Frankenstein Audio Tweak of the Year

[amirm]

I hereby nominate this picture by member YashN on WBF for the horror show of the year. He has been playing with USB cables to make his iFi DAC sound better. Just post this picture of his set-up:

Guys, if I ever create such monstrosity regardless of merit, please take me out back and shoot me!

 

[Thomas savage]

Oh, this is what happens when a audio forum does not banish JK.

 

[RayDunzl]

There's nothing wrong with a little experimentation...

I'd be one to encourage it.

Has this experiment progressed to the point where the smoke comes out?

 

[watchnerd]

Is that a USB power supply pugged into an AC outlet with the jacket stripped off?

And what the heck is going on with the toggle switches and alligator clips?

 

[amirm]

Has this experiment progressed to the point where the smoke comes out?

Oh, I thought that was shredded coax shield but now that you say it, it is indeed smoke from shorting out the USB power!

 

[watchnerd]

Oh, I thought that was shredded coax shield but now that you say it, it is indeed smoke from shorting out the USB power!

I thought it was shredded cable / dielectric, too.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Vendors have been allowed to create an atmosphere that believes USB transmission of audio is fraught with tremendous difficulty and danger. Plenty of money is being made as a result. A perfectly good method of connecting a DAC via USB has been disparaged to the point some won't use it. Yet when I posted two digital original files of some music and one that was an 8th gen copy there weren't people able to correctly spot the copy. As well as degradation of those generations of copy the file would have made 16 trips across my plain cheap USB cables. No linear power supplies, no noise snubbers nothing. Yet the hyperbole about USB would have made one think that alone would have garbled the result badly. So while I too encourage experimentation, and have made odd looking things like in the photo for various reasons, what one might accomplish doing this with USB ranges from nothing good to it could only be different because you messed up the USB connection enough it was not working properly.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Oh, I thought that was shredded coax shield but now that you say it, it is indeed smoke from shorting out the USB power!

I see you asked the question, but I think it is shredded or home-made steel wool coax shield. Did you notice the talk of shielding with cardboard?

 

[watchnerd]

Vendors have been allowed to create an atmosphere that believes USB transmission of audio is fraught with tremendous difficulty and danger. Plenty of money is being made as a result. A perfectly good method of connecting a DAC via USB has been disparaged to the point some won't use it. Yet when I posted two digital original files of some music and one that was an 8th gen copy there weren't people able to correctly spot the copy. As well as degradation of those generations of copy the file would have made 16 trips across my plain cheap USB cables. No linear power supplies, no noise snubbers nothing. Yet the hyperbole about USB would have made one think that alone would have garbled the result badly. So while I too encourage experimentation, and have made odd looking things like in the photo for various reasons, what one might accomplish doing this with USB ranges from nothing good to it could only be different because you messed up the USB connection enough it was not working properly.

I'm sort of sympathetic to magical thinking when it comes to analog stuff -- after all, things like turntables, tonearms, cartridges, reel-to-reel decks are all incredibly finicky devices that can get electro-mechanically out of whack. A misaligned phono cartridge isn't usually a binary "works or doesn't" affair -- sound can still come out, but sound horrible. There are stages between "doesn't work" and "doesn't work correctly."

But digital data transmission isn't like that! When it doesn't work, it's obvious - drop outs occur.

How this idea persists in the face of reality boggles my mind...

 

[RayDunzl]

shredded or home-made steel wool coax shield

Steel Wool has nice smoke with sparkles inside it.

 

[amirm]

I see you asked the question, but I think it is shredded or home-made steel wool coax shield. Did you notice the talk of shielding with cardboard?

To stop magnetic field no less!

Let's see what he says about smoke. I see charring on the connector. Or at least looks like it.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I'm sort of sympathetic to magical thinking when it comes to analog stuff -- after all, things like turntables, tonearms, cartridges, reel-to-reel decks are all incredibly finicky devices that can get electro-mechanically out of whack. A misaligned phono cartridge isn't usually a binary "works or doesn't" affair -- sound can still come out, but sound horrible. There are stages between "doesn't work" and "doesn't work correctly."

But digital data transmission isn't like that! When it doesn't work, it's obvious - drop outs occur.

How this idea persists in the face of reality boggles my mind...

Yes it is quite something. Over, and over and over products feature among other things that you get fewer errors with their USB gizmo. Except errors cause obvious dropouts and almost never happen. Upon scrutiny the makers of such stuff admit that, yet still market it that way. And the buyers hear almost without knowing it which fuels the credibility of such ideas. Even better is the AQ Jitterbug, which they later admit isn't about Jitter at all. Yet of course the natural name for a product not about Jitter is Jitterbug?????? Color me confused.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Steel Wool has nice smoke with sparkles inside it.

Well survivalists like steel wool for starting fires. Touch a 9 volt battery across fine steel wool and fire starting is not a problem. Yes, the sparkly flames are quite beguiling to watch in fact.

 

[watchnerd]

To stop magnetic field no less!

Let's see what he says about smoke.

You're effing kidding me....I clearly missed that bit...

 

[Blumlein 88]

To stop magnetic field no less!

Let's see what he says about smoke. I see charring on the connector. Or at least looks like it.

Yep, cardboard for stopping magnetic fields. Must have been some of that iron impregnated cardboard.

 

[Blumlein 88]

You're effing kidding me....I clearly missed that bit...

I quote:

"I recommend you test it to find out for yourself. We've seen time and time again how assumptions hide a different reality for the simplest of things we've been taught or can read about. I have seen reports of people using a piece of cardboard around the disconnected power lines computer-side and still get a bump in SQ because of supposed hot-line induction...

Now, if the shield, which is further than the power lines in a USB cable can affect the data lines through a magnetic field, the power lines can't? The latter are closer..."

Now maybe he was referring to using cardboard to space lines apart diminishing the fields thru distance. That isn't what it says however. And note this is around 'disconnected' power lines. So we have to shield minute magnetic leakage from disconnected lines that therefore could have no current to speak of and presumably won't create a magnetic field. Plus we can do it with cardboard. As well as I suppose these lines are either aluminum or copper. Materials not known to be magnetic in themselves. Yet with belief you STILL get a bump up in SQ>.

 

[Thomas savage]

Yep, cardboard for stopping magnetic fields. Must have been some of that iron impregnated cardboard.

I think it's nano impregnated... Possibly a lattice of micro conductive fibres.. ... ... ... ...

 

[watchnerd]

I quote:

"I recommend you test it to find out for yourself. We've seen time and time again how assumptions hide a different reality for the simplest of things we've been taught or can read about. I have seen reports of people using a piece of cardboard around the disconnected power lines computer-side and still get a bump in SQ because of supposed hot-line induction...

Now, if the shield, which is further than the power lines in a USB cable can affect the data lines through a magnetic field, the power lines can't? The latter are closer..."

Now maybe he was referring to using cardboard to space lines apart diminishing the fields thru distance. That isn't what it says however. And note this is around 'disconnected' power lines. So we have to shield minute magnetic leakage from disconnected lines that therefore could have no current to speak of and presumably won't create a magnetic field. Plus we can do it with cardboard. As well as I suppose these lines are either aluminum or copper. Materials not known to be magnetic in themselves. Yet with belief you STILL get a bump up in SQ>.

I think you have it wrong...maybe increased RFI = MOAR SQ in his world. You know, all that euphonic distortion.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I think it's nano impregnated... Possibly a lattice of micro conductive fibres.. ... ... ... ...


I think you have it wrong...maybe increased RFI = MOAR SQ in his world. You know, all that euphonic distortion.

Combining these ideas with my theory of the existence of quantum level dark noise I come up with:
Quantum treated to mimic nano-deposited micro conductive black noise fibres which are known to be the missing part of pleasing realness in reproduction of music.

 

[Thomas savage]

I think it's nano impregnated... Possibly a lattice of micro conductive fibres.. ... ... ... ...


I think you have it wrong...maybe increased RFI = MOAR SQ in his world. You know, all that euphonic distortion.

Combining these ideas with my theory of the existence of quantum level dark noise I come up with:
Quantum treated to mimic nano-deposited micro conductive black noise fibres which are known to be the missing part of pleasing realness in reproduction of music.

I forgive your ignorance, it's a byproduct of conventional thinking.. It's quite alright, it's not your fault.