The "Post a silly and delusional audiophool YouTube reveiw" Thread

[@rt]

Just a random example of many of these:
https://youtu.be/9EJvrf22Hx8
(Search for SCPH1002 Audiophile).

At some stage, someone wrote a poem about the sound of the first model Sony Playstation CDDA hardware, and it caught on.
As far as I'm aware there's no difference in the DAC between any of the five or so variants of the Playstation 1.

Also funny that often they just leave the stick switch mode PSU which no high end CD player would have,
Although some do seperate it when the main PCB was already shielded.

It would have made an interesting debunking video back in the day.
Comparing with real equipment to other PlayStation 1 models, or other high end players.

[schmitt trigger]

Anyone remembers the Tice Clock?

https://www.stereophile.com/artdudleylistening/listening_85/

[John B]

Getting the right EQ and mix for consumer grade audio can be frustrating. "Consumer grade" need not mean poor quality, but its a specific problem with consumer audio manufacturers where they create visually novel designs, eg a sub along with 20 tiny speakers to create the mid to high frequency bands.

Every time I have tried a mix on them, they seem to have a very big scoop in the mid frequencies, and most annoying, they create a sense of "big bass" by putting a hump in the bass response around the 100-250Hz region.

So, a mix that sounded well balanced on a set of Yamaha HS80M studio monitors now sounds far too mid scooped and has "woofy" moments when there is a peak in the upper end of the bass frequency band.

[karoru]

These guys have it down. This is the best marketing video. Don't even say anything - don't even try to explain the BS, just present the beautiful audiophile products. Have a glass of wine while watching, look at the beautiful wooden box they come in, with a DVD too which presents the proper way to gently plug it all in. The box is worth more than any of the poor trash you have in your home. If you have to ask the price you can't afford it, you poor shmucks.

Watch this and desire the product!

https://youtu.be/aAB9YL68h-Y

One would think with that price they could afford something better than inkjet label on their demo CD (either that or they used cheapest Shenzhen manufacturer)

[basinstreetdesign]

By all means poke fun at audiophools, BUT, you should not use someone selling something as an example. A salesman need not be an audiophool.

I wasn't interested enough to endure the entire video so I skipped to the end and drew conclusions from what I saw there.

The phrases used to describe the experience are hopefully established and well understood by the audio community. Of necessity they will sound vague to others because they describe what I can only assume is the effect the listener feels and not some measurable physical property.

Whether it is real or not is impossible to say since it involves the brain and how it processes the senses. I come down on the not real side. But since I hold with the expression " A fool and his money are soon parted" it may as well be applied to audiophools.

But then I suffer from tinnitus and loss of high frequency response in one ear and no doctor I have seen has been able to offer an understanding of the cause or a remedy. Tinnitus is a physical ailment. I have a nephew who has colour synaesthesia which manifests itself as sounds having colours. Which sounds positively trippy. He is also transgender. All of which leads me to accept the brain is still poorly understood and there may be people who do hear sounds in a different way.

I always have lumped audiophools in with astrology, horoscopes, palmistry, fortune telling  and so on as nonsense but it is largely harmless but not entirely. It becomes harmful when money is involved and life decisions are made as a consequence of some prediction. Audiophools can choose to waste as much of their money as they like. There's more self destructive ways to waste money.

+1 

[Electro Detective]

If you think Audioflies and golfers are a worry, wait till you come across elitist pushbike SNOBS,
whom I suspect are also closet Audiophool golfers and or Audiophool sellers with Bachelor of BS diplomas.

They jack entire roads and ride like the fashion police are on their tail (and so they should be!)

These terra based 'Tron' wannabees that closely resemble bugs from Starship Troopers carry on like no one else is on the ROAD..
roads designed for CARS, buses, motorbikes, and TRUCKS! 

The 1980s Audiophool virus has morphed into an all out EPIDEMIC! 

[alexanderbrevig]

I'm just replying so I get updates in my "Show new replies to your posts" feed. I really should not though, these are so aggravating to me. Somehow though, extremely entertaining.
Almost a morbid curiosity.

The most annoying thing is that when they say it sounds better (implicit; to them) they're right. Fuck you brain. Fuck you.

[CJay]

If you think Audioflies and golfers are a worry, wait till you come across elitist pushbike SNOBS,
whom I suspect are also closet Audiophool golfers and or Audiophool sellers with Bachelor of BS diplomas.

They jack entire roads and ride like the fashion police are on their tail (and so they should be!)

Oh I know a couple of those, regarding any bicycle under £2500 as unworthy of their attention and merely a 'bicycle shaped object'.

One of my neighbours has tens of thousands of pounds worth of carbon fibre, kevlar, ultra this, extreme that, aerospace the other bike bits and is constantly 'upgrading' his bike, he has carbon fibre, teardrop shaped headgear and shaves his legs to gain aerodynamic advantage.

Bloody weirdos.

[Electro Detective]

If you think Audioflies and golfers are a worry, wait till you come across elitist pushbike SNOBS,
whom I suspect are also closet Audiophool golfers and or Audiophool sellers with Bachelor of BS diplomas.

They jack entire roads and ride like the fashion police are on their tail (and so they should be!)

Oh I know a couple of those, regarding any bicycle under £2500 as unworthy of their attention and merely a 'bicycle shaped object'.

One of my neighbours has tens of thousands of pounds worth of carbon fibre, kevlar, ultra this, extreme that, aerospace the other bike bits and is constantly 'upgrading' his bike, he has carbon fibre, teardrop shaped headgear and shaves his legs to gain aerodynamic advantage.

Bloody weirdos.

Hopefully when the zombie apocalypse begins, they get targeted first 

[schmitt trigger]

The snoobery is prevalent among many hobbies: Fishing rods. Wine. Coffee. Automobiles. Cameras. You name it.

It may be related to the placebo effect. If one truly, truly believes that an ultra-expensive fishing rod will catch more fish, then your perception will become the reality.

[rdl]

The snoobery is prevalent among many hobbies: Fishing rods. Wine. Coffee. Automobiles. Cameras. You name it.

It may be related to the placebo effect. If one truly, truly believes that an ultra-expensive fishing rod will catch more fish, then your perception will become the reality.

Probably exists to a degree even in electronics, more digits, more channels, more memory, more MHz, etc.

[CJay]

The snoobery is prevalent among many hobbies: Fishing rods. Wine. Coffee. Automobiles. Cameras. You name it.

It may be related to the placebo effect. If one truly, truly believes that an ultra-expensive fishing rod will catch more fish, then your perception will become the reality.

Probably exists to a degree even in electronics, more digits, more channels, more memory, more MHz, etc.

Definitely exists in electronics, fortunately we can justify and make the case for precision, plus it's good to 'know' what you're measuring is measured accurately, it's not a subjective thing.

With food, as with audio, 'better' is subjective and brand snobbery is a very real marketing tool, things must be better because they look nicer/cost more, have more 'back story' etc.

If I had more free time I'd research the roots of some of the audiophool myths, I have a feeling there may well be a grain of something in some of them that's been exaggerated beyond the point of ridicule or just a complete misapplication of valid science.

I haven't got references any more but some of the audiophool myths were actually practical jokes that got out of hand (I'm thinking of a wonder patch sold back in the early 90s that was to be placed under one of the feet of a turntable, ISTR it was a square of refuse bag)

[rdl]

Yes, audiophool myths, like using green markers on the edge of CDs. I agree however, that there's a difference between "snoobery" and "phoolery".

[Gregg]

It exists everywhere, because it has no relationship to the technical paraphernalia or pastime someone is involved in. It is in the nature of the individual. People do it to reinfroce their self esteem, because they want to show they can afford it or to cement feelings of membership or status in a tribe.
[/quote]
Even animals do it, like a dog that won't give up a ball or Frisbee.  It is the "Look what I have that you don't have" mentality (or lack thereof).

[Electro Detective]

Does anyone have an Ebay auction link to a $1000 IEC power cable/kettle cord, with starting bid at 99c ?

My last one has gone missing, and now I can't fire up my Fluke 8050A,

the calibration will be miles out by  0.00000006 %  if I use anything else   

[Miyuki]

And I thought cable for UPS was overpriced when it cost 300€ for 5 meters  But now I think I will try to sell them as audio cables, it must improve sound because they are 3x16mm2 (It will be good for headphones also ú

[karoru]

When you are connecting industrial consumer you have x meters of wire on the project, you get 1.1*x supplied, then difference between wire used and wire supplied is treated as a "bonus" for the crew. Some of these look similar to ultra high-end audiofool grade interconnects, maybe it's a bad idea to sell them for scrap copper/aluminium, we should buy wooden cases and sell these as audio gear:))

[Electro Detective]

Audiophile quality at Audiophool prices! 

Sign me up for exclusive Australia distribution, 50/50 on the profits   

[ed_reardon]

Remember, there is an even more bizarre subset of these types,  the automotive audiophools.

In my youth I was really in to cars,  I mean I was an absolute car nut and was not adverse to shoe-horning an entirely inappropriate engine in to a £500 car. Along the way I met several 'automotive audiophiles',  not the SPL type hooligans, no people I personally know who spent tens-of-thousands of pounds on audio amps, speakers and interconnects to get the absolute best sound reproduction they could manage: in a car.
 

Seemingly dealing with noisy power, wind and road noise, and the fixed seating positions did little to sway them.  These were the sort of people who spent hundreds of pounds re-upholstering their vehicles with special sound compliant fabric.

To listen to a CD whistling down the M1 in the driving hail at 80mph.

Ho hum.

[schmitt trigger]

The SPL hoolingans. What a proper nickname.

I knew one such person.
I told him -only half joking, that his woofers should be facing rearward for added thrust, and his tweeters forward as some sort of Doppler Radar.

[ed_reardon]

Anyone remembers the Tice Clock?

https://www.stereophile.com/artdudleylistening/listening_85/

Ha! I must admit I hadn't heard of this one.

A brief Google search shows a worrying number who bought in to it and swear that the special 'treatment' applied to these products DOES make a difference!

[R005T3r]

Remember, there is an even more bizarre subset of these types,  the automotive audiophools.

In my youth I was really in to cars,  I mean I was an absolute car nut and was not adverse to shoe-horning an entirely inappropriate engine in to a £500 car. Along the way I met several 'automotive audiophiles',  not the SPL type hooligans, no people I personally know who spent tens-of-thousands of pounds on audio amps, speakers and interconnects to get the absolute best sound reproduction they could manage: in a car.
 

Seemingly dealing with noisy power, wind and road noise, and the fixed seating positions did little to sway them.  These were the sort of people who spent hundreds of pounds re-upholstering their vehicles with special sound compliant fabric.

To listen to a CD whistling down the M1 in the driving hail at 80mph.

Ho hum.

DOh! I totally forgot them...