I wonder what effectively does this audiophool "cable burn-in device"...

[technix]

At least with FFT and a proper DSP matrix I am properly interpolating samples, extrapolating lower order bits and nulling out amplifier frequency response. At least there is a mathematical and physical basis for the audiophile-grade DSP action. Unlike this audiophoolery which is pure BS.

If you really need to make sure your speaker is behaving, instead of this ridiculousness, put the speaker in a feedback loop. High side current sensing isn’t that hard.

[daqq]

hey dont blame the manufacturer. when there are customers there will be the market. at least this market will make those fat arses in new greenwich work much harder.

So, don't blame the thief, blame the guy who left his wallet sticking out of his jacket a bit more than usual?

[Siwastaja]

It's not so serious.

Stupid idiots (who lack passion to do better things) con other stupid idiots (who have somehow succeeded getting money they most likely didn't deserve by doing anything sensible), and the rest get a good laugh (although it gets old very quickly).

Everybody wins, and everybody feels good. No need to victimize anyone.

If you feel bad because others are making "easy money" in immoral ways, just get over it and start doing valuable, moral things in your own life.

[daqq]

Stupid idiots (who lack passion to do better things) con other stupid idiots (who have somehow succeeded getting money they most likely didn't deserve by doing anything sensible), and the rest get a good laugh (although it gets old very quickly).

Everybody wins, and everybody feels good. No need to victimize anyone.

Legit manufacturers suffer when people just spec things with bullshit numbers. Lets say that you spend years on R&D, creating a device/method that actually improves sound quality by a little bit. You publish the true and proper specs and await your audio quality possessed customers business... which doesn't come, because they bought the Scam-O-Tron that eliminates noise by means of Quantum Gobbledygook and has much better (claimed) specs than your system.

Basically not combating bullshit claims is in the long run hurting legit manufacturers and the customers. The customer might not know it (audiophiles) or might find out too late (fake cancer 'treatment' victims), but they aren't getting their moneys worth.

While I do chuckle and laugh at the BS claims, devices, prices, I'd love to see the guys selling these devices behind bars.

If you feel bad because others are making "easy money" in immoral ways, just get over it and start doing valuable, moral things in your own life.

During my whole life of designing and making useful, functioning, non-scamy devices that actually do some good I will probably not make what a good scam artist makes in a week.

So, yeah, I'm not that OK with this concept and view people who knowingly and intentionally deceive people for gain in this manner as evil.

[Siwastaja]

I don't think these scam artists make too much. This business is probably based on very low operational costs, and they celebrate every single order. I guess there is quite a competition because this kind of scam is so easy to set up, only a little bit of imagination and some social skills needed. Generally high moral of an average person I believe in, is the only limiting factor.

Note that while it may look like they are actually selling the products in significant numbers (e.g., by claiming distributors, or actually having them distributed at physical stores, or having "used" units sold at Ebay, or posting "user experiences" on the Internet), that is just a part of the strategy to make them look like a "real player", most likely fabricated.

There is a lot more immorality - and moneyz 4-5 orders of magnitude higher - going on in established, well respected large businesses, especially in the field of medicine, healthcare, food chain, attorneys of law, you name it. Even when it's really affecting the lives of millions of people in horrific ways, and the immoral (even criminal, but rarely goes to court) gain is measured in billions instead of tens of thousands, the risk of getting negative attention is extremely small (every now and then, one big company gets to be the "bad guy" for a while, but nothing actually ever happens); quite contrary to the audiophoolery scams, which "everyone" is eager to expose, because it's so simple, and not so scary to do.

And it's not scary to expose cable con artists, because they are so freaking pathetic, and utterly meaningless.

If you were to really try to change the world by exposing the really "bad things", you'd most likely get killed. So people look up to them, and respect them as model citizens. And they usually have billions of $.

So these audiophoolery artists are like the least respected lowest level criminals everybody spit at.

Also, money is not the most important thing in the world. Enjoy the fact how you have earned what you have; if you are unhappy with the number of monetary units in your hands, work ways to make more without compromising your moral. If you find it difficult, it's most likely because deep down, you are not so motivated on the money side of things; I consider this means you have healthy relationship with money, so I respect it. Keep doing good things, and it's quite likely the money will follow automatically. And when it happens, you'll have a clear conscience.

[Cerebus]

Nobody dies because they got sold some bullshit cable conditioner.

They do when SWMBO finds the receipt...

[Cerebus]

So, yeah, I'm not that OK with this concept and view people who knowingly and intentionally deceive people for gain in this manner as evil.

You're making the assumption that there is both an actus reus and mens rea (that is a guilty act and a guilty mind) involved. Over the years I've met a few manufacturers of audiophile products that actually believe their own claims; they aren't making it up for the sake of conning someone, they are just implementing received wisdom and charging the market price for it.

I vaguely knew (40 years ago, yes this rubbish has been going on a long time) one manufacturer of very high end valve amps who did extraordinary things to condition parts before using them, conditioning that actually cost time and money, and was totally unnecessary. He had a side line in importing (mostly for personal use) very high grade cannabis resin, which goes some way to explaining his outré belief systems. So they aren't all crooks, some are merely credulous fools. I'd say the split is probably 50:50.

[Fungus]

Holy Bullshit Batman
Almost $10k USED!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordost-Valhalla-2-speaker-cables-4-meter-pair-/263221331798

I think somebody needs to ask them what sort of music has been played through those cables so they can be sure they've not been tainted

Cable memory can be a terrible thing. They might take months to reform if they've had country music played over them.

Nobody dies because they got sold some bullshit cable conditioner.

No, but it's a slippery slope once you start valuing opinions as being equal to facts.

Next thing you're not vaccinating your children (or whatever).

[Cerebus]

Cable memory can be a terrible thing. They might take months to reform if they've had country music played over them.

The kindest thing would be to take them around to the back of the barn and shoot them.

[james_s]

The purpose and function of this class of device are in fact very well known.  It's well established as an efficient and highly effective tool for separating credulous individuals from their money.  Don't forget to draw arrows on your CAT5s so the data knows which way to go.

Came here to say that.

It looks like it would be very effective at draining your wallet, not much else.

[stj]

i am considering selling special soap - made by elves!!

you wash your ears with it to increase sensitivity to higher & lower frequency's.
(this is not a medical claim - so the FDA can get f'd) 

[Ian.M]

No No. NO! - that'd be dangerously close to a medical claim.

It 'clarifies your auditory response to the tonality of the sound stage' (i.e. washes away some earwax)

[Cyberdragon]

Someone should start selling acoustic guitar amps as ultra-low-distortion electric guitar amps. Of course people will be stupid enough to buy it, they don't know how things work, and that would teach them a hard lesson.

[raptor1956]

Holy Bullshit Batman
Almost $10k USED!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordost-Valhalla-2-speaker-cables-4-meter-pair-/263221331798

I think somebody needs to ask them what sort of music has been played through those cables so they can be sure they've not been tainted

Maybe low bitrate MP3's!


Brian

[hamster_nz]

Cable memory can be a terrible thing. They might take months to reform if they've had country music played over them.

An EEVblog Kickstarter idea - all I ask is 5% of sales :-)

Device X
A device that "conditions and reconditions audio cables"

(Pseudo)science behind it.

Like any other item you own, cables and interconnects degrade over time, and the more "refined" and "specialized" the cable is, the faster it degrades as impurities and wear and tear take their toll, first making cables perform like low-end cables, and over time they will perform exactly like regular cables . Issues like work hardening (due to the flexing of the cables) and constant exposure to low frequencies signals, and the leaching of impurities from the insulator to the conductor. The initial stages of this process are wanted as "burning in" the cable, but it does not stop after the burn in period, and with extended use cables gradually "burn out". 

Very few people realize it, but similar to how the rubber surrounds that supports your speaker cones ages and change over time, degrading your system's performance, the cables and connectors age too.

Unlike speaker aging which is an irreversible process, Device X allows you to undo most of this damage, It sends a short, high current pulses down the cable - much higher voltage, current and frequencies than standard audio content . Connecting your cable to Device X and applying the current pulse causes any microscopic spots of resistance that have formed (for example, due to oxygen ingress into OFC wires) to microscopic defects of the heat up very quickly, and in tandem with the process of electromigration allows the connector and conductor to perform closer to "as new" condition.

For older cables, you can think of it is much like an Auto Battery Desulfator, which uses pulses of electricity to restore aged lead acid battery to function, it doesn't make it "like new" but it definitely restores a significant level of performance.

However, like the way human skin ages, cable damage in cumulative and cannot be completely rejuvenated, so to ensure that you maintain the sonic purity of your cables it is best to treat them with "Device X" at regular, monthly intervals, maintaining the cable's youth for as long as possible, for your listening pleasure.

As an extra feature, because it controls the direction of the pulse, it can also repair any damage that may have been caused by accidentally using directional cables the wrong way around, it can also make standard 'bidirectional' cables perform like their higher value 'directional' cousins.

Other features
Oh, it also has to charge from USB. That is a must. And Bluetooth - must have Bluetooth. Yes and Wifi to monitor the rejuvenation process with a HTML5 GUI, from anywhere on the planet.

Business model
Kickstarter for a limited edition run of 20 at at $1,999 each, and spend $300 on case aesthetics and cool looking sockets and $5 on a LM555 PCB and a $5 ESP32 for Wifi & Bluetooth for then we are onto a winner!

[james_s]

If I had less of a conscience I'd develop some sort of audiophool device. The engineering is easy, all it really has to do is pass an audio signal without horribly mangling it. The most important aspect is creatively describing what supposed benefits it offers, and make sure you use gold plated connectors and the most exotic looking components you can find. The vast majority of devices like this are simply expensive placebos, and to that extent they do work. The placebo effect is a real thing, if you believe something makes the music sound better then you will perceive it to sound somewhat better.

[TerraHertz]

Wow. The audacity of these guys. Cable burn in... I can't even...

I bet Mr Nordost was so peeved he couldn't find ultra-cheap BNC and Cannon connectors with that yellow fake-gold plating, to match all the others. Really spoils the look.

So, do you think there might be a market for 'controlled humidity environmental jackets' for audio cables? Because you know, all that random atmospheric moisture content must be playing Hell with the crystalline microstructure of the oxygen-free copper core cables. Probably half the time the current is actually reversing because of excess water.

Now I just need to find some PVC spaghetti tubing with a carbon-fiber pattern, and my fortune will be assured.


PS. Somehow I seem to have missed the existence of this topic on eevblog, till just now. It looks like a lot of fun.

[Brumby]

You should really learn to stop giving away all the good ideas!!

[fonograph]

This was funniest thread I ever read on this forum.     The LED leg alpha centauri resonance post made me almost cry from laughter. 

[AVGresponding]

You will also notice that R11 has been specifically tuned (by placing it at a slight angle), and solder joints are all randomly different in quality, so that no harmful resonance can build up.

Just found this thread, very entertaining Sunday morning read 

[Canis Dirus Leidy]

Come on, bluetooth is not really audiophile. Not because it is compressed and clocks and wireless. Because it is digital. Everyone know digital is bad.

Well… Just add 72V and it's became perfectly audiophilic. Even USB:
https://www.audioquest.com/cables/digital-cables

[Fungus]

Come on, bluetooth is not really audiophile. Not because it is compressed and clocks and wireless. Because it is digital. Everyone know digital is bad. Cylinder phonographs are the real deal.

Too much jitter on the bluetooth signals.