what you pay for, sometimes not. That is not a crime.

Were you maybe looking for the Audiogon forum?

 

[irontortoise]

Apparently, you have not heard an adequate sampling of superior music reproducing equipment. I have (unfortunately) heard possibly 500 systems at show, audio salons and acquittances homes and only about two dozen systems sound as pleasing as mine. Also, unfortunately, scientific testing of sound is still inferior and inadequate to human hearing. Testing for ambiance and PRAT are sorely lacking. Another factor is the difference in human hearing, just as in taste and smell. People have different preferences in sound as they do in music. I do not listen to rap or hip hop, most Asiatic music. I prefer classical, jazz, westernized pop, rock pre-1995 and western ethnic music. Your preference maybe different.

So your response to me is I am poor and I don’t have friends in high places? Please check the name of this site again then return with something scientific. FYI, since you have such a low opinion of me and you’re throwing around credentials, I have a BS in Geology, a “hard“ science, so I know I have much better and complete knowledge of science than you could hope to.

Edit: I'm going to keep this up, but I will apologize for the Credentials comment. It was uncalled for.

 

[CtheArgie]

Trolling: to antagonize (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content … trolls engage in the most outrageous and offensive behaviors possible—all the better to troll you with.

So, do you consider my remarks as inflammatory, irrelevant or offensive? I feel sorry for you if you do. I post my own experiences. Maybe this isn't a good forum for me if all the posters are so sure that its' their way or the highway (sort of the Democratic Party politicians and mass media).

What does politics have to do with your "unusual ability to listen and discern sound quality"?

 

[Doodski]

And what are your experiences and credentials?

Who are you to come here posting rubbish and then questioning the experiences and credentials of long time contributors here @ ASR? @mansr has done more very good stuff for this forum than you apparently ever will.

 

[mansr]

And what are your experiences and credentials?

A friend of mine has jammed with Jimmy Page.

 

[fpitas]

Unfortunately, Audioquest builds to a high profit/low cost price point in China. Their lower end isn't much better, if at all, in sound quality from cable and equipment selling for much less. I had experience with their A/C cables back in the 90s. They were dark and muddy sounding, really a turn off. Even a Pangea cable was better. Paid $125 to $150 each and absolutely not worth it. Today, same philosophy, built cheap, sell high. It also happens with many high end/expensive cables. The profit margin can be enormous. That is why some U.S. and European manufacturers do have higher prices as their build costs in materials and labor are so much higher.

Since I mainly listen to goth industrial, the Belden cables work best for me.

 

[Doodski]

Unfortunately, Audioquest builds to a high profit/low cost price point in China. Their lower end isn't much better, if at all, in sound quality from cable and equipment selling for much less. I had experience with their A/C cables back in the 90s. They were dark and muddy sounding, really a turn off. Even a Pangea cable was better. Paid $125 to $150 each and absolutely not worth it. Today, same philosophy, built cheap, sell high. It also happens with many high end/expensive cables. The profit margin can be enormous. That is why some U.S. and European manufacturers do have higher prices as their build costs in materials and labor are so much higher.

Blah blah blah. Your opinions are just that. They hold no water and have no science to back them up and you denigrate electronics test gear as a convenient way of supporting your rubbish.

 

[BALKAN_RAKIA]

My friends include famous recording/remastering engineers, equipment and cable manufacturers as well as being an amateur recording engineer for an orchestra, chamber and choir at Disney Hall, Royce, Dorothy Chandler, Ford, etc. in Los Angeles. What do you two responders with typical stupid remarks have on your record as knowing anything concerning music recording and reproduction? I sight read music and have performed 1000 times in choirs including the above recording locations. I also have two BAs from UCLA, a law degree from Southwestern U. and public management courses at former UJ. I deal with reality. I was a commercial real estate appraiser (not a lowly residential) for 32 years writing 150-200 page detailed financial reports. I built tract homes and several apartment buildings. Again, what do you know about music that you are so certain that I purchase snake oil and throw money away?

Not enough. Needs more details about who your friends and family are and other random facts about your career in business administration and real estate.
Have you tried changing the cables inside the speakers and the amps or these cables don't matter?

 

[fpitas]

Not enough. Needs more details about who your friends and family are and other random facts about your career in business administration and real estate.
Have you tried changing the cables inside the speakers and the amps or these cables don't matter?

Don't forget the house wiring. Romex sounds terrible!!!!

 

[Doodski]

Doodski-pot head obvious from his other posts, also has anti-social posts in this forum.

Prove that I have anti-social posts here @ ASR. Rather than make up your diatribe you could at least link us to this anti-social behavior.

 

[mansr]

Don't forget the house wiring. Romex sounds terrible!!!!

And the national grid really could use some better cable lifters (aka pylons).

 

[irontortoise]

I did not state that I thought you are poor and don't associate with world reknown recording/mastering engineers. You might, but you didn't answer that. My minor at UCLA was Physics, I guess that's not as 'hard' as Geology.

Uh huh. Weird you didn’t mention that before when challenged on science. Let me guess, you also stormed Juno beach, discovered the proton, gave the Steves’ the money they needed to start Apple, and you’re the secret real director of Jaws. You’ve brought nothing scientific to this discussion, just lots of unverifiable stories.

 

[Doodski]

Uh huh. Weird you didn’t mention that before when challenged on science. Let me guess, you also stormed Juno beach, discovered the proton, gave the Steves’ the money they needed to start Apple, and you’re the secret real director of Jaws.

I call peeps like this guy, "Strokers." They will stroke us all day long while getting their jollies and satisfying some inner weird stuff.

 

[mansr]

Uh huh. Weird you didn’t mention that before when challenged on science. Let me guess, you also stormed Juno beach, discovered the proton, gave the Steves’ the money they needed to start Apple, and you’re the secret real director of Jaws.

I didn't realise it at first, it was so unexpected, but I'm pretty sure he is in fact Satoshi Nakamoto.

 

[fpitas]

And the national grid really could use some better cable lifters (aka pylons).

In the better neighborhoods here, they've installed audiophile insulators on the high-tension lines. The fine resolution of the music immediately improved.

 

[BALKAN_RAKIA]

I have changed the speaker cabling. The majority of my equipment was custom built for me with great attention to the wiring/cabling. I have not rewired my DAC, transport (upgraded caps, regulators, etc in both), phono power supply or isolation transformer.

you should definitely rewire them because your system probably sounds crappy with the default cables of the isolation transformer. That's the number 1 thing I would upgrade ASAP.

 

[irontortoise]

I call peeps like this guy, "Strokers." They will stroke us all day long while getting their jollies and satisfying some inner weird stuff.

You make a good point. I’m using that term in the future. Too late, you cant copyright it now!

 

[Doodski]

I'm still waiting for your proof that I am anti-social here @ ASR.

 

[mansr]

I have underground utilities and live in a gated community

I hope it isn't open drain. Anything could get in.