Extreme Snake Oil

[Proud Audiophile]

Pricey speaker wire often fools people on a budget here.

Good thing they are on a budget then. People new to audio really need to start small and cheep and take the time to learn instead of listening to fancy full salesmen. Especially with the quality of some of the very inexpensive gear these days.

I'm trying to figure out who the person is that has never been into audio and suddenly for some reason decides to spend tens of thousands on a "recommended" system.

True audiophilia develops at a very young age far before the financial means so I don't know who these people are.

 

[Laika2]

Good thing they are on a budget then. People new to audio really need to start small and cheep and take the time to learn instead of listening to fancy full salesmen. Especially with the quality of some of the very inexpensive gear these days.

I'm trying to figure out who the person is that has never been into audio and suddenly for some reason decides to spend tens of thousands on a "recommended" system.

True audiophilia develops at a very young age far before the financial means so I don't know who these people are.

Amen.

 

[mpw]

Good thing they are on a budget then. People new to audio really need to start small and cheep and take the time to learn instead of listening to fancy full salesmen. Especially with the quality of some of the very inexpensive gear these days.

I'm trying to figure out who the person is that has never been into audio and suddenly for some reason decides to spend tens of thousands on a "recommended" system.

True audiophilia develops at a very young age far before the financial means so I don't know who these people are.

I think people getting in high-end audio are not spending 10's of thousands I would say 2k tops to start depending on if the new user wants digital or analog. Lots of high-end audio sales people like high-end audio themselves not just sales people, maybe Car sales people are just sellers.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

Such a pity Chris Brunhaver who appears to be a pretty straight guy has to be associated with him.
Keith

hey, we all need jobs, and it seems like Chris is being treated well. Hope he can right the ship over there.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

It's hard for me to get too mad at the crazy sales pitches. Is it fraud? I guess. The thing is I don't believe anyone really believes them. The people that buy these products just want to play the game because they find it fun for some reason. I don't think they are even fooled. It seems more like engaging in harmless (because no one is fooled) fantasy. Also there doesn't seem to be enough people stupid enough to buy the claims to make it economically viable based on fraud alone. Most people have got to be just playing along.

people are absolutely fooled, and it is definitely fraud (morally. I'm not a lawyer.)

 

[Proud Audiophile]

I am a criminal lawyer and it is fraudulent advertising. Still it is hard to believe anyone is really that dumb. In order to be defrauded you must in fact believe the fraudulent claim and act on it. I guess there is some poor sap somewhere.

 

[Mr. Widget]

hey, we all need jobs, and it seems like Chris is being treated well. Hope he can right the ship over there.

I have an ancient PS Audio 4.6 preamp. It wasn't crazy expensive when new and still performs admirably decades later. Unfortunately for companies like PS audio there is only so much you can do with traditional analog circuits. Spinning new golden cloth for those who want to believe seems to be the path they've taken.

Righting the ship is possible, but hard to get the funding. Audio is a good place to lose a fortune. It is true that Harman and Bose have done well, but both barely make home audio and make their real money in other areas.

 

[Thighsofsteel]

The Giant Frog King that lives on the Dark Side of the Moon.

Did he move to Mars. It was neighbour dispute I think.

 

[Laika2]

Did he move to Mars. It was neighbour dispute I think.

LOL, Yea some Intergalactic HOA issues is the rumor.

 

[Laika2]

I am a criminal lawyer and it is fraudulent advertising. Still it is hard to believe anyone is really that dumb. In order to be defrauded you must in fact believe the fraudulent claim and act on it. I guess there is some poor sap somewhere.

Retired recently. That's it in a nutshell. Could be an interesting case with the "reasonable person standard" defense wise. (In a "you actually brought that crazy advertisement" angle)

 

[antcollinet]

I'm pretty sure people knew homeopathy was bullshit long before 2021.

Right from the very beginning in fact:

A brief history of homeopathy - PMC

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[antcollinet]

Anecdote is not data.

Better stated as "the plural of anecdote is not data" In the singular, it is just a story.

 

[Mart68]

Memories. Like the corners of my mind. Misty water colour memories of the way we were.

I wrote a song about it but it ended up infringing on the copyright of one written years earlier.

 

[RickS]

Many reports that this thread is way off topic and looks to be the case. Too late for me to handle. So locked for now.

P.S. homeopathy discussion was exorcized. Thead unlocked.

 

[FrantzM]

ok .. I was conducting a search on equipment grounding, a serious issue. Arcane and not always well understood, even by pros... and Google led me to this :

Audio Quest Black Hole Ground Wire

$55 for the 3-foot length ...
Just so that you put this in perspective .. a 100 feet of THHN 14 AWG, .. Let me repeat: One Hundred feet of similar wire cost about $30 on Amazon, perhaps $35 at Home Depot ...

Perhaps it's in the spades where magic happens.

 

[Ropeburn]

ok .. I was researching Groudning .. A very serious issue. Arcane and not always well udnerstood , even by f pros... and Google led me to this :

Audio Quest Balck Hole Ground Wire
View attachment 558461
$55 for about 3 foot length ...
Just so that you put this in perspective .. a 100 feet of THHN, .. Let me repeat: One Hundred feet of similar wire cost about $30 on Amazon, perhaps $35 at Home Depot ...

Perhaps it's in the spades where magic happens.

Look closely, it's directional as well.

 

[egellings]

Look closely, it's directional as well.

That's gotta really confuse an AC signal coursing through it.

 

[Ropeburn]

That's gotta really confuse an AC signal coursing through it.

Yeah. It can't decide which way to go in the first place, now imagine you put your ground wire the wrong way around and confuse it further. Will the signal get stuck in the cable?

 

[Salt]

Yeah. It can't decide which way to go in the first place, now imagine you put your ground wire the wrong way around and confuse it further. Will the signal get stuck in the cable?

As long as talking AC: yes, not the signal, but the electrons are stuck in the cable ... what reminds me of one post going like "one day will come that they will charge us for the electrons inside their cables" ...

 

[fpitas]

ok .. I was conducting a search on equipment grounding, a serious issue. Arcane and not always well understood, even by pros... and Google led me to this :

Audio Quest Black Hole Ground Wire
View attachment 558461
$55 for the 3-foot length ...
Just so that you put this in perspective .. a 100 feet of THHN 14 AWG, .. Let me repeat: One Hundred feet of similar wire cost about $30 on Amazon, perhaps $35 at Home Depot ...

Perhaps it's in the spades where magic happens.

Your money will fall past the singularity, never to return.