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Audiophile Fakery

I recently became aware of a trend in the auto world and I'm wondering if there is an audiophile analogy.

The sound of a revving engine says something primal to those who know and appreciate such sounds. The rumble of a V-8, the whine of an in-line four, that 12 cylinder growl and of course, the Harley heavy metal thunder. The newer, smaller and more efficient engines simply don't make these sounds and the auto makers have found a way around what they perceive as a problem. They simply fake the sound and run it through the car's audio system. Sometimes the engine sound is digitally synthesized and other times it's actual engine noise run through mechanical or DSP processors and then amplified. The list of manufacturers that engage in this sort of fakery includes BMW, Ford, Lexus, Volkswagen and Lotus.

I don't know if there are any high end audio equivalents of this practice, but could there be?

How about a preamp with half a dozen tubes prominently displayed, but when you examine the signal path the tubes are all bypassed. Or maybe a loudspeaker with a ribbon supertweeter that's not connected. A 160 lb. mono power amp with 120 lbs. of lead shot concealed under the circuit board. If these products existed would they be fakes or are the manufacturers just giving the people what they want, or at least what they think they want?
onhwy61

Showing 4 responses by zd542

zd542
5,339 posts
 
"I don't know if there are any high end audio equivalents of this practice, but could there be?"

I don't know of any, but I know who the car companies can call. I've read many AG posts that praise Robert Grost from Unity/Cerious audio. I'm a fan myself. He's a very talented designer. Its hard to believe, but he use to work for GM and was in charge of making a Corvette sound like a Corvette. The only thing is, he had to do it the hard way, for real. No running it through the stereo system. If you ask him, he'll tell you.

So just when you think the high end industry is fake, remember that when you buy a Corvette, the liquid ceramic cables go in your home audio system, and not your car.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"01-22-15: Swampwalker
I don't recall the manufacturer but there have been some tube products on the market in the past where the tube had no apparent or audible function. As far as the "fake" engine noise, what happens when you turn the stereo off? "

If it was an older amp, you might be thinking of rectifier tubes. I don't think anyone uses them any more because most people felt there's no SQ benefit. Now everyone uses solid state rectification. But too be fair, I do know a few people that say they make a difference.

As far as the car audio issue is concerned, if I had to guess, they probably have a separate system just for engine noise. If they didn't, you would definitely be right. There would be no control over what the car would sound like.

Although, there could be conspiracy theory behind all this. If you loose the right or left channel, the dealer might be able to trick you into thinking you lost half your engine, and would try and sell you a new one. Or, if they're wired out of phase, they could make it sound like the motor is in the opposite end of the car, and sell it as a mid engine upgrade.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"Red Rose with their products all outsourced and rebranded...The list goes on and on!"

Just about every company does that now. Why single Red Rose out? Do they do something like the OP pointed out, such as installing tubes that aren't part of the circuit?
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"02-08-15: Viridian
Doesn't every solid-state amp have sand in the chassis?"

It should. But you have to watch what these guys do or they'll cheat you on that too. About 50% of these clowns don't use audiophile grade sand. Can you believe it? If you cut your amp open and tell me what the sand looks like, I can verify if its audiophile grade or not.
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