Debunking Audiophoolery! or, how magic rocks won't make your hifi system better.

[JuKu]

:lol: Ok, maybe (hopefully) nobody is THAT fallible!

[Tepe]

Btw, did you know that different colored speakers do sound different in a non-blind trials? There is a good, scientifically proved reason why speakers are black or natural wood colored...

Ah, shoot mine are neither of those...

[olsenn]

Btw, did you know that different colored speakers do sound different in a non-blind trials? There is a good, scientifically proved reason why speakers are black or natural wood colored...

Wel, the colour obviosly has no effect on the sound; some may say that the type of paint does, but this would be so insignificant that no human ear could possibly discern the difference. However, and this surprised me as well, the type of wood used can make a very big difference. The more resonant the material is, the more the sound will echo back; the phase difference is small, but it can be enough to keep transients alive longer, which will make more detail stand out. If there is too much resonance, the sound will get all distorted and sound like crap.

If you have a pair of open headphones, make a cup with your hand over the back of the cans; the bass will get significantly reduced and the treble will be accentuated. Reagrdless though, our ears get accustomed to whatever sound we're used to hearing, and even the in-ear buds that come with our mp3 players are good enough for most people who just want to listen to some songs.

[EEVblog]

Therefore, the magic stones can (sadly) really work. Not for you, not for me, but for somebody with zero understanding of electronics and believing the marketing, the perceived sound of his system could really be better - for him. (*)

That is precisely what I said in my audiophool rant video.
Can these things work and the buyer hear a difference, yes, in many cases they can. Not for the scientific reasons they advertise, but because of what your brain is doing. And that is what the scam is.
The exact same product without the scientific mumbo-jumbo and marketing reinforcement by a cottage industry under the same perfectionist delusion would not work at all. When there is no vested interested you do not hear the difference.

Dave.

[JuKu]

Wel, the colour obviosly has no effect on the sound

That depends on what is meant by "sound", and why I wrote "non-blind"!. If "sound" is physical movement of air molecules, then color has no effect. But if "sound" is the psychological phenomenon in the brain, caused by pressure variations of the air, then color of the speaker is indeed important.

When you say "This sounds like...", don't you, in fact, mean the latter?

[EEVblog]

That depends on what is meant by "sound", and why I wrote "non-blind"!. If "sound" is physical movement of air molecules, then color has no effect. But if "sound" is the psychological phenomenon in the brain, caused by pressure variations of the air, then color of the speaker is indeed important.

Try eating food with a peg over your nose, the taste is entirely different!

Dave.

[Bored@Work]

But if "sound" is the psychological phenomenon in the brain, caused by pressure variations of the air,

Forget about the pressure variation of air as a prerequisite. Some people hear voices in their heads without anyone actually speaking Audiophoolery is just a mild variation of that medical condition.

[SeanB]

Tearing down a set of "Balanced Music Link Transparent Cable Plus" XLR interconnects ( came in a big box of cables, assorted) and there actually is something inside aside from a fancy box on the cable. Inside there ia a RC filter damped with a resistor. Red unmarked inductor damped by a 118R Dale precision resistor, and a 2200pF polystyrene capacitor to the common conductor. All in heatshrink, and then covered with a shield made from braid. Nicely hot snotted into a plastic box in line with the cable.

Stripping it for the nice XLR connectors on it.............. Anybody want the pure silver PTFE interconnects there are there as well?

[ejeffrey]

That depends on what is meant by "sound", and why I wrote "non-blind"!. If "sound" is physical movement of air molecules, then color has no effect. But if "sound" is the psychological phenomenon in the brain, caused by pressure variations of the air, then color of the speaker is indeed important.

When you say "This sounds like...", don't you, in fact, mean the latter?

If anything can be sound, then it is a pointless and stupid word.  Sound means vibrational waves traveling through air.  Saying it can include the visual appearance or even more intangible ideas is just pointless drivel to take away from the fact that these products do not do what is advertised and the people who sell them are nothing but con artists.

Nobody with any sense doubts that paying $5000 for a power cord or painting your volume knob bright pink can change your experience, but it doesn't not change the sound.

[Mechatrommer]

Nobody with any sense doubts that paying $5000 for a power cord or painting your volume knob bright pink can change your experience, but it doesn't not change the sound.

no, as BaW reasoned, painting the knob pink will change medical condition hence the sound in his head will be different. and paying $5000 will trigger synapses in some region changing the sound translation behaviour.

[smugtronix]

Tearing down a set of "Balanced Music Link Transparent Cable Plus" XLR interconnects ( came in a big box of cables, assorted) and there actually is something inside aside from a fancy box on the cable. Inside there ia a RC filter damped with a resistor. Red unmarked inductor damped by a 118R Dale precision resistor, and a 2200pF polystyrene capacitor to the common conductor. All in heatshrink, and then covered with a shield made from braid. Nicely hot snotted into a plastic box in line with the cable.

Stripping it for the nice XLR connectors on it.............. Anybody want the pure silver PTFE interconnects there are there as well?

Interesting... I always thought the main goal of audiophool cables are to reduce total capacitance....

[poptones]

Of course not. The primary goal of high end audio cables is to make money.

[SeanB]

Don't forget look shiny, and look different to the others...........