Silliest audiophile equipment of all time?

Dgarretson- Actually Marco is referring to an actual product that was for sale at about $500 each at one time. Exotic wood knobs for the rotary controls on your pre-amp!! IMO, these have to rank up there with the rocks, the phone call, and the alum foil.

@Timrhu, this is actually for an article I'm working on. I'm currently pitching the idea to a few mags.

@Metro,

Actually I've lurked this forum for years now, just haven't posted. I was joking around with a buddy of mind about some of the more ridiculous audiophile components and he suggested that I try to spin it into a fun feature article.

I do not work for any of these companies, this is not guerilla marketing. I am also interested in more traditional components than tweaks. I'd rather shed some light on dubious claims than just pure snake oil which is obviously absurd (brilliant pebbles).

Thanks guys. (Also, thanks for helping me pick out my Sennheiser 600s and Rega Amp a few years back!)

Kurt, none of Geoff's tweaks are silly. They are after all, all good earners. Nothing silly about making money.

The folks that purchase his tweaks are the ones that aren't the sharpest tools in the shed.

Regards
Paul

Swampwalker, I agree with you regarding the silliness of $500 wood knobs, but with the qualification that in a passive TVC, a knob of exotic hardwood in combination with a hardwood chassis might be desireable for resonance control or RFI rejection. Both Audio Consulting & Promitheus use the approach in their TVCs. My recollection is that RAM/AC offered the knobs as a full-boat option for the the $5K DIY TVC kit. Doubtless the notion of a $5K TVC in kit form is putting a smile on your face about now...

Of course the price of four Swiss knobs buys an entire Promitheus Reference TVC-- which tells us as much about Asian manufacturing costs and trends toward global deforestation as it does about Swiss silliness.