I think I've Just Seen Absolute Proof That Audiophiles Are Insanely Gullible
I didn’t want to crap on someone’s sales thread, so I thought i’d post my amazement here. The focus of my disbelief? The "Dalby D7-Vinyl Stabilizer," which is a damn weight that screws onto the turntable spindle to hold the record securely onto the platter. Listed retail? 4000 British Pounds! (although a mag listed it at $6,800! On sale here at AudioGullible for the bargain basement price of 2500 British Pounds, or $3600 US dollars!!! Just read a few snippets of the sales ad . . .
"The D7-Vinyl Stabiliser has a sonic character that brings music to life and the ability to elevate the entire audio frequency from the veil and mechanics inherent in prerecorded music. The gains are immediate, with sweeter high frequency extension while the mid and lower registers are beautifully controlled. The soundscape is wider, higher and deeper, allowing the music to breathe more naturally."
I’m sorry, but I’m calling total BS on this. A friggin’ weight brings "music to life," "sweeter high frequency extension," "allowing the music to breathe more naturally . ." Come on. Its a modified paperweight that screws onto the platter. One can only imagine what this guy thinks about some $20K interconnects for the turntable -- the music probably writes itself! And don’t forget the amazing improvement that a $4,000 carbon fiber mat might add . . . You probably would think you were hallucinating because the music breathed so much it was oozing out of the speakers, like on some of my more memorable nights in college in the ’70’s.
Now I have never heard this amazing gift to the audiophile community, so maybe it is the audio equivalent of the Second Coming, but really? $5,800 for this? It confirms to me that there is a certain insanity/gullibility/too much money/snake oil in this so-called "hobby," (which is a hobby to customers and ridiculous business for some manufacturers). When is enough enough? What about audiophile paint, that has amazing sonic qualities to cut down reflection and make the soundstage so wide that you feel you need a new apartment? Don’t forget the audiophile couch, that is sonically neutral but promises to position your ears to "bring music to life?" OK, I’ve made my point. No offense to the seller of the snake oil, but really . . . When is enough enough?
No one will argue the virtues of a good record clamp or weight. But, how much technology can one cram into a good record weight? There is nothing on earth that could justify the asking price. One could look up a local machinist and have him make you one that looked identical, send it to a plating shop for a real gold plating, and probably have it all done for under $300. So just because someone is wealthy enough to purchase such an item, doesn't make him any less foolish for buying into the hype.
Have you seen the plug strip that is not even a very good plug strip, supposedly cryogenically frozen, and sounds so amazing you'll throw out your power conditioner? For only $400! The very Definition of snake oil.
Flat records result in less noise and distortion so probably some truth to the potential benefits but obviously a device suited to do just that need not cost a fortune. But people do like their bling so whatever turns you on. There is more to high end audio than just good sound you know. Need not be truly high end just for that.
@don_c55 , you're right. There are probably silly priced cables, fuses, whatever, that can be viewed as a rip-off. And if someone was marketing the Dalby D7 Vinyl Stabilizer as the most bitchin' nicest looking record clamp that money could buy, hey, its your money . . live it up. But its the idiotic claims that are made to justify the ridiculous price that burn my nuts. "sweeter high frequency extension while the mid and lower registers are beautifully controlled. The soundscape is wider, higher and deeper, allowing the music to breathe more naturally . . .?" Come on. Just say that you will be the envy of all of your neighbors and fellow audiophools with an amazing 9 carat gold plated piece of brass and "lignum vitae" because no one has ever seen such a hot looking record clamp, without the ridiculous claims targeted to the gullible. You want to sell a diamond-encrusted record clamp because its, well, a diamond-encrusted record clamp . . . fine. You want to sell a diamond-encrusted record clamp because it makes "the music breathe more naturally . . ." different story.
for @ebm , "A legendary Shun Mook product now being made in a very, very limited number. This record clamp is made from extremely rare pieces of dried ebony briar. This extra heavy century old ebony root which were immersed in the swamps of Africa has a unique power that no other wood possesses. . . . Thus when the musical energy produced by any Hi Fi system will excite to different degree of all materials within the space covered by the acoustic spectrum. Different materials will have a positive or negative effect on each other influencing the final music production. The secret is to control and tame such resonance to the advantage of the system. It is commonly known that many musical instruments uses Mpingo and other ebony wood to create the most natural musical tones and harmonics. Just like the clarinet, the violin and other wind and string instruments uses the ebony as the essential component to generate the sound. With many years of research and development we at Shun Mook have designed and brought forth several revolutionary devices in the technique of electronic audio enhancement."
I’m not sure what the price of a record clamp made from "extremely rare pieces of dried ebony briar" is but once again, I call BS. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a record clamp as much as the next guy that still uses a turntable -- I have a record clamp even. The point really is not whether a record clamp makes a difference, but whether someone can justify a $3600 (used) record clamp by cloaking it in so much nonsense. "A fool and his money are soon parted," as the saying goes, and as @ahendler points out, why not spend $3600 for a used brass record clamp with 9 carat plated gold if you’re blowing $725K on a stereo. OK, fair enough, why not light your cigars with $100 bills? Because it is stupid to do so, regardless of whether you can afford to light cigars with $100 bills. Just because you can blow money, doesn’t mean you should buy snake oil.
Now, if it doubled as a pepper mill, or maybe a weird nanny cam, or the wife could wear it as a pendent, it would make sense. If you could combine the "unique power that no other wood possesses" from the Shun Mook clamp with the 3 pounds of gold-plated brass of the Dalby, you might really have a winner!
@swampwalker, LOL! "The "ebony bullet chambers" will come in handy when your significant other finds the Visa bill and threatens to put a cap in your a$$!" You still let your wife see what you spend on stereo equipment?
Do you guys not understand the mechanism of record weights and clamps. They change the resonance of the record altering the sound. They do make a difference. As far as the price if you have one of the top $200,000 turntables the cost of this item is small. At the 2015 CES I attended there was a system at $725,000 and one at $550,000. If I had the money I would buy. Come on guys, you are just jealous of people who can afford stuff like this. They have Yachts and drive Ferraris. Who cares. Why the anger. If you think it is stupid don't buy. Alan
Dang. . what to do! Wuz fixin' to send all my money to that purdy sangin' TV preacher man what wuz gonna gar-on-tee me eternity in paradise. But now I'm a thinkin' "why wait" since this'll get me to heaven while I'm still right here on earth.
Wow, these things are beautiful; I just looked at the website. Someone should commission them to make chess pieces.
Moving on, I too am newer to this hi end scene and am still puzzled by many claims of products being sold for this hobby. For example, an isolation rack with help my solid state amp sound better??? The cable risers are another item, however, both of these aforementioned items seem to have a lot of believers on a-gon. I do plan to buy a modest Blinn stand for all my equipment soon. Most of you would probably laugh hysterically if you saw my newly acquired system currently splayed out on the floor of my listening room. I don't even have a crappy rack, it is all just sitting on an area rug. Based on everything I have read I will be "amazed at the sonic improvements" if I just get the stuff off the floor of my room. Time, and more money, will show me the path to enlightenment, I am sure.....
You will get some added value if you also use it as the pepper mill that it appears to have been in its previous life. If a nice selection of peppercorns is included in the purchase price, you’d have to view this offer in a different light. Just sayin’......
Yes, I have an advanced engineering degree and often have a difficult time with some of these so-called tweaks where someone waxes rhapsodic about how much more real the music is. We audiophiles are probably a gullible lot. However, I once owned a BMW M3 and regularly read the M3 Forum on the net, and there were others who would pay $20K to get 10 extra horsepower as evidenced by their butt-dynamometer, so audiophiles are not the only ones who will fall for snake oil salespeople. Some of these tweaks stretch credulity but I have tried some and often there really is a difference, at least to my ears. Maybe it is the power of suggestion, i.e. I paid big bucks for these and there darned well is a difference. The thing to do is to decide yourself whether you want to vote with your wallet for them, knowing there is most likely little if any measurable difference.
Actually it’s proof that they’re not gullible. Just because someone has something ludicrously expensive for sale doesn’t necessarily mean he sells any. Most likely scenario is he might sell one. If he's lucky. Therefore proving audiophiles are not gullible, at least not that gullible.
1) If you have a system that's in excess of $100k total cost, this represents a mere 5-6% of the system cost. If it yields a 5-6% improvement, it's worth the money.
2) tweaks like this make a bigger impact on higher quality gear. It's the same as a $10k Stillpoints ESS rack. That thing is the best bang for your buck in audio ...provided you've got a system that justifies it. Putting an Aiwa receiver on it would be a waste.
IME, the higher quality gear I get, the stronger it responds to minor tweaks.
I never thought cable risers would make a difference, for example, but with my recent reference system, the change was so obvious, even my incredulous roommate conceded it sounded "way better".
@jmcgrogan2 , you've given me a new idea . . . I think that I might start writing a "scam of the week" based on what appears to be the most ridiculous snake oil being sold on AudioGullible that week! :)
@jond, you raise a very good point. It does have 3 pounds of brass and 9 carat gold plating. And let's not forget the "lignum vitae" wood -- the most dense wood from South America! Here is what some knucklehead reviewer (Norm Luttberg) stated in "Stereo Times" 2014 Most Wanted Components: "I have not heard anything that rivals it." I'm willing to bet good old Norm didn't pay for it either!
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