The Quackery Thread

YNWaN · Post by **YNWaN** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:30 pm

I suspect that if I had just paid over £2000 for these cables (because that is what they cost) I may have been inclined to hear more difference - I never buy before I try.

There are so many cables on the market now that every manufacturer needs a USP (Unique Selling Point) to stand out from the crowd (blue LED's on the interconect do look cool).

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:35 pm

pre65 wrote:Who's Shirley ?

(is that DTBs drag name ?)

shane wrote:If this goes on much longer I'll start quoting the Goon Show. Then you'll be sorry...

"The Phantom Batter Pudding Hurler Of Bexhill On Sea"?

Scottmoose · Post by **Scottmoose** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 7:20 pm

It is SO easy to poo-poo new ideas without listening to them,but you have shown that having an opportunity to listen (without paying !) can make one well aware of the "quackery" of some claims.

Very true Phil. And I'm all for new ideas as a general principle, providing of course, they don't fly in the face of the laws of physics. Or outright common sense.

Do the "inventors" of these "quackery" devices really believe they work ? Or are they just out to fleece gullible wealthyphiles ?

An interesting question. Some of them might genuinely believe they do. Others (probably the majority), sadly, conform to the latter. Whatever the reason, the end result is the same, unless the belief-engine kicks in.

colin.hepburn · Post by **colin.hepburn** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:00 pm

Mike H wrote:
Scottmoose wrote:Surely to God life is too short to while away your hours contemplating on the possibility that your CD label might become magnetised to a level somewhat below that of the background
Does anyone still draw around the edge o a CD with a green felt tip marker? That was a fave in the 1980's ~ accompanied by heated arguments about the brand of the magic marker and the precise type of ink

Hi Mike
Hmm Well did you mean this Green Pen a but hay it is an original

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:11 pm

That's the kiddie!!

Gordon Bennet that brings back memories

BTW I should point out when I wrote "Does anyone still" I wasn't of course implying any of us, we're far too sensible

colin.hepburn · Post by **colin.hepburn** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:19 pm

Mike H wrote:That's the kiddie!!

Gordon Bennet that brings back memories

BTW I should point out when I wrote "Does anyone still" I wasn't of course implying any of us, we're far too sensible

Yep its been a long time some time in fact 81/91 i think of course it is now empty Honest

I just keep it for the fun of it

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:22 pm

Hold onto that, it's a museum piece now!

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:33 pm

Mike H wrote:Hold onto that, it's a museum piece now!

No it's not...it's an empty green marker pen!

I vote we put Mike into the quackery pot!!!!

DTB

colin.hepburn · Post by **colin.hepburn** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:54 pm

Dave the bass wrote:
Mike H wrote:Hold onto that, it's a museum piece now!
No it's not...it's an empty green marker pen!

I vote we put Mike into the quackery pot!!!!

DTB

it's an empty green hight teck Bingo marker pen!

Hi Fi Audio memorabilia Stuff Me Thinks £££££

?????

pre65 · Post by **pre65** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:18 pm

Spurred on by a posting on another (unmentionable) forum (yes i do still look !!) i have decided to build a Byebee.

Max reported that all it contained was a 0.025 ohm metal film resistor so that's my task.

A small box,phonos in and out,and a 0.025 ohm resistor in between.

I cant find any metal films that size so does the panel think these would do instead ?

http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-C ... tors/65206

Before i go ahead,has anyone already tried this ?

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 1:51 pm

pre65 wrote:
Before i go ahead,has anyone already tried this ?

If it was me I'd not bother TBH.

I'd put the money towards buying some 18mm BB Ply and building a pair of Sab's.....

DTB

Scottmoose · Post by **Scottmoose** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:02 pm

A what?

I'm thick, forgive me. What is this thing, exactly? If I understand you correctly, it's a box, with a phono in & out, and a miniscule resistor across the terminals?

However, FWIW, I wombled over to their site, and discovered, in the diy section, this priceless remark:

"Originally developed (and still used) for military applications, this quantum purification technology has proven that eliminating sub-audible noise"i.e., noise unmeasurable by typical test-bench instruments..."

Hmm. Let us break this down in 3 stages shall we?

1/ Military applications. Bollocks. What are they supposed to be doing -acting as temporary replacements for poker chips in the Officers Club? Yep, I can just picture Lockheed Martin / Boeing stuffing the F22 Raptor full of them, given their own world-renowned technical inneptitude.
'Military applications' is such a wonderful phrase for advertising people isn't it. You can lie your head off while safe in the knowledge that you will never, ever be caught.

2/ Eliminating 'sub-audible noise' -that sounds a worthwhile pursuit, as, by definition, it's sub-audible.

3/ 'unmeasureable noise' -OK. Now, we accept that we don't know everything. But as by their definition this infamous noise is unmeasureable, a) how do they know it exists in the first place, and b) how, pray, have they 'proven' that its erradication is beneficial? I think we all know the answer to that one.

pre65 · Post by **pre65** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:10 pm

Nice one Scott !

My "theory" is that these devices do something !!

Don't know what,or why though ?

What would one "expect" an 0.025 ohm resistor to do with a line level signal,or a typical speaker signal ?

Lee S · Post by **Lee S** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:13 pm

pre65 wrote:What would one "expect" an 0.025 ohm resistor to do with a line level signal,or a typical speaker signal ?

Bugger all !!! Save your money and time Phil...

Dave the bass · Post by **Dave the bass** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:14 pm

pre65 wrote:Nice one Scott !

My "theory" is that these devices do something !!

Don't know what,or why though ?

What would one "expect" an 0.025 ohm resistor to do with a line level signal,or a typical speaker signal ?

Absolutely blummin' nothing (IMO).

But unless you build it who knows... but bear in mind the resistance in your existing speaker cable maybe higher/lower. Would altering that affect the sound more/less.

Lordy knows

Plywood my man, thats what you need (and a coffee grinder!).

DTB

audio-talk

The Quackery Thread

#46

#47

#48

#49

#50

#51

#52

#53

#54

#55

#56

#57

#58

#59

#60