Extreme Snake Oil

[Spkrdctr]

Someone just fleeced a forum member out of $1500 and now I'm the bad guy?

No, you are the good guy. I was pointing out that a good verbal smack had been delivered. It was a fun post to read.

 

[Echolane]

I’m not interested in being bullied.

 

[Mart68]

I’m not interested in being bullied.

it's not bullying it's tough love

Seriously Shunyata are pulling your pants down. I'd love it if I could just hit 'buy it now' and receive a product that I just unwrap and plug in and which improves sound quality. All of us here would.

No muss no fuss and I personally don't need to save up. I could get them tomorrow. But it just isn't that easy.

 

[Galliardist]

I’m not interested in being bullied.

I'm still hopeful for my part that you might take the offer of having these cables measured by @amirm

However, it's not your job as a consumer to do that. And while we may be very wary on this site, most others in the audio industry continue to push the idea that cables like these do make a difference, and we should not be as surprised or angry as we often are when people like you do buy them.

I think we'd all like to see the evidence that you came here and asked for: and you have the chance to help gain it on behalf of us all.

 

[Mnyb]

I have owned many audio scam products, it’s so refreshing to realise what they really are and then move on from that experience

 

[BeeKay]

it's not bullying it's tough love

Spot on. Falling for marketing BS happened to most of us here moons ago. Would have preferred to be ‚loved‘ here at that time.

 

[Bohdan]

 

[MoreWatts]

AXPONA 2023: Million Dollar system, with $330,000 worth of cabling. More than the speaker pair (only $269K) and 2 stereo amps (only $230K).

To be fair, this bi-amped system does require extra cables.

The system dis-robed Joni Mitchell: "Thank goodness, the system sounded like its price tag. Joni Mitchell sounded breathtakingly naked and intimate."

TBH, I'm not sure if expensive cabling is snake-oil or simply a Veblen good, in some eyes. I guess it depends on the claims made.

Stereophile Axpona 2023 coverage: Estelon and Vitus Audio lead the way with a million dollar system.

 

[Gringoaudio1]

AXPONA 2023: Million Dollar system, with $330,000 worth of cabling. More than the speaker pair (only $269K) and 2 stereo amps (only $230K).

To be fair, extra cables are needed for bi-amping.

The system dis-robed Joni Mitchell: "Thank goodness, the system sounded like its price tag. Joni Mitchell sounded breathtakingly naked and intimate."

TBH, I'm not sure if expensive cabling is snake-oil or simply a Veblen good, in some eyes. I guess it depends on the claims made.

Stereophile Axpona 2023 coverage: Estelon and Vitus Audio lead the way with a million dollar system.

What is a collection of deluded rich middle aged men called? Idiots will do fine.

 

[Mart68]

AXPONA 2023: Million Dollar system, with $330,000 worth of cabling. More than the speaker pair (only $269K) and 2 stereo amps (only $230K).

To be fair, this bi-amped system does require extra cables.

The system dis-robed Joni Mitchell: "Thank goodness, the system sounded like its price tag. Joni Mitchell sounded breathtakingly naked and intimate."

TBH, I'm not sure if expensive cabling is snake-oil or simply a Veblen good, in some eyes. I guess it depends on the claims made.

Stereophile Axpona 2023 coverage: Estelon and Vitus Audio lead the way with a million dollar system.

The foo alone adds up to $100K:

Stromtank S-2500 Quantum MkII ($28,250) and S-1000 ($16,000) battery power source and conditioner; HRS SXR-1921-3v racks (2), R3X-1921 bases (6), and E1X-2127-2 bases (2) ($33,000); ART 6XS electromagnetic treatments (2) ($9000), and ASC IsoThermal Tube Traps (10) ($7290)

Replace the $330,000 worth of cables with $300 worth of cables (generous) and you've got exactly the same sound quality and saved $400K

How rich would you need to be for $400K to be nothing to you? Go to Musk, Bezos or Gates and ask them to give you $400K for nothing; I think I can guess their answer.

 

[voodooless]

How rich would you need to be for $400K to be nothing to you? Go to Musk, Bezos or Gates and ask them to give you $400K for nothing; I think I can guess their answer.

All of these have some resemblance of technical knowledge though…

 

[Mart68]

All of these have some resemblance of technical knowledge though…

maybe but that's not what I meant.

If you said to them 'I can save you $400K' they would not say 'Not interested mate I've got pots of cash.'

 

[voodooless]

maybe but that's not what I meant.

If you said to them 'I can save you $400K' they would not say 'Not interested mate I've got pots of cash.'

I know, but my bet is they would question the whole premise in the first place… now if you were to ask the Kardashians…

 

[OldHvyMec]

now if you were to ask the Kardashians…

Well they're selling oil but it's not snake oil. More of a perfumed oil, I suspect. Talk about not getting your money's worth.

YUP! when the cable cost exceeds the speaker cost and the speaker cost exceeds my home cost, time for a slap on the back of the head.
I'd go as far as to say when the speaker cables cost more than cable TV for a month they cost too much. As far as getting cables off the floor,
I'm a wizard with a milk carton, a pair of tin snips, sand, hot wax and paint. If you stick a wick in em' they double as a candle in a pickle.

 

[Mart68]

Slap on the head probably not sufficient in terms of treatment.

Plenty of places to go even if you bought the lot. Where are the grounding boxes for example? You could dump another $200K there alone.

Foo if you think it's over:

 

[OldHvyMec]

I saw one of those. Grounding cables everywhere, neatly plugged in. Battery packs, and alternate places to plug in other things. Cables the
size of a healthy python. It sure made my DIY cables look simple. I guess because they are.

I like bling, that's why there was a rhinestone cowboy and a real Hope diamond. But at 20 feet and a lot of light you couldn't tell the difference.
I'm betting with my worn out ears and few hundred dollars, I could have been happy with my selection of cables and terminal ends. At least
329,000.00 dollars happer.

I'm not cheap, I am frugal. I'll spend 10.00 dollars on good vanilla ice cream. If I can supply the VANILLA, the EGGS, the ICE, and the CREAM.
I have a Kg of vanilla beans from the last Veracruz Vanilla harvest and 4-5lbs of Madagascar grade B for extract. Just a little bit of heaven in
a stinky old world. The smell of VANILLA. I'm sure it would get the 329,000.00 taste out of my mouth for cables. LOL

Be like Red Fox grabbing his chest and sayin' "I'm comin' Elizabeth". "He paid 329K more than I did, for cables" "It sounds the same, I think!"
"Who cares for 329K"? "Pass the Ice cream Dummy!" I miss Fred, he made a lot of sense.

Regards

 

[Mojo Warrior]

I

maybe but that's not what I meant.

If you said to them 'I can save you $400K' they would not say 'Not interested mate I've got pots of cash.'

Is this what they meant by Trickle Down Economics ?

 

[ribonucleic]

Just as a passion for fitness can insidiously turn into anorexia, audiophilia can become a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Which makes Nordost and their ilk the equivalent of advertising special soap that will finally get those bugs off your skin for $7,500 a bar.

 

[OldHvyMec]

obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I knew a person that had a Tea, ginseng and cognac obsession. 100K easy per year. 30-40K for TEA!!
Currently 600K per pound for Da Hong Pao tea.

I'm a Lipton guy.

 

[JktHifi]

As long as it can give different taste/sound, people will buy