Snake Oil Department, Top This

[mhardy6647]

Well, this is a new one on me, although apparently these've been around for a while.

EVS Ground Enhancers

There's an active thread on them at audioasylum that I just stumbled across.
Now, here's the funny thing -- apparently there is another, similar product... but instead of going on the loudspeaker's negative terminal, it goes on the positive one.

Creative Cable Concepts JPT-S Pig Tails; Back EMF Reduction; Pair (1/1)

Shop used Creative Cable Concepts JPT-S Pig Tails; Back EMF Reduction; Pair (1/1) with confidence at The Music Room. Expertly inspected, tested, certified, and backed by our Risk-Free Guarantee.

tmraudio.com

I wonder if having a hifi that inverts phase has any repercussions with these gizmos?

 

[egellings]

Only $125 the pair! Get a couple for the kids!

 

[Ornette]

Reading above about an audio salesman playing different files to demonstrate "differences" in USB cables reminds me of a scam that I actually fell for a long time ago at a high end audio salon. I was still naive enough to believe that expensive designer interconnects might yield meaningful audible differences. While I sat auditioning a very expensive 2-channel system, the salesman swapped between the interconnects I had brought with me and the ones he was trying to sell me. The difference in soundstaging was profound and undeniable! I mean, there was absolutely no doubt that with my interconnects the soundstage was very narrow and completely between the speakers, while with the expensive wire, it was extending well outside of the speaker boundaries. I bought the expensive interconnects without a second thought. It was a complete no-brainer. Only later did it dawn on me that the salesman had simply crossed the channels (left to right) between DAC and preamp when using my interconnects. Fortunately, this lesson only cost me several hundred dollars (a relative pittance in the realm of audiophile interconnects), and the interconnects I ended up with were excellent in terms of construction and aesthetics.

Amazingly enough, two other audio salesmen have pulled this exact same stunt during subsequent auditions (of other gear). I guess they teach it in Snake Oil 101. Thought I'd share for the benefit of the uninitiated.

 

[egellings]

I'd tell that vendor to stick the cables or whatever where the sun doesn't shine if they pulled that crap on me.

 

[Tranquility Bass]

Well, this is a new one on me, although apparently these've been around for a while.

EVS Ground Enhancers

View attachment 236798

There's an active thread on them at audioasylum that I just stumbled across.
Now, here's the funny thing -- apparently there is another, similar product... but instead of going on the loudspeaker's negative terminal, it goes on the positive one.

Creative Cable Concepts JPT-S Pig Tails; Back EMF Reduction; Pair (1/1)

Shop used Creative Cable Concepts JPT-S Pig Tails; Back EMF Reduction; Pair (1/1) with confidence at The Music Room. Expertly inspected, tested, certified, and backed by our Risk-Free Guarantee.

tmraudio.com

I wonder if having a hifi that inverts phase has any repercussions with these gizmos?

These ones will sweeten the sound or change the sweet spot

 

[Tranquility Bass]

Reading above about an audio salesman playing different files to demonstrate "differences" in USB cables reminds me of a scam that I actually fell for a long time ago at a high end audio salon. I was still naive enough to believe that expensive designer interconnects might yield meaningful audible differences. While I sat auditioning a very expensive 2-channel system, the salesman swapped between the interconnects I had brought with me and the ones he was trying to sell me. The difference in soundstaging was profound and undeniable! I mean, there was absolutely no doubt that with my interconnects the soundstage was very narrow and completely between the speakers, while with the expensive wire, it was extending well outside of the speaker boundaries. I bought the expensive interconnects without a second thought. It was a complete no-brainer. Only later did it dawn on me that the salesman had simply crossed the channels (left to right) between DAC and preamp when using my interconnects. Fortunately, this lesson only cost me several hundred dollars (a relative pittance in the realm of audiophile interconnects), and the interconnects I ended up with were excellent in terms of construction and aesthetics.

Amazingly enough, two other audio salesmen have pulled this exact same stunt during subsequent auditions (of other gear). I guess they teach it in Snake Oil 101. Thought I'd share for the benefit of the uninitiated.

Years ago my friend told me he knew a car radio installer dude that used to reverse the phase of one of his more expensive car audio speakers to produce much less bass so he could sell the cheaper ones which had a much higher profit margin.

 

[Doodski]

Years ago my friend told me he new a car radio installer audio dude that used to reverse the phase of one of his car audio expensive speakers to produce much less bass so he could sell the cheaper ones which had a much higher profit margin

There are many scams that some salespeople use. Sell a model for a high margin and then substitute it for a similar looking less expensive speaker and the customer takes it home and thinks they bought the right one is a popular scam with a salesperson that I knew for awhile. We where wondering how he maintained such a high margin and voila... he was investigated, audited and dismissed. It happened too many times and deniability was just not plausible. Stuff like this is not uncommon when there are tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people employed in a industry with high turnover due to commission sales challenges. There is no real way of telling who is going to be a thief from the sales invoices to the cash room and even further up the chain of command. It just happens and when it does everybody is usually surprised.

 

[pseudoid]

I think that with the TVs being so flat & thin, it would be difficult to get anything worthy of being called a speaker in there. Best to just go with a separate sound setup.

I think my wallet is as flat and thin as these TVs but I never contemplated adding tuna-cans for getting sound out of my wallet.
You maybe preaching to the choir!
I was careful to not call them "speakers"!

 

[Tranquility Bass]

I am forced to nominate the "DAC502" as a potential snake oil.
Strictly based on the statements of the [nameless] company's full-page advertisement in an audio publication.
The ad starts with:

Their website is also just as fishy sounding:
View attachment 236678 AGAIN?
I don't mean [no] disrespect to the company but my bs-meters are pegged!

Is this the Weiss DAC502 ?? Apparently it is still using the ES9018 and sells for around 8k US. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/new-weiss-dac-501-502.23028/

 

[pseudoid]

Is this the Weiss DAC502 ?? Apparently it is still using the ES9018 and sells for around 8k US. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/new-weiss-dac-501-502.23028/

Yes.
I had intentionally not wanted to name the company.
What designs and topologies they employ does not matter.
Snake Oil is a mostly a mind-game:
Even if their engineering/design are the best in the industry, when the marketeers take control (as quoted), I blacklist the b*st*rds!
But that's me: How about you?

 

[noiseangel]

Is this the Weiss DAC502 ?? Apparently it is still using the ES9018 and sells for around 8k US. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/new-weiss-dac-501-502.23028/

Glad you named them.

 

[noiseangel]

Nordost QNet network switch & QSource linear power supply | Stereophile.com

"A switch? Why do I need a switch?" That was my response to Meredith Gabor, head of marketing and PR for cable and accessories manufacturer Nordost, after she dropped the news. She had just arranged with Jim Austin for me to write a shorter, "ancillary" review of the new Nordost QNet Network...

www.stereophile.com

The first thing I heard after I installed the QNet was that Gens's voice grew in size. Colors were more vivid. As silence filled spaces between notes, the soundstage seemed to expand in all directions. All that from a simple switch?

When I disconnected the Roon Nucleus+ server/streamer from the HDPlex 300 and powered it, as well, with the QSource, I heard even more color, detail, and clarity. As another veil lifted, images again grew in size and became more believable

Footnote 5: QSource cable's terminations do not insert completely into some devices, including the Roon Nucleus+. Sometimes they loosen at the slightest touch. Nordost would be wise to address this.

Steroephile credibility now lower than a Dung Beetles belly.This review has plenty of food for the dung beetle as well.The entire Dung Beetle fraternity in Africa could live on one stereophile review for a year.Prepping Dung Beetles would be wise to get a copy.

 

[Tranquility Bass]

The following comment at the end of the review sums it up Notice how there are never any measurements of these devices even though they bang on about noise all of the way through the review !

This is a new low.
Submitted by GrumpyBadger on October 6, 2022 - 3:43am
All I can say is... wow. This is an IMPRESSIVE amount of nonsense. Absolutely anyone who knows how the Ethernet system actually works will agree. Ethernet data is packetised and error checked at every stage. Each data packet arrives either wholly intact or is discarded and re-sent as many times as needed for an intact delivery. The final data assembled from packets can only be 100% perfect or is rejected entirely. So you'll have complete data dropouts or perfect data. Nothing in between whatsoever.
The need for noise immunity is simply to reduce the number of errored packets and has zero influence on final assembled data integrity.
Imagine if the pictures, text, etc. sent over Ethernet had noise induced artifacts of any kind - we would have abandoned it as a network technology immediately.
The so-called "R&D engineer" claiming this device aids audio transparency either needs to go back to school or is a straight up liar.
The so-called reviewer is either lying to us or himself about perceived audio differences.

 

[Booker]

Full System Enhancer CD, really?

 

[mhardy6647]

These ones will sweeten the sound or change the sweet spot

I like your screen name

 

[mhardy6647]

Full System Enhancer CD, really?

View attachment 236876

So... see... I look at stuff like #4 and wonder about the kinetics (i.e., the rate) of Hi-Res Burn-In Demag. Is it linear with time? Exponential? Hyperbolic? Is there a threshold? E.g., no benefit at 17 minutes, complete and utter chaos or destruction at 18 min? You know, those kinds of important, burning scientific questions.

Only $125 the pair! Get a couple for the kids!

Great for multichannel! Collect 'em all!

 

[Spkrdctr]

So this magical $10 DAC sells for $8,000? Holy cow I'm in the wrong business. Well, if I wasn't retired I'd be in the wrong business. Turning $10 plus box and shipping into $8,000 is actually magic. I know see the magic in audio.

 

[pseudoid]

Well, this is a new one on me, although apparently these've been around for a while.
EVS Ground Enhancers

This is the updated versions of the ground enhancers.
The company - thru exhaustive testing - has determined that the cotton knots (2 per enhancer and at 4cm separation) provide the most organic, earthy sound ever achieved!

 

[Spkrdctr]

Cottons electrical properties have been known for about 80 years. Cotton wires allow the electrons to flow and while flowing cleans up any bad electrons. Everyone knows cotton is a good cleaning cloth. So, get your cotton wires and see how it changes the sound. You will be amazed at how big of a difference it makes. You will have to turn up the volume though as a side effect of the cotton cleaning the electrons is it tends to ever so slightly slow them down.

 

[egellings]

Of course. Of course.