Black Discus - Free Sample Alert

Why not try blind testing them. It's pretty easy - it explains on the website (you can put them in a small envelope).

I know I am biased, but the bigger versions are more powerful in their effect, and more revealing as well.

Cheers
bob, MSA

Now that I've had time to listen to more music, lower mids to bass are a tad more pronounced, a bit fatter, if you will. No loss of coherency or detail, but a bit more meat on the bone, or maybe a better sear since the effect is minor but the result is more flavorful.

Lordes' new CD has lots of electronic beat bass that's in vogue nowadays but now it's not so offensive, or mechanical sounding. It's still a studio recording but not a bad one.

On the other end of the scale, Quadro Nuevos' Mocca Flor (which I know inside and out) is purely acoustic and showcases what fun talented musicians can have. They can be everything from subtle to bombastic and still hold my rapt attention. Gone is the shrill bite of a horn leaving only a fluid, melodic sound no matter the level which is quite an achievement. Everything on the disc is a tad more expansive and clearer (maybe a lower noise floor?) and it's the old 'am I hearing more?' thing all over again but I've heard this CD so many times and yet it sounds more open and clearer, especially in the lower mids and bass.

To keep with the non-critical listening aspect that caught my attention the first time around, I kept the TV on with the volume off so I'd not over analyze the sound and even with my attention on the TV, aural clues of new insights to the music kept interrupting my attention.

In my first post I neglected to mention where I put these little buggers. The are supposed to work on the amps' +speaker posts, the end plug of a PC to a CDP, the input jack of a headphone and on a headphone. The only difference I think I could detect was on the +speaker post of the amp and nowhere else.

My Marantz is robustly built with lots of shielding and component isolation factored in so maybe the effects aren't as pronounced as they'd be in other makes. That could be why the effects aren't as apparent or nonexistent. It could be why the only difference I think I'm hearing is where the amp hands off to the speaker cable.

The bigger versions are claimed to work on/over the transformers of amps and CDPs and the casework of DACs and so on. It will not work on optical cables and I can't offer a clue as to why but so states the designer of the discus.

I think I just might try the bigger version.

All the best,
Nonoise

I tried some BlackDiscus free samples. I gotta buy more of these!

My first holy S#!T moment was from placing a small BlackDiscus on the XMOX chip of a WaveIO USB to IS2 board. The music was more real and flowing. I'm going to cut up one these to fit them on some DAC chips.

Putting the large BlackDiscus on the parafeed transformers of my DIY 12B4 SET amps cleaned up the sound so much that I no longer have to convince my wife that I need to install "ugly" room treatment pads in the corners.

I also placed them on flat IEC power cord connectors with a smoothing and cleaning up of the sound without any loss of detail.

Either they help or do nothing. While the entire musical spectrum is benefited, the bass is especially brought into focus. This is an affordable no-brainer tweak.

Here is my take on the Black Discus.
The free discs are interesting, they do add a little improvement based on where they are placed.

But, I was surprised when I was going to order some that they seem to be quite pricey.

Ozzy how can the Black Discus be pricey when what you are using were free!. Two medium size discs are $80.00 including shipping from New Zealand. The bigger the disc the greater the effect. On my audio system the two free sample discs placed on the front of my Marantz SACD player made a dramatic improvement in soundstage quality. Trying the other locations mentioned at the Black Discus Audio website, the effect was excessive. However on my home theater system a teriffic improvement was seen and heard. Medium discs were placed on the IEC end of two Pangea AC 14 power cords ( powering the sound bar and TV), one on the HDMI cable going into the TC connection ( major visual improvement), and finally one disc on the circuit breaker to the room with the home theater.

As the web site states the effect is hit or miss. At certain spots the effect can be stunning and I think the possible improvement is worth the time and money to try them. The cost to try them is $20.00 in round trip postage.

Part of their cost is sending "free" samples to audiophiles.