Can a tiny silver bowl affect music reproduction


I am speaking of the Ziplex one half inch wide silver bowls, but the same questions apply to the Synergistic Research ARTs.

About two weeks ago I had four audiophiles in my listening room. We were listening to the impact of the Tripoint Troy Signature. I was standing and noticed that one of the eleven Zilplexes in my room was laying flat on the three silver support rods on the wall. It was the one that is about midway down the left wall and about seven and a half feet off the floor. It is supposed to be at a 45º angle facing the wall. As unobtrusively as possible I stepped on a foot stool that I leave there as this is a common happening and carefully inclined the bowl into a proper condition. I then returned to where I was standing.

Someone asked what did I just do, and I stated the above. They all were in disbelief about how it could have such an effect. I told them that Zilplex had been at CES and at the RMAF about a year or two ago, I repeatedly did their demonstration of removing all eleven Zilplexes. Always those in the audience said exactly what my four friends had said.

Having stumbled onto these a couple of years ago, I said that the inventor and owner really didn't have an explanation for the effect that it was all a trial and error process, which, of course, had taken countless hours. Synergistic Research also has a comparable bowl device, which Ted Denny attributes to his hear Tibetan monks and their bowls. There are of course Tibetan bowls. Syn. Res. ARTs are bigger than the Zilplexes but neither is the size of typical Tibetan bowls.

Tibetan bowls, of course, resonate when struck or rubbed at the rim. SR ARTs ring when knocked together. Zilplex don't ring. I asked Zilplex about this and was told they ring but at a frequency we cannot hear. My question is why would ringing bowls located variously in a room, greatly improve the apparent size of the rooms and the realism of the reproduced music?

All I can say is that they do, and I have heard no real explanation.
tbg

Showing 22 responses by tbg

So, I see that all of you are clueless as to how these work. So am I and the inventor, but work they do.
B_limo, thanks for the considered response. I also heard a SR demonstration perhaps four years ago and bought the ARTs immediately.

My point in this post is that everyone heard not my installation of all eleven Zilplexes but rather just the angle of the bowl on the wall mount. Also, I didn't think they would hear much. I should note that two did ask how much they cost and did ask how to get them. I don't expect that any will buy them, however.

As you say there are scams out there that greatly callus some to reject every innovation. I'm sure Geoff faces this. His are much less effective than the Zilplexes, as I have bought many of them and have Brilliant Pebbles in a closet here. However, I'm appalled that many totally reject any tweak. I will typically try a tweak but on doing most will conclude that their effect doesn't justify their price.
Geoffkait, I specifically left out the Acoustic Resonators for two reasons, they are not Tibetan bowls, and they are no way near as effective.

For me the question still remains "how can resonators improve the sound?"
I bet you have also noticed that when you have ear plugs in the high frequencies diminish and that you can listen for a much smaller period while standing on your head.
Mapman, as I said they do ring but at frequencies we cannot hear. The SR Arts, however, ring and we can hear them. There is no question but that the Zilplexes work as the four people that heard it will attest, but how is the question.
Mapman, as I said they do ring but at frequencies we cannot hear. The SR Arts, however, ring and we can hear them. There is no question but that the Zilplexes work, but how?
Mapman, I didn't say that he cannot hear. I watched him ponder how to treat a room with a small side room on the speaker wall. It took him two days but then that room had no effect on the sound.

I also know that he tried many bowl sizes and metals and countless placements of the devices as well a many different numbers of those devices. Trial and error are the only alternative if there is no theory on which to base these decisions.

Buconero117, I agree but some objects have greater effects and trial and error is very time consuming. Just imagine designing a passenger aircraft by trial and error!
Mapman, Tibetan bowls are associated with yoga, mainly in some of the typical music played while doing it, but I cannot imagine your exciting your bowls while doing Pigeon, Warrior, etc. But why would I discourage your experimenting with objects? I suspect, however, that your bowls are just excited at way too low a frequency. LOL!
Geoffkait, it really is none of your business and you brashly jump to conclusions, but he is retired and makes them in his home because he is proud of how effective they are.

Bjesien, are you talking about the Syn. Res. Arts or the Zilplexes. I think both are the product of thinking they could work and spending many hours tinkering with them to get their effects right.
Mapman, so you are going for a shot in the dark. I would rather depend on Zilplexe's efforts to deal with all of this. I would love to have back the countless wasted hours when I tried quartz in various applications, isolation feet of various materials, power cords, cartridges, etc. Even in retirement my time is worth something and, of course, limited.
Mapman, I will virtually guarantee that you will be amazed by the Zilplexes. I was utterly amazed when I put them into my room in NM. It is only 13 x 10 x 8'. I had been playing Diana Krall's A Case of You. It was okay in that small room. When I installed the eleven Zilplexes and sat down to listen, what I heard before me was the room where she played, not the ten foot wide and eight foot high room in which I was sitting. I should note that the one ceiling Zilplex is vital, as is the 45º angle toward the wall on all but the ceiling one.
Salectric, I know Ambience Audio in CT can at least get them. The problem is that the manufacturer will only make 50 per year. A US distributor was interested and wanted 15 sets per month and was told no.
Csonros, There are three types. One goes on the ceiling, Three go about 14" off the floor at the front or speaker end of the room. The remaining seven have thiner support wires. All use the same bowls and all but that on the ceiling is at a tilt angle of 45ºs toward the wall.

I see no way that there could be any direction to what come off the resonating. Of course having the bowls at a 45º angle means that their resonance is quite variable in frequency.

The Syn. Res. bowls are all level. There are some similarity to where both systems are located. The Syn. Res. bowls ring audibly but not the Zilplex. Both have no effect if placed on dampening cloth.
Salectric, having sat through multiple demonstrations in my two rooms and at THE Show done by Zilplex, I cannot say that I hear any change in the frequency response. I hear a great collapse of the sound stage as well as becoming much less involved in the sound field.

I still vividly remember how unsettled I was when I first got all of the Zilplexes installed properly in my small room. I had the distinct feeling that had I stood and walked three feet in front of me that I might fall into a void and that a few foot in front of that I would be on the 50 feet wide stage with Diana Krall. That doesn't bother me much anymore but I am still aware when one of the bowls is not at the 45º angle. I can also say that I have learned that having one Zilplex on the left wall slightly below that on the right wall, moves the sound away from the left side. I also only have experience only with symmetrical rooms. But I did hear an L shaped room with the speakers on the long part of the L, get treated to remove the bottom of the L part.

Although I also heard improvements with the Syn. Res. Arts in their demonstrations, they never had me so unsettled by their impact. While I am curious about why I got this impact, I still enjoy the benefits of the Zilplexes.

I should say that I have no money invested in Zilplex and don't sell them. I only would love to know why they have such impressive impact on the sound.
Davidpritchard, I did have the full Arts system in Texas. I had two Basik systems in New Mexico. I actually have two full Zilplex systems-one in NM and the other in TX. Frankly I thought the demonstration of the HFT-FEQ on the Bose radio was unimpressive.
Petieboy12003, Jaguar was given a good discount at that price. Only about 50 sets are made each year. Who makes the Magic Bells?
Petieboy12003, I don't know Robert, but my experience with other room treatments suggests that few work. I found the Syn. Res. ARTs and Basiks did but not to the level of the Zilplexes.

I watched Wiebe at shows note that a side room was screwing up the sound and struggle with it until he solved it. I don't really understand how these tiny devices work, but he has a handle on how to use them to great benefit.

There is some need to experiment with the location of the eleven, but initially follow his instruction closely and where you have symmetry be very careful to have the Zilplexes on both sides identically located. I found that a 1/8 inch difference mattered.

If I can be of any help use my email on Stereo Times to ask.
Geoffkait, who has ever heard of the Quantum Temple Bell or the Magic Bells until now?