Snake Oil Department, Top This

[egellings]

Get a couple for the kids!

 

[sq225917]

It's it's really an issue buy a Z Minus platform. Of course it never is, in 99% of buildings a simple wall should will do.

Mine uses a £3 kids bike inner tube.

 

[Somafunk]

Designed for a $450,000 turntable that is supposed to be fully isolated already, at that!

Really?, my bullshit detector went off after reading the first few paragraphs so I disengaged my brain for the rest of the article, if they enjoy the sound of distortion so much (is there any other reason to listen to a rock dragged through a ditch?) then why attempt to reduce it with such a turntable stand?.

 

[MattHooper]

A $50,000 solution to turntable isolation,

And tonights winner in the category Expensive Solutions To Problems That Don't Exist, we have...

 

[richard12511]

I've had a couple that did.

Same thing here. In fact, the only AQ pair I've ever owned(came with a speaker pair I bought) came apart/broke within 1 year. One of the cables, the thin teeth of the bananna plug connecter broke off inside the speaker terminal as I was trying to switch from one speaker to another. The second cable lasted a few months longer, but the head eventually split from the cable itself. The build quality seemed quite poor , at least compared to what I'm used to.

 

[Beershaun]

The ultimate jitter free clock! It defies the second law of thermodynamics and needs no added energy to maintain its ordered state!

https://www.livescience.com/google-invents-time-crystal

 

[MrPeabody]

That is why Danny at GR Research offers this stuff. His customers demanded it. They want to do "one stop shopping" for the basic tweaks even if they don't work.

Do you have any proof or any evidence that this is his reason? The simplest and most obvious explanation is that he simply likes the money. When I donated blood about two weeks ago, this was a purely selfless act, i.e., an altruistic act, as evidenced by the utter lack of any personal gain from the act. If I had accepted payment of say, $100, in exchange for giving blood, it would then be very stupid for me to claim that it was a selfless act, for a reason that is patently obvious to most people capable of basic reason. Danny at GR Research makes oodles of profit off the snake oil stuff that he sells. As such, it is patently ludicrous for anyone to claim that he does it for any reason other than the reason that is obvious. Your statement is patently ludicrous.

 

[antcollinet]

Do you have any proof or any evidence that this is his reason? The simplest and most obvious explanation is that he simply likes the money. When I donated blood about two weeks ago, this was a purely selfless act, i.e., an altruistic act, as evidenced by the utter lack of any personal gain from the act. If I had accepted payment of say, $100, in exchange for giving blood, it would then be very stupid for me to claim that it was a selfless act, for a reason that is patently obvious to most people capable of basic reason. Danny at GR Research makes oodles of profit off the snake oil stuff that he sells. As such, it is patently ludicrous for anyone to claim that he does it for any reason other than the reason that is obvious. Your statement is patently ludicrous.

Wow - what a cynical viewpoint. I suspect the evidence Spkrdctr has is from talking to the vendor.

If I was a vendor of high end kit in a similar situaion, I'd probably do the same if it was necessary to sell anything. Stock the snake oil because that is what the customer demands, but not push it or even display/discuss it unless specifically asked by the customer.

 

[DimitryZ]

Same thing here. In fact, the only AQ pair I've ever owned(came with a speaker pair I bought) came apart/broke within 1 year. One of the cables, the thin teeth of the bananna plug connecter broke off inside the speaker terminal as I was trying to switch from one speaker to another. The second cable lasted a few months longer, but the head eventually split from the cable itself. The build quality seemed quite poor , at least compared to what I'm used to.

Was it an actual AQ product, as there are knockoffs?

Everything I ever bought from a reputable source that came in AQ packaging has lasted me many years and nothing ever broke.

 

[MrPeabody]

Wow - what a cynical viewpoint. I suspect the evidence Spkrdctr has is from talking to the vendor.

If I was a vendor of high end kit in a similar situaion, I'd probably do the same if it was necessary to sell anything. Stock the snake oil because that is what the customer demands, but not push it or even display/discuss it unless specifically asked by the customer.

BULLSHIT. There is nothing the least bit cynical about a viewpoint that is perfectly realistic and that honestly takes into account all the facts. I am so sick and thoroughly disgusted with all this damned BULLSHIT with gullible people running to the defense of ripoff artists. It is PATHETIC for people to behave in this manner. I am tired of having to put up with this kind of crap each time I make a comment that is a perfectly truthful characterization of the situation.

Given that Richie has a very large markup on those power cables, likely a markup on the order of 1000%, it is absolutely ludicrous for anyone to suggest that the reason he sells the crap is anything other than the glaringly obvious reason. You and the other fellow are asserting in essence that even though Richie has a ridiculously high markup on this stuff and makes a ridiculous amount of money from it, that the money isn't the reason per se that he sells it. If it isn't because of the money, why does he sell it for 10x as much as the same crap costs (including shipping) if you order it through Alibaba? But you say that I am cynical, so I'll respond by saying that I truly struggle to understand why anyone fully possessed of his senses would be motivated to look beyond something so glaringly obvious, to come up with some alternative reason why he rips people off when he sells this crap. It boggles my mind that there are people this gullible. If it looks like a duck and smells like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck and exhibits all the characteristics of a duck, it makes NO SENSE to try to think up a reason to argue that it is a refrigerator.

 

[Propheticus]

Was it an actual AQ product, as there are knockoffs?

Everything I ever bought from a reputable source that came in AQ packaging has lasted me many years and nothing ever broke.

Keep in mind a few anecdotal stories don't amount to much evidence.
Still, I too have now had (bought in a reputable HiFi store, so I hope real) AQ speaker cables breaking on me. Within 1,5 years one of the banana plugs has come loose from the cable when our cat walked past/underneath the cable.
The screws meant for detensioning the cable by gripping the sleeve... don't really grip the sleeve tight enough.
While reattaching it looked to me like the wire mantle was stripped too far back, leaving only the bare wire + that black rubber sleeve. Those are not thick enough for the length of the screws. Trying to tighten them drives them past the (plastic) threading.

It's funny the product pictures for the cable (Rocket 33) make the banana connectors look like something sturdy and metal.
The renders do not look like the real deal, which really is plastic and match the ones in the picture above (but then silver tips):

p.s. AQ calls these "SureGrip" ... I don't agree. Their grip in the speaker terminal is really, really weak.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Do you have any proof or any evidence that this is his reason? The simplest and most obvious explanation is that he simply likes the money. When I donated blood about two weeks ago, this was a purely selfless act, i.e., an altruistic act, as evidenced by the utter lack of any personal gain from the act. If I had accepted payment of say, $100, in exchange for giving blood, it would then be very stupid for me to claim that it was a selfless act, for a reason that is patently obvious to most people capable of basic reason. Danny at GR Research makes oodles of profit off the snake oil stuff that he sells. As such, it is patently ludicrous for anyone to claim that he does it for any reason other than the reason that is obvious. Your statement is patently ludicrous.

OK, I was being very polite. In being so polite I wandered into making a patently ludicrous statement. I too am human and make a mistake every now and then. I appreciate your bringing it to my attention.

The real issue, where I slightly disagree with you is that you "seem" to be equating mark up with ripoff. Many things in life are marked up very high, it is the nature of some products. If we get upset over high markups on products, we need to be upset all the time. I used to associate high mark ups with rip offs, but have learned that it is common in the market place. People charge what the market will bear. The medical field in general is the worst offender I can think of. They rip everybody off.

 

[rdenney]

Wow - what a cynical viewpoint. I suspect the evidence Spkrdctr has is from talking to the vendor.

If I was a vendor of high end kit in a similar situaion, I'd probably do the same if it was necessary to sell anything. Stock the snake oil because that is what the customer demands, but not push it or even display/discuss it unless specifically asked by the customer.

Making products of no known benefit (or of known disbenefit) and then selling them as if there is benefit, based on an assumption of the ignorance or stupidity of the buyer that is reinforced in the representation, is profoundly cynical. Just ask any drug dealer.

As to markup, there is a distinction between price and cost, and something should sell for what the market will bear--the least bad pricing model, it seems to me. But that is a market philosophy, not a moral philosophy that should guide the seller when deciding whether to even make a product, or when describing its benefits. Not lying to people is still a moral imperative. The appropriateness of a market-driven price is based on the assumption that the product is fairly and accurately represented in a competitive market.

Rick "who can only sell what he believes in" Denney

 

[antcollinet]

BULLSHIT. There is nothing the least bit cynical about a viewpoint that is perfectly realistic and that honestly takes into account all the facts. I am so sick and thoroughly disgusted with all this damned BULLSHIT with gullible people running to the defense of ripoff artists. It is PATHETIC for people to behave in this manner. I am tired of having to put up with this kind of crap each time I make a comment that is a perfectly truthful characterization of the situation.

Given that Richie has a very large markup on those power cables, likely a markup on the order of 1000%, it is absolutely ludicrous for anyone to suggest that the reason he sells the crap is anything other than the glaringly obvious reason. You and the other fellow are asserting in essence that even though Richie has a ridiculously high markup on this stuff and makes a ridiculous amount of money from it, that the money isn't the reason per se that he sells it. If it isn't because of the money, why does he sell it for 10x as much as the same crap costs (including shipping) if you order it through Alibaba? But you say that I am cynical, so I'll respond by saying that I truly struggle to understand why anyone fully possessed of his senses would be motivated to look beyond something so glaringly obvious, to come up with some alternative reason why he rips people off when he sells this crap. It boggles my mind that there are people this gullible. If it looks like a duck and smells like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck and exhibits all the characteristics of a duck, it makes NO SENSE to try to think up a reason to argue that it is a refrigerator.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. Peace.

 

[kyle_neuron]

I sincerely hope this hasn’t been shared already. It’s a perennial favourite of mine. The six-chapter ‘white paper’ on what it does & how, plus why you need multiple units is just the finest bullshit artistry.

https://www.lessloss.com/blackbody-p-200.html

 

[voodooless]

I sincerely hope this hasn’t been shared already. It’s a perennial favourite of mine. The six-chapter ‘white paper’ on what it does & how, plus why you need multiple units is just the finest bullshit artistry.

https://www.lessloss.com/blackbody-p-200.html

You can see how the blackbody got its name: by absorbing any EM wavelength, and by radiating none in our visible bandwidth, the device is as black as black can be; you might even say it is blacker than black

It’s a silver colored highly reflective puck.. how is it black? Does it come with a vantablack spray bottle?

 

[rdenney]

It’s a silver colored highly reflective puck.. how is it black? Does it come with a vantablack spray bottle?

Blackuum.

Rick "suck up all that black" Denney

 

[mhardy6647]

It’s a silver colored highly reflective puck.. how is it black? Does it come with a vantablack spray bottle?

This classic thread from "Club Polk" may help you understand the metaphysics of black.


https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/29186/where-to-buy-black-paint/p1

 

[mhardy6647]

... or, if one doesn't wish to stray from the safety of this website there's this:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../quiz-what-is-this-product.10278/#post-281985

 

[Somafunk]

Black!…….